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TITLE Increasing Rigor and Relevance: The School BoardConnection.
INSTITUTION California School Boards Association, WestSacramento.
SPONS AGENCY Department of Education, Washington, DC.PUB DATE 96
NOTE 79p.; For a related document, see CE 070 812.PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom Use (055)
EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Academic Education; *Board of Education Role;
*Boards of Education; *Educational Change;*Integrated Curriculum; Leadership Responsibility;Role of Education; School Districts; SecondaryEducation; Superintendents; *Vocational Education
ABSTRACTAcademic-vocational integration has been identified
as a national strategy ensuring that students learn a rigorous course
of study in a context that supports learning through application.Four key concepts surround the definition of curriculum integrationdeveloped by the Curriculum Committee of the California School BoardsAssociation's project: a coordinated system; enhanced academic andtechnical ecucation; promotion of an understanding and application ofknowledge and skills; and preparation of all students for lifelonglearnin& and success in their life's work. Boards and superintendentsmust take five steps as they begin the consideration of curriculumintegration: develop an aware.,s!ss of the concept of curriculumintegration and the potential it has for strengthening theinstructional program and student learning; consider variousstrategies a district might use to integrate the academic andvocational/technical curriculum; understand the 10 essential elementsneeded in a school district to make the concept of integrationsuccessful; assess the board's commitment to the concept, thedistrict's current activity in the area of curriculum integration,and its capacity to move toward this concept; and use the leveragepoints avdilable to the board to set a course of action for thedistrict. Specific board actions are outlined for each leveragepoint. School board leadership is essential to forging a major change
in the delivery of instruction. (A glossary of terms is appended.)
(YLB)
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Increasing Rigor and Relevance:
oesiz-v.
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Increasing Rigor and Relevance:
The School BoardConnection
tOCSBA
I 996 Calilornin School Boards ,\ssociation. All rights ,cwrved.
' Increasing Rigor and Relevance
FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT:
In recognizing the critical policy role of school boards. the UnitedStates Department of Education awarded the CalitOrnia SchoolBoards Association. through the California School Boards Founda-tion. a multi-year grant to develop a training program and leadschool districts in developing a knowledge of the concept ofintegrating academic and vocational curricula and the strategiesboards can apply to bring about integration in their school dis-tricts. This project. "Integrating Academic and VocationalLearning: The Bsenthd Policymaking Role of School Boards," isone of only 11 nationwide which were authorized in 1994. by theCarl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act.through the U.S. Department of Education's Integration of Voca-tional and Academic Learning Program. It is unique in that itrecognizes the board's critical leadership role in directing systemicchange in a school district.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES:
This project seeks to accomplish the following:
Provide school board members. superintendents and theirdistricts with policy-level governance implementation strategiesand effective policies necessary to integrate academic andvocational learning.
Create a comprehensive training outline, curriculum manualand video on the role of the board in encouraging the integra-tion of academic and vocational curricula within a schooldistrict. These materials will be made ready !Or distribution toevery state school boards association in the lrnited States forthe sole purpose of training school boards and superintendents.
Develop a compendium of outstanding programs which suc-cessfully integrate academic and vocational learning.
4
II
The School Board Connection
TRAIINING OBJECTIVES:
The basis of this project is the development of a training curricu-lum for school board members. The California School BoardsAssociation (CSBA). through its foundation, seeks to meet thefollowing objectives:.
Provide board members, superintendents and their districtswith information which supports integrating the academiccurriculum with vocational/technical instruction to provide arigorous context for learning which is tied to real-life situationsand which helps prepare students for careers.
Provide board members, superintendents and their districtswith information on the elements of successful curriculumintegration in which students learn better and at a higherrate of achievement.
Provide board members, superintendents and their districtswith a variety of integration models and options which theymight consider as they are making policy level decisions.
Assist board members. superintendents, and their districts inunderstanding the elements and strategies a board may employas the district's policy-maker and how to create or developmore effective learning environments.
'l'he goal of this effort is to support board members in their effortsto build one strong education system for all students which willhave an integrate] curriculum richer in content, more challeng-ing for all students and more relevant in its application to careersand current and future life experiences.
iii
Increasing Rigor and Relevance
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This document was prepared with the help of a specially formedCurriculum Development Committee and an Advisory Committee.'Hie California School Boards Association is grateful for their inputand support in an effort to ensure that all students are providedwith an education that is academically rigorous and that preparesthem for lifelong learning and success in their life's work.
Curriculum Development Committee:
Joanne Stanton. chairperson. Curriculum DevelopmentCommittee: board member. Anaheim Union High School DistrictRonn Far land, dean. Vocational Education and CareerDevelopment. Chancellor's Office, California Community CollegesGerry Hayward, director. Policy Analysis for California EducationGary lioachlander. prf:sident. MPR AssociatesTom Jones. superintendent. Kern I ligh School DistrictSherry Loofbourrow, former board member, Newport-MesaUnified School District. CSBA past presidentLouise Perez. board member. Sacramento City linifiedSchool District. CSBA past presidentSusan Reese, former assistant superintendent and director.California Department of Education. High School Teachingand Learning DivisionSharon S. Robison. consultant and former superintendentLaVoneia Steele. consultant and former superintendentJerry Winthrop. teacher, Nevada Joint Union 1110 School District
Advisory Committee:
Louise Perez. chairperson, Advisory Committee: hoard member.Sacramento City Unified School District. CSBA past presidentLen Price. Academic Senate for California Community CollegesGordon Ray. Association of California School AdministratorsBud Davis. Association of Regional Occupational Centers &PmgramsJo Ann Yet. Association of Urban School DistrictsJoel Townsend. California Association of' Vocational AdministratorsJim Becket, California Associations of Vocational EducationJere A. Jacobs, California Business RoundtableRon Selge. Calilbrnia Community Colleges
The School Board Connection
Glen "Fhomas. California Department of EducationRobert J. I lotchkiss. California Employment Development DepartmentCarol Ruley. California Congress of Parents. Teachers. and StudentsSusan Cummins Tidyman. Calilörnia Partnership AcademiesSteve Araujo. California School Employees AssociationKatharyn W Crabbc. California State UniversityCly le Alt. California Teachers AssociationDarryl Yagi. Commission on Teacher CredentialingJim Dupratt. Community College League of CaliforniaGabriel Cortina. Industry Education Council of CaliforniaHank Padden. State Center Tech-Prep ConsortiumGeorge Miller. University of CaliforniaMarcel lo Lopez. Western Job Training Partnership AssociationPeter Parra. board member. Bakersfield City School DistrictForrest Werner. former board member. Newport-Mesa Unified School DistrictJohn De Beck. board member. San Diego Unified School District
California School Boards Association Staff:
Davis Campbell. executive directorHolly Covin. assistant executive director. Board DevelopmentJean Dunn-Gallagher, project directorNilda Valmores. project coordinatorCynthia Bingham. administrative secretaryDee Um. secretaryJoe Carrasco. art director
Special Thanks:
Sharon S. Robison. writerBill Whiteneck. consultantPaula GordonSonya Cobb
7
I . Increasing Rigor and Relevance
Learning takes place when learnersregard what one needs to know as
relevant to their lives; when they feel thattheir teachers...are committed to the
student's success; when the institutionalenvironment allows for differences in
learning methods and styles andis in harmony with the diverse needs
and interests of the learner.
- The Forgotten Half: Pathways to Success forAmerica's Youth and Yount:Families. The William T. Grant Foundation Commission
on Work. Family ana r:itizen, 1988.
Increasing Rigor and Relevance:The School Board Connection
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Curriculum Integration: Its Meaning andits Importance
Curriculum Integration: Its meaning and its importance 3
Defining Integration 6
The Vision of the Academically and Vocationally IntegratedSchool District 10
Beginning the Process of Academic and VocationalIntegration: Steps for a School District to Take 1 3
Step 1: Develop an awareness of the concept of curriculumintegration and the potential it has for strengthening theinstructional program and student learning 1 5
Step 2: Consider various strategies a district mightuse to integrate the academic and vocational/technicalcurriculum 2 3
Step 3: Understand the 10 essential elementsneeded in a school district to make the concept ofintegration successful 26
Step 4: Assess the board's commitment to the concept.the district's current activity in the areaof curriculum integration, and its capacity tomove toward this concept 38
Step 5: Utilize the leverage points avaliable to the board toset a course of action for the district 40
Measuring Our Success 59
Essential School Board Leadership 6 3
Glossary of Terms 6 5
8vIf
,"s4, Increasing Rigor and Relevance
What the bestand wisest parent
wants forhis own child,
that mustthe community
want for allits children.
John Dewey
1 0
Curriculum Integration:Its Meaning and Its Importance
11
I 4:"4 4 Curriculum Integration: Its Meaning and its Importance
INTEGRATING ACADEMICAND VOCATIONAL CURRICULUM
Promotes one strong educational system for all students
Emphasizes the development of academic skills andknowledge in a rigorous course of study.
Promotes a study of the content areas in an integratedand meaning-centered manner
Promotes career path awareness and planning at anearly age
Promotes the application of skills, knowledge andattitudes in a real-world setting
Promotes the concept of lifelong learning
Promotes the exploration of a broad career path uponentry into high school
Promotes partnerships among school, parents,business, labor, community and institutions of highereducation
12
2
The Concept of Curr;c,:lurn Integration I
Curriculum Integration:Its Meaning and Its Importance
The Concept of Integration
As leaders in government, business and industry and the commu-nity look at the needs of this nation for the coming century, it isclear that educated adults will be required to have knowledge andtransferable skills far beyond those which have been historicallytaught in the K-12 curriculum. There are rising demands forstudents to have higher levels of academic preparation. to be ableto apply knowledge in totally new and different situations, to bemore technologically literate and to be better prepared to enter achallenging workforce after high school graduation. It is impera-tive that school boards and superintendents look closely at thelevel of learning now taking place in the schools, the instructionaldelivery systems which touch all students and the factors whichmotivate students to learn.
School boards are at the heart of the review and redefinition ofthe ways in which students are educated. As the policymakingbody of a school district, members of the local school board caninfluence the direction of the community's schools by setting thevision for the district, governing through board policies, setting theframework within which the work of the district is done, andevaluating the performance of students in the organizationalstructure which they have established. School boards in thiscountry hold the critical leverage points for bringing aboutsystem-wide cilange in their districts.
There are numerous books, reports, commission studies andlegislation developed to make a case for the fact that "we cannotteach today's students for tomorrow's world in yesterday'sschools." ft is clear that schools must do a better job of educatingall our students and of preparing each of them for a much morecomplex way of living and earning a living.
Shaping the educationcl requirements of the future requ'esschool boards and superintendents to carefully define two keyelements of the educational setting: (1) what students are requiredto learn: and (2) the environment in which students are to learn.It is critical that students be well prepared to enter the mainstreamof society. Further, it is crucial that students are able to enter theworkforce upon graduation or are prepared to move on to institutionsof higher education. Finally, it is essential that all in our nation seethemselves as continuing learilers throughout their lifetimes.
13
Curriculum Integration(curric'tplum in'tegnetion):
A coordinated instructional
system of enhanced academic and
technkal education/applied skills.1
This system promotes an understand-
ing caul application of knowledge
and skills that prepare all students
Pr lifelong learning and success in
their life's work.
1NOTE: This document usesthe terms vocational education,technical education and applied
skills interchangeably.
Curriculum Integration: Its Meaning and its Importance
If
It is crucial thatstudents are able
to enter theworkforce upon
graduation or areprepared to moveon tomnstitutions
of highereducation.
4
Research indicates that individuals learn best when they haveacquired rigorous knowledge and skills to perform. a task and whenthey can practice the knowledge and skills in real-world situations.This has been referred to as "learning in context.' or "contextualizedlearning." A growing body of knowledge is emphasizing that ratherthan separating learning into academic and vocational/technicaltraining, the concepts. skills and knowledge required in one setting
are best learned when they are applied in a context which requiresthe application of the skills in a realistic situation. Integration has
been identified as a national strategy which ensures that studentslearn a rigorous course of study in a context which supports learn-
ing through application.
Students are better able to understand a chemical property when
they see the use of what they have learned in a problem-solving
situation. /Vier students have learned the basic concepts of "emul-sions" and "suspensions." they are asked to work in a team of
students to develop a usable emulsion product (e.g.. mayonnaise or_facial cosmetics that do not separate). The cuhninating activity of
the assignment is to develop a product proposal including costestimates. needs assessment and a listing ofpotential companies
which might be interested in the "emulsions" or "suspensions"product. The product must be described to the class and. where
possible. to a group of adults from the local employer community.Students can see the results of their learning in a concrete context.They learn to problem-solve and they learn how to work in teamsof students and to communicate their thoughts clearly.
Many believe it is no longer viable to have the academic programsand technical programs separated and serving two different sets of
students. A sys,.em must be in place in each school district which
ensures that all students achieve at the highest academic level andthat all students are prepared to succeed in the workplace.Through the integration of academic and vocational curricula.students have the best of several worlds. They are held to a rigor-
ous curriculum which has high standards and which builds theacademic foundations for learning. Students learn skills andbecome aware of how they might be transferred to a number ofdifferent careers during their life's work. Most importantly, stu-
dents learn to apply both the acidemic and the technicalcurriculum in a real-world setting which helps them make practi-
cal linkages, gain understanding from the knowledge, skills,
attitudes and behaviors they are acquiring, and they are more
likely to retain the information.
14
The Concept of Integration
In the United States, changes in education Occur at the local lcvei.It is imperative that each district's governance team (board midsuperintendent) understand the need to develop systems whichdeliver instructional programs that produce high-level academicperlbrmance and are aware of the policy options available to themto achieve those goals for their students. An integrated instruc-tional setting blends the best of academic and technical learning.High academic standards are maintained while students areprepared for future careers and provided a broad band of transfer-able skills. It is through the understanding arid actions of thegovernance team of each district that change will take place.Their actions bring about and support change. The linkage thegovernance team .builds with the community will help civic andeducational leaders refocus on a new and more rigorous instruc-tional program which is seen as understandable and practical tothe students.
