Regional Vocational-Technical School System
Staff Briefing
September 22, 1999

Introduction

Regional Vocational-Technical School System

The Connecticut Regional Vocational-Technical School System (RVTSS) is a state-run network of schools providing both academic instruction and trade experience. Its mission is "to provide a rigorous education program meeting the needs of Connecticut's citizens and employers through academic instruction, intensive occupation-specific training, and apprenticeship credit."

Secondary-level students receive a comprehensive high school education in conjunction with training in one of nearly two dozen specific trades. Adults have access to full-time or part-time instruction in a similar number of trades.

In March 1999, the Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee voted to undertake a study of the state vocational-technical (v-t) school system. The committee previously examined the system in 1987. The focus of the current study is on the ability of the system to identify and respond to changing job skill needs of the marketplace, particularly as the 21st century approaches. The study is also looking at the job readiness of those completing vocational-technical school programs.

This briefing document describes the organizational structure of the system, the programs offered by v-t schools, the students who attend v-t schools, and the career paths of v-t school graduates in their first year after graduation. It presents data for the most recent year available as well as some perspective on changes since the mid-1980s.

The report is divided into three sections. The first presents an overview of the regional vocational-technical school system, including its budget and staff levels. The second section explains the application process required of those interested in attending a v-t school. It also includes enrollment data and a profile of the secondary level students in the schools. The third section describes the trade programs available at the v-t schools and the process ninth grade students go through to select the area they will study in the tenth through twelfth grades. Information about the post-graduation activities of recent v-t school alumni is also presented.

In most cases, the information presented in the main body of the report is reflective of the vocational-technical school system as a whole. Similar school specific information is presented in appendices, which are referenced in the report when the systemwide figures are presented.

Section I

System Overview

The State Board of Education operates the Connecticut Regional Vocational-Technical School System through the state Department of Education (SDE). There are 17 schools, two satellite facilities, and one technical educational center. Figure I-1 shows the location of each school.

State vocational-technical schools in Connecticut date back to 1910, when the first two trade schools were established in Bridgeport and New Britain. The current geographic distribution of schools has existed since the late 1970s.

Statewide, there were 10,210 full-time secondary students enrolled in vocational-technical schools on October 1, 1998. This represented 7 percent of the ninth through twelfth grade students in the state.

Approximately 7,000 adults attended v-t schools during the 1998-1999 school year. Most were enrolled in part-time afternoon and evening programs. These included occupation specific courses to learn basic skills or upgrade existing skills, work toward an adult diploma, and classes to meet state apprenticeship requirements. About 15 percent of the adults attended school full time. Some were in adult only programs; others participated in the trade portion of secondary school programs where spaces were available.

Structure

C.G.S. Sec. 10-95 allows the State Board of Education to establish a statewide system of regional vocational-technical schools to offer programs in "vocational, technical and technological education and training." The commissioner of education is authorized to oversee management of the system in accordance with the policies established by the state board. Figure I-2 displays the organizational structure of the system.

Day-to-day oversight of the vocational-technical school system is the responsibility of a superintendent of schools, who answers to the commissioner of education and a subcommittee of the state board, known as the Vocational-Technical School Committee. The superintendent is supported by four assistant superintendents, who are responsible for designated program areas and specific school sites. These individuals and other central office personnel are located in Middletown.

Each of the 17 schools is headed by a director. Each school also has its own Admissions Advisory Committee, Citizens Consulting Committee, and Parent-Faculty Organization. In addition, every school has multiple craft committees -- one for each trade program offered. Each type of school committee varies in size, groups represented, and frequency of meetings.

The responsibilities of the Admissions Advisory Committees include identifying recruitment strategies and reviewing admissions policies and procedures used by their particular school. Each committee is supposed to have 12 members. Nine voting members are appointed by the v-t school director and serve for terms of up to four years. They should reflect the population of the area served by the school and include representatives of business, labor, the local education area, and parents. Three nonvoting members -- the school director, the school guidance coordinator, and a staff person from the v-t central office -- represent the v-t school system. Each committee is expected to meet at least twice a year during the admissions process.

