Meeting of the Board of Regents | December 2007

	THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234
TO:		EMSC-VESID Committee
FROM:		Johanna Duncan-Poitier
SUBJECT:		Implementation of the Regents Policy on Career and Technical Education and Possible Future Policy Directions
DATE:		December 5,  2007
STRATEGIC GOAL:		Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

 

 

SUMMARY

 

 

Issue for Discussion

 

             

              How can the Board of Regents policy provide increased flexibility for students to better access career and technical education (CTE) programs? Should the Board endorse a new policy direction to create a system to expand the number of programs, increase the number of partnerships with colleges, and examine CTE assessments?

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

Review of Policy.

 

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the Regents EMSC-VESID Committee for discussion at its December 2007 meeting.

 

 

 

 

Procedural History

 

Recognizing the important role of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in New York State’s education reform efforts, the Board of Regents established a policy on career and technical education in February 2001. Periodic reports are presented on implementation of the policy.

 

Background Information

 

The attached report is an update on that policy, including:

 

• How CTE programs contribute to closing the achievement gap;
• Program quality, and
• Enrollment data.

 

The report also suggests future policy directions for the Regents consideration, to expand the availability of quality CTE programs and respond to challenges faced by school districts offering these programs.

 

Recommendation

 

The Board of Regents should consider new policy directions to identify strategies to expand access to CTE programs.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

We will launch key initiatives in January 2008.
How Does Career and Technical Education (CTE) Contribute to Closing the Achievement Gap?

 

Data Trends

 

An analysis of data collected by the Department (as reflected in Charts 1 and 2) shows the effectiveness of these programs. 

 

• Students who complete their CTE programs at a BOCES graduate at higher rates than the state average (the average graduation rate of BOCES CTE program completers was 91 percent in 2005 while the overall graduation rate for the State was 66 percent).

 

• CTE students’ performance is comparable to their non-CTE peers in the required Regents examinations—illustrating that the added courses do not appear to detract from overall performance. It is also noteworthy that CTE performance is strongest in areas in which CTE is offered through integrated academics: English, mathematics and science.

 

Chart 1

 Graduation Rates of CTE Students vs. Non-CTE Students in the 2002 Cohort

Source: STEP data 10/07

 

Chart 2

 

 

Independent Analysis

 

A recent independent study of New York State Career and Technical Education          programs found the following:

 

• CTE leaver rate declined over the study’s two-year period, while the State’s high school dropout rate was on the rise. The report indicated that minority and special education students were more likely to stay in school when they were enrolled in CTE programs.

 

• The CTE approach works. The study indicated that dual credit offered within a coherent sequence had a greater impact on CTE students’ decisions to attend college than “stand-alone” college credit.

 

• CTE promotes clarity in career planning. More CTE students received help in planning their future and were more certain of their plans and career choices than their non-CTE classmates.

 

• Over a two year period of the study (2003-04 and 2004-05 school years), CTE students were cited as being more likely to stay in school and complete their programs than non-CTE students.
• The study concluded that, as a group, New York CTE students performed as well as non-CTE students in English language arts and mathematics on New York State Regents examinations. CTE programs enhance student motivation and participation, thus resulting in higher levels of performance and increased graduation rates.

 

National
Research Center
for Career and Technical Education Study

 

Not only does CTE appear to improve student outcomes at the secondary level, but a recent study by the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education showed that CTE programs can also positively affect students’ post-secondary success.  In particular, this report studied the effects of dual enrollment on New York City CTE students who enrolled in the College Now program (a collaborative program between the City University of New York and NYC public high schools, including 19 vocational high schools).   The report included findings that participants were more likely that their peers to pursue a bachelor’s degree and that participation was positively related to students’ first-semester grade point averages and to their overall progress toward a degree.  According to the report, three-and-a-half years after initial enrollment in postsecondary education, participants had earned significantly more college credits than had non-participating peers. 

 

 

How Do We Ensure and Continue to Improve CTE Program Quality?

