A Joint Effort Between Laramie County Community College and its Secondary Partners:

1. “Blending the 15 Critical Components to Implement Career Clusters into a Five-Year Local Plan for Carl D. Perkins” A Joint Effort Between Laramie County Community College and its Secondary Partners: LCSD #1, LCSD #2, and ACSD #1 Brenda Abbott and Mimi Hull Cheyenne, Wyoming

2. Common Terminology Used Nationally and in Wyoming: Career Clusters – 16 identified nationally - are made up of Career Pathways – 81 identified nationally – are made up of sequential courses leading to a more focused Program of Study –– incorporates all levels of education required to meet future career goals resulting in a degree or industry certification.

3. Wyoming Perkins IV State Plan (Draft) – Primary Goals • Integration of Academic and Career Learning • Create vertical (k-20) and horizontal (academic and career) teams for each career cluster • Curriculum contains career-themed issues and problems • Linkages between Secondary and Postsecondary Education • Use common language for best results. • Eliminate redundancy (through dual credit) and remediation at postsecondary. • Learners acquire self-knowledge, academic preparation, technical knowledge and workplace skills to transition seamlessly through life. • Career Exploration and Counseling • Begins in middle school and continues throughout life • In consultation with teachers, school staff, professional counselors, community representatives and parents • Implementation of the Career Clusters

4. The 15 Critical Components to Implement Career Clusters and Assess Progress

5. Perkins IV – Section 134 (b) Some Mandates for Five-Year Local Plans • Critical Components • Shared Planning • Professional Development • Educational Partnerships • Business and Industry Partnerships • Interdisciplinary Teams • Flexible Schedules • Integrated Curriculum • Critical Components • Administrative Support • Shared Planning • Professional Development • Standards-Based Curriculum • Integrated Curriculum • Critical Components • Administrative Support • Career Development • Parent and Community Support • Business and Industry Partnerships • Critical Components • Multi-Measure Assessment • Creative and Innovative Teaching Strategies • Workplace Learning • Student-Centered Learning • Identify Programs of Study • Incorporate secondary and postsecondary elements • Include coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant career and technical content • Provide opportunities for dual credit in a coordinated non-duplicative sequence of courses that align secondary and postsecondary to adequately prepare students to SUCCEED in postsecondary education. • Lead to an industry-recognized credential or certificate or degree at the postsecondary level. • Address required Use of Funds • Strengthen the academic and CTE skills • Link CTE at secondary and postsecondary • Provide in-service and pre-service professional development • And more! • Address Permissible Use of Funds • Involve parents, business, and labor organizations • Provide career guidance and academic counseling • Facilitate transition into baccalaureate degree programs • And more! Meet Required Levels of Performance Expressed in percentage or numerical form Objective, quantifiable and measurable Require progress toward improving the performance of (CTE) students

6. Laramie County Community College’s Five-Year Perkins Plan for the 15 Critical Components • 2008-2011 THE FOUNDATION LAYER • Administrative support • Shared Planning • Career Development • Professional Development • Standards-Based Curriculum • 2009-2012 THE BUILDING BLOCKS • Parent and Community Support • Education Partnerships • Business and Industry Partnerships • Multi-Measure Assessment • Interdisciplinary Teams • 2010-2013 • Flexible Schedules • Integrated Curriculum • Creative and Innovative Teaching Strategies • Workplace Learning • Student-Centered Learning ULTIMATE GOAL OF CAREER CLUSTER IMPLEMENTATON

7. Laramie County Community College’sFive-Year Perkins Plan* for Cluster Implementation 2008-2009 (3 clusters) Health Science; Education & Training; Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources. 2009-2010 (6 clusters) Transportation, Distribution & Logistics; Finance; Marketing, Sales & Service. Health Science; Education; Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources. 2010-2011 (10 clusters) Hospitality & Tourism; Human Services; Arts, A/V Technology & Communications, Science Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Transportation, Distribution & Logistics; Finance; Marketing, Sales & Service. 2011-2012 (13 clusters) Manufacturing; Architecture & Construction; Business, Management & Administration; Hospitality & Tourism; Human Services; Arts, A/V Technology & Communications; Science Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. 2012 -2013 (16 clusters) Government & Public Administration; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security Manufacturing; Architecture & Construction; Business, Management & Administration. *Actual Clusters for years 2-5 yet to be determined.

8. Career Clusters/PathwaysSelected for Emphasis during 2008-2009 • LCCC PROGRAMS OF STUDY • Nursing • Paramedic • Surgical Technology • Wind Energy Technology • Education • Early Childhood Education CLUSTERS and PATHWAYS Health Science Therapeutic Services Diagnostic Services Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Power, Structural & Technical Systems Education & Training Teaching/Training

9. Career Clusters Implementation(pause for discussion) “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead

10. CRITICAL COMPONENT #1:Administrative Support Administrative Support is the foundation upon which all educational reform is built. Administrators at the Wyoming Department of Education and the Wyoming Community College Commission are involved and supportive of the Career Clusters implementation process. The leaders of local educational institutions (principals and college presidents) are informed and supportive. However, our local school boards and the college’s Board of Trustees may not be fully aware of the cooperative and collaborative support for the implementation of Career Clusters. Supportive administrators recognize the potential workload for staff and the benefits their work will provide ALL learners. Supportive administrators embrace rigorous academic and technical course offerings, coupled with consistent and accurate career guidance, for ALL learners.

