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Articles:
Program Improvement Workshops Announced for Teachers of Career and Technical Education
State Publishes Core Frameworks for Career and Technical Education Program
First Annual Youth Directories
2004 MN Tech Prep and Career Pathways Conference
Program Improvement Workshops Announced for Teachers of Career and Technical Education
Several Tech Prep and Carl Perkins Consortiums in Southwest and South Central Minnesota are working together in 2004-05 to help schools and teachers complete several critical tasks for their Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
- Complete the state "Program Approval" process before the December 1, 2004 deadline so schools and programs can access Carl Perkins funds and career and technical levy dollars.
- Develop local educational standards for CTE programs at the school district level by September 2005.
- Launch an on-line system for students to receive Tech Prep College Credit while taking high school courses.
Secondary and post-secondary instructors from the SC Tech Prep/Carl Perkins Consortia are invited to attend these FREE meetings at the locations and dates listed below. Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program Specialists from the Minnesota Department of Education, along with Quality Teacher Network (QTN) instructors, will be on-hand to help facilitate the meetings. Four and one-half CEUÕs available. The SC/Service Cooperative Perkins Consortium will provide a FREE meal and snacks and reimbursement for substitutes.
Register using the links below, or online at www.mnscsc.org, click on Events, scroll to appropriate date, click on plus sign, complete registration.
Agriculture Education Register
Monday, September 27, 2004
9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
New Ulm Public Library - Meeting Room.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Sept. 20, 2004
Business Education Register
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Redwood Falls Public Library
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Sept. 21, 2004
Trade & Industry Register
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Martin Luther College, New Ulm - Meeting Room
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Sept. 22, 2004
Family and Consumer Science Register
Thursday, September 30, 2004
9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Redwood Falls Public Library
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Sept. 23, 2004
Fall 2004 Career and Technical Education Meeting Agenda Register
9:00–9:15 a.m. Registration
9:15–9:30 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
9:30–10:00 a.m. Southern Minnesota On-line Tech Prep College Credit Project, Tom Hoff, SW/WC Service Cooperatives
10:00–10:30 a.m. Career and Technical Program Approval, Program Specialists, Minnesota Department of Education
10:30–12:00 p.m. Developing Career and Technical Standards at the District Level, Program Specialists, Minnesota Department of Education
12:00–1:00 p.m. Lunch and Networking
1:00–2:00 p.m. Developing Career and Technical Standards at the District Level (continued), Program Specialists, Minnesota Department of Education
2:00–2:30 p.m. State and Regional updates
Substitute reimbursement forms will be available at the workshop. Please bring a course syllabus for each of the CTE classes you teach.
For more information, please contact Kathryn Rusch, Director, Service, Work & Learning Center, 507-389-1772, Kathryn.Rusch@southcentral.edu, Glenn Morris, Perkins Basic Grant Administrator, SCSC, 507-389-5106,
gmorris@mnscsc.org.
State Publishes Core Frameworks for Career and Technical Education Program
The Core Frameworks provide tools for determining how national and industry standards align with goals and curriculum in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. The examples, alignment charts and ideas for activities contained in the set of documents are intended to encourage districts, sites and teachers to use, adapt and develop their own best practices when implementing national and industry standards and applying academic knowledge and skills to practical situations.
South Central Service Cooperative has published the Career and Technical Education Frameworks online at: mnscsc.org/carlperkins/career_teched/frameworks/frameworks.html. The materials reflect thousands of hours of effort from Minnesota educators that comprise a set of documents that work to explain the broad field of career and technical education in terms of essential concepts, how it relates both to Minnesota standards and to individual career and technical education disciplines, and how educators can utilize career and technical education effectively to support student learning in many areas. It is hoped that, by using these materials, program quality in career and technical education will be enhanced and student learning of career and technical and academic concepts will improve.
Minnesota's definition of career and technical education addresses three components of the field: technological literacy, workplace skills, and career decision-making. Technological literacy requires an understanding of systems and concepts applied to technology, technology impact on society, and the design, use, maintenance and assessment of technology systems and processes. Workplace skills support success within school and the community and include resource management, time management, perseverance and teamwork. Career decision-making emphasizes an understanding of self and community that leads to successful career exploration and investigation appropriate to individual maturity.
The understanding of technological literacy, workplace skills and career decision-making is not intended to capture all that can occur in career and technical education, but reflects essential concepts of career and technical education that can be reasonably expected of learners in Minnesota schools. The narrow job-skill secondary vocational programs of the past that prepared individuals for entry into a trade have generally given way to broader career and technical education programs that emphasize utilization of academic concepts and understanding of all aspects of industry. But within any career and technical education program one can now find instruction that focuses on technological literacy, workplace skills and career decision-making.
First Annual Youth Directories
The South Central Youth Council has published youth directories in an effort to increase youth awareness and access to local services. Four versions of directories are available, to support services in each county throughout south central Minnesota.
The directories were developed by a subcommittee of the South Central Youth Council. Members of the subcommittee include:
- Diane Halvorson, South Central WorkForce Council
- Al Hauge, Rehabilitation Services
- Glenn Morris, South Central Service Cooperative
- Kathi Rusch, South Central Service, Work and Learning Center, SCTC
- Leah Shanks, Minnesota Valley Action Council
- Karen Wagner, Mankato WorkForce Center
Directories are intended to help youth find information about: child care, counseling, education, employment, health services, housing programs, libraries, recreation, transportation, youth organizations, and youth services. Directories outline services available in each county, but due to limited space, not all agencies in each county may be listed. A listing is not intended as an endorsement, nor is not being listed intended as disapproval.
For more information on area resources, contact First Call for Help at 211 or 1 (800) 543-7709, or visit www.MinnesotaHelp.info.
Copies of the directories are available free of charge. School District Counselors have been invited to order quantities for their schools. To order directories, or if you have any comments, changes, suggestions, or recommendations for updates to the directories, please contact Diane Halvorson at the South Central WorkForce Council at 507-345-2408.
2004 MN Tech Prep and Career Pathways Conference
Minnesota is hosting the 2004 National Tech Prep conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center on October 13-16. This year's theme is Tech Prep and Career Pathways: Strategies for Student Success. At this convention, participants will learn how new Perkins legislation will affect them; discuss counseling issues; gather National Science Foundation (NSF) grant information; network with over 3,000 TP colleagues; and take home numerous ideas to enhance classroom teaching.
Who Should Attend?
--Secondary and Post secondary Faculty
--Tech Prep Coordinators
--Administrators
--Curriculum Coordinators
--Counselors
--Business and Industry Professionals
Conference registration is available online at www.ntpn.info. South Central and Cannon Valley Tech Prep members can contact Kathi Rusch at (507) 389-7327 or email to kathryn.rusch@southcentral.edu for conference registration and hotel accommodation details.
General Session Presenters include:
--Jones Loflin, Who Moved My Cheese Organization
--Susan Sclafani, US Dept. of Vocational & Adult Education
--Dan Hull, President, CORD
--C.E. "Gus" Whalen, Jr., Chairman, The Warren Featherbone Foundation
--Pamela Clark, Ms. Wheelchair Virginia, Tech Prep Coordinator
--Debra Bishop, AJ Moore Academy