 

For the first time since the advent of the Board of Regents 2001 Policy on CTE Program Approval, all federal Perkins recipients in New York State will be required to develop approved CTE programs. New York’s state-approval process for career and technical education programs has raised the quality and rigor by requiring programs to re-evaluate and update the programs that prepare students for employment and postsecondary study. The components of an approved program include:

 

• quality technical and academic curriculum that has been reviewed by internal and external teams and may integrate English language arts, mathematics, science, economics, and government into technical instruction;
• faculty with State certification in appropriate academic and/or technical fields;
• technical assessments that demonstrate that students meet current industry standards;
• postsecondary articulation agreements (i.e., written commitments between lead administrators of secondary institutions and postsecondary educational institutions.)  These agreements provide the needed linkages that ensure a smooth transition from high school to college.  Often articulation agreements provide college credit for CTE courses taken in high school, advanced standing at the postsecondary institution, or other benefits that ease the transition to college; and
• work-based learning experiences for students. Students derive benefits from the structure of approved programs because work-based learning gives students opportunities to apply academic concepts to real-world situations and demonstrate mastery of skills essential in the workplace while preparing for industry-based assessments or certifications.

 

              The number of program approvals continues to grow. As of September 21, 2007, over 870 programs have been approved, including 72 new programs since the May 2006 report to the Board of Regents. Applications have come from 31 local and comprehensive high schools, and all 37 BOCES. Applications for new program approvals continue to be submitted on an on-going basis, while program re-approvals are being completed

 

 

CTE Enrollment  Data

 

Given the evidence that participation in CTE programs can have a positive effect on student outcomes, are enrollments increasing?  On the contrary, since 2001, most of the Big 4 Cities and BOCES have had more stable enrollments in CTE programs, but only after significant enrollment declines between 1996 and 2001. New York City’s enrollment has been largely flat since 2003. Analysis of data from districts outside the Big Five for the last reporting period is made difficult by decreases in the number of those reporting (230 districts in 2005-06 and 214 in 2006-07). The transition to the individual student record system will capture more comprehensive data about CTE.   In all cases, however, the data indicate that CTE enrollments have decreased as a percentage of total enrollment.  Highlights of the information found in the following four charts include:

 

• Enrollment in CTE programs in NYC, the Big 4 cities as a group and BOCES has been largely flat after significant declines in previous years, with Rest of State enrollment and some of the individual Big 4 cities showing declines

 

• While CTE enrollment is comparable to that in 1985-86 in both NYC and Rest of State, the enrollment as a percentage of total high school enrollment has declined in all areas

 

• While enrollment in some career clusters, e.g., Sales and Service, Business, and Health Services show declines, others, e.g., Legal and Protective, Scientific Engineering and Agriculture show increases.

 

• Additional detail on Big 5 enrollment trends since 2001-02 shows that while NYC shows a slight decrease in enrollment, they are offering many more types of programs; the opposite is true of the Big 4 Cities. (with the exception of Syracuse, which has also shown an enrollment increase)  

 

 

CTE Enrollments for New York City, the Big 4, BOCES and

Rest of State, 2001-2007

 

 

CTE Enrollment Trends for the other Large School Districts

 (excluding New York City), 2001-2007

 

 

Source: CTEDS 9/07

 

 

 Enrollment: New York City and the Rest of State, including BOCES

 

