Program of Study Design Framework
Framework Element
Legislation & Policies: State and local legislation, rules
and regulations, or administrative policies that
promote POS development and implementation.
a.
b.
Partnerships: Ongoing relationships among education,
business, and other community stakeholders that
support POS design, implementation, and
maintenance.
a.
Professional Development: Sustained, intensive, and
focused professional development opportunities for
administrators, teachers, (guidance staff) and faculty
that foster HSPOS design, implementation, and
maintenance.
a.
Implementation Status
What legislation and/or policy (local and state)
currently exists that supports HSPOS?
What additional legislation and/or policy (local
and state) would most help HSPOS? i.e. Require
secondary students to develop an individual
graduation or career plan
Do state level HS partnerships coordinate with
local partnerships?
b. Are state level partnerships organized around the
HS cluster and cluster committees where
available?
c. Are there examples of how partnerships have
“opened doors” that support HSPOS
implementation?
d. Describe the partnerships with business and
industry, including local advisory committees.
e. What role do partnerships play in HS cluster
standards, curriculum and assessment?
f. Who’s at the table with the development and
implementation of HSPOS? (E.g. secondary &
postsecondary education levels, employers,
workforce/economic development agencies,
others?)
f. How formal are the partnerships?
g. Written partnership agreements?
h. Memorandums of Understanding?
b.
c.
d.
e.
Is there academic and technical integration at
your site? If yes, is it ongoing?
Do high school faculty and postsecondary faculty
coordinate instruction?
Describe the types of HSPOS professional
development offered.
Is the professional development required or
optional? (Probe for secondary AND
postsecondary examples)
Describe how a specific HSPOS professional
development activity has been useful?
Accountability & Evaluation Systems: Systems and
strategies that gather quantitative and qualitative data
on all 10 framework elements as well as on student
outcomes to inform ongoing efforts to develop and
implement HSPOS and to determine its effectiveness.
a. Is there a system in place that allows high schools
and postsecondary to share data?
c. Is there a system in place that allows high schools
and postsecondary to collect data from
employers?
d. Is data used to improve programs?
College & Career Readiness Standards: HSPOS
a.
How do you ensure that HSPOS standards are
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content standards that define what students are
expected to know and be able to do to enter and
advance in college and/or their careers comprise the
foundation of the HSPOS.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Course Sequences: Course sequences within a POS
that help students transition to postsecondary
education with the need to duplicate classes or enroll
in remedial courses.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Credit Transfer Agreements: Formal credit transfer
agreements among secondary schools and
postsecondary institutions.
a.
b.
c.
d.
f.
Guidance Counseling & Career Advisement: Systems
that provide career counseling and academic advisory
services to help students make informed decisions
about which POS to pursue.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Teaching & Learning Strategies: Innovative and
a.
industry based and postsecondary validated?
Have all standards been aligned with cluster
standard?
Do the standards incorporate the essential
knowledge and skills (i.e., academic,
communication, and problem-solving skills) which
students must master regardless of their chosen
career area or POS taught?
Do the standards provide the same knowledge
and skills in English and mathematics that
employers and colleges expect of high school
graduates?
Is academic credit awarded for HSPOS course(s)?
How are postsecondary placement requirements
integrated into the secondary HSPOS component
in a way that will eliminate the need for
postsecondary remediation?
Are courses broad to narrow connecting to
postsecondary and credential or degree?
Is there a core set of HSPOS courses?
Describe how the HSPOS course sequence is
designed.
How is the potential duplication between
education levels been reduced or eliminated?
How are opportunities provided at the secondary
level that can award college credit?
Are there local articulation agreements between
your high schools and postsecondary, and
between postsecondary institutions?
Is criteria defined for high school HS instructors
teaching postsecondary courses?
Is credit transcripted and immediate?
How is concurrent credit funded?
Describe the expectations and requirements for
secondary teachers offering college credit for
their high school courses.
Do guidance/career counseling and advisement
professionals understand and support HSPOS?
Does coordination exist between high school and
postsecondary ed?
Describe how the guidance staff is provided with
up-to-date career and HSPOS information – either
by the state or locally.
Do guidance counselors see HSPOS as a planned
sequence of learning that prepares students for
HS college and careers?
How do guidance counselors communicate to
students and parents about HSPOS opportunities?
Describe a couple of examples you consider to be
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creative instructional approaches that enable teachers
to integrate academic and technical instruction and
also enable students to apply academic and technical
learning in their POS coursework.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Technical Skill Assessments: Existing valid and reliable
technical skill assessments that provide ongoing
information on the extent to which students are
attaining the necessary knowledge and skills for entry
into and advancement in postsecondary education
and careers in their chosen POS.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
innovative HSPOS teaching and learning
strategies.
What professional development activities have
been conducted that focus on innovative and
creative instructional approaches?
Do academic and HS faculty collaborate?
Do the teaching and learning strategies focus on
the integration of academic and CTE content?
Do the effective teaching strategies employ
contextualized work-based, project-based, and
problem-based learning approaches?
Do the teaching and learning strategies
incorporate team-building, critical thinking,
problem-solving, and communication skills (i.e.,
activities organized by the career and technical
student organization (CTSO)?
What industry certification assessments are
offered?
What state approved TSA are offered?
How are TSA used by the state, local site and
classroom teacher?
How are the assessments of technical skill chosen
and validated?
Do the technical skill assessments incorporate
performance-based assessment items, to
Do the TSA incorporate performance-based
assessment items, to the greatest extent possible,
where students must demonstrate the application
of their knowledge and skills?
Are postsecondary partners consulted in the
selection of secondary technical skill assessments
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