The Citizens Consulting Committees are less formally structured entities. They include v-t school staff, students, local legislators, and representatives of the local school districts in the area of the particular school. Individual school directors coordinate the membership. The committees are supposed to meet twice a year to discuss the future of their particular v-t school.

The Craft Committees are supposed to provide advice to school administrators and instructors regarding a specific trade area. Among the issues these committees might deal with are textbook selection, equipment purchases, job placement efforts, and publicity. Each committee is supposed to have between five and nine members plus the trade instructors from the particular school. Members, who volunteer or are recruited by the trade department head, include employers, middle managers, practitioners of the particular trade, and, if the trade is organized, a union representative. At least one member is supposed to be a v-t school graduate. Each committee is expected to meet at least twice a year; a few meet every three or four months.

The structure and activity levels of the Parent-Faculty Organizations differ among the 17 schools, depending on the interest of the parents. In general, the purpose of these organizations is to promote volunteer participation and raise private funds for the particular school.

Budget

In FY 99, the vocational-technical school system expended $89.5 million. Individual v-t schools spent between $3.5 million and $6.5 million each, while the v-t central office expended almost $9 million. Figure I-3 shows total FY 99 expenditures by source of funding. The system's primary source of revenue -- the state General Fund -- provided $84 million in FY 99.

Other sources of funds included state and federal school lunch programs, federal Pell grants for adult education programs, and the Vocational Education Extension Fund. The latter is financed by rental income from the use of v-t school facilities, tuition and fees from adult students, and payments into the Education Production Account for work performed as part of the v-t school trade programs.

Most of the money appropriated to the v-t school system is used for Personal Services (83 percent in FY 99) and Other Expenses (10 percent). Based on a formula that takes into consideration previous enrollment and the square footage of the facility, each school receives an allocation from the v-t central administration. This money covers personal services and other expenses plus textbooks and equipment repairs. The central office has been handling fuel and utility expenditures for all of the schools. It also pays the systemwide cost of certain special education expenditures as well as a wide range of other items such as school doctors, educational dues, and athletic insurance.

Figure I-4 shows total v-t school expenditures for state fiscal years 1996 through 1999 and the system's projected spending for FY 2000. Appendix A presents FY 99 information for each of the individual schools and the central office.

The vocational-technical school system is included in the Department of Education budget as one of its program areas. In FY 99, funding for the v-t schools represented only 5 percent of the total appropriation given to the Department of Education. However, the Personal Services allocation for the v-t school system represented 84 percent of the department's expenditures in that category.

Bond funds. The vocational-technical school system also receives bond funds. This money is used for construction (i.e., the addition of new wings or renovation of existing space at individual schools), the purchase of trade program equipment and vehicles, the performance of fire safety work, and the installation of wiring for computer-related programs.

In 1998, the legislature undertook a major effort to improve the physical condition of the vocational-technical schools. Under a proposed five-year plan, $15 million per year in bond money is to be authorized for a variety of infrastructure work and trade equipment purchases. Figure I-5 displays the proposed portion each general category is to receive.

The first authorization occurred in FY 99, and the second and third authorizations were enacted during the most recent legislative session. As of July 1999, the Bond Commission had released all $15 million of the FY 99 money and $3 million of the FY 00 money.

Another source of money for the v-t school system is the Capital Equipment Purchase Fund (CEPF). In FY 99, the system used $285,879 from this fund, primarily for work related to the creation of local area networks (LANs) and the purchase of equipment.

Staffing

The number of positions authorized for the regional vocational-technical school system has recently begun to increase after a long period of flat or negative growth. At the start of the 1980s, the system had over 1,500 authorized positions. The number dropped to a low of 1,386 in FY 98, but it returned to 1,408 positions in FY 99. The authorized count for FY 00 is 1,449. Another 23 positions are scheduled to be added in FY 01.

