ACADEMIC AND CAREERTECHNICAL TRAINING FOR PLACED YOUTH

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ACADEMIC AND CAREER/TECHNICAL TRAINING FOR
PLACED YOUTH

• COUNCIL OF CHIEF JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICERS
• FOCUS ON COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT
• PACTT ALLIANCE 2009

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PA JOINT STATEMENT ON AFTERCARE January 2005

• Identifies competency development as one of key
  focuses of placement and aftercare
• Competency development must include academic and
  career technical training
• Progress in placement must be coupled with
  seamless continuation upon re-entry

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BARRIERS TO ACADEMIC SUCCESS

• Our youth face a number of academic problems
• Significantly behind academically
• Poor work habits, disciplinary issues, long
  periods of truancy
• Undiagnosed learning disabilities
• Lack of continuity and communication between home
  school and facility school

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BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT

• Young people face a number of barriers when they
  try to get or hold onto a job
• No training
• Poor education low reading and math skills
• Little to no experience
• Weak work habits
• High expectations (pay), low opportunities

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EDUCATION REFORMS in PUBLIC EDUCATION

• National focus on accountability
• No Child Left Behind
• Reforms fueled by two crises
• National drop-out rates (close to 50 in
  Philadelphia)
• Schools no longer prepare young people to enter
  the workforce
• The job market is shrinking fast for workers
  without some post-secondary education and/or
  training
• Jobs for even high school graduates do not pay
  family-sustaining wages
• 85-90 of all job growth in past 15 years
  required post secondary education. This trend
  continues into the future.
• THERE IS NO CHOICE BETWEEN EDUCATION AND JOB
  PREPARATION YOUTH MUST DO BOTH

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EDUCATION REFORM

• In PA three pronged approach to increase
  accountability
• PSSA Test plans to implement subject tests
• Graduation rate monitored
• Attendance goals set and monitored
• Schools must attain all three to meet Adequate
  Yearly Progress (AYP)
• Focus on making education relevant to students
• Re-define education to meet needs of 21st century
  economy
• Develop competency and project-based approaches

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EDUCATION REFORM

• WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO EDUCATE TODAYS
  STUDENTS FOR TOMORROWS WORLD IN YESTERDAYS
  SCHOOLS!
• (from Illinois Education to Careers Next
  Generation Education)
• TRUE FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, EVEN MORE TRUE FOR
  OUR RESIDENTIAL FACILITY SCHOOLS
• Residential facility schools must keep pace with
  the increased rigor, accountability and relevance
  expected in public education
• If facility uses public school, need to monitor
  progress of students and advocate for them

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• Juvenile Justice Goals
• Community Protection
• Accountability
• Competency Development

• Competency Development Domains
• Pro-Social
• Moral Reasoning
• Academic
• Workforce Development
• Independent Living

PACTT Special Focus on Academic and Workforce
Development Domains
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NO COUNTY or FACILITY CAN DO IT ALONE THE
PACTT IS BORN

• Allegheny and Philadelphia Probation join to
  create statewide effort to improve academic and
  employment outcomes for placed youth
• PACTT sponsored by Council of Chief Probation
  Officers
• Funded by MacArthur Foundation, PCCD and
  Stoneleigh Center
• Two counties account for over 1/3 of youth placed
  in state (2000 youth per year)
• Pilot efforts with facilities used by Allegheny
  and Philadelphia counties, and Pittsburgh and
  Philadelphia School Districts Majority of youth
  in the Pilot 9 facilities come from either
  Philadelphia or Allegheny County
• Share lessons learned with states facilities and
  school districts

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THE PACTT goals

• Improve academic and career/technical training in
  residential facilities
• Align academic curricula with state standards and
  local graduation requirements
• Expand accelerated programs for credit recovery
• Develop and align CTE curricula with recognized
  industry standards and PDE programs of study

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THE PACTT goals

• Ensure speedy transfer of education records
  between host and home school districts and speedy
  appropriate placement of youth in both settings
• Ensure academic credit approval/transfer and
  recognition of CTE competencies earned in
  placement by home school district

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THE PACTT goals

• Ensure smooth education and CTE continuation
  following placement
• Develop protocol for reintegration to home school
  district
• Develop model approaches in CTE in
  community-based programs

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THE PACTT goals

• Ensure active involvement and collaboration of
  juvenile justice agencies with key state and
  local partners through cross-system Advisory
  Committee
• DPW
• PDE
• Philadelphia and Pittsburgh School Districts
• PCCYFS
• WIB
• Active involvement of facilities in development
  of initiative through committees and feedback
  loop

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PROGRESS TO DATE

• Pilot Nine Facilities
• 2005
• 21 CTE programs (Majority located in 2
  facilities)
• Very few industry-recognized competency lists or
  credentials
• No entry-level certifications
• Some schools not aligned with state academic
  standards
• Few credit recovery programs

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PROGRESS TO DATE

• 2009
• 35 Career/Technical Programs, spread across 9
  facilities
• CTE curricula based on industry-recognized
  competencies
• Entry level certifications are offered at most
  facilities.
• Facilities have adopted or are in the process of
  reviewing academic curriculum to meet PA Academic
  standards
• Computer based programs to assist in credit
  recovery or acceleration have been adopted at
  several facilities.