5
An integratedinstructional
setting blendsthe best of
academic andtechnical learning.
High academicstandards are
maintained whilestudents are
prepared for futurecareers and
provided a broadband of tranferable
skills.
5
I Curriculum Integration: Its Meaning and its Importance.
Curriculumintegration isdesigned to
developfundamental
academic skillsand lay a
foundation wnichwill enable
students to pursuea career path aswell as furthertraining in an
institution of highereducation.
6
Defining Integration
The Curriculum Committee of the California School BoardsAssociation's project has defined curriculum integration to be:
A coordinated instructional system of enhanced academic andtechnical education/applied skills. This system promotes an under-standing (lnd application of knowkdge and skills that prepares allstudents for lifelong learning and success in their life's work.
There are four key concepts surrounding this definition.
1) A coordinated system
A co6rdinated instructional system denotes a district-wide effort asopposed to a site-level or classroom project. While the primaryservice to students may flow from grades K-12. this does notpreclude collaborative efforts with other educational agencies orwith the business community.
The curriculum will reflect one system for all students. It willnot be divided into a program for the college-bound and non-college-bound students nor will it seek to stratify students intoprograms for the college-bound, vocational or general education.The curriculum will reflect the best of content knowledge. peda-gogy and the frameworks and standards that have been set at thelocal, state and, where applicable, the national level.
The curriculum will be coordinated. There are two types ofcoordination:2
Horizontal Coordination: The coordination which occurs t.e-tween courses when academic and vocational teacherscollaborate or engage in "parallel teaching"
A Inisiness class might study the economics of the housing industry.while a senior studio in constructhm technology builds a house. atula corresponthng American history class examines the evolution ofarchitectural styles in the United States from early colonial times tothe present. In this example. teachers retain the course identity, butmatch the learning to a common theme. Teachers might begin theireflbrts at this level «nd then move to a more integrated curricuhunin the example of x,ertical coordination.
I Note: For models of integration, see p. 24.
I C
In a middle-school setting, horizontal coordination might occurwhen a group of teachers join together to collaborate on the studyof the modern .Iarnt. '11w sciency teaclwr will introthwe stiulents tothe recent scientific discoveries or inventions hnpacting _farmers. Thesocial studies teacher will focus students on the role of agriculture inthe conintunity. Students may research the history of local ftwmingdot ts. The English teacher will assist students in research tech-niques and writing to inform, as xvell as introduce students toliterature fostering an appreciation of agriculture. The computerteacher will assist stialents in learning to conduct research usingmultiple sources of technical data. All teachers will emphasize theacademic aspects of the as well as the various careeropportunities which impact the broader topic of agriculture.
Vertical Coordination: The sequencing of courses which canresult from integration
High sdiool students enrolled in a "built environment" or construc-tion technology major might spend a part of their 9th grade yearilesigning and conducting a housing imentory in their community.In I Oth griule. they might participate in a one-semester seminarincluding market analysis of affordable housing. rentals. communityItomelesstwss and other issues in housing policy. In the I 1 th grade.they might design a house. study the planning and permit processand practice persuasive public speaking and writing to encouragechanges. Finally. in the senior year they would construct the house.Overseeing all aspects of the building process (construction. econom-ics. project m(un(gement. inspection and regulatory requirements.environmental impact considerations and marketing).
2) Enhanced academic and technical education
Enhanced academic and technical education reflects the desire toraise standards for all students. not to lower standards. Integrationis designed to develop fundamental academic skills and lay afoundation wihich will enable students to pursue a career path aswell as further training in an institution of higher education.Through the integration of the academic and technical curricu-lum. students have an opportunity to learn a rigorous program ofstudy and apply the knowledge that they have gained in wayswhich have relevance to them in the world in which they live.The promise of integrating academic and vocational education isthe improvement of both academic and technical preparation forall students in a district. It is critical to emphasize to the educatorsin the district, to institutions of higher education, and to the
rDef ning Integration
It is no longerviable to have the
academic andtechnical programs
separated andserving two
different setsof students.
7
8
Curriculum Integration: Its Meaning and its Importance
community that teaching will feature rigorous academi.: standardsin every course. All students will have exposure to the curriculumdeveloped at the local and state levels. The expectation is that thecurriculum will be richer in content. more challenging fir allstudents, and seen as more relevant in its application to careersand current and future life experiences.
3) Promotes an understanding and applicationof knowledge and skills
The integration of academic and vocational curricula is an in-structional K-12 strategy which makes the best use of learningtheory. Students are taught the core academic skills and knowl-edge. Through the integration process. they are allowed to applythe skills and knowledge in a context of learning which holdsmeaning for them and which reinforces the skills which they havelearned. Current research in learning theory indicates that stu-dents have a better opportunity to retain knowledge when theyhave applied or made use of that knowledge.
In a unit on transportation. 'mull students a111 design improvementsin their local transportation system. applying concepts slidi aspercentages. charts. graphs. x'olunw. and ratio. In a science class.students can review environmental problems based upon theirtransportation design. Tlw social studies class can condiwt anenviromnental impact hearing. lit language arts. the students canwrite an environmental impact report. 'Through such a unit. studentswill be exposed to the interrelationship of social studies. science.math. and language arts. They will have applied what they learn in amanner which will have more relevance than sbnply learningdefinitions related to such concepts as percentages. carbon monoxide.budgeting and subject/ verb agreement. Afore importantly. they willstudy and become aware of the current environmental issues oftheir community and of the governnwntal structures organi:ed toaddress tlw .from this study. students may be in-spired to pursue careers as engineers. urban phimwrs. budgetanalysts, political consultants. or to begin conshleration of numer-ous other career possibilities. Students will continue to learn therigorc OM' of knowledge mul skills which have always been a partof the curriculum. In the integration of instruction. students will beobtainbig knowledge /Or a reason and will be asked to apply theknowledge to an experience which is in their current realm ofunderstandbig.
Curricuhun integration may also take phwe in the elementarygrades. Students may be asked to design a park in their schoolcommimity which will serve toddlers. teenagers. /ninnies and senior
citizens. T'ae,y will make use of math skills to determine the dinwn-
Sims of each portion of the park. They will use English and language
arts skills to conduct research and to interview the various users of
the park to determine their needs. They will use writing and speak-
ing skills to prepare their report. They xvill prepare their reports on a
word processor. Students may have ,st speakers j.ronz the local
parks and recreation department lectli,e about the concerns which
must be addressed when planting trees and installing surfUces.
helping them to Mly understand the coznplexity of issues thatsurround planning a park. They may have a governmental leaderdiscuss what resources a coninnulity has to develop a park and the
types of jobs which must be made available to maintain a park. awl
the many ways in which their academic knowledge and skills canbe used. They may have a drafting firm in the community help
them with the development of schematics jiw the park. A panel of
"experts- may conze to listen to oral presoltations from the classand critiqw the concepts as presented. Each subject area and each
resource will be building knowledge in the academic areas while
allowing students to apply that knowledge in a setting which hasmeaning jOr them. In addition to the academic knowkdge which
has been leanzed. students are exposed to different careers and
learn of the xmriety of people who are needed to plan an(1 maintain
one of tlw community facilities.
4) Prepares all students for lifelong learning andsuccess in their life's work
This is the power of an integrated curriculum. Students are ableto see the connection between what they are learning in a class-room setting and the application to current life settings. The goal
of this instructic Ai strategy is to increase academic achievement.connect students through the application of their learning, teachstudents how to learn and to create new knowledge, and to pre-pare students for the next steps beyond their high schoolexperience.
When instructed in an integrated curriculum, students not only
learn rigorous academic and technical skills, but they see why
they are learning the skills by applying them to lifelike situations.Integration draws on the strengths and interests of all studentsand helps them realize the connection between their academiclearning and their future. Eveit the most academically successful
student will be challenged to a higher standard of excellenceand will benefit from an instructional program which encouragescareer exploration and the application of knowledge to real-world
situations.
Defining Integration
Even the mostacademically
successful studentwill be challenged toa higher standard ofexcellence and will
benefit from aninstructional
program whichencourages career
exploration andthe applicationof knowledgeto real-worldsituations.
i 9 9
Curriculum Integration: Its Meaning and its Importance
As new teachersare selected,
attention must bepaid to their abilityto combine career
and technicalexperience intothe academic
process.
10
The Vision of the Academically andVocationally Integrated School District
It is important to note that experts agree that no academically andvocationally integrated school district yet exists. Many districts aremoving in the direction of an integrated curriculum and have avision similar to the following as a guide to direct their efforts. Thevision is important as it helps the district better focus its effortsand resources. The following example is an ideal of what a districtmay look like when the staff has successfully integrated theacademic and vocational curriculum.
An integrated school district will have several key characteristics.Most importantly, the rigor of the school program will beincreased for all students. The curriculum will be even morechallenging and will build upon current academic skills.
Academic and vocational/technical content will becombined. There will be one, high-quality track of educationfor all students. Course material will be practical, relevant andrelated, whenever possible. to the real world of work. Theproducts of such teaching and learning will help students see auseful purpose for their learning. It is important to note thatacademic knowledge and attitudes will continue to be taught.It is the application of this core knowledge in a career settingthat is a critical attribute of the successful curriculum integra-tion of employability skills with academic preparation.
Curriculum integration has implications for the hiring prac-tices of the district. As new teachers are selected, attentionmust be paid to their ability to combine career and technicalexperience into the academic process. Curriculum integrationalso has implications for the staff development experiencesprovided to teachers currently within the system.
Academic and vocational teachers will have collabo-rated and disciplinary boundaries will have beenbridged. At many schools today, teachers only work withteachers within their department and often do not have theopportunity to talk or work with colleagues in other contentareas. In an integrated school district, teachers will recognizethe value of each content area and. more importantly, willwork with a variety of content area teachers to make thecurriculum hold meaning for students in an applied setting.
2 0
The Vision of Integration
There is a synergy of effort and creativity when teachers withdifferent content areas and differing instructional styles worktogether to make concepts more easily understood and morerelevant to the students. Research has shown that one does notlearn a skill in isolation. but one integrates the knowledge intoa context which includes many concepts and stimuli.
in the previous transportation example. students are able tosee the interconnectedness of ideas and knowledge and thatthe use of knowledge in one subject area adds to the value inother courses. the instruction then has greater meaning. Theexperience of applying the learning to the issue of solvingtransportation problems in the local community creates amemorable experience for students. The student gains impor-tant knowledge and also receives information that there are agreat number of people with various specialties who are neededto resolve major issues in a community. This leads the studentto the awareness that a variety of careers is important andnecessary in anv given context.
Instructional methods will be more student-centered.more cooperative, more project-based, set more in acontext where learning is applied to lifelike situations,more active, and more demanding of students to make"meaning" from what they have karned.
It is important to note that one will not see the integration ofinstruction occurring 100 percent of the time in any class-room. There will continue to be the need for direct instructionin a skill or knowledge area to build the students' core knowl-edge of a particular subject (e.g.. the math concept ofpercentage or the English conventions of writing).
Assessment of student performance reflects academicand technical integration. The assessments may be in partbased upon a portfolio of work which reflects the differentintegrated projects which have been completed by the student.There may also be a culminating project which combines theskills, knowledge and thought processes from a number ofdifferent subject areas into a comprehensive work whichrequires the synthesis of previously acquired knowledge.Certificates of skill competencies based upon industry stan-dards which require academic and vocational knowledge mayalso reflect the integrated curriculum.
21 11
Increasing Rijor and Relevance
American schools isolate youth fromadults and from workplaces and other
community settings. Weak links betweenschool and work... cloud young people's
futures, obscuring their perception of howtheir current behavior is likely to affect
their prospects for the future.4
-Stephen F. HamiltonApprenticeship for Adulthood: Preparing Youth for the Future
The Free Press, 1989
Beginning the Process of Academicand Vocational Curriculum integration:Steps for a School District to Take
23
14
Steps for a Srhool Di::.trict to Take
Beginning the Process of Academic andVocational Curriculum Integration:Steps for a School District to Take
It must be noted that each district will begin in a different place asthe board and superintendent explore the topic of curriculumintegration. Individual districts need to assess their current posi-tions and determine the correct entry point into the integration ofacademic and vocational curriculum. There are five major steps tobe taken by boards and superintendents as they begin the consid-eration of' curriculum integration within their school districts. Inreal4 these steps will overlap one another. They are:
STEPS FOR A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO TAKE
1. Develop an awareness of the concept of curriculumintegration and the potential it has for strengtheningthe instructional program and student learning.
2. Consider various strategies a district might use tointegrate the academic and vocational/technicalcurriculum.
3. Understand the 10 essential elements needed in aschool district to make the concept of integrationsuccessful.
4. Assess the board's commitment i o the concept, thedistrict's current activity in the area of curriculumintegration and its capacity to move toward thisconcept.
5. Utilize the leverage points available to the board to seta course of action for the district.
24
Step One
Step 1: Develop an awareness of theconcept of curriculum integration and thepotential it has for strengthening theinstructional program and student learning
The tIrst step for a school district to take to begin the process ofacademiL and vocational curriculum integration is to becomemore knowledgeable about the concept and the reasons for itsimportance. The following passages provide an explanation.
The Shift to the Learning-based Economy:
"The United States and other industrialized countries aremoving toward a learning-based economy... The acceleratingpace of change within organizations and the mobility of peopleamong work places require everyone to keep learning all thetime. Learning includes the transfer of existing information.knowledge. and skills from those who have them to those whoneed them. It also includes the discovery of previously un-known facts and principles to improve products. services andmethods of production. This is a learning-based economy.where the success of individuals. companies and nationsdepends increasingly on how well and how fast they learn."
