| Announcements: March 2, 2009 - April 21, 2009 | |||||
Tech Prep Tuesday Central Texas Tech Prep Consortium Transition and Transfer April 21, 2009 Advanced Technical Credit (ATC) Program Update The 2009-2010 Advanced Technical Credit (ATC) statewide-articulated course crosswalk is posted on the ATC website at www.atctexas.org. Course alignments have not changed. However, the ATC courses are no longer identified with unique PEIMS course numbers and course abbreviations. All PEIMS numbers with a unique “T” in the number have been removed for the 2009-2010 year. Districts will report local and statewide articulated courses with the “A” articulation indicator code. All courses eligible for college credit by statewide and local articulation are identified on the high school transcript (AAR) with the “A” code to help participating colleges identify courses taught with enhanced content for award of articulated college credit. (Colleges agreeing to award credit under conditions of a local agreement must be named elsewhere on the AAR or in an attachment.) Articulation News The Central Texas Tech Prep Consortium is assisting in the process of creating and updating local articulation agreements for Agriculture and Industrial Technology areas with Central Texas College. These areas consist of Ag Science, Automotive, Building Trades, and Welding. If your district is interested in creating or updating local articulation agreements in these areas please contact Misty Harrell at 254-298-8483 or mharrell@templejc.edu. CATEMA Reminder!! School districts that have not participated in CATEMA in the past but have a local articulation agreement with Central Texas College or Temple College, or have a teacher that is eligible to teach Advanced Technical Credit (ATC) courses, may participate in CATEMA. Teacher training on CATEMA is available for member school districts. Training can be given during a teacher In-service, in which it could be combined with additional Tech Prep information, or if you are with a larger district a training date can be scheduled where each teacher meets with the CATEMA trainer throughout the day during his/her conference period. CATEMA will be closed for the 2008 – 2009 school year on June 30th. Once the system has closed teachers and students will not be able to submit any further information. For more information, or to schedule a day for training, please contact Misty Harrell at 254.298.8483 or mharrell@templejc.edu. ============
Tech Prep Tuesday Central Texas Tech Prep Consortium Transition and Transfer April 7, 2009 Upcoming Conferences Regional Conference: Connect3 – College, Certifications, Careers This regional CTE conference is scheduled for June 9 & 10 at the Education Service Center, Region 12 in Waco. Pre-conference sessions are June 8. The conference will provide a professional learning experience to help teachers, counselors and administrators enhance their knowledge and continue to build partnerships with all stakeholders in the education of the future workforce. Keynote speakers include LaDonna Gatlin who will speak on personal and professional development and Michael Daggs and Kevin Tutt who will present on managing and teaching the millennial generation. Register for this conference online at www.esc12.net. Session number is 30514. For more information, contact Chris Holecek at cholecek@esc12.net. State Conference: Texas Career Education Conference – A New Age for Career and Technical Education The Texas Career Education Conference, scheduled for July 13-16 in Houston, is the sole conference for career and technical administrators, counselors and health science teachers in Texas. The deadline for submitting presentation proposals is April 10. A new conference website featuring the tentative agenda, hotel information and presenter submission information may be found at http://www.texascte.org/tcec09/. National Conference: National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) – Thriving in Challenging Times – Advancing Economic Development Through Career Pathways The National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) has announced its 19th annual conference (formerly National Tech Prep Network Conference) which will be in Atlanta, September 30-October 3. For an advance look at the conference brochure, please see the following link: http://www.cordonline.net/atlanta2009/NCPN_2009_brochure_01.pdf. ============
Tech Prep Tuesday Central Texas Tech Prep Consortium Transition and Transfer March 24, 2009 Texas College and Career Readiness Standards In an effort to address the need to dramatically increase the levels of expectation and achievement for Texas students, the 79th Texas Legislature mandated the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to oversee the creation of the College and Career Readiness Standards in direct collaboration with the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Texas leaders recognize that over 90 percent of new jobs that will be available to students require some postsecondary education. Thus, the goal of the college readiness plan is to ensure that every Texas student is prepared by their P-12 education to be college-ready when exiting high school and has the skills to successfully compete in a global economy. At a recent presentation to area educators at Temple College, Dr. Susan Barnes from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board gave an overview of the College and Career Readiness Initiatives. In Phase I of the college readiness project, vertical teams were established in four content areas of high school curriculum (English/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies) to develop a draft of the standards. The standards reflect what students must know and be able to do to succeed in entry-level college courses. The College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) were adopted by THECB in January 2008. Phase II of the project is well underway and will evaluate whether high school curriculum requirements (TEKS) prepare students for college-level course work and recommend how the high school curriculum can be aligned to the standards. Phase III will include instructional strategies to help prepare students for college-level work and professional development on the implementation of CCRS and piloting of course materials. Also, the THECB will conduct a gap analysis of cross-disciplinary CCRS with 11 technical courses to address workforce concerns. To view a copy of the standards, go to www.thecb.state.tx.us/collegereadiness/CCRS.pdf. ============
