Summary of Compliance with Committee Recommendations

Recommendation

Status

Comments

SDE shall conduct a study of the relationship between admissions scores and performance within the v-t school system and report at specific intervals on the progress and results of the study

Ongoing activities required through 2006 --

to date, deadlines have been met

P.A. 01-173 required recommended study with slightly different deadlines. First report (January 2002) provided enrollment data and indicated measures to be used as predictors of success -- grade point average, class rank, withdrawal rates, Connecticut Academic Performance Test results, National Occupational Competency Testing Institute job readiness assessments, and post graduation survey.

Second report (December 2002) described research activities to date, technological challenges related to study database, initial analysis of data, and next steps in project.

RVTSS should investigate opportunities to use faculty and graduate students from higher education institutions to conduct research projects that analyze existing v-t school system data and collect new data where appropriate

Full --

but ongoing activities required

RVTSS contacted state universities to obtain interns -- one helped with database development. Staff in the RVTSS central office is assigned to the admissions study and other student data studies.

RVTSS, State Board of Education, and SDE should work together to define specific achievement goals for each secondary v-t school grade, which will be the basis for allocating additional resources if needed, and identify quantifiable measures to create performance index for each v-t school

Partial

P.A. 01-173 required State Board of Education to establish achievement goals at each grade level and identify quantifiable measures for evaluating the performance of each v-t school. Draft exit expectations for each grade level have been formulated and are going through multi-step review process. Target date for approval by the state board is June 2003.

RVTSS should make outreach to the business community a top priority and establish a position in its central office specifically to carry out this task

Full --

but ongoing activities required

P.A. 01-173 required school directors meet with members of business community, but no new position created. RVTSS increased awareness of v-t schools through weekly programming on cable channels, web page links, and meetings with citizens and trade organizations. In addition, each v-t school director had to submit a written plan for assessing workforce needs, and part of a central office position was earmarked for business and industry development efforts.

V-t system administrators and members of the Vocational-Technical School Committee should periodically invite local legislators to tour the v-t schools in their districts and become more familiar with v-t school programs

Partial

Legislative breakfast meetings have been held at several schools, and legislators serve as members of some Citizen Advisory Committees.

The central administration of the v-t school system should monitor the composition and meeting schedules of each v-t school's Citizens Consulting Committees

Full --

but ongoing activities required

RVTSS assistant superintendents attend occasional Citizen Advisory Committee meetings for each of their assigned v-t schools.

Each v-t school director should meet annually with representatives of all towns that send students to the v-t school and quarterly with representatives of towns that send students comprising more than 5% of the total secondary enrollment at the v-t school

Partial

By April 2003, directors or designated staff from each v-t school will have met at least once with representatives of the towns that send students to their respective v-t schools. Also, most RVTSS directors are members of area superintendent organizations where items of concern are addressed periodically, and superintendents serve on v-t school Citizen Consulting Committees.