The Center on Great Teachers & Leaders has just published a brief that looks at state policies in Michigan, Missouri, New York, Washington, and Wisconsin for awarding academic credit for CTE classes.  The brief talks about how these states have addressed barriers related to Highly Qualified Teacher status.

Download the brief here (PDF).

A quick and easy to understand explanation of career pathways from CLASP
(Center for Law and Social Policy).

http://www.clasp.org/issues/postsecondary/pages/career-pathways-explained

Please consider spending 10 minutes to complete the CTE Common Definitions Survey this week!

The Alaska Career & Technical Education (CTE) plan seeks to “develop a CTE system for Alaskan learners that is inclusive, comprehensive and accessible” (Alaska CTE Plan, 2010). Educators, business and community partners are working together to implement this vision and create a CTE system in Alaska. Having common CTE definitions can assist in the conversations and work involved with the implementation.

Multiple stakeholders have contributed to the recommended CTE definitions for Alaska and now we are requesting additional feedback from secondary, postsecondary, business and industry stakeholders. Please consider spending 10 minutes to complete the CTE Common Definitions Survey. The data collected from this survey will be referenced in determining common CTE definitions for the State of Alaska or to determine if different definitions are needed. This survey is anonymous and although direct quotes may be used, they will not be attributed to a specific individual. 

After analyzing the survey responses, we will post the CTE Definitions document on the CTE Plan website (www.alaskacteplan.com). 

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to CTE in Alaska!

By the Galena Hawk Highlights staff 
Reprinted here with permission from The Hawk Highlights, Galena, Alaska

When a construction worker fell off the Ptarmigan Hall roof on Wednesday evening, the first medical responder on the scene was GILA senior Emmie Ellis. Emmie became a state certified emergency trauma technician in 2013 following her training in GILA’s health sciences program. When the construction worker tumbled 35 feet to the ground after slipping on a rain-slick rooftop, Emmie was meeting with residence hall dean of students Ben Blasco.

“We saw him fall,” she said. After calling 911, she and Mr. Blasco ran outside. “He looked like he had partially fallen onto the concrete.” Emmie’s emergency medical training kicked in. “He was obviously distraught,” Emmie said. The 17-year-old from Delta Junction told the construction worker she was an emergency medical technician, and she asked several questions to check his coherence.

Download the entire story here in PDF - or read it online at http://hawkhighlights.com/news/2014/201409-news/student_medical_aid.html.

Is there a CTE program, student, teacher or instructor, administrator, or supporter you want us to highlight? Please download and complete the form below - or ask the appropriate person to do that, then email it to Marcia.Olson@Alaska.Gov, and we'll add it to our Celebrate Success page (http://www.alaskacteplan.com/celebrate-success.html).

Celebrating CTE Success - Share Your Story -  Information Form (fillable PDF)

At its annual business meeting on October 22, 2014, the Alaska Association for Career and Technical Education (Alaska ACTE) adopted the following resolutions:

• Resolution 14-1: In Honor and Memory of Dale Staley's Lifelong Commitment to Alaska CTE
  
• Resolution 14-2: Continued Implemention of Alaska's State CTE Plan
  
• Resolution 14-3: Support for implementation of Alaska's Workforce Development Plans
  
• Resolution 14-4: Options for Including CTE Courses in Meeting Alaska Performance Scholarship Curricular Requirements
  

The resolutions may be downloaded at the following links. Each is a 1-page PDF document.

14-1: Honoring Dale Staley
14-2: CTE Plan
14-3: WFD Plans
14-4: APS

For more information about Alaska ACTE, please visit their website at http://www.actealaska.org/.

These requirements apply to all Limited Type M CTE Certificates first issued after January 1, 2014 (For full text of the Regulations, see 4 AAC 12.372)

For New Applications for a One-Year Limited Type M CTE Certificates

• Industry certification (defined as “a credentialing, licensing, or certification that permits a person to work in the career or technical specialty”) OR four years of fulltime work experience in a trade or vocational area (up to two years of formal training at a trade school, technical institute, or similar institution may be substituted for part of the experience)
  
• Pass a criminal history background check (must submit fingerprint cards with application)
  
• Two letters of recommendation verifying length of experience and competency
  
• Local school board request (Form provided by EED)
  

For Extension of an Initial 1-Year Limited Type M CTE Certificates for Four Additional Years

• Passing scores on basic competency exam in reading, writing, math, which is taken no more than one year after original issue date of certificate (see http://education.alaska.gov/TeacherCertification/praxis.html for tests and qualifying scores)
• School district certification that applicant has demonstrated classroom instruction, curriculum, and assessment skills (Form provided by EED)
  

For Renewal of a 5-year Limited Type M CTE Certificate 

• Satisfactory completion of three semester hours of credit related to the applicant’s employment or a CTE specialty approved by the school district
  
• 135 hours of work experience in the specialty outside of work with students
  
• Evidence of satisfactory teaching performance under the certificate (as verified on the application form)
  
• Local school board request (application form provided by EED)

• Download the Type M requirements in a 1-page PDF here.
  
• Download a sample Type M application form here.
  

For more information, please visit the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development Teacher Certification website - http://education.alaska.gov/TeacherCertification/

-- OR --

Contact the Teacher Certification office – by phone (907) 465-283
or by email to Sondra Meredith, Teacher Certification Administrator, at Sondra.Meredith@Alaska.Gov 

The Daily Sitka Sentinel reports on the expansion of Sitka High School's CTE facilities - a new building, funded by a $2.9 million legislative appropriation, which covers 10,000 square feet and has 24-foot- high ceilings.
Read the entire article here.

The Alaska CTE Plan state agency partners have published a brief status update of the Plan, along with a letter of recommitment from the agency heads - EED Commissioner Mike Hanley, DOLWD Commissioner Dianne Blumer, and UA President Patrick Gamble. The documents are posted on the CTE Plan website at http://www.alaskacteplan.com.

The Alaska Association for Career and Technical Education (Alaska ACTE) named the following CTE award winners at its annual awards luncheon on October 22, 2014. Congratulations to our outstanding CTE colleagues!

This site provides a treasure-trove of information and resources about establishing high-quality work-based learning programs, including a complete toolkit with all the forms, manuals, training, etc. you would need.   Download everything at no charge!

The State Board of Education and Early Development is proposing to adopt regulation changes in Title 4 of the Alaska Administrative Code by amending 4 AAC 06.075 to revise the units of credit required for high school graduation as follows:

• An increase in the units of credit in mathematics from the requirement of two units of credit in mathematics for students graduating on or before June 30, 2017, to three units of credit in mathematics for students graduating from high school on or after July 1, 2017.

You may submit public comment on this proposed regulation by November 3, 2014 at the EED public notice website (https://education.alaska.gov/regs/comment.cfm ).
The comment form is at the very bottom of the page.  Cite 4 AAC 06.075 as the regulation you are commenting on.

The Alaska Association for Career and Technical Education's 27th annual Professional Development Conference begins its three-day run on Monday October 20, 2014 at the Downtown Marriott in Anchorage.  Over 200 participants are expected, including secondary and postsecondary educators as well as business and industry representatives.  View the conference program here. Walk-in registration is available on all days of the conference. For more information, see the registration website at http://www.pdc-ak.com/ or contact Kelly Donnelly at kadonnelly@uaa.alaska.edu.