The passage of
the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December, 2015, ushered in a new era
for K-12 education that ensures all students are prepared for college- and
career-success. The new law places unprecedented emphasis on the role of CTE in
achieving positive outcomes for all students, including through integration of
CTE and academics, increased emphasis on career guidance and counseling, and
inclusion of career readiness indicators in accountability systems.
The
implementation process for the new law is now underway, which the U.S.
Department of Education plans to have fully completed by 2017-18 school year.
For the roll-out of this new law to provide maximum support to CTE students and
professionals, it is important that ACTE members and the CTE community
understand the opportunities presented for their programs.
Since the
federal government has made changes to its principal law governing education,
each state must then make adjustments to align with federal mandate. The
summary of those changes will be in the new “measuring stick” for schools the
Future Ready PA Index.
The Future
Ready PA Index will measure how students achieve in reading, math, and science.
It will also measure growth. Additionally, the index will have an increased
emphasis on career and technical education programs of study. Industry recognized standards such as NOCTI
or NIMS will be measurements for career readiness.
The NOCTI is
the National Occupational
Competency Testing Institute. It delivers a number of standardized tests for students studying career and
technical programs. The assessments are based on a job and task analysis
process. The NOCTI is part written test and part performance. In order to be
proficient, students must have not only the knowledge of a particular trade,
but be able to demonstrate the ability to perform entry level work. The
assessments are updated on a regular basis. They are aligned with national
academic standards (math, science and language arts) as well as business and industry standards. A number of the assessments
are linked to industry certifications programs.
The NIMS is the National Institute
for Metalworking Skills. NIMS was formed in 1994 by the metalworking trade associations to develop
and maintain a globally competitive American workforce. NIMS sets skills
standards for the industry, certifies individual skills against the standards
and accredits training programs that meet NIMS quality requirements.
The students at LCCTC have tested
over 90% proficient in each of the last 3 years in the NOCTI and NIMS. We have
consistently performed amongst the top 5 comprehensive ctcs in the state over
that same period of time. As the ESSA looks to broaden the measures for
students to demonstrate proficiency, LCCTC welcomes the change and appreciates
the opportunity to demonstrate our achievement in the essential area of career
and technical education. In order for American manufacturing to grow, we must
have the skilled labor force that a 21st century economy needs.