	New York City Enrollment			Rest of State Enrollment Including BOCES			Total State Enrollment
SCHOOL YEAR	9-12  Enrollment	CTE	CTE Enrollment as % of 9-12	9-12 Enrollment	CTE Enrollment	CTE Enrollment as a % of 9-12	9-12 Enrollment	CTE Enrollment		CTE as a % of 9-12
1985-86	278,962	136,328	48.9%	563,903	183,244	32.5%	842,865		319,572	37.9%
1986-87	276,453	139,061	50.3	543,634	161,308	29.7	820,087		300,369	36.6
1987-88	270,204	133,541	49.4	515,042	150,700	29.3	785,246		284,241	36.2
1988-89	259,805	133,945	51.6	483,485	136,873	28.3	743,290		270,818	36.4
1989-90	247,171	142,364	57.6	461,623	163,123	35.3	708,794		305,487	43.1
1990-91	250,033	144,583	57.8	453,806	163,558	36.0	703,839		308,141	43.8
1991-92	257,694	151,131	58.6	456,550	163,706	35.9	714,244		314,837	44.1
1992-93	266,848	157,964	59.2	460,992	161,318	35.0	727,840		319,282	43.9
1993-94	274,742	153,348	55.8	465,748	155,683	33.4	740,490		309,031	41.7
1994-95	276,747	149,238	53.9	470,190	158,540	33.7	746,937		307,778	41.2
1995-96	281,850	149,794	53.1	476,572	153,052	32.1	758,422		302,846	39.9
1996-97	286,289	158,356	55.3	483,357	148,590	30.7	769,646		306,946	39.9
1997-98	287,340	149,921	52.2	488,897	151,122	30.9	776,237		301,043	38.8
1998-99	282,806	143,994	50.9	494,877	149,611	30.2	777,683		293,605	37.8
1999-00	279,461	133,903	47.9	502,020	141,965	28.3	781,481		275,868	35.3
2000-01	272,657	126,547	46.4	508,231	134,495	26.5	780,888		261,042	33.4
2001-02	269,291	116,458	43.2	518,255	127,406	24.6	787,546		243,864	31.0
2002-03	272,592	118,892	43.6	528,253	135,768	25.7	800,845		254,660	31.8
2003-04	283,571	109,388	38.6	536,765	127,408	23.7	820,336		236,796	28.9
2004-05	291,993	109,787	37.6	551,115	102,464	18.5	843,108		212,470	25.2
2005-06	289,809	110,472	38.1	558,285	90,689	16.2	848,094		201,161	23.7
2006-07	288,688	103,172	35.7	562,405	88,688	15.8	851,093		191,860	22.5

Source: CTEDS data file 9/07;

 

 

 

 

 

Enrollments by Career Cluster 2004-2007   Cluster 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Art & Communications 25818 26651 21039 Agriculture 3871 5763 5693 Business 40977 38528 34357 Construction 11744 9828 11637 Education & Training 2729 3239 2288 Financial Services 3318 2193 3117 Health Services 10166 8457 8754 Hospitality & Tourism 10864 10556 10924 Human Services 5293 4516 4583 Information Technology 36398 27359 32681 Legal & Protective 3820 6497 6119 Logistics Transportation 15141 13974 14317 Manufacturing 17436 19937 18959 Public Administration 253 531 412 Scientific Engineering 9900 11007 10368 Sales & Service 14742 12125 11786 TOTAL STATE 212470 201161 197034

Source CTEDS 10/07

 

 

 

 

 

Longitudinal CTE Enrollment Data for Big Five Districts, 2000-2006

District	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04		2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
NYC CTE	126,547	116,458	118,892	109,388	109,787		110,472	103,172
Enrollment
Program Types Available	119	199	188	199	214		240	235
Buffalo CTE	6,491	6,932	6,374	6,351	5,969		5,430	5,702
Enrollment
Program Types Available	85	49	39	35	31		29	31
Rochester CTE	6,128	5,423	7,960	6,729	5,868		4,999	5,174
Enrollment
Program Types Available	64	58	72	48	50		47	48
Syracuse CTE	2,259	2,479	2,727	2,671	2,788		2,822	3,527
Enrollment
Program Types Available	34	29	28	28	29		30	28
Yonkers CTE	4,510	5,209	4,239	4,844	5,097		5,338	5,605
Enrollments
Program Types Available	36	35	36	35	32		34	32

 

Source:  BEDS Data 9/07

 

Challenges and Future Directions

 

Although there is much agreement on the importance of  CTE for students, many challenges are faced by districts in offering CTE programs.  They include:

 

• State-of-the-art programs require the latest equipment as well as supplies and materials, which cost significantly more than most non-CTE areas of study;
• CTE is an elective area and required areas of study are provided resources first;
• Completion of a CTE program may take time not available in students’ busy school schedules, possibly necessitating a fifth year of study;
• Shortages of appropriately certified teachers; and
• Concerns by some that students who complete a CTE program of study would be less prepared for post secondary education and training.

