Feburary 17, 2005

At Cattaraugus-Allegany-Erie-Wyoming BOCES, welding instructor Shawn Whipple demonstrates a metal-cutting machine for Kristina Gassman, a CTE student in drafting and computer-aided design, and drafting/CAD instructor Jim Schifley, president of United BOCES TA.

A funny thing has been happening in the four years since the state began beefing up Career and Technical Education by integrating academics into the technical and workplace programs — enrollments and academic performance are both on the increase.

Enrollments statewide are up 6 percent in the popular programs that give students an additional route to a Regents Diploma, according to State Education Department figures and the first independent review of the CTE policy adopted by the state Board of Regents in 2001.

With a more rigorous curriculum in place, nearly 73 percent of the students who completed a CTE program in 2003-04 passed the necessary five Regents Exams, compared to fewer than half passing in 2001-02.

The White Plains-based firm of MAGI Educational Services surveyed more than 600 State Ed-approved CTE programs run by school systems and the state's 38 Boards of Cooperative Educational Services. MAGI conducted focus group interviews and classroom observations.

Students who complete an approved CTE program and pass an industry-related technical assessment receive a technical endorsement on their high school diploma. According to the survey, 79 percent of the course completers in New York City passed their technical exam, while 73 percent passed in the rest of the state.

While statewide enrollment figures benefited from a 24 percent increase in Rochester and an 8 percent increase in Syracuse , other Big Five cities showed decreases — possibly attributable to elimination of CTE programs that pre-dated the new policy and did not meet the higher standards for state approval.

Nearly two-thirds of students with special needs who completed an approved CTE course were successfully placed in a job, post-secondary education or the military, the survey found.

At approved CTE programs, core academics are delivered in two ways. Integrated courses blend academic content into technical classes, such as applied math in an electronics course. Specialized courses provide academic content in a CTE context. For example, an aviation-related program might offer a course in avionics to fulfill a math requirement.

"As long as there is equal rigor and relevance in the curriculum, NYSUT has always believed that there should be more than one pathway to a Regents Diploma," said Maria Neira, New York State United Teachers vice president. "Students again are rising to the challenge of higher standards."

In the next CTE review, Neira said, the statewide union hopes to hear more about dropout rates, attendance patterns and student attitudes toward school. She said NYSUT also wants to look into mentoring of new CTE teachers and professional development opportunities.

According to the MAGI survey, teachers in CTE programs had an average of 14 years in the profession.

Among the anecdotal responses from parents, teachers and administrators, MAGI researchers noted that parents "unanimously said that CTE programs produced better outcomes for their children than had they remained in a traditional academic track."

Teachers and administrators, the report said, "had not expected to find that students took first and second places at national competitions, and that employers had offered students more advanced positions than those for which they had applied."

Nevertheless, the report said some survey respondents complained that their component school districts were refusing to grant academic credit to students who completed approved CTE courses — a charge that upset the chairman of NYSUT's Statewide BOCES Committee. "If State Ed has deemed these courses rigorous enough to grant credits, the districts should accept them without reservation," said Vito Rinaldo, a CTE instructor at Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES and a member of its United Staff Association.

CTE officials at State Ed have urged districts to look further at the courses, saying they will find they meet all state requirements.

A chief impediment to greater success in CTE, the survey concluded, is school districts and BOCES generally failing to promote the programs. It recommended more targeting of middle-level students, their parents and guidance counselors.

— John Strachan

NYSUT.org. Copyright New York State United Teachers. 800 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, New York, 12110-2455. 518.213.6000. http://www.nysut.org.