Good Article!

I like this article - it reaffirms the need to look at students as individuals, rather than applying a "one size fits all" approach.

CapeGazette.com - Covering Delaware's Cape Region | 302.645.7700
4/17/07

State education officials
strive for student success

By Georgia Leonhart
Cape Gazette staff

Delaware students who will be freshmen in school year 2007-08 face new graduation requirements, including more math, science and foreign language credits. They will also be required to create a student success plan and pursue a career pathway designed to guide them through high school and their first year after graduation.

The new requirements are part of the Department of Education (DOE) “Reaching Higher for Student Success” initiative.

“This initiative is not just a program, it is an overall effort. We want high school to be more of a springboard for effective success,” said DOE Secretary Valerie Woodruff.

“High school needs to be more relevant. We must ensure students are prepared for success in college, work and citizenship when they graduate. We need to focus on having all of the students finish with their goals in mind,” Woodruff said.

Students speak

Woodruff said she wanted to hear from students before the initiative was created, and held a “listening forum.” During the forum representatives from every high school in the state were asked about their middle school and high school experiences and about what they needed.

Woodruff said three strong messages emerged from the comments made by the students: “They said they need us to expect more of them and also need us to help them. They said they need to know people in school care about them and that someone they can connect to is paying attention to them.”

Based on student needs and ongoing research, the initiative was created. Components of the initiative include individualized student success plans, new graduation course and credit requirements aligned with state college entrance requirements, expanded advance placement offerings, improved career and technical education and real-world experience for students.

Student success plans

New graduation requirements require every student from eighth grade on to have an individual student success plan that goes one year beyond high school, which will be used to implement each student’s career pathway.

New regulations define a career pathway as “a planned program of at least three credits in sequenced or specialized courses designed to develop knowledge and skills in a particular career or academic area.”

Woodruff said there is no intention to tie any child into a definite career-path decision. “Our intention is to have them focus on doing something and to help them learn about forming goals at an earlier age,” Woodruff said.

To assist in preparing the plans a new online tool called “Career Cruising” will be made available in every middle school and high school. The tool is expected to provide students with a range of possible career choices based on their interests while explaining the requirements for each choice.

“We need to help the students understand there are certain requirements they must meet to pursue their options,” Woodruff said. If a student is interested in animals, for example, she may have options ranging from being a veterinary assistant to a veterinarian, a trainer, park ranger, professor or a farmer. There are hundreds of options. Knowing the requirements gives them the opportunity to keep many options open and pursue several options at the same time, she said.
Districts and charter schools have been given the responsibility of establishing the purpose and content of their career pathways.
Cape’s ready

The Cape Henlopen School District will have no problem providing the resources to allow its incoming freshman class to meet the new career-pathways requirements, said Michael Kelley, district supervisor of curriculum and instruction. Cape and many schools throughout the state have had similar programs in effect for several years, he said.

“Our students already need to have three elective credits that show movement toward a particular goal,” Kelley said. The 13 possible pathways Cape students may now focus on are listed in the district’s course catalog and include agriscience; computer technology; business, finance and marketing; food; and visual and performing arts. The district is also creating a health career pathway, Kelley said.

The things that are new about the statewide career pathway requirement are it requires use of a formal student success plan and is tied in with increased credit and course requirements, Kelly said. Though the district does not anticipate any difficulties meeting the new career-pathways requirements, it does predict possible problems regarding other new graduation requirements, he added.

“Probably the district’s biggest issue is with the increased graduation requirements,” Kelley said. “Will additional staff be provided to meet the additional foreign language, math and science requirements?” he asked.

But Kelley is confident regarding the career pathway and success plan requirements. “We will be ready before the new school year begins,” said Kelley.

“Our guidance counselors and principal will take the lead role in establishing and ensuring compliance with the new system,” Kelley said. All Cape high school guidance counselors plan to attend DOE’s student success summit, Friday, April 27, at Dover Downs to learn more about the form and content required for the student success plans, he added.

The online Career Cruising tool will also be demonstrated during the summit.

Additional opportunities

Woodruff said she is also looking for expansion of the Advanced Placement program and more opportunities for students to gain real life experience in their chosen paths. “We want to see community partnerships between businesses and educators that will allow externships for teachers and will pair community businesses and students who can shadow professionals or become interns,” she said.

The Reaching Higher for Student Success initiative is funded in part by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the National Governor’s Association Honor States Pro-gram. Delaware was one of 10 states to be awarded a $2 million grant.

Contact Georgia Leonhart at georgial@capegazette.com