Identifying and Remedying Equity Gaps in Career and Technical Education Charlotte Gray charlotte.gray@doe.state.nj.us New Jersey Department of Education Office of Career Readiness Marie Barry, Director Data Quality Institute November 5, 2015
Overview CTE in New Jersey; what it looks like Analyzing disaggregated CTE data to determine equity gaps Developing school/district level equity plans Providing research based, data-driven, sustainable professional development and technical assistance 2
The central goal of the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) is to ensure that all children, regardless of life circumstances, graduate from high school ready for college and career. 3
NJ is an overall high-performing state; yet, equity gaps exist in CTE enrollment and achievement, particularly for special populations: Students with disabilities Students from economically disadvantaged families Students with limited English proficiency Students who are preparing for non-traditional careers 4
New Jersey is one of few states that recognize equity as a high priority agenda item for promoting awareness and access for all students to participate in and complete high quality CTE programs. To accomplish this priority, the department has created the Career Equity Resource Center in the Office of Career Readiness. 5
The Career Equity Resource Center The Career Equity Resource Center (CERC) resides in the New Jersey Department of Education s Office of Career Readiness. The center provides data-driven research based professional development and technical assistance to secondary schools in order to meet the following goals and objectives. 6
in Career and Technical Education The Career Equity Resource Center Overarching Goals GOAL 1. Increase the awareness of CTE programs among parents, students and school district personnel as viable pathways toward assisting special population students in preparing for the 21st century workplace and the global economy. GOAL 2. Increase the recruitment, participation, and retention of special population students in high quality career and technical education programs in order to broaden their options and opportunities to prepare for and secure high-wage, high-skill, high-demand employment. GOAL 3. Decrease disproportionate enrollment and increase successful completion of special population students participating in career and technical education programs and programs of study. 7
in Career and Technical Education The Career Equity Resource Center Service Delivery The delivery of CERC services is a voluntary process that schools may wish to undertake to address specific equity issues or to develop comprehensive equity plans. Perkins Program Officers in the Office of Career Readiness annually review CTE enrollment and performance data and inform schools of the availability of CERC resources to address equity issues. 8
Disaggregating CTE performance and enrollment data to identify equity and achievement gaps 9
NJ CTE Secondary Enrollment Data 2013-2014 County vocational-technical school districts (21) 30,770 Full-time and shared-time programs Comprehensive high school districts (99) 48,027 78,797 Students 10
in Career and Technical Education Graduation rates by cohort, year and subgroup Achievement Gaps 2011, 4-year 2012, 4-year 2013, 4-year 2014, 4- year Statewide 83.3% 86.5% 87.5% 88.6% Limited English Proficient Special Education Economically Disadvantaged 67.5% 73.1% 70.5% 71.10% 73.2% 74.5% 75.9% 76.62% 71.0% 75.3% 77.1% 79.62% African American 68.9% 74.6% 76.4% 78.90% Asian 92.7% 95.3% 95.9% 96.15% Hispanic 73.2% 76.7% 78.6% 80.58% White 90.3% 92.6% 93.1% 93.46% 11
Special Populations in CTE and All NJ High Schools 2013-14 % in CTE % in ALL High Schools 42.92% 33.50% 14.23% 15.30% 2.47% 2.60% Special Education Economically Disadvantaged Limited English Proficiency
in Career and Technical Education Statewide CTE Achievement Gap 2013-2014 Language Arts Literacy Mathematics (State Target 78.9) (State Target 83.5) All NJ Students 93.2 85.6 CTE Students 93.68 83.83 CTE Economically Disadvantaged 90.47 76.08 CTE Limited English Proficiency 50.76 33.33 CTE Special Education 71.39 25.15
CTE Program Performance Indicators Academic Attainment Language Arts Literacy (AA-LA) Academic Attainment Math (AA-Math) Technical Skill Attainment (TSA) Graduation (G) NJSMART Reported Performance ESEA Progress Targets Status NJSMART Reported Performance ESEA Progress Targets Status Reported Performance State Negotiated Level Status Reported Performance State Negotiated Level Status Cosmetology, General (%) 89.47 38.10 MET 26.32 32.80 NOT MET 100.00 88.00 MET 100.00 97.00 MET 14
CTE District Program Enrollment CIP Program Sch Total Partic Conc Compl 120401 Cosmetology, General 050 81 39 23 19 15
Program Enrollment by Special Populations CIP Code Prog Name School Code Total Fem Tot Male Tot Wht Tot Blk Tot Hisp Tot Asian Tot LEP Tot Econ Tot Disab Tot 120401 Cosmetology 050 81 78 3 3 36 42 0 10 60 9 16
Remedying Equity Gaps 17
After comprehensive data disaggregation and analysis has been completed, technical assistance is provided to support districts/schools in developing plans that address equity gaps. 18
Equity Plan Page 1 SAMPLE EQUITY ACTION PLAN Goal District will develop replicable sustainable practices and strategies to increase male enrollment and improve math outcomes for cosmetology students. Objective 1: High school administrators will receive professional development and resources that expose them to the guiding principles of equitable school environments (Equity 101). Objective 2: Guidance counselors and other staff members will be provided turnkey professional development and technical assistance that supports raising the awareness of cosmetology as a viable career pathway for male students. Objective 3: Teachers will be provided professional development and technical assistance to address the integration of math in cosmetology and other CTE programs. 19
in Career and Technical Education Equity Plan Page 2 Professional Development Equity Plan Page 2: Professional Development Strand Leadership Intervention Level Module Trainer(s) Date Scheduled Administrators 10 principles of equitable educational practices Charlotte Gray Kathy Paquette October 2015 Building Student Engagement Curriculum & Instruction Guidance counselors CTE teachers Recruitment and retention of nontraditional students in CTE programs Integrating math into cosmetology TBD TBD TBD TBD 20
Examples of additional professional development Culturally responsive educational environments Establishing an effective cosmetology advisory Developing Structured Learning Experiences (SLE) Developing effective home-school-community Connections to support LEP students Equity plans are reviewed at scheduled intervals, i.e., monthly, every six weeks, etc. and professional development, technical assistance, training and resource adjustments are made, if appropriate. 21
For more information about the NJDOE Career Equity Resource Center please contact: charlotte.gray@doe.state.nj.us 22