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Board approves funding By REBECCA NEIPP News Review Staff Writer The Sierra Sands Unified School District Board of Education approved several agenda items relating to the Career Technical Education and Regional Occu-pational Programs at its April 19 meeting. The board approved the vocational education application, which will provide some $43,000 in funding through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act for secondary vocational education programs. “The application includes assurances, planned use of funds, actions to increase access to funds for special population students and actions to achieve performance levels,” SSUSD Coordinator of Special Projects Laura Hickle told the board. She also said that the Perkins is not a competitive application, and the funding is a “slam dunk” upon board approval. The board also approved the course study for a television and video production course, a revision of an existing course, a new course of study for forensic science and an agreement with Project Lead the Way for implementation of the Pathway to Engineering program. Hickle explained that many of the old vocational programs had something of a stigma and took a back seat in many districts in recent years. Now, in the face of a shortage of qualified candidates in the technical work force, secondary schools are working ROP and other vocational programs — all of which function under the Career Technical Education umbrella — back into their curricula. “What has happened in the last 10 years, because of the pressure of test scores and accountability, many schools decided to focus on core academics and did away with career technical education,” said Hickle. She said Sierra Sands is now way ahead of the game, since instead of building up a program from scratch the district can focus on improving existing programs. “The United States is suffering from a severe shortage of engineers and well-educated technical workers,” said Hickle. “The nation has more than one million jobs available in these fields, but no qualified candidates to fill them.” Part of the problem is that more than half of the students who enroll in college engineering programs drop out because they were inadequately prepared in high school, she said. A large portion of that technical workforce is expected to retire within the next decade, she said, citing statistics from Design News that indicate 32 percent of engineers and scientists are between ages 50-59, and another 20 percent are older than 60. Locally, NAVAIR Weapons Division anticipates hiring at least 120 college graduates per year, plus journeymen and other skilled technical workers. “Many SSUSD students excel in science, math and career technical fields, and many more would be able to pursue careers in these fields with earlier exposure and a systematic approach that is provided by pathways or sequences of classes,” said Hickle. To meet the needs of students and the national need for engineers, Burroughs High School proposed implementing Project Lead the Way, a pathway to engineering program, in 2007-08. The program is a four-year sequence of courses that, when combined with traditional math and science courses, introduce students to the scope, rigor and discipline of engineering prior to entering college. The courses will not only allow students to better prepare for engineering before college, said Hickle, but also help students decide if that is in fact the career they want to pursue. In addition, “those not planning to pursue a formal education as an engineer will benefit from the knowledge and the exposure to logical thought processes that result from taking some or all of the courses.” The three foundation courses will be principles of engineering, introduction to engineering design and digital electronics. “A capstone course, engineering design and development, utilizes community mentors and results in a community project where students research, design and construct a solution to an engineering problem and present their solution to an outside entity at the end of the year.” Hickle also noted that the district’s recent educational agreement with China Lake will be very beneficial in that endeavor. BHS has set aside $50,000 in discretionary block grant funding to support the program, said Hickle. The BHS staff also collaborated with Cerro Coso Community College to submit a grant for $250,000 over 24 months, an amount that would provide most of the needed funding. If the grant is not received, the program will be supported through categorical funds, said Hickle. The newly approved television and video production course will integrate the rigorous CTE standards with industry-specific knowledge and skills in order to prepare students for direct entry into industry sectors and or post-secondary education, she said. “The art media and entertainment sector requires the greatest cross-disciplinary interaction and development, as work in this sector is largely project-based, requiring uniquely independent work and career self-management skills. See also the News Review’s feature article relating to the video production course, this page. Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum-Instruction Shirley Kennedy introduced the forensic science course study for board approval. “Burroughs offers a comprehensive science program, but to link real-world relevancy into what is taught, this one-semester elective course will be offered,” she said. The course takes several strands of science and relates it to high-interest career fields for students to explore. Kennedy added that the cost of expenses will be covered through the instruction materials realignment program.