Most staff are assigned to the 17 v-t schools. In FY 99, the number per school ranged from 60 to 106. Twenty-eight positions were assigned to the three satellite facilities, and 56 positions were assigned to the v-t central office.

Almost three-quarters of the v-t school positions are for academic and trade instructors. Four percent are administrators. Figure I-6 displays the FY 99 staffing count by type of position (as used in state bargaining agreements). Appendix B contains a detailed breakdown of staff by location for the same year.

According to the Strategic School Profile 1997-98 for the Vocational-Technical School System, the average number of years of experience for all staff was 13.3 years. The academic teachers had 14.1 years, while the technology and trade teachers had 11.5 years experience. This compares with 16.3 years for high school teachers statewide.

Forty-two percent of the v-t school staff have a master's degree or above, while almost 79 percent of high school teachers statewide have at least a master's degree. Appendix C presents staff experience data for each of the 17 v-t schools.

For salary purposes, v-t school instructors are divided into three categories, depending on the type of certification held and whether the individual is a department head. Also affecting salary is length of time in the position. Under the contract in effect for 1998-99 school year, annual instructor salaries ranged from $33,570 to $63,532. Instructors in the summer school, special programs, night school, and apprentice programs were paid an hourly rate of $16.88; supervisors received $20.83.

There are two categories of administrators -- directors and assistant directors. Their most recent contract provided for salaries ranging between $59,403 and $83,907. Like other state employees, v-t school employees are eligible for longevity payments after 10 years.

Statewide, the average starting salary for new public school teachers for school year 1998-99 was $27,287. The average teacher's salary statewide was $51,598.

Secondary School Format

In order to graduate from a v-t school, students must meet the same classroom credit hour requirements as any other high school student in Connecticut. In addition, however, v-t students compile hours of training in a specific trade, which can be applied toward apprenticeship requirements if applicable. The trade-specific education component combines classroom instruction with opportunities for hands-on practice of the skills being taught.

The format of the vocational-technical school "day" differs from the traditional high school. Secondary students at the v-t schools alternate academic and trade classes in blocks of several weeks at time, focusing solely on either academic instruction or their trade program at any given time. Two grade levels within each school are on the same track at the same time.

Section II

Admissions and Enrollment

The regional vocational-technical school system uses several methods to attract applicants. By statute, v-t schools have access to local and regional schools for purposes of recruiting students. In addition to making on-site presentations at elementary and junior high schools, written brochures are distributed, and advertisements are run on radio and television stations. The primary target of these efforts is eighth-grade students.

Application Procedures

A person interested in attending a v-t school must submit an application to the specific school or schools he or she would like to attend. The system places no geographic restrictions on which school a student must attend. However, travel considerations affect the range of towns each school attracts students from. Figure II-1 summarizes the key steps occurring after an application for admission to the ninth grade is submitted.

A guidance counselor from the v-t school to which the student has applied interviews the applicant, who is rated on a numeric scale with respect to motivation, attitude, and readiness for a vocational-technical program. Data about seventh and first-term eighth grade marks, mastery test results, and absences from school are compiled and assigned a numerical value. The four sets of scores are combined on a weighted basis. (Attendance is worth 10 percent; the other categories are worth 30 percent each.) Using this total score, an applicant is placed on a ranked list.

The maximum score an applicant can receive is 120 points. There is no systemwide minimum score an applicant must attain to be admitted to a state vocational-technical school. The minimum scores of those offered admission vary from school to school, depending on the number of applicants and the size of the school.

The admissions scores of the students who were offered admission to v-t schools statewide for the 1999-2000 school year (class of 2003) ranged from 12 to 116. (Sixteen students did not have scores.) The minimum scores of the students accepted at the individual schools ranged from 12 to 67. The maximum scores ranged from 88 to 116.