(Source: Bailey, 1990, Brown, Reich, and Stern. 1992, as quoted inLegislative Principles for Career Related Education and Training: WhatResearch Supports, National Center for Research in Vocational Education,University of California, Berkeley. March 1995, p.5)
"In many countries, this development is reflected in newconceptions of work-related education and training. The keyelements of the emerging model are closer integration ofvocational and academic studies. greater use of practical workexperience along with classroom learning, and better opportu-nity for participants in work-related programs to continue theirpreparation at more advanced levels..."
"...three elements (of the model) reinforce each other. Combin-ing academic and vocational instruction lets students ortrainees get more out of work-based learning, by explainingthe conceptual significance of issues that arise in the worksituation. It also keeps their options open for further educa-tionboth by satisfying academic prerequisites and byimproving individuals access to higher paying jobs. throughwhich they can more easily finance further schooling."
"Similarly. integrating work-based learning with classroominstruction can connect theory and practice. This not only
15
Steps for a School District to Takegives students new insights and motivation in academic sub-jects. but also deepens the content of vocational studies. Usingwork to reinforce schooling, rather than allowing it to under-mine schoolingas sometimes happens when students areemployed in jobs that are not connected to schoolalso helpsprevent some students from dropping out and. thus, protectstheir option to pursue further education."
(Source: Legjslative Principles for Career Related Education and Train-ing: What Research Supports, National Center for Research in Voca-tional Education, University of California, Berkeley, March 1995, p. 5-7.)
The Pa ths Students Select from Schoolto Work:
A major goal of the American education system is to prepareits graduates for productive careers. It is evfdent that a largenumber of students graduating from high school lack any clearfocus while in high school and are certainly not prepared toenter the workforce at any level beyond that of' low-skilled andlow-paid employees. "in 1992. 32 per nt of high schoolgraduates specialized in the acildemic. ,ollege-preparttorvcurriculum: 8 nercent specialized in vocational-technicaleducation and 60 Percent lacked ami curriculum Pcus:
Research shows that "80 percent of the high school seniorswork while they are in school and 77 percent of the under-graduate students work while in postsecondary training."
(Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Cenzer for EducationStatistics. National Education Longitudinal Study, "Socond Follow-up andHigh School Transcript Files," 1992 as quoted in School-To-Work Facts,The National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University ofCalifornia. Berkeley. June. 1994, p. 2.12,13.)
2C
16
Paths from School-to-Work
A.FTFit IIIGRSCHOQI
if8 percent of
graduates are notin the labor force
1
23 percent of graduatesattend less-than-4-year
institutions
39 percent of graduatesattend 4-year institutions....=411
6 percent ofgraduates areunemployed
15 percent of graduates work full time
10 percent of graduates work part time
Step One ick&I
77 percent ot undergraduates work
34 percent current students
42 percent completers
24 percent noncompleters
82 percent ofnoncompletersare employed
WORK FORCE
87 percent ofA.A. degreeholders areemployed
91 percent ofB.A. degreeholders areemployed
(SOURCE: 5_chool-To-Work Facts, The Naiional Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California,Berkeley, June. 1994. P. 12, 13 )
27BEST COPY AVAILABLE 17
Oat_414.44., Steps for a School
Integration isan ideal way to
help schools retainstudents not
interested in thebenefits of an
academic educationper se, but whoare aware of theadvantages of
entering the jobmarket with skills.
18
District to TakePreparing Students for the Workplace:
A variety of scholars in the field of education emphasize theneed to prepare students for the workplace. Following is asampling of statements on the subject, gleaned from recentreports.
-The integration of academic and vocational education is acurricular and instructional strategy that makes learning moreavailable, accessible and meaningful to all students. A programof sequential courses, it allows students to achieve technicalcompetencies as it fosters learning of abstract or theoreticalconcepts under applied conditions. Moreover, it replaces thejob-specific instruction or the traditional vocational education.which limits students employment opportunities. withcontextualized knowledge that provides students with a rangeof problem-solving and employability skills."
"The need to prepare young people to fill the jobs needed bythe changing American economy is a problem of increasingconcern. A large number of students who may not have theresources to go to a university, but who certainly have theability to work well at decent-paying jobs. are tracked into ageneral high school program. They are not provided with eitherthe academic skills needed for attendance at a community ortechnical college, or the vocational skills for anupwardly-bound employment path. Moreover, such trackingperpetuates the pervasive American problem of unequaleducational and economic opportunity, because a largeproportion of these students are not white and middle class."
"Integration also fosters teacher collaboration in curriculumplanning and coordination of instruction. Finally it involvesthe business community in the program."
"Student Motivation: Integration is an ideal way to help schoolsretain students not interested in the benefits of an academiceducation per se. but who are aware of the advantages ofentering the job market with skills."
"Workphice Liithages: Curriculum components allow students towork, provide them with a needed income, hands-on experi-ence in their chosen field, and contact with employers whomay offer them career path jobs after graduation."
"Equity: Integration can help offset stratification and discrimi-nation in schools and the work force. It offers studentsidentified as lacking basic academic and higher order thinking
28
skills a meaningful education instead of relegation to a low-track program that would compromise their future opportu-nities. Since the majority of those low-tracked are students ofcolor. limited-English-speaking, and poor. providing integrationas an alternative to tracking not only eliminates a stigma thatcould further impede their ability to learn. but provides themwith skill training to help them compete successfully for jobswith more advantaged applicants."
"Oua lined llin-kfiwce: Absent the apprentice and training pro-grams of the past. employers seeking to fill mid-skill level jobswith ever-changing duties look to U.S. schools to produce aqualified workforce. They need graduates who not or.;y canaccomplish discrete tasks, as traditionally educated vocationaleducation majors could. but who have problem-solving skillsthat allow them to be flexible when LiIrrving out aspects oftheir jobs. Students who have an integrated education are mostlikely to meet cyrrent and future employer needs."
-Changes in School Organization: Integration works well in avariety of school settings. although it works best when aca-demic and vocational education teachers collaborate and use aspecially developed curriculum to maximize both areas oflearning. An integrated curriculum can be achieved throughmodels that can be replicated for other courses of study. andthey can offer large comprehensive high schools an attractivemodel for restructuring into smaller units."
"Educational ly-Rkh Learning: Integrating vocational and academiceducation provides students with educationally rich and problem-centered learning. Following the principles of the cognitiveapprenticeship model, integration is an effective curricular andteaching strategy that allows students to develop needed skills byapplying academic learning to practical situations."
(Source: Berryman, Sue, E., et al, Integrating Academic and VocationalEducation: An Eauitable Way to Prepare Middle Level Students for theFuture, ERIC/CUE Digest Number 83, ERIC Clearinghouse on UrbanEducation, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY, NY, 1992.)
(Berryman S., & Bailey T., The Double Helix of Education and The Economy,Teachers College, Columbia University, NY, NY, Institute on Education andthe Economy, 1992 , as quoted in Berryman, Sue E., et al.)
(Stasz. C.. InaMrating Academic and Vocatio,ial Education: A SynthesisPaper. Prepared tor the National Center for Research in VocationalEducation, University of California, Berkeley, January 1992. As quoted inBerryman, Sue E. et al.)
Step One
Curriculumintegration
replaces thejob-specific
instruction of thetraditional vocational
education, whichlimits students'
employmentopportunities, with
contextualizedknowledge that
provides studentswith a range of
problem-solving andemployability skills.
28 19
474- I Steps for a School District to TakeMaking the Case
In 1992: 32 percent of high school graduates specialized inacademic, college-preparatory curriculum;8 percent specialized in vocational-technicaleducation; and 60 percent lacked any curriculum focus.14 percent of high school graduates met theNation at Risk academic standards.
(School-To-Work Facts. The National Center for Research inVocational Education. University of California, Berkeley. July 1994.)
"Because of the low academic levels of entering students,postsecondary occupational/technical curricula containapproximately 35 percent course work that should have beenlearned before the students left high school."
("Every Student Wins!" by Dan Hull. Center for Occupational Researchand Development. Waco, Texas. 1993.)
"In 1992, American students ranked 15th in mathematicsand 14th in science out of the 18 nations that participated inthe International Assessment of Educational Progress exams.Research revealed that the countries whose students areachieving the highest performance levels take an appliedapproach which includes applying knowledge across disci-plines, and applying knowledge to real-world predictable andunpredictable situations."("Defining Excellence for American Schools." by Dr. Willard Daggett, Interna-tional Center for Leadership in Education.)
"Integration is a major feature of Southern Regional Educa-tion Board's High Schools that Work program. Between 1990and 1993, the seven most improved sites in the programclosed the academic gap between their student and college-preparatory students nationally by 65 percent In reading,36 percent in mathematics, and 70 percent In science."
("A Report on Improving Student Learning." High Schools that Work,Southern Regional Education Board. Atlanta, Georgia. 1995.)
20 30
Step OneImproving the Current School System:
Current reform efforts at the secondary and postsecondary levels show great promise of correctingsome of the most persistent problems in schools:
"Eliminating tlw 'sliopping mall high school*. In place of the tendency for students to mill around andaccumulate unrelated courses, (the integrated approach) provides a focus and coherence in thecurriculum."
"Improving the teaching of all students. In schools that have integrated academic and vocationalcontent, teaching has begun to change as academic teachers absorb instructional methods thathave been more common in vocational classes a greater reliance on project-driven approaches.on student-directed activities and student participation rather than teacher-dominated classrooms.on cooperative learning, on learning in specific content areas and on generic skills."
"Enhancing the engagement of students. The student-centered and activity-based methods of teach-ing help hold students' attention. In addition, the effort to clarify the relationship between futureoccupations and present school work promises to enhance students' motivation, as they come tounderstand how high school affects their future options."
"Reducing tlw isolatimi of teachers. Teachers from different disciplines have reasons to meet regularlyaround curriculum, providing opportunities for c011aboration and for the alignment of academicand vocational courses."
"Redwing tracking and segregation of students. As long as career clusters are broadly defined, theybring together students from very different backgrounds and with varied ambitions. The extracur-ricular activitiesfield trips, talks from business representatives and internships provideopportunities outside the usual course structure for mixing students."
"Preserving options for all students. Schools that are adopting a broader conception of career prepara-tion than traditional vocational education not only prepare students tbr entry-level employmentimmediately after high school. they also prepare students for postsecondary education or for theincreasingly common combination of further schooling and work."
"Improving guidance «nd counseling. Schools that have adopted an occupational focus have allimproved their career guidance and counseling...."
"Providing a vision for business participati(m. In addition to providing extrinsic rewards like summerjobs and future employment, business can pay an important role in motivating students throughtestimonytestimony that most teachers cannot providethat what young people learn in schoolis useful in other settings."
(Source: Grubb, W. Norton, "Giving High S)hools an Occupational Focus Educational Leadership, March 1992, p. 36-43.)
31 21
Steps for a School District to TakePreparing All Students With a RigorousAcademic Background and Career Choices:
The integration of the academic and technical curriculum isdesigned to challenge all students to academic excellence and tobecome aware of, and interested in. career paths which will focustheir learning and which will open opportunities for furthereducation and work experiences. The concept of integration asan instructional strategy offers the promise of connecting allstudents with one purpose of schooling: preparing them foremployment in a career path which holds the possibility forupward mobility and greater financial compensation.
Curriculum integration makes learning more connected to thecurrent and future world in which the student will live, breaksdown the isolation of teachers, provides for greater equity oflearning opportunity and a greater connection with business andlabor. The integration of the academic and vocational curriculumis consistent with learning theory. It allows students to apply whatthey have learned in a setting which has meaning for them. Theintegrated curriculum allows students to experience more fully thechallenges of the curriculum and to experience the meaning ofknowledge as it relates to career preparation and application tosituations which add meaning to students' lives.
322
o4
Step 2: Consider various strategies adistrict might use to integrate the academicand vocational/technical curriculum.
klany school districts have started on a small scale with oneor more teachers or one or more sites and have increased theirefforts every year. The goal of an integrated curriculum shouldbe to serve all students in a school district and in postsecondaryexperiences as well. While it may be necessary for districts tobegin their efforts on a small scale, the board's role should be topromote higher standards and to promote contextualizedlearning for all students in the system.
School boards and superintendents may choose differentstrategies to initiate integration. The first essential step will bean assessment of the readiness of the district to accept aridimplement an integrated curriculum and to consider thedifferent models and options currently in use. These models donot preclude a district from "doing its own thing" in the area ofintegration or from developing a hybrid form of the modelslisted. Because districts are in vastly different places when itcomes to the integration of instruction, there will be differingstarting points. Some districts may only be able to begin withthe awareness of the concept or may conduct an assessment ofwhat is currently taking place throughout the district. Otherschool districts may have begun partnership academies ormagnet schools and may be ready to move more rapidly into anintegrated curriculum on a districtwide basis. Whatever thedegree of' readiness, the district should examine differentmodels and options of the integrated curriculum. They shouldfocus on how effective those models have been for students, theease and cost of implementation, and how effective they will befor their students.
The National Center for Research in Vocational Education hasidentified a continuum of approaches to integration as summa-rized on the following pages. This is not a finite list as there areendless variations on each of the models. It is not necessary fordistricts to start at the initial stages of the continuum. Depend-ing on the readiness of the district and the resources available,the district may begin at any stage for which it feels prepared.It is important to have as the board's goal the distrietwideimplementation of an integrated curriculum which blendsthe best of academic and technical instruction.
33
1- -Step Two Ogr,,L
Schools that areadopting a broader
conception of careerpreparation than
traditional vocationaleducation not only
prepare students forentry-level
employmentimmediately after high
school, they alsoprepare students for
postsecondaryeducation or for the
increasingly commoncombination of furtherschooling and work.
