Occupational Diploma Task Force
March 11, 2014
Welcome
Occupational Diploma Task Force
March 11, 2014
AGENDA
9:00
Welcome
9:05
Review work previously completed
9:15
Policy proposal and Introduction to SKEMA
9:30
Table Group Discussion and Activity
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Reduce the Critical Skills to essential components of no more
than 10 skill
Increase the Critical Knowledge to reflect core instruction and
academic skills
Reduce the Critical Experience to essential components of no
more than 10
11:15
Lunch Provided
12:00
Finalize the Critical Skills
12:45
Additional questions and proposed solutions
1:45
Assess proposal for agreement moving forward
2
Work we previously completed
 Discussion of the bill and the charge of the task force
• What population of students
• What we know
• What we need to know
• What is needed for the policy
 Development of “Soft Skills” required for student success
• Determined the skills for various domains across environments
 Development of “Hard Skills” required for student success
• Determined the skills underlying the 21st Century Skills
 Evaluated skills for: Critical, Preferred, and Enhancing
3
Bulls-Eye Revisited
 Last meeting we took all the soft skills and hard skills and prioritized them
according to the following:
• Critical
• Preferred
• Enhancing
 The Critical skills were them shared as a group to create one, complied
Bulls-Eye
 The skills also center around three domains:
• Skills—soft skills
• Knowledge—hard skills
• Experience—work experience both paid and non-paid
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Skills, Knowledge, and Experience
Mastery Assessment (SKEMA)
 Adopting a model brought to us from Pat Beane and her work within
Mississippi and Memphis/Shelby
 Critical skills, knowledge, and experience are the required level of mastery
to achieve an occupational diploma.
 The tool allows students to also have documentation of preferred and
enhancing skills that they have mastered so they can share this with
potential employers.
 A simple, easily managed documentation tool.
 The content is a direct reflection of the work from the occupational
diploma task force.
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Today’s Work
• Reduce the Critical Skills and Preferred Skills
• Combine Similar Skills
• 10 or less is the goal
• Measurable or observable skills
• Increase the Critical Knowledge and Preferred Knowledge to reflect core
instruction and academic skills
• Reduce the Critical Experience and Preferred Experience
• Combine Similar Skills
• 10 or less is the goal
• Measurable or observable skills
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Lunch
We will debrief after returning from lunch
8
Finalize “Critical” Content of SKEMA
 Finalize our Critical content
• What are the 10 Critical Skills?
• What are the 10 Critical Knowledge behaviors?
• What are the 10 Critical Experience behaviors?
 Finalize our Preferred content
• What are the 10 Preferred Skills?
• What are the 10 Preferred Knowledge behaviors?
• What are the 10 Preferred Experience behaviors?
 Is there a Preferred Skill, Knowledge, or Experience that needs added to the
Critical list?
9
Questions We Need to Consider
1.
Why would a high school want to offer an occupational diploma?
The occupational diploma is a reflection of the work currently at the State around
Instructionally Appropriate IEPs and the new assessments, in this case, around
National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC) and Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). The occupational diploma is a natural fit
into these instructional shifts. It is an opportunity for students to obtain instruction
and skills required to earn a wage, live as independently as possible, engage with
peers socially, and be productive tax-paying citizens.
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Questions We Need to Consider
2.
If a student is on track but not at the four year mark, maybe 5 year, then
what? What is our standard?
The policy states that it is awarded after 4 years of high school but, the policy also
states that the students may return to work on a general diploma. A special education
diploma recipient is also allowed to return to work towards a general education
diploma. Perhaps, another option may be for students who receive a special
educational diploma at the end of four years to return for the occupational diploma as
it is a more rigorously defined diploma and may lead to better post-school work
outcomes.
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Questions We Need to Consider
3.
How does this fit into the IEP transition plan?
Students who are 14 years or older have a transition plan. The plan includes a focused
plan of study (course of study) and post-secondary measurable goals. The work that a
student is completing directly related to achieving the occupational diploma can be
directly reflected in the plan of study and the goals.
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Questions We Need to Consider
4.
How will we phase in the students as the core instruction becomes increasingly
available through instructionally appropriate IEPs? Our current 11th graders
participating the first year may not have had the opportunities to learn the skills,
knowledge, or experience and one year is not sufficient time.
This is a question that was not anticipated within the first work on the bill as there was
not a pilot written into the process. However, it is becoming clear that a pilot would
strengthen the policy.
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Questions We Need to Consider
5.
What training is needed?
Superintendents and special education directors first must be aware of what the
policy is and how it relates to the teaching practices within the schools currently.
Additionally, training on the SKEMA tool will need to be provided to every teacher that
may be assessing students towards the occupational diploma.
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Questions We Need to Consider
6.
What are we missing?
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Next Steps
We will be presenting the policy for a first read on March 16th at the State Board of
Education.
Following this work today, we will be taking the work to businesses for feedback and
input prior to the second reading in July.
Pilot schools need to be identified. Are you willing to be a pilot school? Talk to your
administrators now about this opportunity. We will need several Pilot schools.
2nd reading in July at the State Board of Education.
Pilot data reviewed
Process is finalized.
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Thank You
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