Career TEchnical AND Adult Education News

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE), Office for Exceptional Children (OEC) requests local education agencies (LEA), Career Technical Planning Districts (Comprehensive, Compact, or Joint Vocational School) (CTPDs) or a collaborative of entities of which an LEA or CTPD is the lead agency, to submit an application proposing an innovative strategy to develop the college and career readiness of students with disabilities. OEC plans to allocate up to $125,000 ($50,000 in fiscal year 2020 and $75,000 in fiscal year 2021) to each of the 20 selected innovative sites through this Application for Grant Funds (AGF) to build capacity to improve the Secondary Transition Services system across the state. This resource will be allocated for 1.5 years.

The application can be accessed here.

Each applicant must submit one (1) original application packet, completed and signed in blue ink, and five (5) full copies for a total of six (6) application packages.

• Applications submitted by e-mail or fax are not acceptable and will not be considered.
• ODE will reject any applications that are received after the deadline.
• ODE will reject late proposals regardless of the cause for the delay.

The Office for Exceptional Children will review the applications internally using the AGF rubric to award the expenditures of funds. A total of 20 applications will be accepted. No more than one award will be granted per applicant. We anticipate that we will provide notification of acceptance of the application on or around November 8, 2019.

Application packets should be addressed to:
Ohio Department of Education
Office for Exceptional Children
Attn: Alex Corwin
25 South Front Street, Mail Stop 409
Columbus, Ohio 43215-4183

Completed applications are to be postmarked or date stamped no later than October 11, 2019 by 5:00 pm.

The federal Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act (Perkins V) was signed into law on July 31^st, 2018. Perkins V made changes to the annual federal appropriation for  Career and Technical Education (CTE).  This legislation provides new opportunities to improve CTE and enables more flexibility to meet the needs of learners, educators and employers. Ohio is committed to ensuring students have equitable access, engagement and performance in all aspects of their education, including career-technical education programs.

Equity labs will identify access, engagement and performance gaps; analyze the causes of those gaps; and create a plan to reduce those gaps in coming years.  Lab activities will include data review and analysis in three main categories; identifying gaps for subgroups and subpopulations in those categories; and planning activities to address identified gaps.  The resulting plan will be included as part of the Perkins V local needs assessment and application. Districts should prepare to register key team members that will assist in implementing equity-focused processes.  Team size should not exceed six (6) members.  Each member must register individually.

Regional Equity Lab Dates:  9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

For more information regarding this event, please contact Rhedeshia Young-Willingham or (614) 387-6001.

The Ohio Department of Education, in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, has released additions to its FY2020 Industry-Recognized Credential List. The methodology for building the list of industry-recognized credentials was updated with the passage of Ohio House Bill 49. Industry-recognized credentials may be added to the current list by approval from a committee of Industry Professionals convened by the State Superintendent of Education in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation.

This year, a panel of industry professionals reviewed all currently approved credentials, as well as all credential applications received, in spring and summer 2019. The industry panel did not recommend removing any currently approved industry-recognized credentials from the 2019-2020 list. The updated FY2020 Industry Recognized Credential list will be posted in the coming weeks on the Ohio Department of Education’s Website, but you can view the approved additions to the list here.

Ohio requires districts to provide career-technical education in grades 7 and 8. However, if a local board of education adopts a resolution expressing the district’s intent not to provide career-technical education to grades 7-8 students that school year and submits that resolution to the Department, the Department will waive the requirement for that school year.

Instructions for completing the Career-Tech Middle Grades Waiver form can be found here. Please email questions to Patti Guseman or call (614) 466-3076.

 

It is an honor to serve as the President of OhioACTE this coming year in collaboration with our Executive Director, Christine Gardner and Board Members - Past President Nick Weldy, President-elect Ryan McCourt, Treasurer Jamey Palma, and Secretary Christine Boucher.  OhioACTE has a proud tradition of representing the interests of Career and Technical Education in Ohio and nationally.  Our voice has been further strengthened as a result of the strong relationships developed in recent years with OACTS and CCS.  In the past we have not consistently engaged in ongoing and proactive conversations.  That has changed significantly.  Issues are now thoroughly discussed and vetted by those in leadership roles with member input to create strong positions that benefit all delivery systems. 

Regardless of our role and perspective, it is vital that we all work closely with our organizations to ensure we are informed advocates for our students and CTE.  There are a myriad of issues on the table that require our attention - Perkins V, graduation requirements, licensure, industry credentials, EMIS, and mental health and wellness  - to name a few.  I urge everyone to take advantage of opportunities to serve on committees, participate in professional development and engage in networking opportunities. Share your ideas. Be at the table. CTE is “in”.  It is up to each of us, however, to ensure that we provide the expertise to ensure that services and programs are high in quality and truly reflect the needs of our students and our local communities.

