Why Assignments Matter in Career-Technical Classrooms

1. Advanced Career Why Assignments Matter in Career-Technical Classrooms Gene Bottoms Senior Vice President Southern Regional Education Board gene.bottoms@sreb.org Work: 404-875-9211 Cell: 404-202-5143 Southern Regional Education Board Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

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3. The best case for relooking at assignments in career-technical classrooms is to look at what happens to young men. Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

4. Failure to Launch Source: Failure to Launch; Anthony P. Carnevale, Andrew R. Hanson, ArtemGulish, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, 2013 Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

5. 1980 2010 Source: Failure to Launch; Anthony P. Carnevale, Andrew R. Hanson, ArtemGulish, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, 2013 Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

6. Source: Failure to Launch; Anthony P. Carnevale, Andrew R. Hanson, ArtemGulish, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, 2013

8. Source: Failure to Launch; Anthony P. Carnevale, Andrew R. Hanson, ArtemGulish, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, 2013 Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

9. Source: Failure to Launch; Anthony P. Carnevale, Andrew R. Hanson, ArtemGulish, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, 2013 Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

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13. Advanced Career Surveys: Employers have too few and too many qualified workers Source: U. S. News and World Report.com/news/articles, 03/28/13 Southern Regional Education Board A recent survey from the Society for Human Resources Management shows that 66 percent of firms that are hiring have trouble finding workers for specific positions — up from 52 percent in 2011 to 60 percent in 2013 Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

14. Advanced Career Recovery Uneven Source: The Wall Street Journal November 12, 2013 Southern Regional Education Board The U. S. job recovery is proceeding on two separate tracks — with the young, less educated and unemployed seeing hardly any rebound. Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

15. Changes Since October 2010 in the Number of Jobs in Select Industries, in Thousands Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013 Source: The Wall Street Journal, November 12, 2013

16. Advanced Career Getting Serious About Preparing Students for Middle-Skill Jobs Southern Regional Education Board 47% of all new job openings from 2010 to 2020 will fall into the middle-skill range Source: Harvard Business Review, 2012/12, Who Can Fix the“Middle Skills” Gap? Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

17. Advanced Career Breaking Out of the Low-Skill TrapPercentage of Jobs Requiring Some PSE Southern Regional Education Board Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

18. Why is there declining access for young men in the 21st century? Southern Regional Education Board Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

19. America Education’s Missing Middle Middle jobs Optional robust pathways Counseling for careers Work-based learning Challenging assignments Quality CT Source: Failure to Launch; Anthony P. Carnevale, Andrew R. Hanson, ArtemGulish, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, 2013 Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

20. Advanced Career Employer Response to Current Offerings at CT Centers Southern Regional Education Board What’s wrong with manufacturing programs at CT Centers — machine tool, industrial maintenance, computerized manufacturing, metal fabrication? Do not employ graduates because: • Technology is old. • They lack skills to manage automated technology. • They lack foundational learning skills. • They lack trouble-shooting/problem-solving skills. • They lack digital skills. • They lack team skills. Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

21. What should we do about it? Southern Regional Education Board Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

22. Opportunities Optional Pathways Challenging Assignments Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

23. What will be the impact of challenging assignments? Source: HSTW Assessment Of students reporting having challenging assignments in CT courses in 2010 and 2012, 15 to 20 percent more students met reading, math and science college-readinessgoals when compared with a matched sample of studentswho did not have such a CT experience. Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

24. What do challenging CT assignments look like? Indicators Used to Define Robust Assignments Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

25. What do challenging CT assignments look like? Indicators Used to Define Robust Assignments Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

26. Source: 2012 TCTW Assessment Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

27. Source: 2012 TCTW Assessment Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

28. Source: 2012 TCTW Assessment Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

29. Interview of Students at Columbia Montour CT Center in Pennsylvania Validates Student Survey Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

30. Interview of Students at Columbia Montour CT Center in Pennsylvania Validates Student Survey Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

