THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

 

TO:	EMSC-VESID Committee
FROM:	Jean C. Stevens
SUBJECT:	Regents Policy on Career and Technical Education
DATE:	May 30, 2006
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Information

 

In March, the Committee received a report on implementation of the Regents policy on career and technical education.  Staff were asked to provide additional data and information in such areas as enrollment trends, performance on Regents exams, approved and non-approved programs, technical assessments, business and industry support, and economic/job market needs.  The attached report responds to that request.

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

Response to request for additional data and information.
         
Proposed Handling 

 

For information.

 

Procedural History

 

Not applicable

 

Background Information

 

The New York State Learning Standards for Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) were approved by the Board of Regents in July 1996.  The Career and Technical Education policy which assists in the implementation of CDOS Standards 3b was approved by the Board of Regents in February 2001.

 

The attached report supplements the report on the Regents policy in career and technical education received by the Committee in March.

 

Recommendation

 

Staff recommend that the Regents review the attached report and identify any additional information they need to monitor implementation of their career and technical education policy.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

Not applicable.

 

 

 

 

Attachments

         
Attachment A

 

I.                 Career and Technical Education Enrollment Trends

 

The requirements mandating public school districts to make career and technical education (CTE) instruction available to all New York State students are in both Education Law (§ 4662) and in Section 100.2 (h) (1) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. They specify that public school districts must make available, and allow students to complete, both three-unit and five-unit approved sequences in CTE studies.

      Trend analysis has become increasingly difficult since 2000 as the number of schools submitting data has declined from 530 to 235. The sharpest drop occurred in the most recent data when the number of reporting schools or BOCES went from 402 in the 2003-04 school year to 235 in 2004-05. This drop may be attributable to the elimination of some local educational agency programs and/or sub-optimal data reporting. It is also important to note that CTEDS data only captures the enrollment levels of students participating in CTE sequenced programs. It does not capture the number of students who may take CTE courses as discrete electives.

 

Table 1

New York State Trends in Secondary Career and Technical Education in

New York City and the Rest of State, including BOCES

		New York City					Rest of State Including BOCES
SCHOOL YEAR	9-12 Enrollment		CTE Enrollment		CTE Enrollment as a % of 9-12	9-12 enrollment		CTE Enrollment	CTE Enrollment as a % of 9-12
1985-1986	278,962		136,328	48.9%		563,903		183,244	32.5%
1986-1987	276,453		139,061	50.3		543,634		161,308	29.7
1987-1988	270,204		133,541	49.4		515,042		150,700	29.3
1988-1989	259,805		133,945	51.6		483,485		136,873	28.3
1989-1990	247,171		142,364	57.6		461,623		163,123	35.3
1990-1991	250,033		144,583	57.8		453,806		163,558	36.0
1991-1992	257,694		151,131	58.6		456,550		163,706	35.9
1992-1993	266,848		157,964	59.2		460,992		161,318	35.0
1993-1994	274,742		153,348	55.8		465,748		155,683	33.4
1994-1995	276,747		149,238	53.9		470,190		158,540	33.7
1995-1996	281,850		149,794	53.1		476,572		153,052	32.1
1996-1997	286,289		158,356	55.3		483,357		148,590	30.7
1997-1998	287,340		149,921	52.2		488,897		151,122	30.9
1998-1999	282,806		143,994	50.9		494,877		149,611	30.2
1999-2000	279,461		133,903	47.9		502,020		141,965	28.3
2000-2001	272,657		126,547	46.4		508,231		134,495	26.5
2001-2002	269,291		116,458	43.2		518,255		127,406	24.6
2002-2003	272,592		118,892	43.6		528,253		135,768	25.7
2003-2004	283,571		109,388	38.6		536,765		127,408	23.7
2004-2005	291,993		109,787	37.6		551,115		102,464	18.5

Source: CTEDS data file 5/06

Enrollment in CTE by English Language Learners: Despite the decline in CTE enrollments over the past three school years, there has been a slight increase in the percentage of enrolled English language learners within reported CTE programs.

 

Table 2

English Language Learners in CTE

Source: CTEDS data 4/06

 

Enrollment in CTE by Students with Disabilities (SWD): Until 2003-04, there was a steady increase in CTE participation by high school students with disabilities from 27.8% in 1999-2000 to 29.0% in 2002-2003. However, in 2003-04, participation declined slightly to 24.6%. Trend data for 2004-05 is based on a much smaller number of schools reporting.

 

Table 3

Enrollment in CTE by Students with Disabilities

Sources: *NYSED CTEDS Data File (5/06), PD 5/06

 

Schools continue to address how to meet revised graduation requirements and encourage students to continue pursuing CTE programs. CTEDS data shows that, from 1999 to 2004, over 24% of students enrolled in CTE were students with disabilities. In addition, appropriate programming for “gray area” students is especially challenging for schools. “Gray area” students are those who are not eligible for alternate assessment, but who continue to have difficulty with the Regents requirements. CTE may be an appropriate avenue to enhance outcomes for these students.

 

Changes to CTE programs were intended to address the question of time to allow students to take integrated or specialized courses and combine academic and career/technical skills and content. These changes were designed to promote and upgrade career and technical education programs in the State. Beginning with the graduation class of June 2002, students earning a Regents or local diploma could receive a technical endorsement if they successfully completed an approved CTE program, including a technical assessment. This option will continue to be available for local diploma recipients, as long as the local diploma is offered under the safety net.