23
i80_ Steps for a School District to Take
Effective Models of Integration
Incorporate more academic competencies (including core skills) into vocational/technical courses.Vocational teachers might encourage the same writing techniqiws and standards used by flu, Englishdepartment. The reinforcement of the core math concepts may be emphasized by all the vocationalcourses.
24
Combine the planning by academic and vocational/technical teachers to enhance academiccontent in technical programs.
This approach might typically involve bwadening vocational/technical courses to inchule more math-ematics or lessons in communications mid teamwork or imuluding labor market and job-searchinformation in an introductory technology course.
Make academic courses more applied or technically relevant.This approath might involve taking biology and emphasizing the impact that the bio-agriculturebusiness has on the local economy or examining how a chemist uses scientific and nzathematicalformulas to measum toxic letTls.
Curriculum alignment modify both the academic and vocational courses horizontally andvertically.liorimntal Alignment: Coordinating Courses
Academic and vocational teachers -parallel teach" courses in tvhich the themes are linked or sup-portive. An computer class may be studying aspects of progranmzing tvhik a social studies classstudies the impact of the computer in the 201h century.
Vertical Alignment: Creating Sequences of CoursesCourses related to the health care industry may be linked over a series of years so that students areexposed to aspects of science, social policy. communications. interpersonal relationships and careeropportunities in the field. During the senior year students may spend time in a health care relatedfield «pplying the skills azul knowledge they learned in a job-like setting.
Tech-Prep:Tech-prep courses are based on a common core of applied academic courses in math, science andcommunications. They provide technical preparation leading to employment. Tech-prep provides school-to-work opportunities as part of the overall curriculinn. The courses are sequential anti, at the highschool level, are designed to interface with courses of advanced preparation at the community collegelevel. This progression provides .for stronger programs with no overlap. Tech-prep education linksvocational education programs with appropriate high school academic programs to better preparegauluates for higher education and employment in technical fields.
34
IStep Two
Academy ModelSchool-within-a-School:An academy typically operates as a school-within-a-school. Generally. an academy has a number ofteachers assigned to the faculty ftom a variety of content areas (e.g.. math. science. English. electron-ics). Teachers collaborate to /Orin a curriculum around a career subject or theme. Because teacherswork with each oilier and students within the academy for a number of years. this structure facili-tates the thtegration of academic and technical education. In this model. the academy develops a closepartnership with firms and employee organizations that work in the career area emphasized by theacademy. thus prffiding a realistic context Pr instruction.
Magnet Schools:This model centers its curriculum around a broad career cluster (e.g.. transportation, business.health. performing arts). The school's curriculum is tkuninated by the focus of du' career area. Stu-dents who come to the school have knowingly selected to study in the broad career area emphasizedby the school. Graduates of awse schools either go '-ectly into the workfOrce or pursue furthereducation in the field at an institution of higher education. Some elementary schools also exist asmagrwt schools.
Career Cluster. Career Paths and Career Majors:These models luive moved in a number of diffrrent directions. Some high schools have replaced conven-tional academic and vocational departments with departments organized around career clusters(agriculture, business, public service. health. .fashion). With this approach. teachers are assigned tothe career department or cluster: A second approach focuses on career paths from which the studentmay choose. After careful guidance. students select a career path (e.g.. agriculture and natural re-sources: business an(1 marketing: art and communication: education, health. how. and recreation:industrial technologies and engineering: social. hunum and governmental services) which meets theirinterests. As a result, they pursue their academic and technical education with the career path as abackdrop Pr instruction. The career clusters or career paths encompass entry. middle-level andprofessional-level careers.
Apprenticeships:Apprenticeships emphasize academic and technical training as well as on-the-job experiences underthe direction of a master craftsperson in the particular career area. Businesses and/or labor organiza-tions join in partnership with high schools to provide a major block of career training in a real-worldsetting. Students are prepared for entry-level employment and made aware of the career paths in aparticular field.
3525
26
Steps for a School District to TakeStep 3: Understand the 10 essentialelements needed in a school district tomake the concept of integration successful
10 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS ININTEGRATING THE ACADEMIC AND
VOCATIONAL CURRICULUM
Commitment and Leadership from the Board of Education
Commitment and Leadership from the Superintendentand Administrative Team
Commitment, Leadership and Support from theTeaching Staff
Awareness, Involvement and Support from theVarious Stakeholders in the Community
involvement of Btoiness and Labor
Stability and Sustained Efforts
The Governance of Change
Support for Staff Development and Collaboration
Availability of Curriculum Materials, Technology andCoordinated Classroom and Work-based LearningOpportunities
Fostering Articulation Among and Between Grades
K-12, Vocational Technical Centers, PostsecondaryInstitutions
The following are the 10 essential elements necessary for thesuccessful implementation of the integration of academic andvocational/technical curriculum in a school district:
Commitment and Leadership fromthe Board of Education
Beyond the awareness of the promise and practices of integra-
tion as an instr uctional strategy, the board needs to infuse the
36
concept of career preparation and learning application into thevision of the school district. The board and superintendent willbe working in three dimensions as they build awareness of, andsupport for, an integrated curriculum. They must be assuredthat they have support within the school board. internally (withinthe school district), and externally (with the parent groups, thepublic and private business conummity. labor organizations and thecommunity at large).
The board must adopt the concept of integration as a priorityarea for the school district and must direct the efforts of thesuperintendent to develop an implementation plan. There mustbe consistent support for the plan and the allocation of re-sources (time, space. personnel. money, materials) to achievethe vision the board has adopted.
Working with the superintendent, the board must ensure thatthe organization has the structure to support the strategy ofcurriculum integration and has the means to evaluate theimprovement in student learning brought forth from the vision.
The board must show by every action it takes that curriculumintegration is a top priority of the district. The board willdemonstrate its commitment to integration by what it discussesat the board table, what it promotes with the parents. businessand labor, and what it holds as important in the evaluation ofstudent educational progress. The board must agree on howresources are allocated in the district, how student success isrecognized, and how people and programs that promote inte-gration are acknowledged.
An important part of the leadership and commitment of theboard is the "staying power" it has to sustain the priority ofcurriculum integration as a viable district strategy over a periodof time. All research shows that to bring a new concept tofruition and to develop itto the point where it can be consid-ered "institutionalized." a minimum of three and, most likely,rive years is needed. The board must be willing to commit toacademic and technical integration as a priority and to becomethe advocate and supporter of the practice over an extendedperiod of time.
A clear indicator that the board holds curriculum integration as apriority is the way in which it monitors the progress of the project.The fact that integration is a major part of the evaluation of thesuperintendent and that student learning as a result of an inte-grated curriculum is part of the annual accountability report tothe board are important indicators of the board's commitment.
3
Step Three
...the boardneeds to infuse
the conceptof career
preparationand learning
application intothe vision ofthe school
district.
Board mem ,lers
27
Ste s for a School
The superintendentand the
administrativeteam must
have the clearknowledge of
what anintegrated
curriculum wouldlook like inthe district.
Superintendents
28
District to Take
Commitment and Leadership from theSuperintendent and Administrative Team
Beyond an awareness of what integration has to offer studentsin terms of a richer learning experience and preparation forcareer paths. the superintendent and his/her staff must under-stand the components of the concept and must be able totranslate the vision of the board into an everyday reality. Theremust be a systemic understatulhig of integration. They mustunderstand the philosophy and vision which the board hasadopted regarding the integration of academic and vocationalcurriculum.
Generally, major change does not come easily to a schooldistrict. The superintendent and his/her administrative teammust have the clear knowledge of what an integrated curricu-lum would look like in the district: have an understanding ofwhere the instructional delivery system is now: and be able toplan a series of successful strategies to move the curriculum.the instructional delivery system. and the organizationalstructure to the desired state. 'l'his can be done through boldstrategies which will lead to the desired outcome of improvedstudent learning of a rigorous, well-delmed and integratedcurriculum. It may be necessary for the superintendent, thedistrict office, and site administrators to participate in a seriesof professional development experiences prior to their develop-ment of an "inleigation" implementation plan. Theadministrative team must be sensitive to the concerns of itsstaff and its clientele as they go through a process of changeand renewal.
Again, the superintendent must understand the amount oftime, support and perseverance that change of this naturetakes. 'l'here must be a clearly developed implementation plan:the resources to support the plan: the ongoing commitment tothe concept of an integrated curriculum: the ability to monitorand troubleshoot the efforts at the various sites: the involve-ment of all the key stakeholders within the district including.but not limited to, the teachers, union representatives, classifiedstaff, parents, business community, labor and the community atlarge: and a system of assessment of student learning whichwill allow the superintendent, board and staff to determine iftheir efforts are making a critical difference for students.
3s
Commitment, Leadership and Support fromthe Teaching Staff
It is the teaching staff who is trained in the various content areasthat must see the promise of the concept of integration. As theeducators who have the most direct impact on students. teachersmust understand that the concept of academic and technicalintegration will enhance the curriculum. increase learning,promote instructional rigor, and meet the educationa! needs ofmore students within the system. Moreover, the support of theteaching staff and of the collective bargaining associations withinthe district is vital to ensure that integration will take place in theclassrooms throughout the district. Staff must be involved in thedevelopment and implementation of the integrated curriculum.Staff leaders must be identified and nurtured.
`l'he management of change is critical with the staff. Entiregroups of school instructors must be taken through a seriesof steps which will move them from the awareness level ofthe concept to acceptance of integration as a viable and im-proved delivery system for instruction, to the willingnessto try the concept on a limited basis with a small group ofcolleagues, and to the expansion of the delivery systemthroughout the district.
'l'he board and superintendent play a key role in gaining com-mitment from the staff. The staff will gain a full appreciationof the intent of the board to move to an educational deliverysystem which embraces the concept of integration by what isdiscussed at the board table, the priorities of the board bothlong and short term: the way projects are funded in the district:the staff development projects: the approved grants: the wayfacilities are designed and master schedules are developed: howteachers are assigned to classes and when planning periods areallocated: the supervision focus of the administrative team andthe accountability systems which the board demands. Theboard and superintendent must have the courage to makebold statements about the types of instructional systems theywish to see in the district. They must take the responsibility toprovide professional development and support systems to assistthe teaching staff in moving toward the new system. Theyalso must have the staying power to move systematicallythrough the change process over a series of rears. The boardand superintendent must recognize and support the adminis-trative. teaching. and support staff who take the risks topromote academic and technical integration and who aretrailblazers in implementing the integrated academic andtechnical curriculum.
3!3
Step Three li-113740,
t..
4.0,1
...teachers mustunderstand that theconcept of academic
and technicalintegration will
enhance thecurriculum, increase
learning, promoteinstructional rigor,
and meet theeducational needs ofmore students within
the system.
Teachers
29
It -" Steps for a School
The board andsuperintendent must
recognize andsupport the
administrative,teaching, and
support staff whotake the risks to
promote academicand technical
integration and whoare trailblazers inimplementing the
integrated academicand technical
curriculum.
30
Community
District to TakeEvery effort must be made to enlist the energy, knowledge,creativity and support of the teaching staff and of the collec-tive bargaining associations. The commitment and involvementof the faculty will be a key link in leading the district toward anintegrated curriculum.
Awareness, Involvement and Support Fromthe Various Stakeholders in the Community
Most people tend to judge the success of a school system by theextent to which it resembles the schools they attended. Whenmajor changes in a district thrust or instructional deliverysystem are contemplated. the board and superintendent mustdevelop a thorough and comprehensive plan to inform parentsand the community of the change and have a clear rationale forwhy the change is better than the current system. Since theconcept of academic and vocational integration on a system-wide basis is a relatively new concept in education, this approachis not widely known by the general public. However, the conceptof applied learning is not new. For example. for years studentshave been taught to read music and then expected to play.
Parents, in particular. need to be cognizant that the system ofintegration will not diminish any of the academic rigor of theschool curriculum, and. in fact. will enhance the ability toapply learning by using higher-level thinking skills. Overcom-ing the stigma that technical classes are for thenon-college-hound students may be a major obstacle. Parentsmust see how rigorous academic learning is enhanced whenstudents can see a "real-life- application of the informationthey have acquired. They must also see how the work world inwhich their children are entering will be more demanding interms of knowledge, skills and the ability to create new knowl-edge. It will be helpful for parents to know about the learningtheories which show that students have a greater retentionwhen they learn skills as a whole and apply the skills to lifelikosituations. It will also be helpful if parents see actual examplesof how advanced academic courses retain their rigor whileworking to apply learning to a career path setting. Involvingparents on curriculum development teams. advisory commit-tees. school review teams: developing communication tools toinform parents about the changes taking place in the schools:implementing school and class open houses where they can seestudents' work and talk to stuck Ms about the projects whichthey complete: using local cable television programs to show-case student work: and holding learning fairs to give parentsand the community chances io see the difference in learning
4 0
which is taking place in the schools, are all means by whichparents can be informed and involved in the ,:hanges.A bottom line for parents is student achievement. The boardand superintendent must carefully consider the means bywhich they will report to the community the school-to-careerachievements of students in the system and be able to reporthow students in their district are able to compete with studentsfrom around the state and nation.
Involvement of Business and Labor
The active support and involvement of the local employercommunity and employee associations is crucial to the conceptof integration. For years. businesses have been concerned thatthe employees who enter their organizations have not beenfully prepared for employment. As the employer communitysees the poLntial of integration, they can be most influential inassisting with community acceptance of the strategy
Beyond the awareness and support for academic and technicalintegration, the business and labor leaders in a community can becritical in actively supporting the school-to-career elibrts of a district.
Employers and employee associations can collaborate withteachers to define the skills, knowledge and attitudes neces-sary for a particular career path. Together. they canrecommend the standards which are necessary for thesuccessful completion of a series of courses in a particularcareer cluster.