Ohio ACTE is able to positively influence career-technical and adult education in Ohio because of membership support.  Please remember to renew your membership in Ohio ACTE for this school year or join our organization so we can continue to effectively represent all career-technical educators.  Log in here to renew or check your membership status.

Nancy Luce, PhD, is the Superintendent at Upper Valley Career Center.  Read more about Nancy and the other Ohio ACTE officers, click here.

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and Gov. Mike DeWine's office Friday launched a new website designed to provide schools information and resources on meeting student wellness needs.

The website comes alongside the $675 million in Student Wellness and Success funding included in HB166 (Oelslager), the biennial operating budget, allocated to schools for use on mental health counseling, wraparound services, mentoring, after-schools programs, etc.

“Ohio’s children are facing unprecedented challenges, and they are bringing these challenges into the classroom. That’s why I worked with the Legislature to create a new $675 million fund called Student Wellness and Success, designed to help meet the social and emotional needs of our students,” DeWine said in a statement.

“This new website is designed to be a tool for schools as they begin their work with community partners designing Student Wellness and Success programs to meet their students’ needs.A student’s overall wellness impacts their ability to learn, and, with a new focus on meeting these needs, we can encourage a lifetime of success for Ohio’s kids.”

Information on the website is meant to help schools develop student wellness plans that support the academic achievement of students. School are required to use their Student Wellness and Success funding in partnership with a community organization, such as a board of alcohol, drug and mental health services; an educational service center; a county department of job and family services; or a public hospital agency.

“Today’s website launch provides a terrific opportunity for schools to access helpful information as they implement Student Wellness and Success Funding,” said Superintendent Paolo DeMaria. “I encourage school leaders and parents to check out the fantastic resources available to them on this site and to continue to engage with community partners and the Department of Education in our joint effort to support the needs of the whole child and their mental health.”

The website can be found at Education.Ohio.gov/WellnessAndSuccess. The governor's office notes that it will continue to be updated as further guidance and resources become available.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that he issued an executive order creating a specialized division of Ohio Homeland Security (OHS) devoted exclusively to the safety of Ohio’s students and schools.He held a press conference August 21 to announce the new Safety Center.

As the new comprehensive, statewide office in Ohio focused exclusively on enhancing the safety of our schools, the Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC), will assist local schools and law enforcement in preventing, preparing for, and responding to threats and acts of violence, including self-harm, through a holistic, solutions-based approach to improving school safety.

“Given that schools are often targets of violence, school safety proposals are a prominent part of STRONG Ohio, my 17-point plan to reduce violence with dangerous weapons and increase mental health treatment,” said Governor DeWine. “Having one office where the staff solely focuses on keeping our students safe and our schools secure, will allow analysts to nimbly assess threats, proactively address potential issues, and expertly train and support school faculty in a more streamlined manner.”

Mirroring national trends, Ohio has experienced several incidents of violence in schools over the past seven years, including shootings at Chardon High School in 2012, Madison Junior/Senior High School in 2016, and West Liberty-Salem High School in 2017. In addition, suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth and young adults aged 10-24 years.

The OSSC will be headquartered at the OHS offices within the Ohio Department of Public Safety in Columbus and will continue the current work of OHS staff to annually review approximately 5,500 school emergency management plans and offer free risk and threat assessments to schools throughout the state.

Click here for more information.

An upcoming Ohio PBS special, “The Career Path Less Taken,” explores the transformation in education happening across the state and around the country.

The documentary, which airs on September 5, is described as a way “to explore new ways of thinking about education and the world of work.” Co-produced by Ohio public media stations CET in Cincinnati, ideastream in Cleveland and WOSU Public Media in Columbus, the documentary is part of the nationwide American Graduate: Getting To Work initiative, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Great Oaks staff, parents, and students talk about their experiences and their journeys.

Watch the trailer:

Watch the entire video - click here

Learn more about it - click here.

Nancy Luce, Upper Valley Career Center, will serve as Ohio ACTE President for 2019-2020.  She is joined by Ryan McCoart, Great Oaks Career Campuses, President Elect and Past President Nick Welder of Miami Valley Career Center.

Jamey Palma, Massillon CIty Schools will serve his second year as treasurer (two year term) and Christine Boucher, Eastland Fairfield Career Center will serve as Secretary for the next two years.

Read more about each of the officers, click here.

Pictured left to right, Christine Boucher, Jamey Palma, Nancy Luce, Nick Weldy, Ryan McCoart