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Crosswalks in Kansas and Kentucky


Integrating Academic and Vocational Education by Crosswalking Standards

      Policy Rationale and Goals: Through both national skill standards projects and efforts at the state level to set standards for students, more and more practitioners are using the process of "crosswalking" to show the relationship between two or more disciplines. In a crosswalk, one set of standards is compared to another to show the relationship between the two sets of standards by identifying how they connect or overlap. With most states having adopted academic curriculum standards, vocational educators are eager to demonstrate to academic practitioners and parents how academic competencies are taught in vocational education and where academic concepts are imbedded in the curriculum. Once completed, crosswalks are essentially an organizational tool that focus educators on natural points of integration and can be used as the first step to developing integrated standards-driven curriculum and assessment.

      Implementation Strategy: The first step in developing a crosswalk is to adopt or adapt at least two sets of standards. A crosswalk must have at least one set of academic (such as mathematics) and vocational standards. The second step in developing a crosswalk is to select its purpose. Is the crosswalk to set course expectations for students? Embed academic competencies in a vocational course? Develop an overlap of academic and vocational standards for assessment or curriculum purposes? Because crosswalks are an organizational tool for the integration of curriculum and assessment across academic and vocational disciplines, it is important to consider how the crosswalk will be organized.

      The rows and columns of the crosswalk must then be determined based on its purpose and the standards that will be crosswalked. The next step involves determining the "parts" or "length" of standards to be included: Some standards are just too long to include concisely in the written format of a crosswalk. It is likely that standards will need to be condensed to fit in the format. The complete sets of standards included in the crosswalk should be listed in an Appendix as a reference for educators.

      The next step is the actually "crossing" or comparing of the standards, one at a time. This step is usually best accomplished by a single person in a relatively uninterrupted session. This stage can be tedious and time consuming, but it is essential to the process. Once the standards are "crossed," the crosswalk must be validated. A committee or group of subject area specialists from each standard area then validates the crosswalk created by the individual. Finally, changes from the validation process are then made, and the format is adjusted as necessary. The next stage is to decide how to implement the current crosswalk and develop a plan to crosswalk standards from other courses or programs of study. The following section presents two examples of crosswalks from Kansas and Kentucky.

      Crosswalking Academic and Vocational Standards in Kansas: Vocational educators in Kansas have started the crosswalk process in Family and Consumer Science (FCS). The relationship between each vocational standard within FCS is graphically displayed with each of the following academic areas: Language Arts, Math, Science and Career Development Skills. For each broad standard there is a box summarizing the relationship of academic to individual standards with a detailed summary of each standard to follow. The number in the boxes labeled Language Arts, Math, Science and Career and Development Skills refer to particular academic standards within that subject area. A summary of academic standards is also provided to vocational educators as an attachment.


Early Childhood, Education, and Services

      Standard 4.0: Integrate knowledge, skills, and practices required for careers in early childhood, education, and services.

Content Language Arts
Standards 1234567891011121314
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6 		*


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Content Math
Standards 123456
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
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Content Science
Standards123456789101112
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6 		*



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Content CareerDevelopment Skills
Standards123456789101112
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6

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4.1 Analyze career paths within early childhood, education, and services.
Language Arts Standards
1,2,3,4,5,6,12,13,14 		Math Standards
4 		Science Standards Career Development Skills
2,3,4,5,12

4.2 Analyze developmentally appropriate practices to plan for early childhood education and services.
Language Arts Standards
12, 13, 14 		Math Standards
1 		Science Standards
1,2,3 		Career Development Skills
2,3,4,5,12

4.3 Demonstrate integration of curriculum and instruction to meet children's developmental needs and interests.
Language Arts Standards
12, 13, 14 		Math Standards
1 		Science Standards Career Development Skills
1,2,3,4,5

4.4 Demonstrate a safe and healthy learning environment for children.
Language Arts Standards
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,13,14 		Math Standards
1,2 		Science Standards
9,11,12 		Career Development Skills
1,2,3,4,5,11

Crosswalking Academic and Vocational Standards to Vocational Courses in Kentucky: The Department of Education in Kentucky crosswalked state-adopted academic or Academic Expectations to each vocational course. These course descriptions are concise (fitting on one page), easy to use, and effectively communicate clear expectations. Vocational courses are compiled in a document titled Vocational Education Program of Studies Implementation Manual: Course Models (June 1998). On the next page is an example of a course description. The numbers recorded in the Academic Expectations category refer to specific academic standards.

Introduction to Health Sciences

CourseDescription
      Introduction to Health Sciences is an orientation and foundation for occupations and functions across the health care cluster. The course includes broad health care core standards which specify the knowledge and skills that the vast majority of health care workers should have. The student will learn about the health care industry, health care economics, and the career opportunities available. Leadership development, employability skills, and medical terminology will be integrated throughout the course. All core content for Vocational Studies is included in this course.
Academic
Expectations
StateStandard

2.20
1.1
2.16

2.14;2.17

2.14

2.20

2.33

2.30

1.16
2.36

2.38


2.16
3.5
2.14
4.2

6.1

2.27
         Content/Process
        Students will...
  • Examine the factors that influence the health care industry.
  • Research the organizational structure of various health care facilities.
  • Identify how key systems affect services performed and the quality of health
    care.
  • Describe ethical practices with respect to cultural, social, and ethnic
    differences within the health care environment.
  • Recognize legal responsibilities, limitations, and the implications of actions within the health care delivery system.
  • Investigate medical/health milestones that have led to advances in health care.
  • Evaluate available community health systems, services, and resources available in the community and state.
  • Evaluate consumer products and services, and make effective consumer decisions.
  • Use appropriate technology to input, store, and retrieve information.
  • Use strategies for choosing and preparing for a career in the health care industry.
  • Demonstrate skills (e.g., interviewing, writing résumés, completing applications) that are needed to be accepted into college or other postsecondary training or to get a job.
  • Explore Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
  • Utilize effective self-management skills.
  • Recommend an acceptable Code of Conduct for health care worker.
  • Utilize activities of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) as an integral component of course content and leadership development.
  • Apply mathematics, science, and communication skills within the health sciences content.
  • Demonstrate the employability and social skills relevant to health careers.
Connections
National Health Care Core Skill Standards
Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Standards (SCANS)

      Lessons Learned: Crosswalks are used for a variety of purposes. These purposes can be as simple as providing vocational teachers the information they need about their own vocational standards and how these fit with academic standards. Crosswalks can also be used to revise adopted standards. For example, in completing a crosswalk, educators may not be satisfied with the level of math embedded in their vocational course. By comparing vocational standards to expectations in academic disciplines, educators can return to their original standards and revise the sections that they feel need to be more rigorous. For state-level administrators, crosswalks can provide the basis for creating curriculum examples, course syllabi, or assessments based on standards that cross disciplines. While the use of crosswalks varies from state to state, most agree that they are a promising strategy through which to focus the efforts of educators and state administrators on standards and to increase the integration of academic and vocational curriculum and assessment systems.


References

Information about Kansas crosswalks provided by Craig Haugsness and Karmey Olson of the Kansas Department of Education (1999).

Kentucky Department of Education. (1998, June). Vocational education program of studies implementation manual: Course models. Frankfort: Author.


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