The proportion of students accepted at each school ranged from 54 percent to 93 percent. Table II-1 shows the number of applicants and the percent offered admission at each school. The specific percentages include students accepted by the school who chose not to attend. Appendix D lists the minimum and maximum scores of applicants and those offered admission to each of the 17 v-t schools for the class of 2003.

Anyone not selected initially for admission to a v-t school is placed on a waiting list. As students offered admission decline, individuals from the waiting list are offered admission. Applicants not accepted at a v-t school have the right to request a review of that decision and examine all information used in assessing their own application.

To increase the chance someone on a waiting list will be able to attend a v-t school, the central office of the school system recently implemented changes to improve the coordination and exchange of information among the 17 schools. Waiting lists are shared by the schools, and applicants are notified they can have their application considered by another school.

A limited number of higher-grade level students may be accepted at a v-t school on a space available basis. Similar selection criteria are used for these students, but the time frame of the grades and attendance record reviewed is adjusted to include up-to-date information.

Capacity

The maximum number of students who can be served by a particular v-t school changes periodically. Storage areas are converted into classrooms, other classrooms are reconfigured to accommodate new uses such as computer laboratories, and buildings undergo more substantial renovations that add new space.

The last comprehensive school-by-school review of capacity was conducted in 1985; revised estimates were developed in the mid-1990s. During that period, nine schools experienced a decline in capacity, four stayed about the same, and four increased capacity as a result of major renovation projects. Up-to-date secondary-level capacity figures are currently unavailable. However, the v-t central office estimates trade program capacity at many of the schools has been reduced by the addition of computer labs for use by all students.

Using the figures from the mid-1990s, secondary-level capacity for full-time students at the 17 schools ranged from a low of 422 in Manchester to a high of 836 in Bridgeport. The average school capacity was 670.

Calculation of capacity in the adult program differs. A few adults take classes with secondary students on a space-available basis, but those individuals would be counted against the secondary-level capacity. There are a few full-time adult only programs, but most adult enrollees are part-time students taking courses between 3:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Thus, these students are served in addition to the secondary students.

Enrollment

Secondary enrollment in the v-t schools peaked at nearly 12,500 students in October 1983. It declined annually thereafter, reaching a low of 9,200 in October 1994. Since then, enrollment has increased each year.

During this same period, the overall secondary student population in Connecticut also exhibited a pattern of lengthy decline, followed by annual increases. From a high of nearly 182,000 in October 1980, the number of students in grades 9-12 reached a low of 125,000 in October 1990. Enrollment increased annually thereafter, and the October 1998 enrollment totaled almost 145,000 students.

The proportion of secondary level students attending v-t schools has consistently ranged between 7 and 8 percent for the past 20 years. Figure II-2 shows the total number of students in grades 9-12 and the portion enrolled in vocational-technical schools at five-year intervals since 1980.

Secondary enrollment levels at the 17 v-t schools differ considerably. Although the physical size of each facility limits maximum enrollment, the relationship of enrollees to capacity is highly variable. Some schools consistently attract a large number of applicants for the places available, while other schools may not attract enough applicants to fill all of the spaces they have.

In October 1997, the last year for which capacity data are available, the 17 v-t schools had enough room to accommodate 11,700 students. Actual enrollment in the v-t school system was almost 9,200 secondary students and approximately 800 adult day students statewide. The overall percentage of capacity used was 86 percent, but the rate per school ranged from 66 percent to 110 percent.

Figure II-3 shows the percentage of full-time day capacity used at each v-t school on October 1, 1997. Appendix E contains a series of graphs showing October 1 secondary enrollment versus estimated capacity for each v-t school throughout the five-year period from 1993 through 1997.

Most adults enrolled in programs at the v-t schools take only a few classes per year in the afternoon or evening. Systemwide during school year 1998-99, there were 10,365 adult registrations in such programs. This represented an unduplicated count of 5,958 adults.