 

Many students working towards an Individualized Education Program (IEP) diploma participate in CTE courses. A CTE Skills Achievement Profile documents student accomplishments in an area of concentration within a career major. This profile enables the student with an IEP diploma to provide a potential employer and/or postsecondary program with documentation of the career and technical skills proficiency level acquired. The skills (Universal Foundation/career specific) documented are aligned with the New York State Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) learning standards.

 

The New York City CTE Admission Process: New York City residents ages 16-20 may attend career and technical education programs. The application process is driven by student preference. Those applying to the specialized high schools are required to take separate entrance exams and/or audition. Applications are ranked by reviewers who do not know the student’s order of preference. Students are then matched with a school that appears highest on their list. Two other rounds of ranking exist to ensure placement of all students.

 

A prospective student wishing to enter a CTE program in a comprehensive New York City public high school may do so through the main round of the high school application process. CTE schools and programs select students either through an Educational Option or Screened Program. In the former, students list the 12 schools and programs they are interested in attending and learning.  Fifty percent of the students are chosen by school personnel and the other fifty percent are randomly selected by a computer and follow a distribution pattern based upon the applicant’s seventh grade standardized reading test scores.

 

 

 

Table 4

Longitudinal Enrollment Data for New York City 2000-2006

 

Source:  BEDS Data 5/06

 

 

Table 5

2001 Cohort Outcomes for New York City

 

	Dropped Out		Graduated		Received IEP or Cert*		Still Enrolled		Transferred to GED
Total Students N=73,978	11,094	15.0%	32,132	43.4%	1,307	1.8%	25,842	34.9%	3,603	4.9%
CTE Students N=20,881	656	3.1%	11,720	56.1%	167	0.8%	8,036	38.5%	302	1.4%
Non-CTE Students N=53,097	10,438	19.7%	20,412	38.4%	1,140	2.1%	17,806	33.5%	3,301	6.2%

*Certificate of completion

 

New York City CTE programs in SURR and SINI Schools: Charts provided by the New York City Department of Education listing CTE programs within New York City SURR and SINI schools are found in Attachment B.  

 

II.       Performance on Regents Exams

 

Table 6

2001 Cohort Performance on Selected Regents

Career and Technical Education Students as Compared to All Students

(includes approved and non-approved programs)

 

English: Percent Scoring 55 or Higher			English: Percent Scoring  65 or Higher
	CTE Students	All Students	CTE Students	All Students
Statewide	92.1%	74.1%	83.1%	67.9%
New York City	97.3	62.6	88.6	52.9
Buffalo	93.7	Rest of State   80.0%	77.2	Rest of State   75.7%
Rochester	84.2		70.4
Syracuse	93.5		88.0
Yonkers	90.3		78.3

 

Table 6 (continued)

 

	Math: Percent Scoring 55 or Higher		Math: Percent Scoring 65 or Higher
	CTE Students	All Students	CTE Students	All Students
Statewide	90.9%	74.3%	80.1%	66.9%
New York City	96.8	62.5	84.3	51.3
Buffalo	90.5	Rest of State   80.4%	68.4	Rest of State   75.7%
Rochester	86.1		75.8
Syracuse	83.3		75.0
Yonkers	80.5		66.8

 

 

	Science: Percent Scoring 55 or Higher		Science: Percent Scoring 65 or Higher
	CTE Students	All Students	CTE Students	All Students
Statewide	94.7%	77.9%	87.5%	72.3%
New York City	97.8	64.6	89.2	55.1
Buffalo	98.1	Rest of State   84.9%	93.0	Rest of State   81.3%
Rochester	89.5		80.0
Syracuse	96.3		90.7
Yonkers	87.4		73.1

Source: CTEDS data file 5/06

 

III.       Approved v. Non-approved Programs

 

The CTE program approval process ensures that the elements of the Regents policy on career and technical education approved by the Board of Regents on February 6, 2001 are included in CTE programs for which Department approval is sought. Although not mandatory, schools are encouraged to pursue program approval for all of their CTE offerings. Some programs operate without submitting their programs for approval simply because they are not able to meet one of the required components (e.g., lack of an appropriate technical assessment, or articulation agreement). Programs that have not been submitted for Department approval are most accurately termed “non-approved” or “not yet submitted for approval” and are in no way construed as “disapproved” programs.

 

 

Table 7

Big 5 and BOCES in Approved Programs 2004-2005

 

Source: CTEDS Addendum 5/06

 

 

As of May 4, 2006, 27 local education agencies and 38 BOCES have submitted certification forms to the Department requesting approval for CTE programs.

 

 

Table 8

Program Submissions by Career Area

(total received=904,  total approved=810)

Source: CTEDS Addendum 5/06

 

Table 9

Approved CTE Program Enrollments for Grades 9-12

in General and Special Education

 

General Ed	Total		White	African American	Hispanic		Asian	Native American		Hawaiian Pac Is
	M	F
2003-04 2004-05	13,885 22,171	10,870 15,135	19,732 25,522	2,783 5,811	1,737 4,646		212 704	178 226	30 39

 

 

Special Ed	Grade 9 Spec Ed	Grade 10 Spec Ed	Grade 11 Spec Ed	Grade 12 Spec Ed	Grade 12 IEP
2003-04 2004-05	180 184	391 567	3,630 5,026	2,980 3,812	774 833

Source: CTEDS Addendum 5/06

 

 

Table 10

2003-2004 Outcomes for Approved Program Students by Ethnicity and Performance Levels: Grade 12 Only