Artifact 47 -Program participation in school improvement

The Computer Information Systems Program works with each and every department at the Lee County Career Center to try to increase knowledge about the schools programs and to help increase enrollment.   It is my goal as the instructor for the Computer Information Systems program to work with each student to be a completer in the business education department. I personally work with my students to check to see what courses they have or need to take to be a completer in other vocational courses. A Career and Technical education completer is one who has completed a CTE program and also enrolled in an academic course, for which Standards of Learning end-of-course test are required, will attain a passing score on the Standards of Learning end-of-course test.

With the Business Education Completers it is my goal as an instructor that a minimum of 90% of completers become Industry Certified.  I am pleased to say that most students do attain their industry certification and that all students complete at least a minimum of 80% of their course competencies. Many of these students are already dual credit students and move on to further education or employment after graduation.

With the improvements of the Carl Perkins funding, all career and technical students have the opportunity to become industry certified. The funding for industry certifications has improved the Career and Technical Programs in many ways. Students understand that with the completion of a career and technical course they have the opportunity to get an industry certification at no cost. The industry certification process of the Career & Technical Center has targeted many students who may not attend college, but who have a desire to have an industry certification and upon receiving the certification be able to go out into the workforce.

The Computer Information Systems program also helps with the non-traditional aspects of career and technical education.  The business education department is not a non-traditional course as other career courses are. However, within the computer information systems program, we are seeing more male students enroll and compete in Future Business Leaders of America. Many of my female students get so involved with the course curriculum of the computer information systems program that they later enroll in Computer Repair class. Recently I had a student enroll in Auto Mechanics to be able to work with automotive technology.  In the last three years our non-traditional completion rate at the Career & Technical Center has increased. In 2005-2006 we saw a 20.16%, in 2006-2007 a 26.04%.  The total (combined) enrollment rates in our division for nontraditional career preparations have increased from 26.20% in 2005-2006 to 31.14% in 2007-2008.   

 Attached you will see one of the Career & Technical Center Annual Improvement Reports.