What is the Virginia Governor’s CTE Exemplary Standards Program Improvement Process?
Governor Timothy Kaine adopted the National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education (CTE) Exemplary Standards to provide a framework for improving CTE programs in Virginia and monitoring the new career centers that were formed as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) initiative. Technical and career education (TCE) teachers, school and TCE administrators, and industry partners collaborate to study aspects of TCE programs and facilitate improvement. Since the fall of 2001, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) has been using standards to guide continuous program improvement for all TCE programs. These criteria reflect national legislation that guide TCE, such as the Carl D. Perkins Act of 1998, the National Skill Standards Act of 1994 as well as national reform efforts, including Tech Prep and High Schools That Work TCE educators in the VBCPS honor the CTE Exemplary Standards criteria for TCE programs by focusing on industry and academic standards, individualizing instruction to suit student and industry needs, collaborating with internal and external partners, setting high expectations for all learners, conducting ongoing staff development, innovating programs, meeting performance goals, and continuously improving curriculum and instruction. The process creates an ever-changing TCE culture that continues to adjust to technological changes and market trends.
How many TCE programs have been reviewed in VBCPS?
Since the first VBCPS TCE program was measured by the standards, 52 TCE programs and departments have been reviewed at the Advanced Technology Center (ATC),the Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center; Bayside, Cox, First Colonial, Kellam, Green Run, Salem, and Tallwood high schools during 2002 through 2009.
How does the TCE Program Improvement process work?
TCE teachers have reflected about their programs as they review the Governor's CTE standards; collect data about their programs and students; and reflect about best practices, challenges, and next steps for program improvement. The TCE administrators offer training and support to help teachers offer exemplary TCE programs that focus on program excellence, educational significance, and evidence of effectiveness and success.
TCE collects an array of program and student data that is presented to the Virginia Department of Education to justify distribution of federal funds for TCE programs. The Exemplary Standards process has given TCE teachers a process to review program and student data and start conversations with their administrators about how to improve their TCE programs to meet the needs of students and industry. Data points include but are not limited to the following: industry credentialing results, student demographic data, enrollment, TCE completer data, diploma seals and types of diplomas earned by TCE graduates, competency attainment rates, and educational and employment status of TCE graduates.
How are exemplary and achieving programs recognized?
The industry review team uses a rating instrument based on the standards to score programs during the review process. The Virginia Beach Education Foundation has recognized the exemplary and achieving TCE programs and departments with honoraria to be used to purchase instructional supplies or support staff development activities.
Steps of the Continuous Improvement Process
The steps of the program improvement process include:
- Targeting TCE programs at the high schools and technical centers for review.
- Providing TCE teachers, administrators, and business partners who serve on review teams with information about the standards and improvement process;
- Gathering data about TCE programs and thinking critically about the programs;
- Reviewing data with business partners and other stakeholders who served on the review teams;
- Conducting a site visit to view TCE programs in action;
- Measuring program performance, providing feedback, discussing findings, and creating an action plan that addresses program challenges.