CTE Cooperative Education Enhancement
March 2011
CTE
CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
Executive Summary
• Cooperative education (a.k.a. ‘coop’ or ‘work study’) is intended as a year-long, work-based
learning experience for our most promising senior CTE students, designed to give them onthe-job advanced skills training in their chosen CTE pathway
• However, for the majority of students, the cooperative education experience is more similar
to a generic “work release” program rather than building on CTE-related skills in a wellstructured work placement.
• Making some minor modifications to the cooperative education program – specifically,
providing a clear set of enforced guidelines – will help provide a better student experience.
These guidelines include:
•
•
•
•
Principal sign off & enforcement of modifications
Minimum hours and job placement guidelines for students
Clear teacher requirements
Central office support in sourcing job opportunities
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Agenda
1.
Why are we here?
2.
Why are we making changes?
3.
What are the proposed changes?
4.
How will placement of students work?
5.
What are the new tools being provided?
6.
Next Steps
7.
Questions?
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Why are we here?
•
We heard from a variety of sources that cooperative education at CPS has had
challenges that were worth investigating
•
Through our research we found a few key issues both at central office and at the
school/classroom level that could be solved by providing better tools, support
and guidance
•
The following pages shed light on what issues we found, identify key tools and
support that we will provide through central office, and outline our
expectations going forward
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Why are we making changes?
Cooperative education (a.k.a. ‘coop’ or ‘work study’) at CPS is intended as a yearlong, work-based learning experience for our most promising senior CTE students,
designed to give them on-the-job advanced skills training in their chosen CTE
pathway. Over time, however, the program has changed:

Type of Job: Opportunities are often more similar to a generic “work release” program rather than
truly building on CTE-related skills in a well-structured work placement.

Length of time in Job: Students are not finding cooperative education opportunities until well after
the 20th day (we’ve heard of placements as late as February)

Programming: 38% of students are incorrectly programmed into coop, meaning that they didn’t take
training level course. Some have had no prior CTE experience at all before being placed in a coop.