Approximately one-third of these adult students were enrolled in apprentice-related courses. A slightly smaller portion were taking classes contracted for by an outside entity, and the rest of the adult students were taking extension or bilingual classes. (Less than half a dozen students were working toward high school diplomas.)

Sending towns. Children from all but five Connecticut towns attended vocational-technical schools last year. Based on October 1, 1998, enrollment data, the number of v-t students per town ranged from one to 1,004. All but one of the towns that contains a v-t school sent more than 100 students to v-t schools. Figure II-4 shows the portion of towns sending each specified number of students to v-t schools.

One-quarter of all towns in Connecticut sent between 10 percent and 32 percent of their secondary students to v-t schools. Half sent less than 5 percent of their students to v-t schools. The map in Figure II-5 shows the percentage of children in each town in the state who were attending vocational-technical schools.

The number of different v-t schools attended by students from the same town ranged from one to four. Proximity to multiple v-t schools appears to be a key factor in explaining this result. Appendix F presents town by town statistics regarding v-t school enrollment.

Student Profile

Although the v-t school system draws students from throughout the state, a majority of its secondary students come from the major urban areas of the state. Based on groupings of towns compiled by the Department of Education for comparison purposes -- known as Educational Reference Groups (ERGs) -- for school year 1997-1998, the vocational-technical schools drew 60 percent of their students from towns classified as belonging to two ERGs -- H and I. The towns in these two ERG classifications have the highest percentages of single-parent families, children receiving AFDC, and families who do not speak English at home.

Less than 3 percent of the v-t students came from towns in the ERG A and ERG B classifications. Those two ERGs contain the towns with the highest median family incomes, education levels, and percentages in managerial and professional occupations.

However, there were some notable differences among the individual v-t schools, reflecting variations in the specific regions they predominantly draw from. Almost 90 percent of the students from towns categorized as belonging to ERG I attended six v-t schools, while eight v-t schools had less than 10 students from an ERG I town. At the same time, a single v-t school accounted for half of all of the students from ERG A or ERG B towns who attended v-t schools. Only one v-t school had students enrolled from every ERG. Appendix G shows detailed October 1, 1998, enrollment data by ERG for each v-t school.

In terms of gender, systemwide during the 1998-1999 school year, 36 percent of the secondary students were female. This figure has increased almost every year since 1980 in both actual numbers and percentage. The major exception was a few years in the late 1980s when the numbers declined slightly, but the percentage stayed even.

The percentages of female students in individual v-t schools varied. Enrollment on October 1, 1998, ranged from 15 percent to slightly more than half. All but three schools fell in the range of 27 percent to 41 percent.

There is a significant gender imbalance within specific trade programs. Data from October 1, 1998, indicate several trade programs predominantly attract enrollees of one gender. For example, systemwide females comprised 10 percent or fewer of those enrolled in Electrical, Plumbing, or HVAC on October 1, 1998. At some schools no females were enrolled in these programs. Alternatively, less than 5 percent of the enrollees in Fashion Technology or Hairdressing that year were males.

The overall racial composition of the student body has become more diverse since 1980. At that time, minorities comprised 14 percent of the secondary enrollment at the 17 v-t schools. By the 1989-1990 school year, they comprised one-quarter of the students, and by 1997-98, they made up 38 percent. Figure II-6 shows the systemwide racial breakdown for the latter year.

Again, individual v-t schools differed considerably. For the 1997-98 school year, two schools had less than 5 percent minority enrollment, while the secondary enrollment at two other schools was 95 percent minority. Most schools had between 11 percent and 30 percent minority enrollment.

Appendix H contains individual v-t school enrollment data regarding the gender and racial composition of the secondary students. Statewide for the same school year, the average percent of minority students was 28 percent.

The number of secondary students with disabilities requiring special education programs at v-t schools has comprised about 15 to 18 percent of total secondary enrollment throughout the 1990s. These students represented 6 percent of secondary enrollees in 1980.