11. Administrative Support is critical for educational reform. Do you believe that your local school and state administrators: (circle one) Yes No Understand the “big ideas” that should be taught in core curriculum? Yes No Know your subject’s state and national standards well enough to help you prioritize? Yes No Understand and promote “literacy” across the curriculum? Yes No Understand assessments? Yes No Have a working knowledge of successful learning strategies? Yes No Encourage you to continually strengthen your own subject matter knowledge?

12. CRITICAL COMPONENT #2:Shared Planning Relationships are the key to success in educational reform; Career Clusters implementation is no exception. Secondary and Postsecondary Educators and Business & Industry Administrators and Faculty Career Technical and Academic Shared Planning provides time for educators to work in instructional/curriculum teams to develop the relationships among their various content areas. This enables them to model that connection of one subject to another to their learners.

13. Shared Planning depends on relationships and communication. As educators work in a variety of teams, they see the relationships among content areas and can model that connection to their learners. Do you communicate AND collaborate regularly with the following partners: Yes No Postsecondary faculty Yes No Secondary faculty Yes No Administrators – all levels Yes No Business and industry professionals Yes No Academic teachers Yes No Career and technical teachers

14. CRITICAL COMPONENT #3:Career Development A learner’s career focus and training efforts should not be channeled into a single occupation. Teach learners how to transition through a lifelong process that builds upon their core knowledge and skills. Learners must have early and on-going access to accurate information if they are to be equipped to make well-informed choices about their futures at every step of their Career Pathway. Programs of Study are an excellent tool for supporting the learner’s career and education choices adequately and accurately.

15. Career Development is more than a short-term goal of gainful employment. Students must understand early in their education that a college degree is usually necessary for continued advancement on a chosen career path. (Survey students if possible.) Yes No Are your students taught to set career goals? Yes No Do your students meet with a counselor or advisor twice a year to develop and revise as necessary an individual career education plan? Yes No Do your students understand that secondary coursework + postsecondary coursework = advanced careers? Yes No Do your students understand the alignment of careers within a pathway by recognizing the progressive status (advancement) of those careers within a pathway? Yes No Are your students taught the benefits of lifelong learning and continuous skill training. Yes No Are statewide career education materials, such as education plan templates, available to your students?

16. CRITICAL COMPONENT #4:Professional Development While it is critical to recruit the right educators for inclusion on the three tiers of implementation, it is also important that ALL faculty and staff support the Career Clusters effort. Professional development opportunities must be made available to collaborative team members, administrators, teachers/faculty, instructional leaders, and counselors/advisors to ensure success. All classroom innovation and reform hinges upon an entire staff being capable, competent, caring and committed; being well-informed about Career Clusters implementation is no exception.

17. Professional Development for Career Clusters implementation must be consistent, meaningful, and designed for everyone. Leadership is important, but all members of the educational community must be involved in Career Cluster implementation. Yes No Do you ever participate in Professional Development activities which include partners from other arenas of education and/or business? Yes No Do you feel that the Professional Development activities you have attended about Career Clusters have helped to build your knowledge and skills in your content/subject area? Yes No Would you value PD activities designed for that purpose? Yes No Do you feel that the Professional Development activities you have attended on Career Clusters have strengthened your knowledge of good teaching strategies? Yes No Would you value PD activities designed for that purpose? Yes No Have you made a site visit to any institution or attended any conference or a statewide meeting for the primary purpose of learning about Career Cluster implementation? Yes No Would you be likely to make a Career Clusters site visit or attend a conference or meeting if you had the opportunity?

18. CRITICAL COMPONENT #5:Standards-Based Curriculum Provide a consistent offering of state and/or national-based curricula for learners in academic subject areas as well as technical subject areas. Curricula must be determined to meet Career Cluster and Pathway Knowledge and Skills to ensure that content has sufficient rigor and provides meaningful learning opportunities.

19. Standards-Based Curriculum provides consistently rigorous instruction to all learners. When coupled with accurate and adequate career guidance, it will deliver technical instruction in a way that expands, enhances, and reinforces the system’s academic content. Yes No Does your secondary curriculum meet state academic standards and grade-level expectations? Yes No Does your secondary curriculum meet high school testing and exit requirements? Yes No Does your secondary curriculum provide additional preparation to ensure college readiness? Yes No Does your secondary curriculum meet college entrance and placement requirements? Yes No Does your secondary curriculum provide academic and career-related knowledge and skills in a student-selected Career Cluster? Yes No Does your secondary curriculum provide opportunities for learners to earn college credit through credit-based transition programs?

20. Contact Information • Laramie County Community College 1400 East College Drive Cheyenne, WY 82007 • Brenda Abbott, Manager, High School Programs • babbott@lccc.wy.edu or 307.778.4378 • Mimi Hull, Grants Writer/Facilitator • mhull@lccc.wy.edu or 307.778.1245