Employers and employee associations may define real-lifeproblems from which students can apply their academicknowledge. These applications may be performed in theclassroom, in simulations, or in on-the-job training.
Business and labor leaders may mentor students, eitherindividually or in groups. `l'hey may serve as speakers,conduct tours of their facility. establish a long-term relation-ship with a class or a group of students, establishcorrespondence with students, advise them about coursechoices, assist in researching postsecondary training oppor-tunities and provide intern or apprenticeship opportunities.
!meal businesses and labor organizations may demonstrateadvanced technology in a particular career field. They mayeven donate technology to a school or center.
41
Step Three
Parents, inparticular, need tobe cognizant that
the system ofintegration will notdiminish any of theacademic rigor of
the schoolcurriculum, and, infact, will enhancethe ability to applylearning by using
higher-levelthinking skills.
Business/Labor
Steps for a School
...keep themembers ofbusiness andlabor activelyinformed and
involved in theefforts to
integrate academicand vocational
curricula.
Sustained Efforts
32
District to Take
Employers may help schools by requiring transcripts, atten-dance records and establishing a required standard foremployment.
Employers can provide jobs or work experiences in particu-lar career paths.
The important point is to keep the members of business andlabor actively informed and involved in the effbrts to integrateacademic and vocational curricula. Make business and laborfull partners in the encouragement and education of studentsin the district.
School boards need to meet with their local employers toensure that the school board's vision and the community'sbusiness and labor have common goals. School boards mustensure that the curriculum reflects the region's economy.
Districts should consider all types of agencies and opportunitieswhen seeking career path opportunities for their students.Public, private and governmental agencies can support stu-dents as they become involved in community-service projects inwhich they can apply the skills learned in an integrated cur-riculum. A district may also consider technological linkageswith mentors at a business, college or organization in or out ofthe area. Commumcation with students may be maintained byfax. modem or phone.
Stability and Sustained Efforts
Essential to the success of integrating the curriculum and tomaking education relevant is the need for stability within theschool district. and for a clear and sustained focus of the keyleaders of the district. The board and superintendent mustrecognize that change of the magnitude discussed here will takeplace over several years. The board and superintendent mustmake this a clear priority and must not dilute the efforts ofintegration by establishing too many major initiatives during itsimplementation. They must sustain their efforts to support andmonitor the activities at all levels in the organization, mustsignal that this is no temporary program. but a major changein how instruction will be delivered in the district, and mustallocate resources throughout the implementation. Theremust be a consistency of effort, practice. resource allocation,and evaluation which will lead all staff in the direction ofcurriculum integration.
4 "4,
Critical to the efforts of curriculum integration is the need foropenness and trust among and between all the key implementorsof this effort. Because most districts have not attempted achiev-ing the vision of an integrated curriculum, there will be timeswhen an activity will not work or when the staff is confused oruncertain about an approach. While the end goal must beclear. there must exist an atmosphere which will allow forexperii mtation. risk-taking. failure, and redirection withoutfear of reprisal or undue criticism.
Through a sense of collaboration, teamwork, professionalexperimentation, evaluation, monitoring and adjustment.mutual support and respect. the board, superintendent.administrative team, teaching staff, and business/laborcommunity can create a new. more effective teaching andlearning delivery system.
The Governance of Change
Governing and monitoring the changes necessary for anintegrated curriculum to be institutionalized in a school districtwill be an essential component to ensuring the success of adistrict-led effort. There must be a clear direction and visionfrom the board and a stated long-range priority that this is amajor initiative for the school district. The board, while notdoing the actual planning for implementation. must supervisethe superintendent who will develop the implementation plan.Key to the success of the plan will be regular checkpoints andreports to the board on the progress of implementation and theeffects of the resources allocated by the board. They mustdevelop a "creative tension" in the district which fully supportsand demands that integration takes place. with the patience torecognize that change will be incremental.
The board and superintendent should come to agreement onwhat will be done on the effort in a given year and establishcheckpoints and standards to determine if t he integration planis continuing on target. It should also be possible to modify theproject with the concurrence of the board if informationindicates that additional steps must be added to the implemen-tation plan or that more resources are needed in a given area.An ongoing dialogue is critical between the board and superin-tendent and between the superintendent and the staff. Theboard and superintendent should have mechanisms to identil'yand evaluate unintentional negative consequences of theellbrts to integrate the curriculum and should be willing toacknowledge and correct this type of situation.
4 3
Step Three
The board andsuperintendent
must signalthat this is no
temporary program,but a major changein how instructionwill be deliveredin the district...
Governance
33
Steps for a School
All staff needs todevelop an
understanding of theconcept of academic
and technicalintegration, whyit is a promising
instructionalstrategy, how
they will play a rolein the
implementationof the plan, and how
to gainthe necessary
information and skillsto play
their role well.
Staff Development
34
District to Take
It should be noted that there will be those who may oppose thedistrict's efforts to integrate the curriculum. Legitimate con-cerns will be raised which the school board and superintendentneed to recognize and resolve as they move forward with theimplementation plan. The board and superintendent mustmaintain clear channels of communication with all staff andcommunity members, must listen to and weigh opposition.must remove, wherever possible, the barriers to change andmust be clear in their resolve to Move in the direction of anintegrated curriculum.
Support for Staff Development andCollaboration
There must be opportunities for professional development forboard members, administrators. teachers, classified staff.guidance staff and counselors and others who are expected tobe part of the implementation process. All staff needs to de-velop an understanding of the concept of academic andtechnical integration, why it is a promising instructionalstrategy. how they will play a role in the implementation of theplan, and how to gain the necessary information and skills toplay their role well. They will need to hone their skills andknowledge of the content areas as well as the connectionswhich can be made between the vocational and academiccontent arLcI.1. The teacl-"g staff will need to upgrade itsknowledge of the whole field of career development: careerexploration, and the requirements of business and labor forcurrent areas of work.
Teachers who have been involved in the practice of integratinginstruction identify two key elements in the support of integra-tion: (1) the development of teacher teams with commonplanning times: and (2) students whom the teachers teach incommon. It is clear that teachers who work together on behalfof the same students are more successful in their efforts tointegrate the curriculum and to impact the learning of students.
A well-conceived and well-executed career guidance programbeginning as early as kindergarten and becoming more sophisti-cated as the student progresses through the grades is critical inassisting students to receive the maximum benefit from anintegrated instructional program. Counselors and guidance staffcurrently working in the schools may need to undergo additionalprofessional development and must understand the goals andpractices of an integrated curriculum. With the current dearthof resources in public education, it may not always be possible to
4 4
provide a full complement of certificated guidance staff at aschool. Districts are encouraged to consider a number of adultsas potential resources for the guidance function includingcounselors, teachers, adult mentors, staff and business/laborpartners. It must also be recognized that the strength of a well-planned and cnnsistently delivered guidance program willmaximize the academic success of students benefiting from anintegrated curriculum. The counseling program will change to acareer development program.
"Career development...should be defined as a process duringwhich individuals develop career identity. work maturity, andthe ability to plan (Herr and Cramer, 1988). This conception ismuch broader than the duties of traditional school counse-lors... Ideally, career development should be a systematicprocess that is integrated into educational programs from theelementary grades through the students' transition toemployment....Supporting programs are:
activity or experience-based, rather than based oninformation transfer only:integrated within programs of study, rather than providedby individuals (e.g., counselors) who are independent ofthe program:programmatic, extending over a period of time. rather thanproviding one-shot bursts of information. and:developmental, allowing for differences among students andencouraging the capacitive (e.g.. the ability to plan, a futureorientation, and the capacity to make decisions) that ci le
students to make use of career-related information."
(Source: Legislative Principles for Career-Related Education andTraining: What Research Supports, National Center for Research inVocational Education, University of California, Berkeley, March, 19'95, p.14.)
Availability of Curriculum Materials,Technology and Coordinated Classroom andWork-based Learning Opportunities
As the curriculum changes, materials, technology and otherinstructional resources must also change to support the effortsof integration. 'l'here are few texts or other materials availablein the marketplace today which can be used "from the shelf.-Teachers, guidance staff, and administrators will have the taskof developing and combining available resources to support theefforts or integration. in addition, there is a need for stalT in thedistrict to identilly and work with employer community, profes-sional associations and other community agencies to provide
4 5
Step Three
004V
As thecurriculum
changes, materials,technology and
other instructionalresources must
also changeto support the
efforts ofintegration.
Materials and Technology
35
Steps for a School
Students, beginningas young as the
kindergartenyear, may benefitfrom integratedlessons focusing
on careerawareness and skill
development inan applied setting.
K-12 Articulation
36
District to Take
meaningful and career-related work-based learning experienceswhile students are enrolled in their course work.
Fostering Articulation Among and BetweenGrades K-12, Vocational Technical Centersand Postsecondary Institutions
The concept of career preparation, development of higherorder skills and the integration of academic and technicaleducation must not be left to the high school years. Students,beginning as young as the kindergarten year, may benefit fromintegrated lessons focusing on career awareness and skilldevelopment in an applied setting. The skills developed in theearly grades will have a direct and dramatic effect on thechoices of career paths students will make in middle and highschool and on students' ability to transfer knowledge and skillsthroughout their lives.
Instructional strategies which integrate the content areasshould be occurring throughout the grades. Classroom meth-ods should be centered on the acquisition of a rigorous set ofskills and knowledge and the application of that knowledge insituations which equate to the "real-world." Instruction will bemore project based. more contextualized. and more active interms of student involvement in the application of knowledge.
It is clear that an articulated curriculum, aligned materials,assessment practices, and common instructional strategies atthe elementary and middle schools will make teaching andlearning at those levels more student centered and more active.At the very least, elementary students would understand therole of work. begin developing a basic knowledge regardingdifl'erent careers and begin to understand the concept oftransferable skills. For middle-school students. instruction canbe in,egrated and career exploration and guidance can be tiedto a career program. Since many middle-schools are structuredsimilarly to high schools. many of the changes which canresult from integration efforts at the high school can andshould occur at the middle-school level as well. It is at themiddle-school level that students begin to ask "What doeslearning algebra do for me:" It is important to have studentsunderstand the linkage between what I hey are learning andthe applications they will make with the new skill or knowledgeto a Wake situation.
4C
Students must see learning on a continuum and must notthink that their formal education is complete upon high schoolgraduation. Beginning as early as the middle grades. studentsmust. become aware of postsecondary training options includ-ing the community colleges. state and private colleges: stateand private universities: and other agencies and institutionswhich provide training. It is essential for students to under-stand how they may pursue a career path through the variouslevels of education beyond high school.
In some instances, students may not receive their education indistricts that serve students in a K-12 setting. There may be twoor more districts responsible for the education of studentsthrough certain grades (e.g.. K-6. K-8, 9-12, 7-12). Localboards and superintendents have the responsibility for thecommunication and articulation of the instructional programand for student progress throughout the grades and past gov-ernmental barriers to ensure that all students have a fluid andclearly articulated program leading to high school graduation.
In many states there are intermediate units or consortia ofdistricts that have joined together to provide for extensivetechnical career training. These programs generally serve theolder high school students as well as the adults in the commu-nity. These programs. such as Regional Occupational Centers/Programs in California, provide state-of-the-art training in anumber of career paths and allow students to see the applica-tion of learning in a career setting.
Local institutions of higher education. particularly neighboringinstitutions, can become collaborative partners with the K-12school district. The definition of student learning, the sequenc-ing of courses. the provision of alternative learning sites atlocal community colleges and universities, the opportunity tolink career guidance programs. and the promotion of programsin the business community are enhanced with the collaborativeefforts of all agencies providing educational training to stu-dents. With the K-12 school system and institutions of highereducation planning and collaborating throughout the educa-tion of an individual, a seamless educational path can becreated for students which will cover a lifetime. The board andsuperintendent are encouraged not to overlook these mostcritical and valuable resources when planning for a fullyintegrated academic and vocational curriculum.
4 7
Step Three
With theK-12 school systemand institutions ofhigher education
planning andcollaborating
throughout theeducation of an
individual, aseamless
educational pathcan be created for
students whichwill covera lifetime.
K-12 Articulation
l`t Steps for a School District to Take
Step 4: Assess the board's commitment tothe concept, the district's current activity inthe area of curriculum integration, and itscapacity to move toward this concept
38
Because the restructuring of the curriculum and instructionaldelivery system is such a major undertaking, requiring a totalcommitment of energy, time, resources and attention from thehoard, administration and teaching staff. the board and super-intendent are advised to take the time to explore theircommitment to the concept and the feasibility of implementingan effort of this calibre. The following focusing questions willassist the governance team in its deliberations:
What is the current information available regarding K-12student achievement: What are the results of the currentaccreditation reports?
Do we have information about how successful our graduatesare in institutions of higher eduntion after high school orin the workplace:
Does the governance team have current information aboutthe status of students who werk while in school? What arethe graduates from our high schools doing after graduation:Are all students in middle kind high school clear about thereason for the course sequence which they are taking? Doall students have a clear and manageable goal after highschool graduation?
What is the current status of the school-to-career efforts inour district: Are there individual classrooms or groups ofteachers working on this topic? What is the status of theguidance program at all levels with regard to career infor-mation, goal setting and specific career path decisions:
lias the governance team reviewed and reconsidered thedistrict's vision for student learning with regard to the kindof work district graduates will be doing in the next 20 to 30years: Has the governance team discussed the uniquecontribution the public school system cm make to a matureand contributing adult in the" American society:
48
1
Do all board members, the superintendent and key staffhave sufficient information about the concept of integrationof academic and vocational curricula: Are we clear aboutthe purpose of integration: Do we believe that this is thebest strategy for the district at the present time:
What is the current status of program articulation fromelementary to middle to high school: What are the currentarticulation efforts with the community college as well asother institutions of higher education:
What. is necessary to make the current teaching staffreceptive to the concept of the integration of the academicand vocational curriculum and the related instructionalstrategies: How can staff be involved in the process:
What is necessary to inform parents about an instructionalsystem which is built around the concept of integrationand preparation for careers? What is necessary to buildtheir support for the system? How can parents be involvedappropriately:
What is necessary to inform and involve the public andprivate agency employers and employee associations in thedistrict in assisting with all levels of integration, including,but not limited to: identification of skills and standards.serving as mentors. speakers. etc.: providing workexperience opportunities for students: providing paidemployment opportunities?