Tech Prep Tuesday Central Texas Tech Prep Consortium Transition and Transfer March 10, 2009 Consortium Update Consortium staff members are beginning spring visits to partner school districts. As part of the visits, a short survey will be conducted to provide input for updating the Consortium’s strategic plan. Several Advisory Board members are serving on a committee to review and revise goals, objectives, and activities for the Consortium. Input from Consortium partners is crucial. Please contact Sherry Hollinger at shollin@templejc.edu if you have suggestions or recommendations. Tech Prep Six Year Plans are being revised to reflect the “look” of the AchieveTexas model. As articulation agreements are updated and added, the new plans are being implemented. CTE Related Workshops Geometry in Construction – Infusing Rigorous Mathematics into CTE – April 2-3 – Dallas. Workshop goals: incorporate academic rigor into all CTE areas, bring real-world relevance to Math, strengthen CTE’s role in High Stakes Testing, develop classroom ready lesson plans, begin process of developing fully contextualized class. Registration deadline: March 13. For information, visit www.geometryinconstruction.org or call 970-219-5020. UNT Health Science Curriculum Center Session #30734 – April 6 – ESC 12 – Waco -Objectives: review Health Science Cluster, explain make-up of Health Science Course Guide, examine steps to curriculum revision, explain revised layout of lesson plans, review updated/revised lesson plans, review online resources for Health Science teachers. Contact Christine Holecek (cholecek@esc12.net) at Education Service Center Region 12 for more information about this workshop. NCCER Training Opportunity Session #31325 – April 7 – Fairfield – Workshop will teach NCCER certified teachers how to handle and where to submit the forms and materials that are required for obtaining NCCER certifications for their students. Contact Christine Holecek at Education Service Center Region 12 for more information about this workshop. Grant Opportunity for CTE Student Organizations The Texas Education Agency (TEA) recently announced the web-based grant application system will be available to apply for the 2009-2010 Career and Technical Education State Student Organizations grant beginning around March 30, 2009. The purpose of this program is to provide funds to Texas Career and Technical Student Organizations to provide curricular experiences that extend learning beyond the formal school day and recognize student achievement through CTE. Eligible applicants must apply through TEA’s eGrants system. For more information, contact Rebecca Schroeder at 512-463-9269. ============
Tech Prep Tuesday Central Texas Tech Prep Consortium Transition and Transfer February 24, 2009 Labor Market Information Updated on Consortium Website At the Consortium’s December Counselors’ Workshop, Wanda Williams of Workforce Solutions of Central Texas presented an industrial/occupational outlook for the region, state, and nation. The presentation included numerous workforce-related resources as well as a discussion of Key Industries and Targeted Occupations for the region. Marilynn Dale, also from Workforce Solutions of Central Texas, gave information about WIA youth programs. The Consortium website (located at www.centraltexastechprep.com) has been updated to reflect the information presented. On the Consortium website home page, click on the red Labor Market Info and Friends and Links buttons to access the information. Update - New Courses and Standards for Career and Technical Education (CTE) Karen Batchelor from the Texas Education Agency presented the following timeline for the proposed new courses and standards for CTE during a TETN presentation today. The CTE TEKS will be a discussion item at the March SBOE (State Board of Education) meeting. On April 2-3, CTE Writing Teams will meet if the SBOE determines necessary. The SBOE/CTE TEKS First Reading and Filing Authorization will be in May. In June the proposed CTE TEKS will be posted in the Texas Register for official public comment. (This will be another opportunity to provide additional feedback before the new courses and standards are adopted.) July will bring the SBOE Second Reading and possible Final Adoption. Professional Development will take place September 2009 through July 2010 with full implementation of new courses and standards expected to start September 2010. As part of the process, all CTE courses will be placed in Chapter 130 with 16 subchapters organized by industry cluster. There will be a separate chapter for career development courses. Several CTE courses will be recommended that could count as the fourth year math or science course. Education Open Source Conference Presentations Available PowerPoint presentations from the recent Education Open Source Conference are now available on the CTAT (Career & Technology Association of Texas) website at www.ctat.org/events/eos09-presentation.html. Financial Aid Information To access the Compendium of Texas Colleges and Financial Aid Calendar online go to the following website: http://www.everychanceeverytexan.org/about/scholars/ ============ |
