In programs with strong administrative support, staff and students know who to approach to communicate ideas, problems, and other matters. A decision-making structure exists and the staff and other personnel understand this structure. There is a mutual understanding and appreciation between the administrators and staff. Many good programs use site-based management principles.
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Program personnel are active and creative in identifying and soliciting additional funding for the program. Coordinators are usually knowledgeable about the recurring and nonrecurring costs associated with the program, including personnel salaries, staff training, equipment and material, and other special costs required to successfully implement and maintain the program. Most good programs have a budget with strong local/institutional support.
Professional development activities include any preservice, inservice, and/or continuing education obtained by program staff, as well as trainings conducted by staff for others such as supplemental teachers, other programs, or educational agencies. Staff are encouraged to participate in appropriate staff development activities.
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Formative or ongoing evaluations should be collected routinely. Staff appreciate the need for an evaluation and use the data to improve programs.
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Summative evaluation should be gathered annually or biannually. It should include information about the program purpose and goals, have a design suited to the goals, and use appropriate instruments and procedures. In good programs, staff understand the need for an evaluation and appreciate the value of the data collected.
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Good programs individualize all aspects of the curriculum to fit the needs of the students. Programs which serve students with disabilities have comprehensive individualized education plans (IEPs). Programs serving other groups also have transition or career plans for students.
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Integrating academic and vocational education has proven to be an extremely effective way of educating students, especially those who are at risk of failing in the traditional classroom. Programs that have an integrated curriculum require students to complete a sequence of courses and to master identified competencies or skills to complete the program. Such programs allow students with special learning needs to complete their work on an individualized time plan.
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Educational programs should reflect the diversity of the school's student population. The program meets the needs, backgrounds, abilities, and interests of program participants. While the number and classification of participants who are from special populations are available, other students are unaware of any special classification of their classmates.
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Cooperative learning experiences (i.e., students learning from other students) have proved to be an excellent way for students from special populations to learn. Good programs offer a variety of cooperative learning experiences to participants. These experiences relate to the purposes and goals of the program.
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Programs that are exemplary have established a comprehensive program to assess students. They have paid close attention to the process, resources, and materials used to assess the vocational interests, aptitudes, and abilities of program participants. They also individualize the assessment process so that each student has only those assessments needed.
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Instructional support services are vital to meeting the purposes and goals of the program. They include good resources, special materials, and/or additional personnel (e.g., teacher aides) who uniquely assist in achieving the stated goals of the program. Good programs continually seek better services to increase the chance for student success.
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Career guidance and counseling services are crucial to the success of program participants. Good career guidance programs are integrated into other programs in the institution with leadership provided by qualified counselors. Each student has an individual education plan, transition plan, or individual career plan that serves as their road map to the future. Credentialed counselors should assist all students in the school/institution.
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Active participation of parents in program activities has been shown to enhance student and program success. Parents are involved in general program planning and development as well as in planning for their children. Parents feel welcome and are involved in all decision-making aspects of the program.
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The Perkins Act requires secondary program staff to inform potential students who are members of special populations and their parents of vocational education options available through the program. Good programs provide thorough information and have clearly defined methods, procedures, and resources to accomplish this mandate. Notification often includes information about vocational education program options, as well as available support services.
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Vocational educators should be involved in the individual instruction planning process used by the program.
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An effective program should provide individual program participants with formalized transition planning. Transition can be defined as the movement of a completing student from one level or program to the next appropriate level or program (e.g., from a secondary school setting to a postsecondary vocational education program, a community-based rehabilitation program, and/or work). A comprehensive transition planning service should include the program staff involved in the transition process, outside agencies involved in the transition process, and the transitional options that generally exist for participants who are members of special populations as they exit the program. A program's involvement in Tech Prep initiatives is an important transition activity.
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Intra- and interagency collaboration serve as important avenues for funding, recruiting volunteers, and referrals. Departments and programs within the educational institution collaborate to provide support services, resources, and general assistance to the staff. Interagency cooperation is essential. All possible community resources are incorporated into the school or institution.
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In order to successfully transition from school to work, students must avail themselves of work experience opportunities during their enrollment within the program. School services related to work experience should include information about the type and nature of work experiences that are available to program participants, how these experiences relate to the instructional objectives of the program, and the extent to which the experiences are specific to the vocational education and training received by the students.
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Job placement services help program participants make the transition into the workplace. Successful programs assist students, especially those who are members of special populations, in identifying available jobs (including full-time, part-time, and summer jobs). In addition, good programs assist students in securing employment following program completion.
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To accurately assess a program's outcomes, data and information should be collected by program staff from graduates and from noncompleters. Information should be analyzed, reported, and used to improve the program and services.
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Belief in Students' Abilities
Foremost, personnel involved in excellent programs are caring people who advocate for students and believe in their innate abilities. Teachers, staff, administrators, and employers all assume students are capable and take pride in their abilities, strengths, and successes. They never or rarely discuss their students' limitations or failures with us. Rather, they talk about their students' successes and how they have overcome their problems.
Teachers involved with the program sometimes admit that they have been convinced of the program's merits. These teachers are the ones who encourage reluctant colleagues to accept students with special needs into their classrooms. One teacher confessed his resistance to accepting students and/or participating in the program until he was finally persuaded into allowing a student with a learning disability into his class. That student became his star pupil. Currently, the teacher enjoys telling other faculty about his shortsightedness and the great rewards of working with students with special learning needs.
High Staff Morale
Teachers, staff, and administrators have easy, comfortable relations with each other, others within the school system or college, local employers, community groups, and parents. As a result, staff and student morale are high.
One or a Core of People Leading the Program
There is usually one person (or a small core of people) who is the heart of the program. This person may be an administrator, a teacher, or other staff personnel. All too often when the person leaves, the program becomes less effective. There are two lessons to be learned from this indicator:
People who work in outstanding programs find ways around barriers. When conversing with school personnel, OSS heard phrases like--
Outstanding programs usually adhere to site-based management principles although many do not know the term. When OSS first visited some of the model programs, the reviewers were unable to distinguish paraprofessionals from teachers or clerical staff from administrators!
Professional Development Is a Priority
Professional development activities are vital and welcomed by personnel. The program personnel seem to always seek a "better way" and never assume they have reached perfection.
Extensive Interactions with Business and the Community
There are many positive interactions between the school and the community/ business/industry. Education activities are viewed as a shared responsibility.
Not one best practice works for all programs. Indeed, each program must look at its own assets (inside and outside its school) and build from there. All schools are encouraged to have a common purpose, mission, and vision with the central theme revolving around the students' interests and welfare. In addition to working on each of the elements deemed necessary for programs to be successful, the other less tangible characteristics discussed previously should be considered. By encouraging (1) high staff morale, (2) leadership, (3) creative problem solving, (4) site-based management, (5) professional development, and (6) extensive interactions with business and the community, schools can begin to create an atmosphere where outstanding education can occur.
From observations and through interactions with individuals in exemplary programs, OSS concludes that for programs to become outstanding, there must be a concerted effort between teachers, administrators, and the community to improve the total program. This effort must originate from the belief that all students can be successful and that all it takes is for everyone to get together and make it happen.