What are the resources (time. staff, space. money, materials)needed to support the changes involved in integrating thecurriculum: Is the board willing and able to commit thenecessary resources to the effort? Does the district have thecapacity or infrastructure in place to promote the implemen-tation of an integrated curriculum? If not, what is needed inthe district to promote this instructional strategy?
What is the time frame necessary to fully implement anintegrated curriculum in this district? Is the governanceteam willing to commit the necessary time and make this ahigh priority effort over a number of years?
4 9
Step Four th.
It is essentialfor students to
understand how theymay pursue a career
path through thevarious levels of
education beyondhigh school.
39
Steps for a School District to Take
Step 5: Utilize the leverage points availableto the board to set a course of action forthe district
THE LEVERAGE POINTS OF THEBOARD OF EDUCATION
Setting the Long-Range Vision for the District
Establishing a Framework for Action
Employing/Directing the Superintendent
Governing Through Policy
Adopting the Curriculum
Allocating Resources
Adopting Collective Bargaining Agreements
Creating a Climate for Excellence
Ensuring Accountability
Raesnming rnmmonlity I gandarc fnr nhildran,Public Education, and an integrated Curriculum
The board has a number of legal and positional leveragepoints available to it to set the course of action for a districtand to monitor staff actions to determine if the course isbeing carried out. A leverage point is a point of power whith. ifapplied, will increase the means of accomplishing some purpose.The leverage points of the board are those legitimate role areasdesignated to the board of education which. if applied appropri-ately. will enhance the possibility of accomplishing the board'sdesired goal. It will be important for boards to build theirunderstanding of the concepts involved in the integration ofacademic and technical curricula. Once board membersdevelop this understanding. they are encouraged to considerthese leverage points as they move a district toward anintegrated curriculum.
40 50
Setting the Long-Range Vision for the District
The governance of local districts is granted by the state andby the voters of local communities to the elected representa-tives on the school board. The locally elected school boardofficials thus represent the interests of all in the communityand provide a direction fbr the educational program based onthe community's interests and needs. Establishing the educa-tional direction for the district is one of the first and mostessential steps a board must take in carrying out its represen-tative governance role. The vision of the district is oftenreferred to as "the destination" of the district's activities andprogram. The vision should drive virtually every aspect of thedistrict's educational and fiscal programs.
As boards look to the future. it is clear that each studentneeds an understanding of his/her career potential and theskills and knowledge required to pursue a career path thatwill be the most satisfying. The district's vision should reflectthe goal of ensuring that every student has clear postsecon-dary plans for career development and the knowledge andskills necessary to help pursue a meaningful life in anadvanced technological society.
51
Step Five -"Ctikg
The district's visionshould reflect the
goal of ensuring thatevery student has
clear postsecondaryplans for career
development andthe knowledge andskills necessary to
help pursue ameaningful lifein an advancedtechnological
society.
41
l'i,,Z7i$440.-1 Steps for a School District to Take
Sample Vision Statement
Students will possess a core of knowledge which will becomethe building blocks for all additional learning. Students willdemonstrate the ability to think creatively; to make decisions;to solve problems; to know how to acquire, organize and learnnew information; and to reason. Students will work with avariety of technologies. They will have the interpersonalskills to work with others and to be productive membersof a team.
Every student will be linked with a broad career goal. Instruc-tion will be broad-based and include a variety of content areas.Students will also gain specialized skills in career paths whichwill prepare them for advanced training after high schoolgraduation or for employment. The career paths will not be sonarrow or so rigid that students cannot make decisions withinthe broad career path or change their paths. There will beexpanded wags to learn concepts and skills as well as ex-panded locations for learning to take place. The community,business, labor, and institutions of adwmced training willbe seen as valued resources in the education of students andwill be asked to contribute to the educational program in avariety of ways.
The long-range implementation plan for the district encom-passes all of the top priorities for the educational and supportprograms. It is specific in its intent with a clear direction forhow the implementation of the integration plan will takeplace. While the superintendent and staff generally develop theimplementation plan. the board is involved in a rich and thor-ough discussion and exploration of curriculum integrationprior to the writing of the plan. The priorities Ihr the implemen-tation plan come from the board and flow directly from thex'ision of the district.
42
Sample Long-Range Objective
Step Five
By year , all students of theDistrict will be part of a comprehensive instructional andguidance program which links academic and vocationalcontent, provides for the selection of a broad career pathprior to entry into high school, and which graduates studentsfully prepared Pr college admission, other postsecondarytraining, or work.
Evidence of Completion:
There is an articulated K-12 curriculum with studentoutcomes at each grade level.
Checkpoints exist at grades 3-5-8-10-12 and postsecondaryto determine how many students are meeting the outcomes.
Portfolios in grades 10 and 12 provide evidence of thestudents' academic achievement and career preparation.
Norm-referenced and/or criterion-referenced test datawill measure basic skill attainment as compared to acontrol group.
Each student will complete a senior project in his/herpotential career path with a score of 3 or better on a5-point scale.
Parent surveys will be used to determine their awarenessof and satisfaction with, the program.
A log of the types of business and labor involvementwill be kept and ratings by those who participate in theprogram tvill be tallied. There will be a satisfaction level of3 or better on a scale of 5.
53 43
1-C141-f Steps for a School District to Take
The board may wishto hold a "summit"or briefing sessions
on curriculumintegration.
44
Whakoards Need To Do:
1. Become knowledgeable about what curriculum integrationis, its importance. and how it is being achieved in other schooldistricts. To achieve this, the board may wish to hold a summit"or briefing sessions on integration.
2. Ensure that the following stakeholders understand and.ideally. share in the board's vision of integration:
administrationstaff (teachers and support)parentsthe employer community (public and private)employee associationsthe community at large
For several school boards. this has meant surveying thesestakeholders regarding their assessment of the skill preparationof the district's students. In addition, a report has been issuedwhich conveyed the results of the survey along with theboard's vision and district recommendations and actions.
3. Direct the superintendent to begin developing a curriculumintegration plan and process which reflect the district's visionof integration.
4. Ensure that a district structure exists which involves staff insharing the board's vision and in implementing curriculumintegration in the school district. In districts, this has taken avariety' of forms including:
membership on a districtwide planning teammembership on a districtwide implementation teamallocating funds to train staff regarding implementationapproving staff development days which allow for teachercollaboration
5. Articulate to parents and the greater community whatstructural changes are taking place and why they are occur-ring within the school district to achieve curriculumintegration. This will mean targeting the parents at the differ-ent schools and using multiple strategies to repeatedly andeffectively convey the board's vision.
h. Ensure that parents and the greater community arerepresented in the process so that they can truly share in theboard's vision.
5 4
7. Articulate to employers and labor leaders what structuralchanges are occurring within the school district to achievecurriculum integration and why. The school board needs to beassured that the superintendent has involved employers andlabor leaders in developing and/or supporting the district planfor integration. This may mean linking employers and laborleaders with the appropriate district staff so that the school-based and work-based learning will be better connected. Theresults may include the development of student internships orfaculty internships. The board needs to ensure that the superin-tendent has seen that staff has followed through and involvedbusiness and labor organizations in its efforts.
8. Ensure that changes which are occurring within the districtreflect the board's vision of curriculum integration. This canoccur through regular reports to the board, through minutesand products of committee meetings, through visitations toschool classrooms, through the monitoring of student productsand through monitoring the implementation of the plan thesuperintendent has developed.
9. Revisit and reaffirm the districCs vision of curriculumintegration at least annually and each time a new board mem-ber or superintendent becomes part of the governance team.
.1-0. Ensure that thc.elementary and middle schools which feedinto the district's high schools realize that the district's visionof curriculum integration impacts them. their curriculum.their teaching methodology, and their organizational structure.All schools must realize that the emphasis on integration is anemphasis on higher standards of instruction and of studentperformance. Elementary and middle schools must be part ofraising the skill levels of their students and of making learningmore meaningful and more realistic. Staff development must beavailable for all educators in the system. and the elementaryand middle-school staffs must be included in the staff develop-ment plan. if there is more than one district serving the K-12student population, there must be a strategy for the articula-tion of all aspects of the curriculum and for the accountabilityfor student learning.
1 1. Ensure that the vision of curriculum integration involvesstudents entering postsecondary institutions. Collaborationmust be taking place with other educational entities. The boardshould encourage other institutions to adopt the vision ofcurriculum integration.
5 r"
Step Five
Survey stakeholdersregarding their
assessment of theskill preparation of
the district'sstudents.
45
k4",24-4,0.totte,
46
Steps for a School District to TakeEstablishing a Framework for Action
School boards are responsible for ensuring that a districtstructure exists which supports the wide range of districtactivities needed to achieve the district's vision. It is the role ofthe superintendent to recommend to the board the needs of thedistrict and to be certain that those recommendations supportthe board's objectives. It is the board's responsibility to makedecisions in the best interest of students and, thus, they areresponsible for setting the policies of the district arid overseeingdistrict operations. Most importantly, they are to evaluate theresults of the efforts of the superintendent and staff on behalfof students and must monitor the results of student learning todetermine that students possess the skills, knowledge andattitudes which reflect the board's vision.
Neither the daily operations of the district nor the implementa-tion of the board's policy are the board's direct responsibility.The superintendent and the staff have the responsibility ofimplementing the board's vision and objectives. The board isresponsible for adopting the policies. procedures, resources andevaluation tools which will become the operating structure ofthe district.
It is the responsibility of the board to ensure that a districtstructure exists which supports curriculum integration. Areaswhich impact the structure of the district include selection ofthe superintendent, policies, adoption of the curriculum.resource allocation, collective bargaining agreements, andcreation of a climate for excellence.
Employing/ Directing the Supernitention
One of the most important tasks that the board undertakes isthe selection and/or direction of the superintendent. It iscritical that the board's chief executive officer has a compatiblephilosophy with the board, understands the board's direction inits quest. to integrate the curriculum, and has the organiza-tional and human skills necessary to bring about the change. Itis the board's role to clearly define the expectations for theschool district, to work with the superintendent to assure thatthose expectations are clearly understood, to allocate theresources necessary to support the accomplishments or thoseexpectations, and to evaluate the superintendent on the successof the organization in meeting 1 hose expectations.
5 C
What.Bords Nccd To Do:
1. Be certain that the superintendent understands the district'svision and that he/she is committed to carrying out the visionof curriculum integration. The board may need to provide ibrstaff development activities for the superintendent to assisthim/her in gaining sufficient knowledge of curriculum integra-tion to support the vision.
2. Ensure that the superintendent has the resources and theorganizational structure that he/she needs to implement a planto bring about integration to the district. This may mean thatthe board may have to approve different organizational staffingpatterns, add staff allocate resources differentl y. approveschedule changes. revise or develop new policies, or attend toother items which encourage integration within the district.
3. Ensure that the structure of the district allows for changerather than prevents it. The board may need to support thesuperintendent as he/she works to modify the district structureto allow for any changes which will facilitate curriculumintegratkm.
Governing Through Policy
It is through its policies that the board most directly impactsthe curriculum and instructional program. Board policies drivethe philosophy of the school district, set the expectation of howall students are to be served, define the curriculum, specify thegraduation requirements. denote student achievement criteriaand reporting of students' progress to parents. define promo-tion and retention practices, define material and equipmentadoption procedures and define the student assessment andaccountability system. As the board seeks to influence thedirection of the district in the implementation of an integratedacademic and vocational curriculum, it must promote its intentthrough the adoption of the district's policies. The board mustmake known its intent that academic rigor will be retained forall students and that there is value in each student having hadexposure to an integrated curriculum.
r
Step Ftve wit40414,
The boardmay need to
provide for staffdevelopment
activities for thesuperintendent toassist him/her ingaining sufficient
knowledge ofcurriculum
integration tosupport the
board's vision.
47
Steps for 9 School District to Take
Call CSBA forsample policieswhich supportacademic and
vocationalintegration!
48
What )3oards Need Tool
1. Confirm that the existing policies are consistent with thelong-term vision of academic and vocational integration. Thismay mean that the board will initiate a review of the districtpolicies.
2. Approve policies, as needed, to support integration. Policiesmay be needed to modify the organizational structure, staffing,academic requirements. scheduling, curriculum development,student evaluation or other issues related to integration.
Adopting the Curriculum
Once the board has established the direction for the district bysetting a long-range vision, it is critical that it adopts a curricu-lum which reflects that vision. If the board has determinedthat curriculum integration is vital in order to enhanceachievement for all students. every aspect of the adoptedcurriculum must reflect that decision.
The curriculum the board adopts must provide increasedacademic rigor for all students and enable all students to seethe relevance of what they are studying. When the boardapproves individual classes, instructional materials and gradua-tion requirements. it must evaluate whether the action mightinadvertently perpetuate decreased rigor for some students orisolated learning for others. The board should considerwhether its curriculum reflects two tracks of education(college-bound and non-college-bound) or three (college-bound. non-college-bound, and general). If so, the boardshould modify its decisions so it is clear it wants all students tobe provided with rigorous learning and have the support andtime necessary to master the material. Board decisions shouldreflect the desire for all students to have their learning pre-sented in a way which makes it clear how they can apply itthroughout their lives and their life's work.