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PACTT GOALS AT ALL FACILITY SCHOOLSPATHWAY TO
SUCCESS

• PROBATION GOALS, REGARDLESS OF FACILITY SIZE
• Align curricula with state standards
• Standards Aligned Systems www.edportal.ed.state.p
  a.us
• Align curricula with local graduation
  requirements
• Link academics to career possibilities and
  real-life applications develop project-based
  approach
• Award credits based on competencies not seat
  time.
• Ensure rigorous academics to ensure success
• Develop approach to remediation that links to
  credit recovery

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UNIVERSAL STRATEGIES Remediation

• Incorporate literacy into every subject matter
• Link CTE training to academics
• Use software programs to provide individualized
  remediation

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UNIVERSAL STRATEGIES Acceleration

• Acceleration strategies necessary for students
  that are more than a year behind in credits
• Many approaches to accelerate to the appropriate
  level
• Modules developed by Philadelphia School System
• On line courses
• Instructional Software, which allows for credit
  recovery also

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UNIVERSAL STRATEGIES Credit Recovery

• Students discharged with partial credit need the
  opportunity to finish the work
• Coordination with home communities
• Standard documentation
• Use of academic computer programs

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CAREER/TECHNICAL EDUCATION Employability
Skills/Soft Skills

• Soft skills identified by employers as primary
  barrier to job retention
• Communication Skills
• Work ethics
• Problem solving
• Capacity to work in group
• Use uniform reporting format
• Must be infused throughout residential program to
  ensure lessons are internalized

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CAREER/TECHNICAL EDUCATIONTraining for High
Demand/High Employability Occupations

• Examples
• Culinary Arts/Food Service
• Building Trades Indoor/Outdoor Maintenance
• Auto Mechanics
• Computer technology
• Explore ways to use existing facility to build a
  basic CTE program

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CAREER/TECHNICAL EDUCATION Standards-Based
Curriculum Competency Lists

• National Industry Standards Guide All Training
• American Culinary Federation
• Microsoft Office Users Specialists (MOUS)
• National Center for Construction and Education
  and Research (NCCER)
• Programs of Study developed by PDE
• Uniform competency lists and curricula already
  exist
• build toward industry credentials
• number of competencies taught depend on size of
  facility and length of stay

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BASIC CAREER/TECHNICAL
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

• Basic certifications should be available to all
  youth, and are easily taught
• ServSafe
• OSHA-10 - General Industry or Construction
  Certification
• Drivers License or Learners Permit
• CPR
• Integrate Academics with job training
• Provide paid or unpaid work experience
• Link community service with CTE training

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PACTT SUPPORT

• Self assessment forms
• Individualized technical assistance from
  Specialists
• Cross-agency training
• Project-based learning integration of academics
  and CTE
• Entry-level certification training
• Uniform Employability Skills Manual
• Peer networks
• Provider participation on Committees
• Web site

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ACCOUNTABILITY

• Probation plans to collect information about
  progress in 2 possible ways
• New variables in provider-submitted BARJ forms
• New variables in JCMS, at post discharge and case
  closing
• MEASUREMENTS OF VALUE ADDED, such as
• READING and MATH LEVELS
• CREDIT ACCRUAL
• CTE INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED COMPETENCY ACCRUAL
• ENTRY LEVEL CERTIFICATIONS EARNED

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Academic and Career/Technical Training
PROBATION RESPONSIBILITIES

• PREDISPOSITION and DURING PLACEMENT
• Identify youths academic and job/career
  readiness needs and strengths
• Clarify academic and CTE expectations for youth
  during placement
• Facilitate speedy record transfer both ways
• Ensure appropriate CTE training, consistent with
  opportunities in home community

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FUNDING

• PACTT Alliance exploring multiple strategies to
  support funding needs of facilities
• Redistribution of existing funds within
  facilities not requesting more work with less
  money, but for work to be done differently
• Grants and new collaborations DOL, LI, WIBs
• Partnerships with industry and foundations
• Possible support from DPW, PDE

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CONTACTS

• Candace Putter, Director
• Cputter.pactt_at_comcast.net
• 215-490-4549
• David Smith, CTE Specialist Susan Will, Academic
  Specialist
• Dsmith.pactt_at_comcast.net swill.pactt_at_comcast.net
• 267-615-3484
• Marna Goodman, Assistant Director
• Mgoodman.pactt_at_comcast.net
• 267-615-3571