Challenges:

Enrollment
--every class has a diverse group of students encompassing a full spectrum of races, abilities and challenges.  For example, A/P students work alongside IEP students; college dual-enrollment students work alongside HILT students who cannot yet pass the college English exam at the level required for dual-enrollment, and so take the class for high school credit only.
--very few female students enroll in the program, although one or two every year do enroll and are successful.
--the program serves a significant number of English as a Second Language (ESL) students.
--half of students have been identified as Special Education students and have IEPs

Competencies
--language can be an issue with regards to technical terminology and written curriculum as well as online and audio visual materials.
--the number of competencies is a challenge to cover; for example, Auto II has 128 required NATEF competencies;
  of these we are able to cover about half of them; the number of students with IEPs can be a factor in competency learning rate.
--tracking competencies is a challenge because many of the jobs we do cover many different competencies and there is a lot of overlap.

Certifications
--every student is able to pass P/S2 "Mechanical Safety" certification; also, 90% pass "Pollution Prevention";
  this does take a good deal of classroom time, but it adds rigor to the program, and impresses upon students the importance of shop and environmental safety
--ASE registration cost is selectively provided to top students, due to the difficulty and cost of the certification; the challenge is balancing the knowledge components of the class represented by this certification, with the hands-on skill portions.
--Tracking certification data is a challenge because the information is private and students rarely report the score after they graduate.

Internships
--the current depressed economy and structural changes in the auto industry are limiting the number of paid and unpaid internships however we continue to place twice the number of students as the national average.

Student Organization Participation
--all students are now signed-up for SkillsUSA, using funds from the public auction of donated vehicles;
  the current limit of three students who are allowed to enter the District competition limits the level of benefit of this competition to all students.

Dual-Enrollment
--dual-enrollment is offered at no cost and still many students do not make the effort to participate.

Facility
--Lab space is sometimes a challenge which makes scheduling very important; what used to be a lab designed for one class is now shared by two classes
 

Enrollment
--more aggressively and effectively marketing the program will attract underrepresented groups (i.e. African-Americans, whites and females);
  we will work with senior instructors who have developed specific marketing techniques that have proven successful.
--translator support is provided for LEP students, although finding a translator who is comfortable with the technical vocabulary of automotive technology can be a challenge.

Certification
--one instructor in the building does an excellent job of balancing knowledge and skill components of the CTE class;
  spending some time with this instructor good provide valuable insights into how we might improve knowledge components of the class.
--Having students sign the form which releases their certification scores to use will greatly facilitate data collection.
--better dividing the content areas of the certifications between the classes and instructors might allow instructors to go more in-depth into important areas;
  for example, Brakes are now a main focus in Auto II, and Steering, Suspension & Electrical are given similar attention in Auto III;
  we believe that this more focused and intensive instruction will help with certifications and Dual-Enrollment requirements.

Competencies
--in general, descreasing the number of competencies, while increasing their clarity and rigor would be a great service to the instructors and students.
--utilizing the capacity of our tracking system to associate competencies with specific assignments could be helpful; this may require some staff training.

Student Organization Participation
--Setting-up an internal competetition among all of our students may provide more benefit from the SkillsUSA program.

Dual-Enrollment
--In 2009-2010, a grant was written by school administrators to provide remedial classes for those who cannot pass the college entrance exam at the level required for dual-enrollment.