31. Interviews with Students at Other CT Centers Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

32. Examples fromMiddle Bucks Institute of Technology, PA Digital Media - Wrote and published an ebook titled A Student’s Perspective on Public Education, which required learning new software, researching primary sources, interviewing sources, writing to publication standards, developing and testing hypothesis, and collaborating with others. Drafting and Design - Created a complete set of plans and CAD drawings of a summer home renovation project for a real client, which required learning new software, interviewing client, creating renderings, researching building codes, and presenting final work for client approval. Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

33. Examples from Erie County CTC, PA Health Assistant – Senior project - Choose a disease and create a 3-D model comparing healthy and damaged nerve cells. This project required researching, analysis of information, writing a paper, interviewing adults, presenting to an audience, creating visual aids, and using technology. Culinary Arts – Menu design senior project – Plan an entire menu for a restaurant of choice. All dishes had to fit a theme, be original, and taste tested (gathered data). Preparation cost was calculated. Menu had to have a balance of items including gluten-free food and dishes for people with common food allergies. Gluten food allergies had to be researched before the dishes were developed. The menu had to be artfully designed to match the restaurant theme. Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

34. Examples from Monroe County CTC, PA Landscape design – Design a plan for landscaping a property assigned by the teacher. The design had to reflect plants for the area’s climate, root systems (how big they would grow), maintenance and appearance. The plan had to be drawn to scale and provide a detailed cost estimate. Electronics – Designed a digital clock circuit from scratch, which required programming chips, testing, troubleshooting, and redesign. Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

35. Middle Bucks Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

36. Unnamed Center Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

37. How could we formulate assignments that are authentic, and require students to apply a mix of thinking, academic, technical, technology, software, and 21st-century skills to complete? Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

38. What are the criteria for a quality CT assignment? Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

39. What do these indicators look like in a class? Let’s create a set of “look fors” with questions when looking at a CT class. Using a modified Carousel Brainstorming Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

40. Sample Develop a logical argument for your solution to a problem or project. Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

41. Learning the Indicators • Divide up into groups (count off by eights) • Each group goes to one of the eight • Two minutes • “Look fors” when walking into a classroom • Questions you might ask students • Rotate/Repeat • When back to you original review and report out Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

42. Goals/Expected Outcomes • What do we walk out of here with…. Redo an assignment or create a new one… • Project enhancement that includes: reading, mathematics, science • Purposeful inclusion of ‘habits of success’/employability skills • Tap ideas from industry and postsecondary stakeholders Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

43. Group Norms: Participate Listen with an open mind Ask questions Limit side bars Housekeeping: Phone calls Blackberries Restrooms Breaks Lunch Punctuality Parking lot Other Norms? Group Norms and Housekeeping

44. Parking Lot Questions Suggestions Opportunity for Change Follow-up

45. Introductions Table Team Resume Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

46. Assignment Criteria Authentic and Complex Problem-Solving/Design Process Current Technology and Software 21st–century skills Reading, research and written documentation to support solution High School math skills to complete a complex problem Scientific concepts involved when appropriate Assessments both formative and summative Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

47. Examining Quality CT Assignments Use the provided checklist to assess your assignment Do a gaps analysis Be prepared to report your findings Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

48. Where do we start? Assess project descriptions provided to you and answer: • Do students use one of the problem-solving/design processes? • Are literacy, math and science required to complete the project? • Are several technical skills needed to be applied in completing the project? • Will students need to use current business/industry technology and software? • Are 21st-century skills implied or explicit in the project? Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

49. Reflection On the index card provided, respond to the following questions around good assignments: What squares with my thinking? What is rolling around in my mind? Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013

50. Buck Institute for EducationThe Six A’s of PBL • Authenticity • Academic rigor • Assessment • Applied learning • Active exploration • Adult relationships Wednesday 830 am ACTE 2013