Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education

PROGRAM EVALUATION PROFILE

*Refer to Specific Recommendations for Improvement

Standard
Met

PROGRAM EVALUATION SUMMARY

The overall program goal of this individualized, open-entry/open-exit program is to prepare students for employment in one of three career majors: Computer Programmer, E-Business Specialist, and Systems Analyst. Currently, the instructor teaches 20 adult students and seven high school students.

The competencies are currently identified through Brainbench, Adobe, and ODCTE certification tests. The expectations are comprehensive and well-defined for students to succeed in an individualized, competency-based environment that foster learning and participation.

Students receive opportunities to develop and apply leadership, social, civic, and business-related skills through Business Professionals of Amerca (BPA), the CareerTech student organization for high school and adult business and information technology education students.

The facilities promote learning and support an individualized, competency-based delivery system. Adequate space is available for team-building activities, individualized learning, conferences with individual students, and monitored student testing. Dual monitors, latest software, and multiple printers fill the room. In addition, the lab is currently equipped with seven PCs and 12 Mac comptuers, which is reflective of industry trends.

The instructor uses real-world projects. Students make presentations to their peers to reinforce their interpersonal skills and to encourage them to develop their research, reading, writing, and presentation skills. In addition, students write down vocabulary words used within industry as well as in general to reinforce literacy skills.

The instructor is currently completing his mater's degree in eduation administration, and he embraces opportunities to participate in any training necesary to further the education of his students. The school is commended for supporting this emerging training area by encouraging the instructor to pursue whatever training he needs to teach in this program.

The instructor excels at providing leadership development opportunities for his students. For example, the LAN parties are very creative and promote student success. In addition, his students are successful competitors at state and national leadership conferences. The instructor takes an active role in helping the Business Professionals of America student organization at both the state and national levels.

A cooperative agreement between the tech center and Redland Community College enables students attedning Canadian Valley Technology Center to earn up to 27 college credit hours. This indicates that multiple success pathways are available for all studetns. Upon successful completion of their individual programs, students can enter the workforce, using their CareerTech training, or enter college with some college credit already on their transcripts.

The instructor has strong industry representation on his advisory committee. He maintains ongoing communicatoin with committee members and seeks their advice and suggestions. The instructor keeps accurate minutes and actively pursues the recommendations of his advisory committee.

SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

The three-year program plan should be more specific and revised annually to provide strategies for curriculum\technology updates, instructional materials, professional development, equipment and supplies acquisition, budget development, facility renovation, advisory committee utilization, and career and technology student organization chapter development. This plan should clearly reflect the program goals.

The instructor has an excellent plan of study for students. To make it even better, evaluators suggest aligning the Brainbench tests and/or industry certification tests to the courses he teachers so that students see the correlation to the industry standards.

College credit alignment should be included on the student tracking sheets to reinforce the opporutunities available and to hep students keep track of credits obtained. A master document that tracks the total college credit hours awarded to students each year should be maintained and used as a recruitment tool.

Projects are the primary component of the work-based experience in the classroom. The instructor has completed basic rubrics for the projects, but he should develop a more detailed rubric so students know course expectations and why they recieved their grade for a particular project.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION: <type what you did here: .>

The instructor should continue to align curriculum with the state model to ensure that students receive the required competencies. Individual couse syllabi should be developed that identify specific competencies to be measure/tested. Each syllabus should contain the course name, ODCTE course name (if different), and any articulated college credit associated with the course.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION: <type what you did here>

The instructor is encouraged to continue training and professional development that will help him develop/expand the program. For example, he should take the Brainbench exams or other industry certifications that are relevant to the program's WEb offerings. This helps reinforce the value of industry certifications adn helps the instructor in developing appropriate curriculum for the career pathways.

The instructor should pursue more opportunities to achieve alignment between the partner high shcools and the technology center. These parterships will be a key factor in successfully implementing the career clusters.