In Merced, career education is far more than the old ‘vocational’ classes

During my tenure as county superintendent of schools, the most frequently asked questions from members of the community was always around the need for more “vocational classes,” now called Career Technical Education, for students not going on to college.

As a former CTE teacher, I recognize the importance of students leaving high school with a salable skill. Currently, the Merced County Office of Education, in collaboration with the county’s high schools, offers more than 90 CTE classes in 32 programs. These are in addition to the many CTE courses offered by the high schools.

Nearly 80 high school courses are in line with 36 Merced College courses throughout Merced County. Students enrolled in certain CTE classes are allowed to “test” out of some college classes.

CTE programs give students the opportunity to explore careers while using traditional vocational and career programs to elevate academics.

The private sector, educators and legislators agree that CTE programs should be an integral part of a student’s course of study. I want to be clear, I am not advocating for a CTE or an “academic” course of study. Students must have both.

Auto technicians are a example of where both CTE and academic skills are needed. With the complexity of most modern cars, technicians must be able to read repair manuals written on the “14th grade” level or higher. So while technicians must know how repair or install a transmission or exhaust manifold, they must also have high-quality language arts and communication skills.

Many who went to school a few generations ago identify CTE as auto shop, welding or construction; but the landscape has been transformed. Now, CTE includes hospitality and tourism, sports and entertainment marketing, computer coding, robotics, systems analytics, and logistics and warehousing. This variety reflects the diverse job market our students compete in upon graduation.

In the past, the two greatest hurdles in providing these programs were funding and students squeezing CTE courses into a six-period day. My understanding is that a seven-period day for students was accepted district-wide by the teachers.

I applaud the MUHS board and district administration for proposing major changes in how things are done and also the teachers for understanding that not all students will attend or finish college.

Students at El Capitan High School are already on a seven-period day, allowing for more course selection and more time for teachers to collaborate and share instructional strategies. MUHSD teachers teach five periods with one prep period without students. To my knowledge, teaching a five-period day with students attending six has been in place 60 years.

The proposal is revolutionary. Under the proposed plan, teachers could elect to teach six periods and receive a 16 percent increase in salary or continue to teach five periods. The new Local Control Funding Formula provides additional funding for low socio-economic groups and these funds would very appropriately provide additional funding for this proposal.

The proposal is certainly in alignment with the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan. Seventy percent of all high school students in Merced County attend MUHSD high schools and this could serve as a great model for other schools in the county and state.

The California State Board of Education realizes the importance of CTE and is developing a new state accountability system using multiple measures to gauge a district’s success including graduation rates, test scores, school culture and a robust CTE program. Those districts and schools without a robust CTE program could get a lower rating from the state.

Certainly there is a great opportunity to change the system and my hat’s off to the Merced Union High School District’s Board, administration and teachers in their attempt to create more opportunities for students.

This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 12:39 PM with the headline "In Merced, career education is far more than the old ‘vocational’ classes."