Intersection: SPED and CTE

1. Intersection: SPED and CTE Significant Individual Success

2. Special School District of St. Louis County, Missouri • SSD is a county-wide district with its own operating levy • SSD has the charge of providing special education (Pre-K to 21) and career technical education (CTE) to all county students • SSD serves approximately 25,000 students county-wide with the majority being served in our 22 partner districts. • SSD serves approximately 1,700 students annually in CTE and 750 students in our five separate schools

3. What Does Everyone Want? • Parents – Healthy, happy and independent • Educators – Competent with the ability to continue learning • Employers – Responsible and willing to work

4. What Does Everyone Want? • The Individual?

5. Multiple Pathways to Success Matt Crawford’s – Shop Class as Soulcraft • “…the experience of making and fixing things with our hands.”

7. Comprehensive High Schools • The significant majority of those who start do not complete a college degree • College preparatory high schools typically aren’t • Career exploration is usually passive at best • “Most teenagers who attempt college fail either by not graduating or by not finding commensurate employment if they do.” – Dr. Ken Gray, Getting Real (2000).

8. Paradigm Shift • High Schools mustsee themselves as Career Exploration and Workforce Development entities

9. Career Exploration • How can I become a good fill in the blank if I never have exposure to that career?” • Mick Fleetwood and Matt Groening – Sir Ken Robinson’s Finding Your Element

10. Disability or Not • Career exploration and training have an important place in the high school education process. • What do I do well? • How do I want to contribute? • How do I want my life to be?

12. Employment Statistics for Individuals Identifying with a Disability • Approximately 8 in 10 individuals who identify with a disability do not participate in the labor force - this compares to 3 in 10 who do not • Approximately 55% of college graduates who identify with a disability are likely to be unemployed • Over the past 50 years the unemployment rate for individuals who identify with a disability has on average been 3 to 4 times higher than those who do not

13. Industry Based Training (IBT) – CTE Hybrids • Considerations for creation • Traditional CTE is competitive entry with an objective rubric • Intent to provide more opportunities • Lower student to teacher ratios • Parent requests • Industry need and workforce development • In many CTE programs safety is a primary concern

14. Equity in TraditionalCTE Admissions • Objective rubric • Rolling admissions process • Independent committee review of applications that generated “appropriateness” concerns • Elimination of inside influence

15. IBT Hybrid Selection Process • Overseen and promoted through the Vocational Resource Educator (VRE) • Often discussed with case managers and parents at length • Visits are encouraged and expected • Students complete the same traditional CTE application process

16. IBT - Hybrid Cluster Areas • Construction, Outdoor Maintenance and Material Handling • Medical Services • IT • Manufacturing

17. Elements of the IBT - Hybrids • NOT special education programs or IEP placement (The SSD Conundrum) • Initiating “collaborative teaching” • Development of independent business/industry partnerships • Curriculum development in direct conjunction with business/industry partners

18. Elements of the IBT - Hybrids • WorkKeys and Keytrain implementation • Emphasis on entry level position fulfillment • Field experience is encouraged • DESE program code 996330 – Career Education Preparation • No Industry Recognized Credential (IRC) requirement

19. Traditional CTE vs. IBT - Hybrid • Competitive Entry • 15 to 1 – Standard student/teacher ratio • Focus on IRC and certifications • Stronger bond with post-secondary education or training • Non-competitive entry • 8 to 1 – Average student/teacher ratio • Not tied to an IRC or certifications • Stronger focus on entry level employment

20. IBT – Hybrid Business Partnerships • Westlake “ACE” Hardware, PARIC Construction and Loyet Landscaping • BJC and Delmar Gardens Long-Term Care • Launch Code and Mercy Health Care Help Desk • Forman Fabricators and Wilson Manufacturing

21. Vocational Skills Programming (VSP) • Focus on students ages 18-21 still developing employability skills • Special education placement via the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team • Traditional focus on food service and housekeeping • Collaboration with community agencies to create discovery and experience while still accessing free and public education • Significant task analysis, determining levels of competence

22. VSP Goal • Supported competitive employment • A participant is graduated when employment is secured

23. Vocational Skills Employment Training (VSET) • Moving participants toward specific employment training • Increasing opportunities for different types of work: health care, warehouse and logistics, manufacturing and retail • Training for a specific position or role • Significant involvement of community agencies from inception • Employer (soft) agreement to hire when parameters are met

24. VSET Goal • Competitive employment • A participant is graduated when the employer agrees the individual is ready and prepared to begin the role for which she/he was trained

26. Impacting Individuals Post-Secondary Opportunities • WIOA • Vocational Rehabilitation – Tiered Service System • Vocational Rehabilitation – Special Tuition Fund • Community Agency Funding • Productive Living Board – Senate Bill 40 • Apprenticeship Opportunities