 

But these challenges can be met.  In order to create a system to expand the number of programs, increase the number of partnerships with colleges, and examine CTE assessments, and in light of the upcoming review of the Career Development and Occupational Studies  standards, the time is right to

 

• examine the  Regents Policy on Career and Technical Education and consider changes, as well as
• increase fiscal support to these programs through a combination of federal Perkins funds, the Regents budget requests highlighted below, industry and/or foundation support, and partnering with other agencies through such groups as the New York State Economic Security Cabinet.

 

Immediate actions we have or will undertake, described below, include:

 

• Ensuring an Adequate Supply of High-Quality CTE Teachers;
• Benchmarking Other States;
• Regents State Aid and Budget proposals; and
• A panel of experts to advise us as we formulate new policy directions

 

Ensuring an Adequate Supply of High-Quality CTE Teachers

 

Expand Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs. Systemic expansion of CTE access requires an adequate supply of high quality CTE teachers. Shortages of certified CTE teachers exist in most regions of the State. In 2005-06, more than 10 percent of full-time equivalent CTE teaching assignments were held by teachers without appropriate certification.  Alternative teacher preparation programs have been developed for many certification areas experiencing shortages of appropriately certified teachers—but not for CTE. Regional strategies are needed to increase the number of alternative teacher preparation programs and to increase the capacity of existing programs. Regents policy has provided the foundation for alternative certification since 2000; additional strategies need to be developed to include CTE.

 

Increase Capacity of the Existing Teacher Preparation Infrastructure. The pool of certified CTE teachers is limited by the number of CTE teacher preparation programs. The vast majority of CTE certified teachers obtain their credentials through two SUNY-based institutions (SUC at Buffalo and SUC at Oswego). Discussions with other institutions of higher education need to take place in light of the difficulty in obtaining college CTE faculty with advanced degrees. Alternative paths using non-traditional strategies should also be developed.

 

Seek resources to support systemic P-16 teacher quality partnerships in every region of the State. Building on regional P-16 teacher quality partnerships that are being piloted in selected regions of the State in 2007-2008, resources should be sought for supporting and extending P-16 teacher quality partnerships in every region. Partnerships will provide opportunities for teacher preparation programs, school districts, BOCES, teacher centers and others to work together to address teacher shortages, improve preparation linked to practice and create more seamless transitions from teacher preparation to teaching practice.

 

Enhance current teaching talent. High quality CTE programs must be delivered by teachers who continually update and upgrade their course content. One model that aims to increase opportunities for teachers to continually improve their CTE courses is the Engineers for the Future program. This program provides professional development workshops developed and delivered by college and university faculty through a summer program of technically-based content in cutting edge topics.  This exposes the teachers to engineering-related knowledge, skills and strategies for use in secondary programs with the aim of establishing new courses or enhancing existing courses. Preliminary data from the State-supported program has indicated a high level of interest on the part of teachers wishing to upgrade their skills and from schools wishing to upgrade their programs.

 

Benchmarking Other States

 

As we have considered potential strategies, we have reviewed practices in other states.  While not all such policy decisions may be right for New York, they provide valuable insights as to how other states are dealing with the issues we also face.

 

Some other state practices that have been reviewed are:

 

• The use of statewide exams as only one measure that will factor into whether or not a student has met graduation requirements (e.g., Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania).

 

• While students in Virginia are required to pass end-of-course exams, as in New York, Virginia provides students with several paths that allow them to tailor programs of study and some assessment requirements.

 

• Massachusetts is piloting a program that creates an opportunity for students to earn a high school diploma through a CTE approach that includes integrated academics and project-based learning.

