1

2008-09 Northeast Perkins IV Collaborative Grant: ESU’s #1, 8 & 17

Justification - Basic Grant

1. The following questions support the transition process to Perkins IV and the priorities of Nebraska Career Education:

a. Review performance data and provide a brief description of how the goals support the performance improvement. Include an evaluation of the sub-populations or program areas that did not perform well.

Student performance data acquired through the individual Northeast Perkins IV Consortium membership Accountability Reports submissions indicated a decline in academic attainment and a slight decline in skill attainment. With the transition from Approved Programs to Programs of Study, the 5-year strategic plan provides for an increase in the number of students who will be consciously involved in a career-based curriculum that simultaneously meets high school graduation and college entrance requirements. A priority of the plan will be to assist school districts in identifying, communicating, and developing programs of study so that all students will have the opportunity to experience a variety of career options prior to high school graduation.

In reviewing the State of the Schools report, it was also noted that school districts in each ESU are also experiencing an increase in poverty rates and mobility, as well as a decline in graduation rates. It is imperative for the 5-year strategic plan to be aggressive, engaging, and addresses educational and societal needs for all students.

b. Briefly describe the plans to support implementing the Nebraska Career Fields/Clusters model.

Curriculum Alignment and Revision. With the transition from Approved Programs to Programs of Study, school districts will need support in rethinking and revising their curricular offerings, including course names and syllabi information, exploring course duration options (1-semester courses) and how courses are scheduled (offering courses on an alternating year basis). The format of how courses are organized in district curriculum publications might also be addressed.

Additionally, school districts that do not presently include the Nebraska Middle School Careers Curriculum will be introduced to it. Local districts that already utilize the “NMSCC” will be instrumental in providing the encouragement and impetus needed to assist other districts’ efforts in considering options on how it can be implemented.

School districts will also need initial assistance in coordinating their curriculum alignment and revision processes with their school management program in order to simplify the process of the Accountability Reporting phase of the Perkins Grant.

Programs of Study. As the new Programs of Study format is an extension of the Nebraska Career Fields/Clusters model, school districts will need assistance in not only transitioning their current Approved Programs to reflect this model, but to also investigate new curriculum avenues not currently included on their Perkins radar screen. The goal will be to maximize the offerings of the curriculum so that all students have the opportunity to be introduced to a wide variety of offerings reflective of the Fields/Clusters model as well as to help them frame the kind of educational experience that supports their strengths and interests.

Foundation Knowledge and Skills. At the core of the Nebraska Career Fields/Clusters model is the central focus of Nebraska Career Education. It is important that these eight core concepts become infused throughout all aspects of K-12 education, both in school academics and in school activities. Means of imbedding these concepts into district programs will need to be brainstormed and analyzed, both in appropriateness of each concept at each level and in each program area as well as how best to guarantee implementation success.

2. Identify the priorities for Perkins IV funds during this program year that support the appropriate year of the five year plan.

Create a Design Team (consisting of ESU #1, 8 & 17 teacher leaders) to formulate long-range goals and an implementation plan appropriate for the next five years. The goals and implementation plan will include Career Fields/Clusters integration, Programs of Study and curriculum alignment, Career Academy development and the creation of a common Advisory Council for the Northeast Perkins IV Consortium and Northeast Community College.

Provide district team professional development experiences. Experiences will include Problem-Based Case-Based instruction where teaming opportunities will be encouraged between Career and Academic education. The presenter/facilitator will incorporate the 21^st Century Skills Framework and the Rigor & Relevance Framework into the content and delivery of the Institute.

Provide individual professional development opportunities. Any interested Career Education teacher will be able to participate in strategic professional development such as the Nebraska Career Education Conference and NETA, and software explorations such Nebraska Career Connections, Solid Works/Chief Architect, myElearning, wikis and blogs.