WhaIa'rdNeed to bo:
1. Approve courses which are rigorous and which explain therelevance of the material being presented.
2. Approve courses which provide a solid grounding in thebasics but help students understand what to do with informa-tion they have in a way 1 hey see as related to real life.
3. Approve instructional materials which are rigorous and whichhelp students see the relevance of what they are studying.
4. Approve graduation requirements which include exposureto Possible ways students might apply their knowledge andskills during their life's work.
5. Ilave the district monitor student attendance and retentionto ensure the district is doing everything possible to keepstudents engaged in coursework.
6. Have the district monitor student achievement to ensure allstudents are receiving a rigorous course or study
7. Explore ways to provide additional means of ensuringstudents' success in completing the rigorous but relevantcoursework.
Allocatilw Resources
The allocation of resources sends a very clear message aboutwhere the board's priorities are placed. Resources go beyondmoney. Resources also include time. staff. space. and materials.The board sends a message to its stakeholders not so much bywhat it says, but by what it does. As the board establishes theintegration of academic and vocational curricula as a prioritythe superintendent, with input from staff, should present aplan to the board on the strategies which will be employed tobring the plan to fruition and the resources which will beneeded to make curriculum integration a reality Resourcesmay be directed toward curriculum development, textbook ormaterials acquisition. hardware software acquisition.professional development, facility modification, or requests toalign staff duties differently. In presenting the request forresources, the superintendent should designate whether theseare one-time or ongoing expenses.
'l'he allocation of resources is part of the comprehensiveimplementation plan which also includes the evaluation of thesuccess of the effort and the change in student skills, knowl-edge or plans for the future. The board must recogniyx that theneed for resources to support curriculum integration mayrecur over several years. It is critical to understand the long-range need for resources and to commit, at the outset, theresources to sustain the initiative. The allocation of resources isnot an isolated activity. It should be part of the long- and short-range planiting process of the district. The allocation of resources
5 9
I -07-fStep Five ,Lltzfl_
A
A
The curriculumthe board adopts
must provideincreased academicrigor for all students
and enable allstudents to seethe relevance ofwhat they are
studying.
49
Steps for a School
Ensure that thedistrict's visionof curriculumintegration is
reflected in thebudget development
and adoptionprocess.
50
District to Take
should support the board's priority of the integration of academicand vocational curricula.
What Boards Need TO Do:
1. Re-examine the objectives and priorities which will guidethe development of the budget and the allocation of all re-sources. Ensure that the district's vision of integration isreflected in the budget development and adoption process.Ensure that all resources (time, staff, space. materials, money)are used wisely and in a cost-effective manner to ensure theimplementation of an integrated curriculum and to increasestudent achievement.
2. Encourage the superintendent to review and report all keypolicies, issues and concerns regarding curriculum integrationraised by the board or community. Ensure that the resourceallocation process supports the superintendent's efforts toanswer concerns and to meet the board's expectations.-
3. Approve and monitor a budget which helps achieveintegration.
Adopting Collective Bargaining Agreements
Collective bargaining contracts approved by the board can havea dramatic effect on how the integration of academic andvocational curricula is implemented. Contracts have the impactof law. They may be a major enabler or inhibitor in this initia-tive. For example, provisions related to the school day andhours of employment can present the opportunity for collabo-ration with peers or it can restrict the ability to generatecollaborative working relationships. As the board considerscontract language with its teaching staff, provisions such asthe tbllowing may assist the board in its goal to increase aca-demic rigor and relevance: flexibility of class size, prescriptivesite-based decision-making procedures, or other articles whichwill enhance or incorporate the flexibility to make the curricu-lar and procedural changes necessary to implement anintegrated curriculum.
What Boards Need To Do:
Work closely with the superintendent to examine the con-tracts and identify enabling language or constraints which will
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assist or block the attempts to integrate. These issues mayinclude faculty assignments, class size, teacher transfer, teacherwork day, extra duty assignments. teacher planning periodsand number of content preparations.
2. Develop parameters fbr the district's chief negotiator whichwill support the board's vision of curriculum integration.
Creatitzg a Cliinate For Excellence
Every action or inaction of the board sends messages to thestaff, parents, students and the community about what isvalued and important in the district. If the board is sincerelycommitted to the priority of the integration of academic andvocational curricula, then it must be consistent in its effortsand messages which support that implementation. The boardshould consider the following actions when it moves to create apriority of curriculum integration and to support the imple-mentation plan for curriculum integration.
What Boards Need To Do:
Confirm that a planning process, planning team and atimeline exist to develop the district's implementation plan.There should be some degree of flexibility within the plan toallow for unforeseen changes.
2. Explore whether an environment of openness and trustexists within the school district fbr administrators and staff toattempt different strategies and to take risks as they learn aboutintegration. The board needs to create a climate where creativ-ity and invention, as well as risk taking. within bounds, areencouraged and valued.
3. Create a climate where staff are allowed to experimentand attempt new combinations of curricula, instructionaldelivery patterns. staffing patterns. use of materials,assessment systems and all other components of the newinstructional format without fear of being judged a failure orpenalized for taking risks.
4. Let it be known that a top priority is the integration ofacademic and vocational curricula. Make this a regular part ofthe board agenda. Make this a top objective of the district andpart of the superintendent's evaluation.
6 1
Step Five Iiii;9117-f.
Make integration aregular part of the
board agenda.
51
Steps for a School
Each board member,the board
collectively, andthe superintendent
should askperiodically,
"What messagesare my/our
actions sendingabout our priority
of curriculumintegration?"
52
District to Take
5. Periodically review the resource allocations to ensure thatthey are focused on the priority of curriculum integration.
6. Recognize those in the district who are contributing to theeffort of integration. This may be done by a simple report of aclassroom lesson that has been observed, by sending a personalnote to a staff member or by visiting classrooms where teach-ers are known to be working diligently on the integration ofacademic and VD at km a 1 content.
7. Use local coimnunity groups (e.g., service clubs, chambersof commerce. PTA. city government) to inform the communityabout the board's thrust and give examples of what is happen-ing in the schools and with business and labor organizations.
8. Have a media strategy developed that could include havingthe superintendent or board president write a guest editorial orhighlight innovative programs for the local newspaper.
9. Support the attendance of board, administrators, teachers.and guidance staff at conferences where curriculum integra-tion is a key topic. Encourage the staff and the board membersto be presenters at conferences where the topic is curriculumintegration.
10. Make it a point to let state and national policymakers knowof the interest and the priorities of curriculum integration forthe district. Be specific about how they can support your effortsin the political arenas.
11. Recognize that lasting change. done well, takes time.
12. Recognize that it is important to build the capacity of thedistrict to support the change to an integrated curriculum.Capacity-building is accomplished bv establishing priorities. bysupporting the long-range implementation plan, by providingresources to carry out the desired changes in the district, andby setting accountability expectations which are consistentwith the board priorities.
Every action by the board and superintendent must be reviewedfor the consistency of its messages and for how it moves for-ward the major priority of the integration of the academic andvocational curricula. Each board member, the board collec-tively. and the superintendent should ask periodically. "Whatmessages are my/our actions sending about our priority ofcurriculum integration:"
6 `1
Ensuring Accountability
Every system needs its checks and balances. The local commu-nity delegates its authority to the board of education, and theboard delegates responsibility for the instructional program tothe superintendent and staff. One of the major roles of theboard is the establishment of accountability standards forstudent performance and the monitoring of those standards toensure the educational health of the district. If the board hascarefully described the conditions which it wants under anintegrated curriculum and the desired student skills and knowl-edge to be obtained as a result, then an assessment system canbe developed which will provide information on the attainmentof those skills and knowledge, indicating whether or not theboard's priorities have been met.
In establishing accountability standards the boarJ can ask fordata on:
The number of students who are enrolled in areas whichare working on curriculum integration or which areintegrated.
The types of curriculum integration which are currentlyunderway in the district.
The grade levels and courses in which curriculum integra-tion is taking place.
The effects of the integrated curriculum and real-lifeapplication to improved student achievement.
Teacher. student and parent perceptions about the effects ofintegration on student learning.
The number of employers and employee associationsinvolved in the integrated programs and the types ofinvolvement.
'l'he number of students who are completing courses indesignated career paths.
Tlw number of students who are pursuing advancedcourses at institutions of higher education during their highschool career and after high school graduation.
6 3
Step Five
Articulate tothe parents,
business/labor, andthe community
at large thedifference in student
performancesince the
implementationof curriculumintegration.
53
Steps for a School District to TakeThe perceptions of students after high school graduationregarding the effectiveness of the integrated curriculum andthe requirement for career awareness and planning in thepublic schools.
Information on the number of students who are working orcontinuing their education in career paths they explored inhigh school.
In addition to program accountability, the board must overseethe fiscal side of the district. The board is responsible for ensur-ing that its fiscal decisions support its curriculum integrationefforts and that those decisions result in a cost-efficient andcost-effective system.
The board must oversee personnel accountability as well. Theboard directly oversees and evaluates the superintendent. Theobjectives of the superintendent must match the district's visionand the evaluation of the superintendent should be directlylinked to the board's objectives for the district. The superinten-dent is responsible for the performance of all other staff in thedistrict. The board, however, must have assurances that staff istrained in the concepts of curriculum integration and is work-ing to implement the vision which the board has established asa reflection of the community's goals for the schools.
What Boards Need T Do:
1. Request a briefing, at least quarterly, on the status of inte-gration in the district.
2. Articulate to the parents, business/labor, and the communityat large the difference in student performance prior to the imple-mentation of integration and the current student performancewith the new concepts in place. The end goal of the project is toinform parents and employers how prepared the graduates areibr the next level of work or academic preparation.
3. Confirm that substantial changes are taking place in thecurriculum and in the instructional program in the classrooms.Ask for regular reports on student progress to confirm that thechanges are making a significant diarence in student perfor-mance. (To do this. the superintendent will need to establishbaseline data prior to the inception of the plan to integrateacademic and vocational curricula.)
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4. The board must be open to a re-examination of its policiesand priorities once the implementation plan is underway. Newinformation may surface which indicates additional policies areneeded or that :lolicies must be modified to meet the changingconditions of the classroom or the unintended consequences ofintegrating the curriculum.
5. Monitor the changes in the K-12 classrooms. Do not con-centrate exclusively on the high school. This is a systemicreform of philosophy and of instructional delivery.
6. Monitor the articulation of the curriculum from grades Kthrough 12. Changes should not be simply taking place inindividual schools. The efforts of the district must be linked toensure that there is a seamless curriculum and a linkage oflearning from kindergarten through grade 12 and beyond.
7. Monitor the efforts of the school district, business, labor.and institutions of higher education to collaborate in an effortto provide a comprehensive integrated academic and vocationaleducation for students.
8. At least once per year, monitor the following aspects of thecurricular integration:
What percentage of students have benefited fromcurriculum integration:What percentage of staff members are, or have been,involved in the development of integrated lessons?What evidence of student attainment of higher standards iscurrently available:What is the current status of the implementation plan? Isthe plan on course:
9. Monitor the fiscal aspects of integration by asking for infor-mation on the following:
What resources have been allocated to promote curriculumintegration?Are the resources being used in a cost-effective and cost-efficient manner:What evidence is there that the resources allocated arebringing the district closer to an integrated program:
Step Five otwzi.t
Educateall parents, English
and non-Englishspeaking, about
the district's visioncurriculumintegration.
55
56
Steps for a School District to Take10. Monitor the personnel aspects of the implementation byasking the following:
Is the implementation of the integrated curriculum a majorpart of the superintendent's evaluation:What is the superintendent's opinion of the managementteam's ability to promote and achieve integrationdistrictwide:Is the integration of the academic and vocational curriculaa part of the annual objectives and evaluation of the teach-ing and administrative staff:What support does the board need to provide in the area ofperaonnel to assist the superintendent in achieving theobjectives:What evidence is there to show that staff developmentprograms are making a difference in assisting staff with theimplementation of an integrated curriculum:Has the board recognized the efforts of key staff memberswho are leading the way in the integration effort?
Becoming Community Leaders for Children,Public Education and an Integrated Curriculum
One of the strongest and most important parts of being a boardmember is the role each plays in becoming community leaderswho advocate for children. [Or public education and for theconcept of the integrated curriculum. For the school board."advocacy" means devehTing a dear message and then acting toinfluence the beluivior of Others in support of public schoolchildrenand the issues IvIlich (Oct them.
Board members have been selected by the voters of the commu-nity to represent them in decisions about the children in thecommunity. It is critical that the board uses its position toinform the community, business and governmental leadersabout the conditions and needs of students in the community.what the district is doing to respond to those needs, legislationwhich has the potential of helping or harming students. thepurposes of an integrated curriculum, and the effect the boarddesires it to have en the increased achievement of students andthe decisions that .;tudents make about the careers for whichthey are preparing.
6
What Boards Need To Do:
Within the District:
Stress with the superintendent, management team and staffthe importance of their commitment, leadership and involve-ment in promoting an integrated curriculum.
2. Continually support the commitment and involvement ofstaff members as they work to achieve curriculum integration.Board actions might include individual comments of apprecia-tion to a specific teacher, promoting curriculum integration inthe employee association newsletter, participating in a schoolevent which highlights curriculum integration, attending aconference focused on curriculum integration with districtstaff, and recognizing integrated curriculum at the board table.
3. Advocate for a strong professional development programwhich promotes the implementation of curriculum integration.Help parents and the business community understand thepurpose for the staff development days.
4. Support appropriate changes in the collective bargainingagreements. Oppose changes which may be barriers tocurriculum integration.
5. Advocate for a K-12 approach to academic and vocationalintegration.
6. Promote the development of an advocacy plan for thedistrict which involves the board, superintendent, and otherkey staff in the promotion of the concepts of curriculumintegration.
