ROP News

STATE SCHOOLS CHIEF JACK O'CONNELL ANNOUNCES NEW FUNDING TO BUILD AND IMPROVE CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION FACILITIES

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced the State Allocation Board has approved for the first time, $198 million Proposition 1D funds for the new construction or modernization of 174 career technical education facilities projects throughout California. The list of projects is attached.

"As a member of the State Allocation Board, I am proud to play a role in the first-ever approval of funding to build and improve career technical education facilities," said O'Connell. "California must prepare all students for success in the competitive global economy, whether they plan to go straight into a career or to college after graduating from high school. By improving and expanding career technical education options for students, we will help keep them motivated, in school, and better prepared for their future."

The California Department of Education (CDE) developed the grant criteria in cooperation with the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges, the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, and business and industry groups. CDE reviewed all applications to ensure equity in the distribution of the funds and to make sure that funded projects had relevance to industry needs. CDE also worked to make sure funded projects expanded partnerships between career technical education programs in the K-12 system and California's system of higher education. CDE scored the program and facilities elements of the project applications. The highest scores out of a total of 170 points received approval for the Proposition 1D funding.

Proposition 1D was passed by 56.5 percent of the vote in the November 2006 election. The measure allowed the state to sell $10.4 billion in general obligation bonds to fund repair projects and upgrade public schools, including kindergarten through grade twelve, community colleges, and state universities. One billion dollars of Proposition 1D funds are reserved for funding career technical education facilities.

The State Allocation Board is responsible for allocating the Proposition 1D funds for career technical education facilities as well as funds for the new construction and modernization of local public school facilities. Of the 174 projects approved, 92 are modernization projects, eight are equipment only projects to be placed in existing facilities, and 74 are new construction.

Career Technical Education Projects Approved

CONSTRUCTION ~ WORKFORCE DEVELPOMENT ~ MEGA-EVENT
8th ANNUAL GREATER SACRAMENTO CONSTRUCTION CAREER DAY

Thursday April 17th, 2008

9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Teichert Construction

8833 Kiefer Blvd.

Sacramento, CA 95826

Exhibitor Registration Deadline is Friday, April 4th, 2008

Please see the attached documentation if you wish to present at this event

Information, Registration and Directions

Assembly Appropriations Committee passes CTE-related legislation

The following Senate Bills passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee on August 30, 2007:

SB 405 (Steinberg): Schools: Curriculum: Opportunities for Pupils

Summary: This bill would establish the College and Career Opportunity Pilot (CCOP) program, administered by the
Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), to provide high schools ranked in deciles one to five of the Academic
Performance Index with grant funding to better prepare and enroll students in rigorous college preparatory and Career
Technical Education (CTE) courses until January 1, 2014, as specified. This bill would also modify the Middle and High
School Supplemental Counseling (MHSSC) program to emphasize the importance of college preparatory and CTE
courses.

SB 13 (Wyland): School Facilities Funding Process: Career Technical Education Facilities

Summary: This bill would require that the application for new construction funding under the State School Facility
Program include specific questions regarding the accommodation of Career Technical Education program facilities by the
applicant district.

Selected Automotive Courses through American River College are Now Offered at 1:00 PM to Accommodate High School Students

Auto Collision and Diesel Technology Classes for Spring 2008
Offered by American River College

Location: 10150 Missile Way, Mather, CA 95655

Auto Collision: This course covers the principles and theory of automobile construction and application of technical skills. It provides a fundamental knowledge to correctly and safely remove, inspect, replace and align cosmetic bolt-on body components and assemblies on today's vehicles. This course provides information necessary for the technician to protect mechanical and electrical systems during tear down and reassembly, anchoring theory and techniques applicable to collision-damaged vehicles. Interpretation of damage analysis reports and types of collision damage are covered.

Diesel Technology: This course introduces students to the field of diesel technology. It covers proper safety and hazardous waste training, use of basic hand and power tools, and the basic workings of the diesel engine.

See attached fliers for dates, times, directions and other details

Flier for Fall Auto Collision Classes

Flier for Fall Auto Collision Classes

Schoolwork in Oregon now includes class about real work

Monday, April 30, 2007

STEVEN CARTER
The Oregonian

Kathryn Marxen crouches behind her tripod, focusing on the next scene.

