Wrightsman
Career Connected Learning initiative giving students “relevant, personalized and tailored” experience for life after graduation
By CHRISTY WRIGHTSMAN, guest columnist
As the end of the school year 2021-2022 draws closer our Career Connected Learning initiative is nearing the end of its first year of implementation in Brown County Schools. This is the perfect time to share our progress and plans with our community.
The Career Connected Learning (CCL) initiative was created so that every student will learn about themselves and learn about career opportunities as they are planning for what kind of education and training they need to pursue after high school.
This is a preschool to adult pathways system that will provide a school experience that is more relevant, personalized and tailored to each student’s interests for career options. Career Connected Learning combines academic learning with career learning as students identify their own strengths and interests.
The beginnings of this initiative stem from the 2018 stakeholder interviews conducted during the Ready School Grant discovery phase that eventually awarded Brown County Schools with a $500,000 implementation grant. The transformation to align our local educational system closely with post-secondary institutions and the workforce resulted in the realization that we have a supreme responsibility in education to engage with and connect to our local, regional and state needs. We accomplish this through partnerships that feed discussion and collaboration that equips our youth with the skills needed to adapt and thrive in their post-high school endeavors.
Over the course of this past year, Brown County Schools identified 20 Career Connected Learning goals for implementation at Brown County Middle School and Brown County High School. The timeline for accomplishing these goals is three years. In addition, Career Connected Learning goals for the elementary schools are in the beginning stages of development for implementation in 2023 and beyond.
This initiative for Brown County Schools is proving to be in alignment with the Indiana Department of Education’s “Graduates Prepared to Succeed” plan that furthers the alignment and collaboration between Indiana’s education and workforce agencies.
The strategies outlined in the state’s plan for 2022 and beyond provide for strategies that build understanding and connections with local partners in the workforce, while also measuring student achievement beyond a single test score. This alignment is precisely the message we heard from our local stakeholders back in 2018 when asked how they would define success for students in Brown County.
Students, educators, parents and industry leaders shared that they value academic learning that’s connected to local and regional needs. We also heard that our students need to develop skills in communication and innovation. There was a resounding theme that students must have the tools and support necessary to be socially and emotionally well so that engagement in the community and work ethic is pervasive among our population of youth.
Our graduate profile that was developed in 2018 outlines exactly these five competencies for students in our preschool to adult system. Three years after the awarding of the Ready School Grant and those initial interviews, it’s reaffirming to see Brown County’s progress and know that the state is making plans to recognize these efforts through their “Graduates Prepared to Succeed Dashboard” (Indiana GPS). This dashboard outlines the monitoring and measurement of student achievement as it relates to academic mastery, career and post-secondary readiness (credentials and experience); communication and collaboration; work ethic; and civic, financial and digital literacy.
At a recent Brown County Board of School Trustees meeting, we shared the Indiana GPS plans and the accomplishments to date of the Career Connected Learning initiative. The following is a brief overview of key goals within the Career Connected Learning initiative that were met in 2021-2022:
Established the grant funded position of director of Career Connected Learning.
Hired a master teacher for Career Connected Learning that is grant funded.
Continued Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate at Brown County High School.
Implemented the Principal’s Work Ethic Certificate at Brown County Middle School sponsored by Faurecia.
Outlined 10 programs of study for Brown County High School students.
Taught the Prep for College and Careers course at Brown County Middle School.
Re-established the 2017 Education Workforce Advisory Team (EWAT).
Utilized the Naviance College and Career Readiness tool to house all scholarships, internships, local job postings, military recruiter visits and college rep visits.
Provided weekly career connected learning lessons for grades 9-12.
Restarted the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Industry Challenge at Brown County Middle School.
Re-establish construction trades programming in Brown County High School.
Beyond the goals that were met in 2021-2022, our community can expect that we’ll be working to provide more opportunities and experiences for our students as outlined in the Career Connected Learning action plan:Establish an elementary school Career Connected Learning action plan for preschool through fifth grade.
Align community partners and organizations to the locally adopted programs of study at BCMS and BCHS.
Embed employability skill standards across all curricular areas.
Increase post-secondary opportunities for students through credentialing, dual credit and Advanced Placement.
Identify experiences, projects and activities that align to our graduate profile and report progress through the Indiana GPS dashboard.
As we work collaboratively across this community to implement our Career Connected Learning goals, we can utilize the state data from IDOE to inspire our efforts and remind us of the “why” behind establishing this Career Connected Learning initiative and the Indiana Graduates Prepared to Succeed plan:About 40% of high school students in Indiana have no plan for life after graduation.
Of the Hoosier graduates who do pursue post-secondary education after high school, fewer than half complete the diploma program on time.
As more employers require post-secondary credentials for entry-level jobs, just 25% of Indiana students secure a post-secondary credential in the four years following high school graduation, and only 33% secure a credential in six years.