Participate in the 8^th Grade Career Day at Northeast Community College. Students will complete assessment instruments prior to the event, and use the results during their on-site visit. The Career Day will focus on Career Fields/Clusters pathways and specialties, as well as foundational skills and knowledge.

1. Describe the process used to develop the 5-year strategic plan for the use of Perkins IV funds.

Initially, the NNNC (Northeast Nebraska Network Consortium--Educational Service Units 1, 2, 7, 8, and 17) staff developers established a focus group to address Perkins/21st Century Skills at its March 4, 2008 meeting, one day prior to the Perkins Grant Administration meeting in Lincoln. It was felt that inter-ESU collaboration would maximize our efforts and outcomes in establishing a common vision that supports the direction of the new Perkins IV legislation for each of our local ESU school district consortiums. Upon attending the Perkins Grant Administration Meeting on March 5, 2008, 3 ESUs (1, 8, and 17) decided to partner together in developing a common 5-year strategic plan as the Northeast Perkins IV Consortium.

On April 29, ESU 1, 8, and 17 staff developers met with a contingent of Northeast Community College staff members to discuss ways in which the ESUs and NCC could collaborate, as NCC is the affiliate community college for ESUs 1, 8, and the eastern half of 17. This was a productive session and a wide variety of opportunities emerged, ranging from specific student and educator activities to shared advisory groups.

Following this meeting, local advisory/teacher coordinator meetings were conducted at each ESU to share and discuss the intent to collaborate across ESUs and with NCC. This was an important step in order to provide opportunities to share and discuss concerns and opportunities and to instill ownership as this process moves forward. The input and involvement of local educators and advisory members will be a vital component in establishing a 5-year strategic plan that meets the current and future educational needs of students and teachers of our 3-ESU area.

The Northeast Perkins IV Consortium staff developers then met to share the information received from their local advisory/teacher coordinator meetings to determine commonalities and to consider district-specific requests as a 5-year plan was formulated. In the end, a plan was established that 1) addressed data trends, 2) supported and emphasized professional development, 3) connected with higher education and local business and industry, and 4) focused on curriculum and specific student learner experiences and outcomes.

2. Describe the sources of data and information used and how this data influenced the priorities of the 5-year strategic plan.

Student performance data acquired through the individual Northeast Perkins IV Consortium membership Accountability Reports submissions was the first source of data that was reviewed. This data confirmed commonalities that existed, specifically a decline in academic attainment and a slight decline in skill attainment. With the transition from Approved Programs to Programs of Study, the 5-year strategic plan provides for an increase in the number of students who will be consciously involved in a career-based curriculum that simultaneously meets high school graduation and college entrance requirements. A priority of the plan will be to assist school districts in identifying, communicating, and developing programs of study so that all students will have the opportunity to experience a variety of career options prior to high school graduation.

In reviewing the State of the Schools report, it was also noted that school districts in each ESU are also experiencing an increase in poverty rates and mobility, as well as a decline in graduation rates. It is imperative for the 5-year strategic plan to be aggressive, engaging, and addresses educational and societal needs for all students.

Additionally, the information shared at the Perkins Grant Administration meeting was also a key component in establishing a 5-year plan. Emphasis on collaboration, business and industry needs, connection with higher education, and support for professional development programming are all key points in the development of a 5-year strategic plan.

The Career Fields model is also a major component of the 5-year plan. Many districts have yet to incorporate this model as part of their educational program, so staff awareness through professional development is needed. Student exposure to the nebraskacareerconnections.com website and teacher-student advisory groups have been explored on a limited basis, as has the development and sustainability of Personal Learning Plans. The Middle School Careers Curriculum that is now available has been piloted by several schools, but the intent for full-blown implementation is unclear. The 5-year strategic plan is aimed at infusing and embedding meaningful and connected career-based experiences for all students K-12.

Finally, input received from school district educators, administrators, and advisory committee members has helped to provide direction regarding local interests and priorities.