For the 1997-98 school year, systemwide 16 percent of the v-t school students were special education students. Individual v-t schools had rates ranging from 5 percent to 25 percent. Statewide, the percent of students who received special education services averaged 13 percent.

Standardized Test Results

Schools statewide are required to assess their school systems and their students on a variety of performance-related measurements. This information is reported in the Condition of Education Report issued annually by the Department of Education. Data for the students in the vocational-technical schools are also included.

The Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT),is given annually to Grade 10 students in the spring. It tests students in four areas -- math, language arts (literature and editing), science, and interdisciplinary. From 1995 through 1998, on average almost 95 percent of all v-t school 10th grade students took at least one portion of the CAPT. This is higher than the state average of 88 percent.

For the test administered in the spring of 1998, systemwide fewer than 15 percent of the v-t school students scored at or above goal on any portion of the test. Statewide at least one-third of those taking each area of the test scored at or above goal.

Figure II-7 shows the systemwide v-t results for each test area for 1998. The state average for the same year is included as well as the results for ERG H and ERG I, the two reference groups representative of the towns where a majority of the v-t students live. Appendix I presents school specific data for 1995 through 1998.

Although a majority of the students attending a v-t school may not plan to attend college, some do go on to two-year and four-year colleges. Many of these students take the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) while enrolled in high school.

For the class of 1998, systemwide 23 percent took the SATs. The percentage of the graduates of the individual v-t schools taking the test ranged from 8 percent to 53 percent. The systemwide average scores were 407 for mathematics and 404 for verbal. Statewide 75 percent of those graduating from high school in 1998 took the test. The average mean scores were 503 for math and 504 for verbal.

On the non-scholastic side, tenth grade students are tested on physical fitness. There are four components of the test. For those tested in the fall of 1997, 22 percent of the v-t students passed all four parts. The statewide average was 28 percent.

Section III

Program Offerings

The state's regional vocational-technical school system offers 38 different trade programs. Three-quarters are secondary-level programs; the rest are limited to adults. Some programs are available at every school; others are available at just a few schools or only at satellite facilities.

Five secondary-level trade programs are offered at all 17 v-t schools -- Auto Mechanics, Carpentry, Drafting-Machine, Electrical, and Manufacturing Technology. Half of the secondary-level trade programs are available at seven or more sites; five programs are offered in a single location.

Most adult-only programs are available at three or fewer sites. The major exception is Practical Nurse Education, which is offered at 11 schools. Appendix J presents a matrix showing the specific trade programs offered at each v-t school and satellite facility.

The number of secondary trade program options available at each school varies. All of the schools offer at least nine secondary-level program choices; a few schools offer 14 or 15 choices.

In terms of secondary enrollment, many of the same trade programs have been ranked in the top third of v-t school offerings for many years, although the specific rankings of each may have fluctuated. The most notable change in rankings has come at the top.

In 1986, the trade program with the highest total secondary enrollment was Machine Tool. That program, now called Manufacturing Technology, had 875 enrollees. By 1998, enrollment had declined to 469, and its rank had fallen to eighth.

Auto Mechanics, which was fifth in 1986, took the lead in 1995 with 696 students. It remained number one through 1998, despite a decline to 684 students. Table III-1 lists the top 10 trades and their rankings in 1998, based on October 1 enrollment levels.

Detailed trade program enrollment data are available for the years from 1993 through 1998. During that time the programs with the highest rates of growth were several newer ones. Microcomputer Software Technician nearly tripled secondary enrollment from 113 students to 308. Health Technology and Hotel/Hospitality Technology each nearly doubled, although their total enrollments in 1998 were only 127 and 61 students respectively.

Revisions in Trade Offerings

From year to year, the trade programs offered within the v-t school system may change. The introduction of a new program to the system or the elimination of an existing program is under the jurisdiction of the State Board of Education. A change in the specific schools offering an existing program can be made by the superintendent of the regional vocational-technical school system.