"Can you walk this way again?" she shouts to Adam Grishman, 50 yards down the path. "OK, go ahead!" The apprentice trainer at Guide Dogs for the Blind leads Binny, a 14-month-old yellow Lab, toward the camcorder.

Marxen, 17, is making a how-to video for community volunteers interested in providing basic training to guide dogs. Today, she is shooting background scenes at Guide Dogs' Oregon headquarters in Boring. Most of the video will feature her demonstrating commands with one of the guide dog puppies she has raised herself.

Marxen's video is her career project at Oregon City High School, something she needs for graduation.

Under a little-known state mandate, Marxen and some 43,000 other Oregon public high school seniors must complete an extended career-related project that brings relevance to what students have learned in the classroom.

"It gives students a way to explore careers and life after high school," said Theresa Levy, career learning specialist with the Oregon Department of Education.

Levy said some high schools are better prepared than others for the new requirements. The Oregon Board of Education adopted them in 2002, but some schools put off planning, knowing that they weren't required until this year.

Portland Public Schools didn't really get moving on the requirements until early 2005, when former Reynolds High School Principal Steve Olczak was hired to develop career programs in the high schools. Some are further along than others, he said, and the district's complete career-related learning program won't be available until the class of 2009.

Elsewhere, seniors are responding with a wide range of projects. Zyan Silver of Brookings-Harbor High School raised 120 two-spot octopuses in his garage, selling them to cephalopod lovers all over the United States.

Chris Jacobs, Devin Daniel and Wesley Imlay, seniors at the Center for Advanced Learning in Gresham, developed a prototype tool to speed production and diminish chances of workplace injuries at the nearby Pella Window & Door plant.

Erika Roney, 17, and Bailey Blake, 18, Marxen's classmates at Oregon City High, put on a horse show in December, raising $4,800 for the school equestrian club and school district's college scholarship fund.

Tiny Adrian High School in Malheur County - 85 students - has required seniors to do career-related activities for graduation for at least six years. They do job shadows, a community project and a research paper, and their projects must be good enough to pass muster with a judging panel made up of community members.

The high school has forged ties with businesses and professionals as far away as Ontario and Vale to give students access to mentors and chances to explore careers. But students are expected to take most of the responsibility to seek out opportunities.

The new career-related learning standards are in addition to the traditional academic requirements for graduation.

High school students, with advice from counselors and teachers, must create an education plan that guides their path through high school with an eye toward their postgraduate goal, whether college or work.

Students must complete one or more career-related learning experiences, which can range from attending a job fair to interning in a workplace. They must show they have gained some career-related skills, such as time management, teamwork, résumé-writing and the like. And they must do something called an extended application, which at Oregon City High School is the senior project.

Oregon City High was another school that jumped on the bandwagon late, said Kitsie Parkinson, senior projects coordinator. With 480 seniors, school officials realized they would have to establish a class that would give students a framework to meet the requirements.

The centerpiece of the class is the senior project, for which the teacher acts as adviser, guide and judge to make sure the projects have sufficient depth and breadth.

"The No. 1 lessons kids learn in this process is how bad a habit procrastination is," said Jamie Lee, a health teacher who leads a senior projects class. "It also gets them outside of the school, and it teaches them responsibility in and pride of owning a project."

Marxen hopes her video will be good enough to be used by Guide Dogs for the Blind as a training tool for the volunteers who give the puppies instruction in obedience and socialization.

Marxen has raised three guide dog puppies herself and knows the training regime well. She has put 30 hours into her video so far, writing a 25-page script and consulting a videographer to help her learn the basics of filming. It's the biggest project she has done in high school.

Her mother, Debra, said Kathryn has tackled her senior project with purpose because it involves something she loves - animals.

The chance to work on a real-world problem at Pella motivated Chris Jacobs and his classmates at the Center for Advanced Learning.

"It was more than just reading the textbooks or creating a poster," he said. "It meant something."

Steven Carter: 503-221-8521

©2007 The Oregonian

Level 1 DS Credential Courses On Demand

Any ROP Teacher who needs to complete either Level 1 or Level 2 Dedignated Subjects Credential courses can now do so via online distance learning. Courses are offered on demand and can be started at any time. See information posted at:

ROP And Career Choices

"ROP gave me the opportunity to explore a career choice that led to establishing a business with my wife and my brother, who are also former ROP students."

- Garrison Hartman, former ROP Auto Mechanics Student