 

• Georgia recently passed regulations that amend their high school graduation requirements to require students to complete a three to five unit sequence in either CTE, languages other than English, or in the arts.

 

We will continue to study the work of other states and national experts as we move forward.

 

 

Board of Regents Budget and State Aid Proposals

 

The Regents have already shown their support of CTE by proposing two major new initiatives in their 2008-09 Budget and State Aid proposals, Smart Scholars and CTE Challenge Grants.

 

Smart Scholars (Budget Proposal)

 

The Board of Regents is proposing a new $100 million “Smart Scholars” partnership program to transform the traditional four year high school and college models in New York State to close performance gaps for students in danger of not succeeding in high school or college. The Smart Scholars Program is designed to enable disadvantaged students to graduate from high school with up to 30 college credits, being better prepared and able to complete college in three years. One of the goals of the Smart Scholars Program is to create greater opportunity for career and technical education students to build on existing high school to college partnerships and complete a year of postsecondary study upon graduation from high school.

 

This more comprehensive program builds on the work of programs like College Now and Early College High School Programs, and those in SUNY and independent colleges that provide college courses to high school students, plus the active work of the Department’s opportunity programs to assist students who are educationally at-risk to graduate from high school and achieve success in college.

 

This “dual enrollment” program will provide targeted grants to colleges in partnership with one or more school districts, BOCES and community-based organizations to provide additional academic support dedicated to students beginning as early as the ninth grade, and, enabling students in grades 11 and 12 to take early college courses so that by graduation from high school, these students will have completed the necessary coursework to enter a baccalaureate program at the second-year level.  This will result in increased high school graduation rates and early college graduation.

 

Challenge Grants (State Aid Proposal)

 

In order to provide support to enhance high quality CTE programs in high need school districts, the Regents policy recommends additional support to provide increased student access to high quality career and technical education programs in high need school districts to improve student performance and decrease the dropout rate.  In their 2008-09 budget proposal, the Board proposed a new $6 million Challenge Grant program.

 

Career and technical education programs that have completed the Regent’s CTE Program Approval Process provide students with meaningful rigorous content that prepares them for post-secondary study and careers. Students completing approved programs obtain high school diplomas at rates higher than the state average. Approved programs emphasize the development of 21st century skills that will be needed in a global economy. Despite a track record of success, only 22 percent of high school students have access to CTE programs.

 

This CTE State aid proposal will strengthen new or existing CTE programs by focusing on emerging occupations to better prepare a workforce for the future. High-need school districts meeting criteria for this funding would receive challenge grants to phase in new CTE Approved Programs that address local economic challenges and address student performance through integrated studies in the emerging occupations. This process would establish an incremental approach to allow school districts time to perform a local needs-analysis and target students for this new program. Additionally, teacher content knowledge can be enhanced to provide the high level of instruction required by the new program.

 

Advisory Panel of Experts

 

This January we will bring together an advisory panel of representatives of business and industry, higher education, existing CTE programs, District and school Superintendents, including the Big 5.  This panel will explore such topics as:

 

 

• Additional integrative models that would allow students to meet both CTE and academic requirements;
• Strengthening articulation agreements between 7-12 programs and community college and some four-year college programs to make CTE more attractive to students by demonstrating a stronger connection with college programs and future employment opportunities;
• Exploring with SUNY and CUNY the appropriateness of allowing Community Colleges to prepare CTE teachers to increase their availability across New York State. (Many Community Colleges offer Career and Technical degree programs and have appropriate faculty to do so.);
• Additional ways in which CTE technical assessments and coursework could be considered in determining eligibility for graduation;
• Requiring a sequence in CTE or the arts as a requirement for graduation; and
• Other topics as suggested by the members of the Board of Regents

 

With the Board’s endorsement, we will immediately convene this advisory group and will provide the Board with a summary of our recommendations for policy or regulatory changes.   This panel’s work could also serve as a topic for one of the regional committee meetings being considered by the Regents.

 

 

The Final Evaluation of CTE in New York State by MAGI Educational Services, September 2006