OPTIONS FOR THS

Enhancing Learning Opportunities for Students

Guiding Questions

What do we do well NOW? (keep doing it!)

What do we need to START doing to Offer options within THS Prepare students for multiple exit options (work,

certificate, 2 year or 4 year higher education, military, apprenticeship or training program)

What do we need to STOP doing?

School to Career

Also known as Career Pathways Started as vocational-technical but now

encompasses college and career (K-16 plans)Institutionalized by Student Success Plans for

all, not just Special Ed or Career CompletersSpell out specific technical and employability

standards for each major employment cluster

The Career Clusters

Arts and Media Business and Finance Construction Technologies and Design Environmental, Natural Resources and

Agriculture Government, Education and Human Services Health and Biosciences Retail, Tourism, Recreation and Entrepreneurship Technologies: Manufacturing, Communications

and Repair

The Vision

Provide all students with the opportunity to connect learning that takes place within the school walls to the needs and demands of higher education and of the full range of careers offered by the Connecticut economy

Career Forecast by Career Builder

Business Management analyst Consumer service representative Retail sales

Health Registered nurse Medical assistant Home health aide

Technical Biomedical engineer Software engineer Network systems and data communications analyst

Hartford Courant’s top employers in CT

Technical United Technologies General Dynamics AT & T

Business/Retail Hartford Financial Services Group Wal-Mart Stop & Shop Aetna Cigna

Health Pfizer Pharmaceutical Hartford Hospital

Other Yale University Foxwoods Mohegan Sun

The Goal

To develop a comprehensive K-16 system of school-based learning, work-based learning and connecting activities that leads to the attainment of a Connecticut Career Certificate, which is a portable credential that attests to mastery of employer-identified academic, employability and technical skills within one of clusters offered to THS students

Steps to accomplish goal

Implement Student Success Plans for all students in grades 6-12 (mandated by state, use Career Cruising)

Provide students with a structured opportunity to explore careers in middle school

Research job market trends to determine growing fields for future employability

Continue to offer rigorous, college-prep coursework (AP, ECE) as well as maintain connections with higher education for course articulations

Decide on focus area(s)

Which one or two of the core career clusters are of interest and benefit to THS students?

Which area(s) can be effectively integrated with our core academic program?

Which area(s) offers potential for connection to community business and industry resources as partners for expertise and experiences?

Logistics

What changes would need to be made to our current use of space and facility to create a viable space for a new program?

What type of equipment, materials, and resources would need to be added to bring our current program up to industry standards in the selected career area?

What type of training would our professional staff need to be able to deliver appropriate and integrated instruction to support a career area?

What type of school schedule would be needed?

Potential benefits

Retain students in the district Offer program options to better meet needs

of all studentsGraduate students with an identifiable

credential that represents technical, academic, and employability

Connect school and community in synergistic way

Mobilize external resources to supplement budget

Possible configuration

Continue to offer a traditional comprehensive high school program with both an Academic and College Prep/Honors track. Core courses, electives, AP/ECE

Develop not more than two theme/career-based Small Learning Communities with specific course work in technical and employment skills integrated with core academic content

Offer an online or blended learning component for students who wish to enrich or accelerate learning or who need to recover credits or build language proficiency

Preparing students for their future

Offer education programming that is authentic and engaging

Prepare students for future jobsGet employers to invest in their future

workforceProvide students with multiple exit options:

College ready Employable