Dr. Jennifer Harrison
CAREER & TECHNICAL EDUCATION . . .
October 2009 Board Update
TRAC Review Update
The Regional TRAC Audit is nearing a close. As this report is being written, all 8 of the program audits have been conducted. We were originally scheduled for nine, however Engineering and Precision Technology was omitted at the last moment. Each program audit was conducted as a “Desk Audit” due to funding cuts. These consisted of two hour interviews with each of the program instructors. Substitutes were hired for these programs in order for the interviews to be completed with the appropriate OCTE state consultants who were held in privately secured conference areas. After the conference, an official CTE administrator held a debriefing with the state consultant. This conversation lasted for approximately one hour per interview. The Career Center was given twenty-four hours to submit any missing documentation that may have been requested by the state consultant. In most cases the required paperwork had been previously submitted, however it was located in the audit box which was housed in a separate office within the Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE). References to the location of the paperwork or duplicate copies were made and faxed to the state consultant who requested the paperwork.
Recommendations, commendations, and findings were discussed with the CTE director after each consultant interview. Next week a wrap-up session will be held at Ferris State University to go over the general Region 7 findings and discuss specific results for each program. There will be an opportunity to discuss the process without repercussions. In general the feedback for this ISD has been extremely favorable. We have received several commendations particularly in reference to the organization of the material and the quality of the programs that were reviewed. The consultants liked how the CTE Director discusses the 1, 3 and 5 year plan with each instructor through the Budget Planning Conferences. Suggestions to include more opportunities for budget sharing were offered by one consultant. Two consultants mentioned the need to create a plan to have adjustable workstations in every single program. Even though it was evident the Career Center worked with special needs students and provided reasonable accommodations, it is important to make the environment appealing to future students who have a disability so they may see themselves in that program.
2010 Excellence In Practice Award
The Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE) is once again accepting nominations for the Excellence In Practice Award, to be presented at the February 2010 Michigan Career Education Conference. The award recognizes successful, exemplary Tech Prep and state-approved Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and/or other related career education initiatives that prepare and support students for careers and postsecondary education. The nominees must be state-approved CTE programs, aligned and/or articulated postsecondary programs of study, or career-related initiatives that demonstrate outstanding outcomes, produce measurable results for students, and support high academic rigor and alignment.
For further information on how to nominate a program or initiative, please contact: Dr. Jennifer L. Harrison at 231-592-9608 or via e-mail at jharrison@moisd.org.
Enrollment Update
Current enrollment is 580.
MOCC Coach/Cadet Program (Written by Steve Locke)
As part of the School Improvement Process, the staff has embarked upon a new initiative that pairs at-risk students with a caring staff member of the MOCC. The intention of this program is to provide support to students who desperately need the encouragement of a responsible adult.
The program is open to all MOCC students on a voluntary basis. Any student that is placed on an attendance contract is required to participate in the program. Through a series of steps and processes, participants of the program are matched to a staff member (different than their MOCC instructor) with similar interests, personalities, or hobbies. This staff member (Coach) has frequent informal supportive contact with the student (Cadet). The primary focus of the Coach is to make contact with the student on the day of or immediately following an absence.
While the program is just taking off, there are already four students that will be enrolled in the program as early as the week if September 28.
School Improvement MOCC 2009-2010 (Written by Steve Locke)
MOCC has started a new season of school improvement. The process has been coming together over the past six plus months and we are excited about the potential that this tool has for impacting the practices of the Center. This process was designed with staff ownership and shared leadership as integral components. Administration has provided the structures and controls, and the staff will be the developers and sustainers of procedural improvements.
The staff is divided into two teams. Each team will have a series of tasks intending to assist the staff in identifying ideals for both the school and the students. Each team will divide further into Work Crews where they will be addressing the gaps between the ideals and the current level of performance.
This process should provide plenty of data and accountability for the MOCC.
Jeff Courtney has a byline in ACTE Techniques Magazine
The October 2009 ACTE publication of Techniques magazine offers many intriguing articles that explore the horizon of CTE from a global perspective. World-wide views come into focus on page 39 as MOCC Diesel Technology Instructor Jeff Courtney is featured with his impressions of the 2008 ACTE conference. He was able to attend last year through a regional Tech Prep grant designed to provide educators with rich professional development learning opportunities to enhance their instructional acumen. Mr. Courtney’s enthusiasm was evident to the editors of ACTE and they used his comments to advertise for the 2009 ACTE Nashville convention. “It is quite honestly the biggest Convention of its kind. There were so many opportunities it was hard to take it all in. I could have spent two more days there and not done everything I wanted to.”