3. Perkins IV requires alignment to economic development and workforce priority areas. Describe how the use of labor market information, career interest inventories, and/or other sources of data informed the planning priorities of the 5-year plan.

According to the information that was shared at the March 4, 2008 Perkins Grant Administration meeting in Lincoln, the jobs most in demand, both nationally and in Nebraska, are related to occupations in technology and health services. Coincidentally, Northeast Community College in Norfolk is planning an expansion of its nursing program in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nucor Corporation in Norfolk plans to add up to 400 technology-related jobs in its proposed detailing center the next ten years.

One aspect of the Northeast Perkins IV Consortium 5-year plan entails the hiring of a Career Academy Coordinator who will work with an educator Design Team, an Advisory Council, Northeast Community College and local business and industry in creating high school Career Academy opportunities that focus on preparing students for high skill, high wage, and high demand employment opportunities that will become available in northeast Nebraska.

At the outset, one responsibility of the proposed Design Team will be to collect and analyze data that will be shared with the Advisory Council as decisions are made regarding the direction of the 5-year plan.

4. Perkins IV requires a stronger alignment to school improvement processes to support academic attainment and completion. Briefly describe the plans for integrating and coordinating these efforts.

The Continuous Improvement Process (CIP) will be the foundation as ESU #1, 8 & 17 seek collaboration while transitioning to Perkins IV (ie: setting the goal, planning to improve, and implementing the plan). In addition, many of the current Career Education teachers are already serving on CIP committees back at the district and are leading their colleagues through the process.

As the Northeast Perkins IV Consortium coordinators, we will use CIP language and strategies to support Perkins IV when working with career education educators, students and district administrators. This will include, but is not limited to, the following: a deeper understanding of programs of study and its partnership between academics and career education; articulated efforts between secondary and post-secondary and/or work to further support academic attainment and graduation; and the development of 21^st Century teaching and learning skills.

Continuous improvement is just that—continuous. By maximizing our efforts across educational service units, we will be able to support the goals of CIP: integrating activities and programs, incorporating researched practices, and identifying strategies for increased student achievement.

5. Link between secondary and postsecondary programs. Briefly describe plans to increase relationships with postsecondary.

A planning meeting was held Tuesday, April 29 at Northeast Community College with Rhonda Jindra, ESU #1, Carol Jessen, ESU #8 and Jeff McQuistan, ESU #17. Additional planning partners from Northeast Community College included Brandi Rossman, Director of New Beginnings/Special populations; Cindy Baum, Tech Prep/High School transitions between Secondary/Post-Secondary; and Lyle Kathol, Dean of Applied Technology. Bev Newton, NDE Perkins monitor for ESU #1 and #8, was also present to provided insight into the 5 year planning process.

The group discussed connections between Northeast Community College and the Northeast Perkins IV Consortium schools. The focus of the visioning was what is good for students. Areas for collaboration include: Career Days at Northeast Community college for 8^th grade students, staff developers and college faculty working together to facilitate teaching/learning, creating a Design Team representing ESUs and Northeast Community College to explore and create collaboration possibilities over the 5 year Perkins IV Grant.

In order to increase relationships with postsecondary it was agreed that regular meetings be scheduled, communication about grant activities be more widely shared, creation of a common advisory committee be considered, and alignment of Perkins grant proposals between the Northeast Perkins IV Consortium proposal and the Northeast Community College proposal to identify where goals overlap and where resources can be utilized be studied.

For each year, the following question is asked:

1. Identify the priorities/goals for Year 1 of Perkins that are part of the five year plan.

5 year Strategic Goal:

Developing 21^st Century Teachers and Learners

Year 1 (2008-2009)

Year 2 (2009-2010)

The Design Team process will continue working with implementation strategies for Career Academies, as well as the common Advisory Council. As the Advisory Council continues to refine its work, input regarding Career Academies, mentoring and job shadowing will be invaluable. In addition, the Design Team will begin visioning for a 21^st Century Teaching and Learning Showcase.

