Meeting of the Board of Regents | September 2010

Report of the


JOINT MEETING OF THE REGENTS COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS WORKING GROUP AND THE REGENTS P-12 EDUCATION COMMITTEE


to


The Board of Regents


September 14, 2010

            Your College and Career Readiness Working Group and P-12 Education Committee held a joint meeting on September 13, 2010.  All Committee and Working Group members were present except for Regent Brooks Hopkins, who was excused.

MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION

Expanding Student Access to Quality Career and Technical Programs – Dr. Mark Sanders, Professor of Technology Education/Integrative STEM Education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University presented information to the Board of Regents on STEM Education and provided suggestions for New York State to consider.  The presentation focused on Integrative STEM Education, which Dr. Sanders defined as, “learning approaches that intentionally integrate grade-appropriate Science and Mathematics into engineering design activity.”  It may also be enhanced through further integration with other school subjects.  Dr. Sanders also took part in the panel discussion following his presentation.

Panel Discussion:  College and Career Readiness

• Ms. Terry Swett, CTE Director, Capital Region BOCES - Albany
• Mr. Chris Aguirre, Principal, City Polytechnic High School of Engineering, Architecture and Technology – Brooklyn
• Regina Paul, Policy Studies in Education – New York City

The panel presented overviews of their programs and answered questions relating to New York State’s high school graduates and how well they are prepared for college and the workforce.  Discussion focused on CTE programs and how important it is to integrate core courses into the CTE program so that students see the relevance to the work they are doing.  The panel also discussed the importance of high-quality teacher preparation, internships, seat time flexibility, and providing career awareness to students.  The panel was provided the following discussion questions to help guide the conversation:

• Are there disconnects between the current NYS graduation requirements and multiple CTE pathways to graduation?  If so, what are those disconnects?
• What do you see as the critical skills and knowledge that students will need to have to be successful in college and the workforce in the next 5-10 years?
• What recommendations would you offer to strengthen the high school program and ensure that more students are college and career ready?
• Should we have specific graduation requirements for Career and Technical (CTE) programs?  If so, what should they include?
• What are specific benefits for earning credit for integrated academics and approved CTE areas?

At the request of the Regents, the discussion questions will be disseminated to field.  In addition, staff will bring to future meetings proposals to expand access to CTE programs, particularly for high-needs students.

That concludes my report.

                                                                        Anthony Bottar

Chair, P-12 Education Committee and College and Career Readiness Working Group