7. Ensure that the district's advocacy effort is coordinatedthrough the board president and the superintendent.
Externally:
8. Educate parents and the community at large about the board'svision for curriculum integration. This should he done on acontinuing basis. One district developed a video for use atparent and community meetings as well as for public serviceannouncements.
67
IStep Five
Participate ina school event
which highlightscurriculumintegration.
57
Increasing Rigor and Relevance
Have a videothveloped
on curriculumintegration for use
at parent andcommunity meetings
as well asfor public serviceannouncements.
58
9. Ensure that parents are represented on curriculum develop-ment teams. advisory committees and school review teams.Have the district develop commuMcations for parents about thechanges taking place in the schools. Ensure that the district hasschool and class open houses where parents can see students'work and talk to students about the projects which thq com-plete. Encourage the district to hold learning fairs and to uselocal cable television programs to showcase student work.
10. Promote the program with the employer community andemployee associations as well as with community-based organi-zations which can assist the district's efforts (such as thePrivate Industry Council or the Chamber of Commerce).
11. Encourage the development of a district media plan as partof the implementation plan. The media plan should includeregular contact with the print and visual media. Consider guesteditorials, use of local cable television, letters to the editor.photo opportunities. etc.
1 2. Work with employers to gain their support for revisedhiring requirements. Specifically, ask employers to value thetraining students have had in the integrated classrooms and ona work site. Ask employers to use the interviewing techniquesstressed in the program and include questions on the jobapplication which are part of the curriculum. Employers areasked to stress grade point averages, attendance records andspecific types of courses taken which reflect the integratedcurriculum. Moreover, students should be requested to bring inportfolios of work, certificates of mastery and/or other assess-ment data which will provide a testimony of their competence.
1 3. Urge the involvement of postsecondary education agencies.Work with local community college trustees, postsecondaryboards, or the leadership of other agencies to emphasize theneed for collaboration and articulation.
14. Build coalitions with business, labor, community groups.parents and other educational institutions. Speak from theposition of the board about its vision for curriculum integra-tion. the change process that is necessary and the promise ofimproved student achievement which will come from the newfocus for the school district.
68
The School Board Connection -4-14041
Measuring Our Success
Essential School BoardLeadership
6 9 59
-k,t Increasing Rigor and Relevance
the curriculum...will bericher in content, more
challenging foi all studentsand more relevant in its
application to careers andcurrent and future life
experiences.
70
The School Board Connection
Measuring Our Success
There are several desirable benchmarks which boards can monitorto ensure the district is achieving curriculum integration success-fully and effectively. These benchmarks include the following:
1. There is an utukTstanding of the purpose aml promise of anintegrated curriculum (111(1 an (leCeptallee Of the strategy as a meansof improving aaidemic rigor (111(1 helping students see the relevanceof their studies to their present and flaure
The mission of the integrated curriculum is clear.Board policies exist which support curriculum integrationand which reflect the district's vision and commitment.
2. There is an orderly plan for the bnplementation of the conceptand for the evaluation of the progress of the plan.
The plan will include major activities in a planned sequence:timelines: roles and responsibilities: resources: professionaldevelopment activities: advocacy responsibilities: and part-nerships with business and labor, the communit y. andpostsecondary institutions.The plan will identify key checkpoints where the board willbe able to monitor the progress of implementation. make ajudgment about the success of the plan and what modifica-tions, it' any. are needed.
3. The staff members of a school and district are working togetherjoint planning time for teachers is provided.The academic content of vocationally oriented courses hasbeen strengthened.There is a stronger applied learning focus for academiccourses.The new integrated curriculum applies academic knowledgeand skills in a work context.Interdisciplinary student projects have been developed.
4. Assessnwnts of student performance reflect tlw rigorous stan-dards of academic and vocational/technical integration and indicatethat students are achieving higher academic skills at a greater rateof success.
Career competencies and skills have been updated.There is a variety of methods in place for demonstratingstudent performance. Many of these methods reflect theactual work of students such as portfolio assessment,student projects. etc.Student performance indicators demonstrate that all stu-dents are achieving higher academic standards.
71 61
Increasing Rigor and Relevance
School boards can forge a majorchange in the delivery of
instruction to students thatbrings meaning to learning,
challenges studentsacademically, maximizes
comprehension and retention,and prepares students for the
careers of the future.
1The School Board Conrection 3'&44
Essential School Board Leadership
The promise of the integration of academic and vocational cur-ricula is that it will promote one strong education system for allstudents. The improvement of both academic and technical prepara-tion for all students in the district is the goal of the integratedcurriculum. It is critIcal to emphasize to the educators in the dis-trict. to institutions of higher education and to the community thatteachers will emphasize rigorous academic standards in everycourse. AU students will have exposure to the curriculum developedand implemented at the local and suite level. The expectation is thatthe curriculum will be richer in content. more challenging for allstudents and more relevant in its application to careers and currentlife experiences. The study of subject matter will be conducted inan integrated and meaningful manner. The introduction to theworkl of work will be promoted at an early age. Career awarenessand planning will be integrated into all curricula. Students will beexposed to the concept of lifelong learning and will begin to learnof the various options available to them. Students will be introducedto a broad career path which will expose them to all aspects of amajor industry or profession. Students will see how the skills theyare acquiring will be able to be applied in a variety of ways through-out their life's work. Learning will take place in a number ofsettings including school, the commun4 with business and labororganizations, through technological sources and in institutionsof higher education.
There is no one model for the integration of the academic andvocational curricula. District boards of education, administrators.teaching and support staff. parents and community leaders mustdefine the needs of the community and develop an implementa-tion plan which best serves the students. There are models andresources available wh!ch will assist in developmental activities.
The bOard and superintendent play a key role in the developmentof the vision and priorities of the district and in sending consistentmessages about the importance of academic and vocationalintegration to all the stakeholders in the district. It is through theboard's ri ionty. the superintendent's planning and staff's leader-ship that major change can take place in a district. As a team.they can forge a major change in the delivery of instruction tostudents that brings meaning to learning, challenges studentsacademically maximizes comprehension and retention, andprepares students for the careers of the future.
7363
t--'s'aik-s Increasing Rigor and Relevance
Too many young people are receiving anunfocused general education which
relates to nothing, leads to nothing, andprepares for nothing. Unfocused
learning remains one of the primebarriers to achieving excellence.
--Dale Parnell, -
The Neglected MajorityThe Community College Press, 1985
The School Board Connection
Glossary of Terms
75
q4#
65
Increasing Rigor and Relevance:The School Board Connection
ACCOUNTABILITY. Taking accountof the actions one commits on behalfof students. This will include thedevelopment of curriculum, the in-structional program. the allocation ofresources, the organization of thestructure of the district. etc. Thepurpose of developing an account-ability system is to provide a means ofdetermining if the actions taken areconsistent with the vision and goalsof the district and if they result inincreased student learning. It alsohelps in the determination of the costefficiency and cost effectiveness ofany effiwt.
ADVOCACY. The actions taken byan indivitlual or gnmp to influenceothers on behalf of the efforts of theschool district. These include develop-ing a clear message and then actingto influence the behavior of others insupport of public schoolchildren andthe issues affecting them.
ALL ASPECTS OF THE INDUSTRY.A broad career focus beyond that ofan occupation. As students study "allaspects or the industry- in the "builtenvironment they may study allfacets or knowledge surnmnding anenvironment which has been built byhumans. including the organizationalstructure of cities, economics. humanresource usage. the hierarch or jobsin the built environment, the history.sociohigy and geography of the builtenvironment, safety and enviromnen-tal issues, the interaction withgoverninent. etc.
66
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
APPLIED ACADEMICS. The appli-catkm or a single course or contentarea to the world of work.
ASSESSMENT. Any systematic basisfor making inferences about astudent's learning progress. Thepurpose of assessment is to providetimely and meaningful kedback onthe performance or a st udent orgroup of students to givedecisionmakers information aboutthe progress of students with regardto the instructional program.
ARTICULATION. Ensuring that thecurriculum and the instructionalinethodology are consistent andconnected through all the gradesin a school district. The curriculumof each grade and the activitiesin which students engage shoulddevelop skills, knowledge orbehaviors which will lead them suc-cessfully to the next grade level.
AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT. Anassessment that engages students inproducing knowledge or completing atask which closely represents whatthey are likely to face as everydayworkers and/or citizens. The assess-ment must closely connect in someway to real situations and problclus.It may take the loon or a perf(w-mance test, a set of observations, aseries of open-ended questions. tinexhibition. an interview or a portfolioof %%ork.
CAREER/PARTNERSH1PACADEMY. This may be a school ora school-within-a-sdwol which isdedicated to a particular theme orcourse of study and which is directlylinked to the related business/labororganizations within the community.Students may take part of theircourse of study at the school sitewhere learning is developed aroundthe career theme. Other parts of theireducation may take place in the com-munity and on ihe job.
COMMON CORE CURRICULUM.The essential skills. competencies andknowledge expected to be possessedby all students at the conclusion ofan individual grade. a cluster ofgrades or upon graduation.
CONTEXTUALIZED LEARNING.The process of learning or applyingthe skills. competencies or knowledgelearned in a lifelike setting.
7c
COURSE SEQUENCES. A series ofcourses which are linked by a com-mon theme or outcome and whichbecome progressively more rigorousas the student moves through thesequence.
CROSS CURRICULUM. The conceptthat a theme or concept will bc car-ried from (me curricular content areato another and I hat the thenw will beextended. reinforced or enhanced ineach content area.
CURRICULUM. What is intention-ally taught to students in the district.school or classroom: the guides.hooks and materials that teachers usein teacIting students. The elements ofcurriculum are sequence (the order-ing of the learning experiences).continuity (the length of such experi-ences). scope uhe range of learningexperiences to be offered). balance(the degree and number of topics.subjects and learning experiences).and the assessments (the measure-ment of achievement which resultsft-con the learning experience).
(TRRICULUM AIA(;NMENT. Thesequence of learning from grade tograde or throughout the grades: thematching of all the elements of theinstructional program with the goalsof the curriculum (e.g.. outcomes.materials, resources. prokssionaldevelopment. assessments).
EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS. Skillsthat enhance a pers( in's job market-ability such as completing forms.developing a resume, preparing for ajob interview and analyzing a jobmarket: this can also be expanded toinclude the types of job preparationnecessary to compete successfully forjobs in a particular trade or industry.
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT.Those individuals or Inrces outsidethe scope and jurisdictkm of theboard and district which have influ-ence on the district (e.g.. parents.business leaders. giwernniental ofli-ciais and voters.)
HORIZONTAL COORDIN:VHON.The ct»irdinat km which Occurs be-tween cimrses when academic andviicational teachers collaborate orengage in "parallel teaching.-
INTEGRATION. A coordinated in-structional system of enhancedacademic and technical education.This system prom; ites an understand-ing and application of knowledge andskills thut ptepares all students forlifelong learning and success in theirlife's work.
JOINT PLANNING PERIODS.Common planning periods for groupsof teachers who are working on inte-grating the academic and vocationalcurriculum. When teachers have thecapacity to work collabciratively onplanning. curriculinn developinent.delivery of instruction, support forstudents and assessmun of studentperformance. there is opportunity fora greater degree of success in studentlearning.
LEVERAGE POINTS. Those actionsattributed to boards of educationbecause of their legal or posit kmalstatus in a school district. Includedare: setting the vision for the district:establishing the framework for actionthrough the entployment of the su-lwrintendent. policies, adopting thecurriculum. allocating resources.adOpting collective bargaining agree-ments: creating a climate fin-excellence: ensuring accountability:advocating for children. public educa-tion. specific educational issues, andinitiatives and legislative efforts.
LIFELONG LEARNING. Theconcept that learning does not endwhen one completes a formal pro-gram or obtains a diploma. certificateor degree. The adult of today canexpect to learn and relearn throughOne's lifetime.
7
C74;Glossary of Terms .7
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT.A form of assessment other thanstandardized tests. commercial tests.worksheets or texthmk questions.This is also known as "authenticassessment.- It refers to a form ofperformance assessment which re-quires the student to generateinformation or complete a taskrather than chinise from multiple-choice anstvers.
PORTFOLIO. A record of studentlearning. containing several samplesof student work assembled in a pur-poseful manner: often includes thestudent's personal reflection on thatwork.
SENIOR PROJECT. An alternative orsupplement to a formal restructuringof courses of programs to integrateacademic and vocational education.The curriculum is structured aroundthe senior project rather than aroundcourses and course sequences. Thegoal of the seni(1r project usually is todevelop skills in independent work.problem solving and presenting theresuits and findings to others. Theproject integrates knowledge andskills learned in both academic andv()cational courses.
SCHOOL-WITHIN-A-SCHOOL.Typically. these are smaller, special-ized units of teachers and studentswithin a larger. comprehensive high
*I'eachers are gr(Mped to-gether and mat. come Irion a varietyof content areas (e.g.. English. math,soc) al studies. science and vocationalspecialties). The group of teachersslay with a group of students for aseries of courses and over ti series ofyears. Cienerally, the school-within-a-school is based upim a career theme(e.g.. health, business. technology.etc.), and the curriculum alignscourses witn each other and to acareer ficus.
Glossary of TermsTECH-PREP. Courses at the highschool level which are designed to besequential with t hose at t he COMM-nity college level. Students begin anintegrated academic and vocationalprogram of si.udy as early as 9111grade. Courses taken during the 1 1thand 121 h grades are prerequisites foran established program at the com-munity college level.
VISION. An ideal description of itschool district developed by theb(tard to serve as a -road map- forthe development or the district'sobjectives, activities and the alloca-tion of resources.
VERTICAL COORDINATION.The sequencing of courses over anumber of grade spans and contentareas to achieve an integratedprogram of study.
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VCSBAWorks
Califoroia School Boards Association3 I Oti Beacon Boulevard
West Sacramento. California 95691
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