How Do We Ensure Students with Disabilities Benefit as States Focus - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

How Do We Ensure Students with Disabilities Benefit as States Focus on Career Pathways for All Students: Part One

May 2016

This resource was developed collaboratively by the College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center and the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) at American Institutes for Research and by RTI International, with funding support by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service, or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inferred.

• Introductions
• Audience Perspectives
• Overview of Career Pathways
• CCRS Career Pathways Modules

Agenda

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Participants will be able to:

• Discuss what career pathways are and how they can help

students with disabilities (SWD)

• Discuss the people, organizations, and processes

necessary to establish or strengthen career pathways systems

• Identify possible entry points for district and state leaders

wishing to strengthen career pathways systems for SWD

Objectives

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• What do you think of when you think of career pathways?
• What initiatives are you familiar with in your state or

district (if any)?

• How are career pathways important for your students with

disabilities?

Audience Perspectives

• Career Pathways are a coordinated system of programs

and services supporting students in the transition from school to the workforce, and it can be one part of a comprehensive system to support students’ college and career readiness.

• Often defined similarly as programs of study, which are

the series of courses students take in secondary and post- secondary as part of a career pathway.

What Are Career Pathways?

• Career exploration programs and courses in elementary,

middle, and high school

• Articulated series of courses in high school and

postsecondary

• Industry certifications and credentials
• Work-based learning experiences

Common Components of Career Pathways Systems

Career Pathways

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Career Pathways

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Career Pathways

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• Students with disabilities (SWD) have high rate of participation in

CTE, which typically has stronger career pathways

• But, SWD are sometimes seen as exempt from these pathways because

they are too rigorous

• Secondary and postsecondary administrators often focus on

academic success and postsecondary placement for SWD

• But, generally there is less focus on regional workforce needs or

initiatives so opportunities may be misaligned

• Schools struggle to give SWD and their families adequate guidance to

gain marketable skills and choose stable career paths

Career Pathways and Students with Disabilities

CCRS Career Pathways Modules

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• Set of resources that provides SEAs with a process for

designing or strengthening a career pathways system

• Designed to help states and districts connect K-12,

postsecondary, and workforce or volunteer experiences

• Overall goal is to strengthen career pathways systems to

– Improve students’ college and career readiness – Increase youth employment opportunities – Build or strengthen partnerships between education agencies and industry leaders

Career Pathways Modules

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• A guide for facilitators at a State

Education Agency (SEA)

• Includes guide, handouts and

supplementary resources, and PowerPoint Presentation

• Lead SEA through process of designing

and implementing a career pathways system

Designing a Career Pathways System: A Framework for State Education Agencies

Designing a Career Pathways System: A Framework for State Education Agencies

• Chapter 1: Identifying and Engaging Key Stakeholders and

Defining Goals of the Career Pathways System

• Chapter 2: Mapping and Assessing Career Readiness

Policies, Programs, and Industries

• Chapter 3: Designing a Career Pathways System

Framework

• Chapter 4: Planning for Implementation and Continuous

Improvement

Designing a Career Pathways System: A Framework for State Education Agencies

• Involvement of key

stakeholders in design and planning process

• Clarifying roles &

responsibilities

• Build stakeholder knowledge
• Define goals & prioritize career

pathway elements

Chapter 1: Identifying and Engaging Key Stakeholders and Defining Goals of the Career Pathways System

• Handout 1A: Identifying Stakeholders
• Who would you want to be involved in career pathways

work at each level to advocate for and share information relevant to SWD?

Career Pathways Module

• Understand state’s career

pathways landscape

• Mapping inventory of career

readiness policies & programs

• Initiate labor market gap

analysis

Chapter 2: Mapping and Assessing Career Readiness

Policies, Programs, and Industries

• Handout 2B: Labor Market Gap Analysis Template
• What industries and occupations do your programs

serving SWD emphasize? Are they growing or shrinking?

Career Pathways Module

• Complete & review labor

market gap analysis

• Identify experts from target

industries

• Prioritize industry focus &

develop industry-specific pathways system

Chapter 3: Designing a Career Pathways System Framework

• Handout 3D: Career Pathways System Framework
• What work-based opportunities currently exist for SWD?

Postsecondary options?

Career Pathways Module

• Develop comprehensive work

plan & monitor implementation

• Identify short and long-term

metrics

• Engage stakeholders in

reflection on the implementation process

Chapter 4: Planning for Implementation and Continuous Improvement

• Handout 4E: Stakeholder Communication Planning
• What types of messages about SWD being involved in

career pathways would you share? With whom?

Career Pathways Module

Designing a Career Pathways System: A Framework for State Education Agencies

www.ccrscenter.org/technical- assistance-networks/career- pathawys-modules

• Expand career exploration for SWD
• Improve communication about career pathways for SWD

for parents and educators

• Build partnerships with post-secondary institutions to

improve programs for SWD

• Use the Career Pathways Module resources and

processes to establish career pathways that serve SWD in your region

What Next?

• What resonates with you?
• What stage of the work do you think you are ready to do?
• What people or organizations would you want to involve in

this work? In what role?

• What opportunities do you see? What challenges do you

see?

Discussion

Catherine Jacques 202-403-6323 cjacques@air.org College and Career Readiness and Success Center 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW Washington, DC 20007-3835 877-322-8700 gtlcenter@air.org www.gtlcenter.org | www.air.org

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