IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NEBRASKA CAREER EDUCATION
I. NCE Framework and Rationale (Provides a definition of the NCE Framework and
why.)
 Change in society, workforce, economics, improved opportunities for students to
achieve outcomes
 Engaged learners, life-long learners (The ultimate outcome.)
System Goal: To provide an effective and efficient framework that affords all
student to: LEARN through career exploration and occupational skill development
which meeting academic standards; EARN as productive citizens in global society,
and LIVE as a contributing member of their community.
This NCE implementation guide will provide the frameworks for seamless
transitions from pre-kindergarten to career. The framework will utilize:
1. Standards-STARS Based knowledge
2. Differentiated-Student Based
3. Career Fields/Clusters as the organizational structure
4. Connections between students, teachers, agencies and partners
5. Focus on education from preschool to career (P-C)
It will be important to be flexible as we integrate curriculum and career education.
However, to create students that learn, earn and live, students need to make the
connections between education and life.
II. Gaining Support (Buy-in from all stakeholders.)
 Marketing
 Community
 Parents
 Students
 Post-secondary (Dual credit, articulation, teacher preparation programs)
 NDE
o Rule 10 and Rule 24 (School accreditation and staff certification)
A core team of credible advocates, with a creative and comprehensive marketing
plan, is instrumental in sharing and selling the vision. Research has been done to
support the need of including career education as a strategy for engaging students in
the learning process. The NCE implementation plan will need to include a list of
identified target customers with specific needs. The plan will show how the model
addresses their particular needs as well as develop usable and accessible resources
focusing on the clients.
Opportunities for Professional Development for teachers and administrators will be
a necessity for buy-in by all. The plan needs to have a time-line for implementation
that is realistic and gives a framework on how we intend to reach all Nebraska
schools. It will need to include goals, objectives and measurable outcomes as well as
on-going evaluation processes. As implementation and evaluation takes place, there
will need to be refining and tweaking of the plan to encompass all needs of educators
in all disciplines.
The certification process will need to be revisited. With this plan their will be more
flexibility for teaching assignments (i.e. Ag/Sciences). We need to examine the
possibility of having industry-based experts with access to pedagogy training
allowed to teach in the school system. It will be instrumental to create broader
content assignments for endorsements that are aligned with the six career fields.
Teacher quality can be enhanced through stronger mentoring/induction process.
Rule 10 restrictions also need examination to create less restriction that will allow
for students to have a more comprehensive individual learning plan. Student
learning would be based on competency and outcomes demonstrated by the
individual student. Students educational experiences would include skill-based,
competency based and academic standards. Established learning for each student
would be based on academic preparation instead of social time lines. This could
change the number of years a student spends in high school or possibly allow higher
ability learning students to advance into college course during high school.
Graduation requirements would still be at the local level based on competencies
with reason.
III. Professional Development (pre-service and in-service for all staff)
 Staff development team (Local leadership team)
 Collaborative teaching (Across and within disciplines)
 Teacher as lead learner and facilitator (Changing roles)
 School boards, administrators, teachers, counselors, support staff (Everyone
involved)
Professional development will be a necessity for all teachers concerning the
implementation and alignment of curriculum and career education. Pre-Service
teachers need to have coursed in career education in addition to the SPED and
Human Relationship requirements. It would also be beneficial for pre-service
teachers to have instructional strategies for facilitation and pedagogy. 0pportunities
during their college experience to experience the “Real World” of employment
through internships, visitation and experiences related to the six career fields would
aid new teachers in reaching their students’ interests and delivering an education
pertinent to career planning.
In-Service for teachers already in the classroom would need to include supplemental
endorsements in a career field in conjunction with the endorsements they have
already received. Very intrical parts of having a student understand the importance
of researching and selecting a career field can rely heavily on the knowledge base of
each classroom teacher. Training of all guidance counselors in the six career fields
to give them information to aid students in career selection and planning is also a
necessity to ensure success.
Life-long learning is a continuous process for all learners especially educators. To
implement change, we need to create time and resources to aid the teachers. Some
resources could include: teachers teaching teachers, across discipline learning
teams, using real world applications and working to bridge the gaps between
elementary to middle school to high school and post-secondary.
