October 30, 2019iNACOL Annual Symposium | Palm Springs, CA

Implementing Competency Pathways for Career Readiness

Today’s resources: greatschoolspartnership.org/iNACOL

Carrie McWilliams, Senior Associate

Mark Kostin, Associate Director

From the Great Schools Partnership

TODAY’S FACILITATORS

Outcomes1. Participants will review criteria for determining

high-quality career readiness indicators;

2. Participants will examine design elements for ensuring equitable and rigorous career-developing learning pathways in a competency system

3. Participants will use tools and resources to assess their current practices, inform their strategic thinking, and articulate a series of clear next steps

AgendaWelcome, outcomes, agenda

Beliefs and principles

Examples

Tools and resources

Entry points

Q & A

Welcome, outcomes, agenda

Beliefs and principles

Examples

Tools and resources

Entry points

Q & A

www.greatschoolspartnership.org/iNACOL

is a nonprofit school-support organization working to redesign public education and improve learning for all students.

@GreatSchoolsP#iNACOL19

We believe in equitable, personalized, rigorous learning for all students leading to readiness for college, careers, and citizenship.

We believe educational equity means ensuring just outcomes for each student, raising marginalized voices, and challenging the imbalance of power and privilege.

Beliefs and Practices of

Competency-Based Education

Belief 1: All students can and will learn when they feel included, respected, and valued by their learning community.

Learning Environment

Belief 2: All students must be challenged, believed in, and supported to reach common, high expectations.

Outcomes

Belief 3: Student learning is enhanced by clear cycles of practice, feedback, assessment, and reflection.

Assessment & Feedback

Belief 4: Students are empowered and engaged by choice in their learning experiences.

Learning Pathways

Transcripts,Report Cards,

Grades

Formative Feedback

Performance Indicators5–8 per competency

Measurable skills and knowledge that comprise a graduation competency.

Learning TargetsThe discrete elements of each performance

indicator that guide daily learning.

Graduation Competencies3–6 cross-curricular

3–6 in each content areaEssential, enduring, and

transferable skills and knowledge.

YES

NO

NO

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over time through multiple and varied methods.

Students advance their learning on performance indicators through formative assessments and create L]PKLUJL�VM�WYVÄJPLUJ`�[OYV\NO�

summative assessments.

Students build their knowledge and skills through practice on learning targets and feedback from formative assessments.

GraduationRequirement

Communication of Progress Assessment Practices

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2018. This work by Great Schools Partnership is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Formative and Summative Feedback

1. Faculty + Industry consensus skills 2. Performance-based, body of evidence,

common definitions of success 3. Many of the core beliefs of CBE and the

elements of EEI are already aligned with this work

4. Readiness for career (initial entry into the profession) and college (post-secondary continued training) is goal

CTEs as CBE Pioneers

1. How can we grow and enhance CTE Pathways with quality and fidelity?

2. How can we ensure our students’ experiences in CTEs and HSs are consistently aligned with CBE best practices?

3. How will our CTE Pathway expectations reflect the increasingly complex expectations of their industries?

4. How will we ensure our graduates possess the core competencies of their field AND be prepared for the changing nature of the work (Transferable Skills)?

CTE CBE Challenges

Which challenge are you best able to address at this point? Why?

Which challenge resonates with you most?

TURN + TALK

CTE PathwaysDesign Principles

Core CTE Pathways Design Principles

All students can learn and will succeed when they feel heard, valued, believed in, are challenged, and supported

Equity

Students will succeed when they have access to viable, engaging, relevant, career and college ready learning pathways

Core CTE Pathways Design PrinciplesPathways

The school and community must establish essential content, industry, and transferable skills they expect all students to demonstrate and develop and share common success criteria for each.

Core CTE Pathways Design PrinciplesCollege and Career Ready Standards

All stakeholders (students, faculty, parents, community members, businesses) — especially those historically marginalized — must be included in the determination of learning options for students.

Core CTE Pathways Design PrinciplesEquitable Community Engagement

Community Needs-Based DesignStakeholders must consider the needs, assets, and challenges of their communities in the determination of career pathways for learning

Core CTE Pathways Design Principles

Considerations When Implementing Competency Pathways for

Career Readiness

Does this require specialized curriculum?

What are your labor-force projections?

Who are your community partners?

What current pathways are available to

students?

Apprentice & on the job training

4-Year College & beyond

Associates or Trade School

Student Pathways

Student Course Work

Graduation

Entry Level

Mangagement

Examples

Sample Student Yearly Course of Studies

This sample is adapted from Science and Technology Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut (STMHS)’s New London Early College Opportunity (New London-ECO).

General Engineering Technology-Sheet Metal Fabrication Pathway (AAS degree)

Incoming 9th Graders Grade 9 Summer

Program Grade 10 Summer Program Grade 11 Summer

Program Grade 12 Summer Program

Grade 13 Fall

Grade 13 Spring

Man

ufac

turin

g M

ath

Workplace Learning I

Blue

print

Rea

ding

Workplace Learning II

Solid

Mod

eling

I *

Workplace Learning III* Laser Lab

Safety (Online)

Dual

Enro

llmen

t: So

lid M

odeli

ng II*

Manufacturing Processes

and Lab*

Sum

mer

Inte

rnsh

ip*

Public Speaking*

Advanced Sheet Metal*

STEM Science

STEM Biology

Mechanics Physics* Chemistry*

Electric Circuits and Systems*

C-N-Sheet Metal*

Geometry Algebra II College Algebra*

Pre-Calculus*

Heat Sound Light* Elective*

English I English II Composition* English III

Technical Writing*

Intro to Sheet Metal* Elective*

World History

AP U.S. History

AP U.S. Government

Manufacturing Senior

Capstone

Foreign Language I

Foreign Language II P.E. P.E./Health

Intro to Engineering

Design Elective Elective Elective

* Dual Enrollment College Course

Tools &Resources

One insight or something you are thinking about…

One question you have…

TURN + TALK

QUESTIONS

THANK YOU

482 Congress Street, Suite 500Portland, ME 04101207.773.0505greatschoolspartnership.org

Carrie McWilliams, Ed.D.Senior Associate

cmcwilliams@greatschoolspartnership.org

Mark Kostin, Ed.D.Associate Director

mkostin@greatschoolspartnership.org

Photo CreditImages on slides 7-8:

Courtesy of Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in Action. 

For more information about acceptable uses and licensing terms visit  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.