Coursework: Under central office direction, courses have been primarily basic soft skills training
rather than technical skills training
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Why are we making changes? – The Data
Opportunity to improve student selection: Many
cooperative education programs enroll students who
have not completed any prior CTE coursework (only ~62%
of all students are programmed correctly)
2011 Student Enrollment
School
CVCA
CRANE HS
CURIE HS
CORLISS HS
DUNBAR HS
ENTREPRENEURSHP HS
HARPER HS
HUBBARD HS
HYDE PARK HS
JULIAN HS
KELLY HS
KELVYN PARK HS
KENNEDY HS
PROSSER HS
SCHOOL OF TECH HS
Total
Total Coop
Students
Top 10 Employers from 2010
% Correctly
Programmed
3
17
97
24
14
26
34
10
70
46
112
20
26
2
61
562
Opportunity to improve student placement: By January
2011, an estimated 1/3 (or more) cooperative education
students do not appear to have work placements. And
based on a brief analysis of 2010 employer information,
the majority of coop employers offer students “jobs”
rather than true cooperative education work
experiences.
33%
53%
100%
100%
86%
100%
74%
60%
99%
80%
18%
5%
8%
0%
34%
62%
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
CPS Schools: 95 students
McDonalds: 23
Northern Trust: 23
After School Matters: 11
Nina’s Fashion: 6
El Guero: 5
Jewel: 5
Pizza Hut: 5
Burger King: 4
Kindercare Learning Center: 4
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Why are we making changes? – Examples
Strong “Coop” Placements
Accounting student works alongside accounts
receivable team performing entry level accounting
tasks. Students receive supplemental employability
skills training sessions from company including
business etiquette, effective communication skills,
and working with others.
After School Jobs (Not Coop)
Entrepreneurship student works at After School Matters
as a lifeguard trainee, learning aquatic rescues, CPR, and
other life-saving skills
Information Technology student serves as a valued
member of the RUSH Medical Center IT team –
providing technical support and computer
troubleshooting for the RUSH staff
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Information Technology student works
at the register of McDonald’s using the
electronic order screen
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What are the proposed changes?
By making minor modifications, we believe that cooperative education can serve its intended
purpose: To enable students to see firsthand the connection between classroom education and
the work environment, to gain advanced technical skills in their chosen pathway, and to refine
their work readiness skills
Issues
•
Planned Solutions
Cooperative education work placements often
unrelated to their CTE field and were hard to find
for all students in a reasonable amount of time
•
•
Students placed in cooperative education work
environments did not have technical/
employability skills necessary for job
•
More rigorous student qualifications, placement
requirements and teacher requirements (see next
slide)
•
Evaluation tools provided by central office/ISBE
were outdated and did not connect to other tools
used for CTE work based learning
•
Standardized/updated program evaluation tools
linked to new employability assessment
•
Associated in-class curriculum varied considerably
•
Curriculum for related course moved towards
technical skills training with a goal of 100% transition
by AY13
•
Central office support to help find opportunities &
provide professional development to teachers
Revised timeline for student placement and summer
support for approving placements
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What are the proposed changes? - Details
ISBE/CPS Cooperative Education Guidelines will require that Cooperative Education Teachers:
• Create an individualized coop plan for each student directly linked to advanced skills in their chosen CTE pathway and agreed on by employer,
student, and teacher. See CPS coop handbook for template.
• Make regularly scheduled visits to the work sites to include evenings but not weekends. Visits must happen at minimum 1/quarter per
student and some form of official contact (be it in person, phone, or email) made with the employer at least 1/month.*
• Complete online tracking tool every 5 weeks in accordance with grading periods (to report on student placement information)
• Ensure placement of student in cooperative education work experience by the 20th day.* (Teacher is ultimately responsible for ensuring job
placement, however beginning in AY12, jobs to be identified with assistance from the CTE partnership development team.)
• Have completed 6 semester hours of cooperative education administration course work before the start of school
• Meet basic ISBE CTE requirements for one CTE subject area including 2,000 hours of paid non-education based work experience
ISBE/CPS Cooperative Education Guidelines will require that Cooperative Education Students:
• Be a high school senior and at minimum 16 years old
• Be placed in a role directly related to their CTE pathway (paid or unpaid)
• Have completed at minimum the training course (2nd year course) in CTE*
• Have an individualized coop plan directly linked to advanced skills in their chosen CTE pathway and agreed on by employer, student, and
teacher. See CPS coop handbook for template.
• Have met the CTE employability skills assessment requirement of “Yes” in all Fundamental Skills and a ≥2 in all Character Skills. Students that
do not meet this qualification can choose in-school work for the first semester if necessary.*
• Work a minimum of 180 hours/semester which equates to approximately 10 hours/week*
• Must have a job identified by 20th day or be reprogrammed*
ISBE/CPS Cooperative Education Guidelines will require that Schools:
• Provide 1 period of related in-class coursework to student
• Ensure teacher is programmed for work experience and related course
• Provide .2 to teachers
• Ensure compliance with above teacher/student requirements*
* Updated guidelines for AY11
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How will placement of students work?
Teachers, School Administrators, and Central Office Staff will work together to ensure that all
students find meaningful training opportunities throughout their cooperative education
experience
March
10th
• CTE (Central
Office)
provides list of
eligible students
to each school
March
30th
Early April
• Schools email
• CTE (Central
CTE if they are
Office) hosts a
interested in
brief info
having cooperative
session for
education (contact
cooperative
Sandra Castillo) –
education
sacastillo@cps.k12.il.us
teachers
• Schools let CTE
know which
students are being
programmed into
coop
Central Office Resources
• 2 professional development sessions
• Contact person for cooperative
approval over the summer
• Help in finding 1/3 Coop Opportunities
• Standardized Forms & Guidelines
Late April
Mid-April
to End of
School
• CTE Partnership • CTE PDT
Development
works to find
team (PDT)
student
provides PD to
cooperative
teachers on how to
education
source
opportunities
opportunities, how
to work with
• Teachers
partners, types of
Ensure
placements, etc…
students
follow up on
opportunities
Summer
Break
• CTE PDT
Continues to
find student
opportunities
• CTE Coop
Coordinator to
serve as
approver of
opportunities
over the
summer months
CTE
Summer
Institute
• CTE updates
teachers on
student
status and
conducts
refresher PD
Beginning
of School
– 20th Day
• CTE PDT
continues to
provide
opportunities
• Teacher
responsible for
completing
individualized coop
plan & staffing
students by 20th
Day
• Train
students on
how to work
with Central
Office over
summer
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What are the new tools being provided?
Updated Handbook
Revised Evaluation Tools
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Next Steps:
• Provide Sandra Castillo with a list of students (ID’s &
cluster) by April 15th so that we can begin sourcing
opportunities
• Provide CTE with feedback on evaluation tools by May 1st
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Questions?
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