The role of the administrators and school boards is extremely important if dynamic
changes are to occur in our school districts. It will be a necessity to train all
administrators in educational leadership and how to lead their school districts.
Administrators will need professional development to transform their roles from a
managerial position to an instructional leader. We need all administrators to grasp
the vision so that they can effective lead the charge to implement an integrated
career and academic framework for their students.
IV. Curriculum Restructuring and Integration of Career Clusters
 P-16 articulation (Coordination across grade levels and disciplines)
 Essential education (Alignment with State Department document)
 Foundational knowledge and skills (NCE Framework)
 Standards and essential learnings (State Standards and LINKS to Standards)
The NCE Implementation Guide will coordinate P-16 initiatives, the Essential
Education Document, STARS and Career Education into an integrated and focused
direction to meet the need of ALL students in Nebraska. There are several reasons
that a system encompassing both academics and career education would be
beneficial for all students. This would help maximize students, schools and
communities potential. It helps to link knowledge and skills to relevant experiences.
It will increase efficiency through collaboration of personnel, include “real world”
experiences, create students with expertise in career fields of their interest, and will
help to coordinate education at all levels across all disciplines.
V. Implementation Strategies
 Align and integrate with school improvement process (Not an add-on)
 P-16 articulation (Coordination across grade levels and disciplines)
 Best practices and models (Scientifically research-based)
 Scheduling and calendar modifications (Modification of daily schedules and
yearly calendar)
 ICEP (Includes literacy development, career development and personal/social
development)
 Portfolios (Documentation of student achievement)
 Operational definitions (Common language)
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Collaborative teaching (Teamwork)
Delivery systems (Utilize available technology)
Partnerships (Well-developed, meaningful, win-win situations with all
stakeholders)
Internships (Work-based experiences)
Graduation requirements (Re-examined and locally determined to meet the needs
of all students)
Re-allocation of resources (Examine current resources and re-distribute as
necessary)
o Expansion of teacher contracts (Allow for in-service both during the
school year and extension of contracts)
For implementation of the NCE plan to happen, several partners and key players
will need to believe in the process. The vision must be shared with these partners in
the educational realm as well as the business world. It will be extremely important
to have a clear and concise plan to share through presentations at organizational
meetings, the state board of education, to businesses, to administrators, teachers,
parents and students.
The NCE implementation plan is an opportunity to coordinate several educational
plans into one that will benefit all students. A common language will need to be
established and best practices must be used during implementation. Scheduling and
calendar modification may need to be made to our current school years. This would
allow time to coordinate career and academics plan for each individual student,
allow time for teachers to train and use collaborative teaching strategies, and
modify grading procedures to include portfolios along with the state standards as a
way for students to demonstrate their knowledge.
School districts would also be able to coordinate the NCE implementation plan as
part of their school improvement process. School districts could take the time to reexamine graduation requirements and possibly look for internships, dual-credit
classes as well as classes through distance delivery systems.
VI. Criteria for success/Program evaluation
 Student outcomes (Formal evaluation, student surveys, portfolios, follow-up
studies)
 Staff performance (Observation, annual reviews, staff portfolios and curriculum
reports)
 Curriculum resources (Curriculum development teams)
 Partnerships (Community surveys, statistical information, student follow-up
surveys)
The success of this program depends on the changing role of the Nebraska
Department of Education. The NDE will need to lead the charge by transitioning
from a compliance checklist to a more collaborative and dynamic process. They will
need to enforce the need for all school districts to focus on data and student
outcomes. NDE will need to help school districts link to businesses and the postsecondary constituents. The NDE will need to aid school districts in re-focusing
their curriculums to include academics and career education into one program.
The new program will need to reflect the importance of the six career fields and
career clusters in alignment with the current academic programs in place. It will
have to be outcome oriented and assessment based. It will need to align instructor
approval with revamped certification processes. Flexibility will also be an
important factor to allow school districts to use on-line courses for students that are
interested in career fields that may not be that prominent in their communities.
Partnerships with the business world will also be extremely important to ensure
success. Through internships, guest speaking, visits to on-site career areas will
increase student learning immensely. It does take a community to raise and educate
a child efficiently. Advisory groups can also be instrumental in making a good
program great. The NCE implementation plan will coordinate several excellent
educational strategies into one program that will serve the students in Nebraska and
create opportunities that will be endless.