Department Head: David Hensley
Purpose | IGP | CTSO's | CTE's Role | Work Based Learning | Cooperative Education
| Diversified Learners | Practice Tests | Open Response & MC Resources
Purpose
Career and Technical Education is an essential component of the high school curriculum. For many students, it represents as much as a third of their high school experience. It is a critical component in meeting the needs of students in academic achievement, career exploration, career preparation, and leadership development. Successful transition to post secondary education, work, or the military is one of the goals of Kentucky’s educational system. The percentage of students making successful transition is a component of the high school accountability index.
High quality Career and Technical Education programs are critical in preparing students for further study at the post secondary level in a technical field or successful entry into the workforce following high school graduation. Therefore, a well-planned sequence of courses, which is focused on a career cluster, has a positive impact on student achievement during high school and student success following high school graduation.
When high-quality Career and Technical Education programs are integrated with high-quality academic core content, students understand the relevance of curriculum in preparation for their future. Employers are demanding that their future employees be able to apply academic and technical skills to real-world problems that are encountered in the workplace. Occupational outlook information indicates that eighty percent of the jobs will require some level of post secondary education in a technical field. Career and Technical Education at the secondary level is critical in meeting this demand.
Significance to the Individual Graduation Plan (Back
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The high school graduation requirements include the expectation that all students will develop and follow an Individual Graduation Plan which emphasizes career development. It is important that a sequence of academic and Career and Technical courses provide students the maximum opportunity to develop academic and technical skills based on their career goals within one of the following career clusters:
- Agriculture
- Arts and Humanities
- Business and Marketing
- Communication
- Construction
- Education
- Health Science
- Human Services
- Information Technology
- Manufacturing
- Public Services
- Science and Math
- Social Sciences
- Transportation
HCHS's administrators, guidance counselors, and faculty work together in identifying courses of study that maximize the students’ potential for success at the post secondary level or entry into the workforce based on their career goals. It is recommended that students develop an Individual Graduation Plan which includes the academic core specified in the graduation requirements and at least four credits within a career cluster. Examples of recommended courses of study based on career clusters are included in this document within each of the Career and Technical Education program area sections.
Career and Technical Education Student Organizations (Back
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Career and Technical Education Student Organizations (CTSO’s) are recognized as integral to the Career and Technical Education program. CTSO’s provide a unique program of career and leadership development, motivation and recognition exclusively for middle/junior high and high school students enrolled in Career and Technical Education programs. It is required that each Career and Technical Education program provide access to Career and Technical Education Student Organizations.
CTSO’s are not “clubs” to which only a few Career and Technical Education students belong. Rather, a CTSO is a powerful instructional tool that works best when integrated into the Career and Technical Education curriculum and classroom by a Career and Technical Education instructor who is committed to the development of the total person. Career and Technical Education educators recognize the importance of providing students with career-related training and leadership development that complements the skills needed for entry into a particular field.
The Career and Technical Education Student Organizations and their related program area are:
DECA - Marketing Education
FBLA - Business Education
FFA - Agriculture Education
FCCLA - Family and Consumer Sciences Education
HOSA - Health Occupations Education
TSA/STLP - Technology Education
Skills USA-VICA - Industrial Technology Education/Secondary and Post secondary
Career and Technical Education Student Organizations are extremely effective as “instructional tools” when used properly by trained Career and Technical Education educators. CTSO’s activities are integral to Career and Technical Education when:
a. instructional strategies are used to develop, improve and expand occupational competencies related to a particular Career and Technical Education subject matter area;
b. an extension of the classroom/laboratory instructional program enriches and enhances classroom/laboratory learning is provided; and
c. organized activities are presented for students to gain personal and leadership skills making them more employable, preparing them to become productive citizens, and assisting them in assuming positive roles in the home and community.
CTE’s Role in Tech Prep, High Schools That Work, and School-to-Work (Back
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These initiatives are focused on improving student achievement and successful transition to post secondary education or work following high school graduation. Some of the key practices which are vital to the success of these initiatives include raising student expectations through a rigorous and relevant curriculum, integration of academics and career/technical education, career guidance and planning, articulation to post secondary education, and work-based learning.
High quality Career and Technical Education programs, based on industry-recognized standards, are critical to the successful implementation of these initiatives. The content of all Career and Technical Education courses must be based on challenging curriculum that provides application of mathematics, science, and communication as it is utilized in the modern workplace. The technical content of all Career and Technical Education programs should be broad-based to prepare students for multiple jobs within an occupational field.
One of the expectations of the initiatives is to improve transition to post secondary education through the development of articulation agreements. In an effort to provide articulation on a statewide basis, agreements have been developed in the areas of Early Childhood Education, Electronics/Engineering Technology, and Computer Related Instruction. Schools are encouraged to develop articulation agreements in all technical areas that lead to post secondary education.
Work-Based Learning (Back
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Work-based learning provides experience and activities gained in a work-type environment. Two major categories of work-based learning are school and work site. Work site learning's include cooperative education, entrepreneurship, clinical's, practicum's, internship and work experience. These experiences are to correlate with student’s career major/cluster. This correlation is to be a direct relationship between studies in school and the activities at the work site.
Guidelines for work-site learning:
- Student is to be enrolled in a related class. On-the-job experience must be correlated with the class instruction. A training plan is to be developed and on file for each student.
- Supervision of the on-the-job experience is to be provided by a teacher or school-to-work coordinator who may represent one program area or multi-program areas. The coordinator providing the supervision for multi-program areas is to consult with the respective program area regarding supervision concerns, such as student progress, training plans and problems encountered by students and/or work-site mentors.