District professional development will continue. For a second and final year, the Problem-Based Case-Based Institute will be held to support 21^st Century Teaching and Learning. Additional professional development opportunities will be provided focusing on Poverty and its impact on teaching, learning and student achievement with particular attention focused on instructional strategies.

Individual professional development will again be provided to support increased technology integration (NE Career Connections, Solid Works/Chief Architect, myElearning, wikis, blogs and the addition of podcasting). The NETA and NCE Conference will continue to be made available to all interested Career Education teachers.

The Northeast Community College 8^th Grade Career Day will once again be made available to all participating consortium districts.

Year 3 (2010-2011)

The work of the Design Team continues. Attention will be focused on the 21^st Century Teaching and Learning Showcase and how it will best meet the needs of participants. Continued support will be provided to the Advisory Council.

District professional development will again be provided (encouraging Career Education and Academic teaming), with an additional year of Poverty training and how it might best serve the needs of teachers and learners. To address Creativity and Innovation from the 21^st Century Framework, Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind, will provide foundational insight for instruction.

Individual professional development will support the Technology Framework from 21^st Century. This training will include additional work with NE Career Connections, Programs of Study and curricular decisions, as well as specific technology integration (myelearning, wikis, blogs, podcasting and SMART boards). As mentioned before, NETA and the NCE Conference will be made available for Career Education teachers.

The Northeast Community College 8^th Grade Career Day will once again be made available to all participating consortium districts.

Year 4 (2011-2012)

As the 21^st Century Teaching and Learning Showcase nears, the Design Team will refine the structure of the professional development experience. In addition, they will seek the assistance of the Advisory Council for additional insight into the event and preliminary conversations will begin to address the next round of Perkins legislation.

District and individual professional development will begin to integrate. Both will serve as planners for the 21^st Century Teaching and Learning Showcase, as well as continue to increase knowledge and skills related to Programs of Study and curricular alignment, technology integration, and teaching and learning experiences addressing creativity and innovation.

As districts gain further insight into Career Fields/Clusters, Programs of Study, etc., the students will begin to design Personal Learning Plans exploring Nebraska Career Connections and possible Career Academy experiences. The 8^th Grade Career Day at Northeast Community College will provide additional support for these experiences, as well as the 5 Year Strategic Plan.

Year 5 (2012-2013)

The Design Team will facilitate the 21^st Century Teaching and Learning Showcase. This Showcase will provide Career Education and Academic teachers an opportunity to highlight their professional growth throughout Perkins IV implementation. This growth may include team-teaching, facilitation strategies, curriculum alignment (identifying what courses are really needed to teach/facilitate in the 21^st Century), instructional strategies, and technology integration. In addition to the Showcase, the Design Team will serve as an integral part of the Perkins IV planning.

District and individual professional development will continue. Preparing for the Showcase will provide participants an avenue for sharing what they’ve learned and best hopes for the future. In addition, continued technology integration experiences will be provided, as well as opportunities for curriculum alignment—across disciplines as well as within individual disciplines.

Northeast Community College will continue to play an active role in the 8^th Grade Career Days, the collaborative Advisory Council, Perkins IV planning, and Career Academy implementation.

2008-2009 Budget

	Salary	Benefits	Consultant Fee	Software	Equipment	Travel/ Professional Development	TOTAL
NDE Category	100	200	300	400	500	600
5% Admin						1417	$1,417
10% PFI			2834				$2,834

Career Acad. Coord.			2500				$2,500
NE Career Day			3125				$3,125
Prob Based Inst			4200		2465	2313	$8,978
Design Team			2100			1890	$3,990
21st Century
Career Model
Prog of Study
Curr Alignment
NE Career Conn.
NCE Conference			5500				$5,500


COLUMN TOTALS	0	0	$20,259	0	$2,465	$5,620	$28,344