Up-Coming Events
Oct 1 HVACR Best Practices (Muskegon ISD)
Oct 6 CTE Administrator’s Best Practices (TBA ISD)
Oct 6 School Improvement Training Seminar (Nancy Coleflesch)
Oct 7 Construction Trades Best Practices (Muskegon ISD)
Oct 7 Automotive, Diesel, Compact & Heavy Equipment Best Practices (Muskegon ISD)
Oct 9 Digital Technology, Information Technology Best Practices (Mt. Pleasant)
Oct 14 Culinary Arts Best Practices (Mason Lake)
Oct 14 Allied Health Blood Drive (Miller)
Oct 16 Career Center Closed
Tech Prep Regional Conference (BR Holiday Inn)
Oct 23 MOSPA – All MOCC Para-pros to attend Regional PD
Nov 4 Advisory Dinner (Miller)
Nov 5 Leadership Mecosta Education Day
Nov 5 Passes Edge Training (Miller)
Nov 19 – 21 ACTE Conference
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September 2009 Board Update
TRAC Review Update
The preparations for our TRAC audit have been completed and submitted to the Office of Career and Technical Education for Review. CTE-related programs at Chippewa Hills and Evart were also included in this process and have all of their documents in order. Wendy Iltis should be recognized for her extraordinary organizational skills and attention to detail in preparing for this audit process. The rules and requirements since the previous cycle had drastically changed. Like so many of our successes in this organization, pulling together a tremendous and arduous undertaking like this one is not possible without the efforts of a team. Dorothy Jones, Denise Robinson, Steve Locke, Dennis Dull, Jill Ray, Jodie Nunn, and the entire staff of the MOCC Career Center contributed to the TRAC process throughout the course of the 2008-2009 school year. Our participating LEAs should also be commended for pulling their documentation together and orchestrating this process in such a seamless manner.
On September 30, 2009 selected personnel will be scheduled to participate in site interviews that will be held at Ferris State University. OCTE will notify Region 7 within a week of these interviews so select staff can be available to travel to FSU upon request. Select CTE instructors, including CTE LEA programs may be contacted for phone interviews.
Enrollment Update
The anticipated enrollment this fall is 558. Currently Nursing Services, Early Childhood Education Careers, and HVACR are closed to new enrollment. These programs have waiting lists for new students. The Open Enrollment policy applies beginning each spring until April 15th. After all of the classes are adjusted MOCC determines if we need to hire additional staff, open extra sections of programs, and in some cases build larger spaces for expanded enrollment to accommodate the local school districts’ requests. This also enables us to provide better services to our locals by better understanding where the enrollment needs will be so we can prepare for the fall and fill our human resource needs adequately with the best qualified personnel while the hiring pool is available.
The Whole Child
MOCC supports the Whole Child initiative through our School Improvement efforts. Last year our team had several discussions that centered on our concerns for at-risk students and ways we could improve our data-driven decision-making process as a school. We would like to step up our efforts to improve our outreach to not only at-risk, but the critical middle students and how we can improve our service to the local school districts. Our School Improvement Team is moving from a first order change process to a second order change by creating two branches of our larger “Success Team”. Both the “School Success” and the “Student Success” teams will work in conjunction with each other to promote technology skills, academic skills, employability skills, improve graduation rates, and improve non-traditional completion/retention rates.
The whole MOCC staff will be involved in implementing the new MOCC Success Team. As the CTE Director, it is my responsibility to model the Whole Child compact that with the Career Center staff so they are Healthy, Safe, Engaged, Supported, and Challenged, so in turn they are able to create and foster this atmosphere at MOCC and the MOISD. The bigger picture means better service to the local districts.
Specific examples of Whole Child/Good-To-Great initiatives that are new to the Career Center include:
Career Services 2009/2010
Career Services staff is almost ready to begin the new school year: Plans are under way to kick-off the Learn2Earn adult education classes at a community open house, August 18, at MiWorks! Reed City (4:00- 6:30); staff and resources have been realigned to better serve the students of MOCC; and various career training program initiatives will be available to MOCC students 24/7 on-line through Moodle.
Learn2Earn
Program Update
Learn2Earn is a series of targeted vocational training programs that was developed by MOCC, in cooperation with MiWorks!, for the adult-age residents of Mecosta and Osceola counties. The second stage in the development of this program is near completion; adjunct faculty are either hired or in process, supplies are ordered, student applications are starting to come in, and the training agreements are ready for student signatures.
Learn2Earn 2009/2010 Proposed Course Offerings
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Up-Coming Events
Sept 30 Region 7 TRAC Interviews at FSU
Sept 16 Graphic Arts & Communications Best Practices (MOCC)
Sept 16 Early Childhood & Cadet Teaching Best Practices (MOCC)
Sept 22 CTE Counselors and Student Services Best Practices
Sept 22 Public Safety & Cosmetology Best Practices (Montcalm ISD)
Sept 23 Agri-Science Best Practices (Wexford-Missaukee ISD)
Sept 24 CAD/Drafting, Machine Trades, Welding Best Practices (Muskegon ISD)
Sept 24 Allied Health Best Practices (Wexford-Missaukee ISD)
Oct 1 HVACR Best Practices (Muskegon ISD)
Oct 6 CTE Administrator’s Best Practices (TBA ISD)
Oct 7 Construction Trades Best Practices (Muskegon ISD)
Oct 7 Automotive, Diesel, Compact & Heavy Equipment Best Practices (Muskegon ISD)
Oct 9 Digital Technology, Information Technology Best Practices (Mt. Pleasant)
Oct 14 Culinary Arts Best Practices (Mason Lake)
Nov 19 – 21 ACTE Conference