ACTE

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announced today its six recommendations for Congress to incorporate into the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) that will provide support and enhance student achievement. ACTE believes that a newly reauthorized NCLB must focus on both rigor and relevancy if the United States is to remain competitive.

According to the 2004 National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE) Report, more than 95 percent of students take at least one Career and Technical Education (CTE) course during high school, and the strengths and resources of CTE play an important role in improving outcomes for students. Students at schools with highly integrated rigorous academic and CTE programs have significantly higher student achievement in reading, mathematics and science than do students at schools with less integrated programs, as reported by the Southern Regional Education Board. Building on these strengths and resources, ACTE recommends the following to be included with the reauthorization of NCLB.

Integrate Academic and Technical Education to Better Engage and Prepare Students for Their Futures

Congress needs to align NCLB with the Perkins Act through the use of programs of study and encourage schools to use CTE courses to support students working to meet academic proficiency. It should offer schools credit that offer work-based and other contextual types of programs, which provide students hands-on learning and valuable work experience. The law should require states to develop content standards, assessments, and teacher quality standards that are aligned with postsecondary and industry standards. By providing incentives for schools to integrate academic coursework such as math, science and language arts, with CTE coursework, it will better engage and prepare students for their futures.

Support Comprehensive Guidance and Career Development Strategies to Assist Students in Determining Clear Pathways to Postsecondary and Workforce Goals

To assist students in determining their career pathways to secondary education and workforce goals, Congress needs to develop a comprehensive guidance program throughout the P-16 system as well as provide adequate resources for career development and planning across the education continuum. The law needs to encourage schools to develop individual graduation plans that map a defined program of study on how to reach their academic and career goals.

Increase Focus on Secondary School Completion Through Comprehensive Dropout Prevention and Reentry Strategies

Congress needs to provide incentives and eliminate disincentives for schools to register “drop in” students, which are students that return to continue their education. There needs to be a consistent definition of secondary school “dropout” developed. NCLB should require schools to disaggregate and report dropout and graduation data. In the law, it should provide support for research and development for finding flexible re-entry and completions programs, including those that employ career development and CTE strategies.

Ensure Highly Effective Educators are Supported and Available Across all Curriculum in All Schools

For NCLB to be effective, it is essential for the law to include federal professional development funding that supports integrated academics and contextual teaching strategies for academic teachers and CTE teachers. NCLB needs to invest in research on curriculum structure and teaching methodology. The law needs to maintain flexibility in defining highly qualified teachers, such as through the use of provisions like HOUSSE, to ensure that schools are able to recruit and retain professionals from a variety of backgrounds and through alternative pathways. Within the law, specific funding should focus on supporting administrators in their role as educational leaders and creating an environment where rigor and relevance spans across all course offerings.

Improve Adequate Yearly Progress and Accountability Provisions to More Accurately Reflect Student Learning Process

NCLB needs to provide schools with credit for growth in student achievement, even if AYP is not fully met. The law ought to allow the use of multiple assessments to measure student progress, including the use of CTE credentials and measurements. The focus on accountability should rely more on incentives rather than sanctions, and graduation is defined by subject and skills competency rather than “seat time.”

Provide Support and Incentives for Innovation, Replication and Improvement

The law should promote dual and concurrent enrollment programs for secondary-postsecondary CTE programs, which enable students to accelerate learning while gaining technical skills. It needs to ensure dissemination of best practices so all schools can have access to successful strategies and programs that can be replicated. The law needs to support the development of a robust, dynamic and integrated data system that provides a clear picture of each student’s education progress. It should create incentive grants for states and state consortia to focus on multi-pronged high school redesign strategies and promote linkages at the state and local levels with CTE strategies.

“Incorporating these recommendations into NCLB will provide students the opportunity to be more competitive in today’s economy,” Senior Director of Public Policy Steve Dewitt said. “Without a true commitment from Congress to improve policy and increase funding for NCLB and other education programs, America’s goal of remaining the world’s leading economic power will be threatened.”

The Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation’s largest not-for-profit education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. It provides advocacy, public awareness and access to information, professional development and tools that enable members to be successful and effective leaders. Founded in 1926, ACTE has more than 29,000 members including teachers, counselors and administrators at the middle school, high school and postsecondary levels.