- Credit is contingent upon two factors: related class and time spent on-the-job during school hours or an equivalent amount of time based on daily work schedules identified in the training plan. Credit may be awarded for both the related class and work-site experiences. The credit for work-site experiences may be awarded based on the number of class hours spent at the work site on an hour-for-hour basis for a maximum of two (2) credits per related class.
- Schools and employers must adhere to local, state and federal laws such as Child Labor Laws, Fair Labor Standards Act and Workmen’s Compensation.
Cooperative Education
Harlan County High School students now have the opportunity to participate in the Career & Technical Education Work-Based Learning Program (Cooperative Education). It is a paid educational program consisting of in-school instruction combined with program related on-the-job work experience in a business or industrial establishment. These are planned experiences supervised by the school and the employer to ensure that each partner contributes to the student’s Individual Learning Plan (ILP). Clieck here to learn more.
Meeting The Needs For Learner Diversity (Back
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In Career and Technical Education, provisions must be made to meet the needs for learner diversity in any course in which they are enrolled. All learners are to be provided with support services to assist them in the successful completion of the program.
“All learners” include students who do not need accommodations or modifications, as well as learners with different needs. There may be learners with unique needs related to services already provided through:
- Gifted and Talented Programs
- Special Education or 504 Services
- Title I Programs
- LEP (Limited English Proficiency) Services
- Dropout Prevention Services
Provisions are to be based on needs assessments and Individual Graduation Plan. Student centered planning addresses diversity in learning styles, interest and aptitude. Effective assessment is utilized in identifying student needs.
Two major areas of support to assist students and teachers in Career and Technical Education programs include the provision of supplementary services and support personnel. Support personnel to help meet the needs of diverse populations may include, but not limited, to personnel (e.g. tutors, teacher-aides, interpreters, teachers in Vocational Improvement Programs, Technical Liaison Coordinator, Special Populations Coordinator and mentors). Supplementary services may include special instructional materials, guidance, counseling, coordination, and collaboration with other educational providers, community service agencies and employers.
PLVS Practice Tests (Back
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Each practice test found below was constructed from previous CATS assessment released items. Each will score your answers and provide the correct responses at the end of the test. Open Response items will have to be scored subjectively and answers will not be recognized as correct/incorrect.
- Career Awareness
- Consumer Decisions
- Employability Skills & Communication/Technology
- Financial Literacy
- Personal Wellness- Multiple Choice & Open Response (Test 1)
- Multiple Choice & Open Response (Test 2)
Below you will find a list of commonly used 'PLVS' terms. Each set is available for review as well as a practice test to measure your knowledge of the terms.
- Terms Review
- Set 1
- Set 2
- Set 3
- Set 4
PLVS Open Response & Multiple Choice Resources (Back
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We have collected a number of Open Response and Multiple Choice resources that should assist teachers with covering the core content for Practical Living/Vocation Studies. All items are Microsoft Word documents; be sure to save them locally and modify as needed.
Health | Physical Education| Consumerism | Vocational Studies
Health (Back to PLVS Resources)
Personal Wellness
Core Content - PL-HS-1.1.1, DOK 2
Core Content - PL-HS-1.1.2, DOK 3
Core Content - PL-HS-1.1.3
Core Content - PL-HS-1.1.4
Core Content - PL-HS-1.1.5
Core Content - PL-HS-1.1.6, DOK 3
Core Content - PL-HS-1.1.7, DOK 2
Core Content - PL-HS-1.1.8, DOK 2
Core Content - PL-HS-1.1.9, DOK 2
Core Content - PL-HS-1.1.10
Core Content - PL-HS-1.1.11, DOK 3
Nutrition
Core Content - PL-HS-1.2.1
Core Content - PL-HS-1.2.2, DOK 2
Safety
Core Content - PL-HS-1.3.1
Core Content - PL-HS-1.3.2, DOK 2
Physical Education (Back to PLVS Resources)
Psychomotor Skills
Core Content - PL-HS-2.1.1
Core Content - PL-HS-2.1.2
Lifetime Physical Wellness
Core Content - PL-HS-2.2.1, DOK 2
Core Content - PL-HS-2.2.2
Core Content - PL-HS-2.2.3, DOK 3
Core Content - PL-HS-2.2.4
Core Content - PL-HS-2.2.5
Consumerism (Back to PLVS Resources)
Consumer Decisions
Core Content - PL-HS-3.1.1
Core Content - PL-HS-3.1.2, DOK 3
Core Content - PL-HS-3.1.3, DOK 2
Core Content - PL-HS-3.1.4, DOK 3
Core Content - PL-HS-3.1.5
Financial Literacy
Core Content - PL-HS-3.2.1, DOK 3
Vocational Studies (Back to PLVS Resources)
Career Awareness, Exploration and Planning
Core Content - PL-HS-4.1.1
Core Content - PL-HS-4.1.2
Core Content - PL-HS-4.1.3, DOK 3
Core Content - PL-HS-4.1.4, DOK 3
Core Content - PL-HS-4.1.5
Core Content - PL-HS-4.1.6
Core Content - PL-HS-4.1.7
Employability Skills
Core Content - PL-HS-4.2.1, DOK 2
Core Content - PL-HS-4.2.2, DOK 3
Communication/Technology
Core Content - PL-HS-4.3.1
Core Content - PL-HS-4.3.2, DOK 3
Core Content - PL-HS-4.3.3, DOK 3