Board approves funding
By REBECCA NEIPP
News Review Staff Writer

    The Sierra Sands Unified School District Board of Education approved several agenda items relating to the Career Technical Education and Regional Occu-pational Programs at its April 19 meeting.
    The board approved the vocational education application, which will provide some $43,000 in funding through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act for secondary vocational education programs.
    “The application includes assurances, planned use of funds, actions to increase access to funds for special population students and actions to achieve performance levels,” SSUSD Coordinator of Special Projects Laura Hickle told the board.
    She also said that the Perkins is not a competitive application, and the funding is a “slam dunk” upon board approval.
    The board also approved the course study for a television and video production course, a revision of an existing course, a new course of study for forensic science and an agreement with Project Lead the Way for implementation of the Pathway to Engineering program.
    Hickle explained that many of the old vocational programs had something of a stigma and took a back seat in many districts in recent years.
    Now, in the face of a shortage of qualified candidates in the technical work force, secondary schools are working ROP and other vocational programs — all of which function under the Career Technical Education umbrella — back into their curricula.
    “What has happened in the last 10 years, because of the pressure of test scores and accountability, many schools decided to focus on core academics and did away with career technical education,” said Hickle.
    She said Sierra Sands is now way ahead of the game, since instead of building up a program from scratch the district can focus on improving existing programs.
    “The United States is suffering from a severe shortage of engineers and well-educated technical workers,” said Hickle. “The nation has more than one million jobs available in these fields, but no qualified candidates to fill them.”
    Part of the problem is that more than half of the students who enroll in college engineering programs drop out because they were inadequately prepared in high school, she said.
    A large portion of that technical workforce is expected to retire within the next decade, she said, citing statistics from Design News that indicate 32 percent of engineers and scientists are between ages 50-59, and another 20 percent are older than 60.
    Locally, NAVAIR Weapons Division anticipates hiring at least 120 college graduates per year, plus journeymen and other skilled technical workers.
    “Many SSUSD students excel in science, math and career technical fields, and many more would be able to pursue careers in these fields with earlier exposure and a systematic approach that is provided by pathways or sequences of classes,” said Hickle.
    To meet the needs of students and the national need for engineers, Burroughs High School proposed implementing Project Lead the Way, a pathway to engineering program, in 2007-08.
    The program is a four-year sequence of courses that, when combined with traditional math and science courses, introduce students to the scope, rigor and discipline of engineering prior to entering college.
    The courses will not only allow students to better prepare for engineering before college, said Hickle, but also help students decide if that is in fact the career they want to pursue.
    In addition, “those not planning to pursue a formal education as an engineer will benefit from the knowledge and the exposure to logical thought processes that result from taking some or all of the courses.”
    The three foundation courses will be principles of engineering, introduction to engineering design and digital electronics.
    “A capstone course, engineering design and development, utilizes community mentors and results in a community project where students research, design and construct a solution to an engineering problem and present their solution to an outside entity at the end of the year.”
    Hickle also noted that the district’s recent educational agreement with China Lake will be very beneficial in that endeavor.
    BHS has set aside $50,000 in discretionary block grant funding to support the program, said Hickle. The BHS staff also collaborated with Cerro Coso Community College to submit a grant for $250,000 over 24 months, an amount that would provide most of the needed funding.
    If the grant is not received, the program will be supported through categorical funds, said Hickle.
    The newly approved television and video production course will integrate the rigorous CTE standards with industry-specific knowledge and skills in order to prepare students for direct entry into industry sectors and or post-secondary education, she said.
    “The art media and entertainment sector requires the greatest cross-disciplinary interaction and development, as work in this sector is largely project-based, requiring uniquely independent work and career self-management skills.
    See also the News Review’s feature article relating to the video production course, this page.
    Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum-Instruction Shirley Kennedy introduced the forensic science course study for board approval.
    “Burroughs offers a comprehensive science program, but to link real-world relevancy into what is taught, this one-semester elective course will be offered,” she said.
    The course takes several strands of science and relates it to high-interest career fields for students to explore.
    Kennedy added that the cost of expenses will be covered through the instruction materials realignment program.