Since 1990, the State Board of Education has been required by C.G.S. Sec. 10-95i(b) to evaluate existing trade programs at least every five years on the basis of :

The board is also supposed to consider geographic differences that might make a trade feasible at one school and not another as well as whether certain combinations of offerings should be required. Following the evaluation, programs can be reauthorized for periods of up to five years.

Surprisingly, no formal process currently exists for assessing how well individual programs perform with respect to the statutory criteria. Staff from the v-t central office compile descriptive data regarding the programs, but no detailed examination of performance occurs. In addition, related programs (e.g., Baking and Culinary, Auto Body Repair and Auto Mechanics, and Dental Assistant and Dental Lab Technician) are not reviewed during the same year.

The first five-year cycle of reviews began in 1994 and was completed in January 1999. Forty trade programs were examined, and all were reauthorized. Except for three programs, every trade was reauthorized for the full five years allowed. Two programs reviewed during 1995 were reauthorized for only three years. One program reviewed during 1996 was approved for a one-year probationary period (not to exceed five years). In the latter case, the program continues to operate, and no follow-up review has occurred yet.

Written reports were issued for each trade. Originally produced as individual reports, all trades examined during the same year are now discussed in a single document. Program expense data previously included in the reports were eliminated from the January 1999 report covering eight trade programs.

Separate from the reauthorization process, the v-t central office requires schools that experience low enrollment in a program -- generally nine or fewer students -- to prepare a plan discussing how enrollment can be increased. That plan is evaluated at the central office. If approved, enrollment the following year is monitored. If no change occurs, the program may be eliminated, or a new low enrollment plan may be prepared. Program offerings may also have to be dropped temporarily or permanently if insufficient faculty are available to meet demand.

The statutes also require the State Board of Education to provide a process for the public to request consideration of new trade programs. No such process currently exists. If new resources become available to the v-t school system, possible program additions are considered from suggestions informally received previously.

Since the 1980s, the v-t school system has added six new programs and eliminated nine other programs. Tables III-2 and III-3 list the trade programs added and deleted respectively since 1986. Several other programs have undergone name changes in keeping with revisions made in the courses to keep the programs up-to-date. For example, "Machine Tool" has been renamed "Manufacturing Technology," and "Building Maintenance" was renamed "Building Remodeling and Design."

Exploratory Process

Secondary students admitted to vocational-technical schools at the ninth grade level spend their first year exploring all of the trade program options available to them at their respective school. As the year progresses, the students focus on an ever narrowing group of trade programs. At the end of the year, each student selects the program he or she will pursue in the upper grades.

In an effort to improve the information available to students before they select a trade area, a three-phase exploratory program has been created. Initially tested four years ago at six vocational-technical schools, the program was offered at an increasing number of schools each year after that. The program is now in use at all 17 v-t schools.

Figure III-1 summarizes the three phases of the exploratory process. Major features of the revised process include students receiving a more in-depth exposure to a range of trade program options, better assessment of a student’s aptitude and interests, and more parental involvement. Depending on the school attended, students have an opportunity to learn about as many as 15 programs. Under the old program, students only had a single opportunity to gain information about each of the trade programs offered by their school.

Completion Rates

The regional vocational-technical school system has one of the lower dropout rates among high schools in Connecticut. For the 1996-97 school year, the systemwide rate was 2 percent. The cumulative four-year rate for the class of 1997 was 6 percent. Statewide, the average cumulative dropout rate was 16 percent for the class of 1997.

However, when applied to v-t schools, the dropout rate is a misleading statistic. If a secondary student at a v-t school decides the program is not appropriate at any time during his or her years at the school, the student may transfer to his or her local public high school. The student is not a dropout. Instead he or she is referred to a "leaver." No follow-up is conducted to track whether these specific students stay in school. Therefore, a much more important statistic for the v-t schools is the number of students who actually obtain their high school diploma from the v-t school.

During school year 1998-99, a total of 1,576 students left v-t schools. This represented 15 percent of secondary enrollment. Figure III-2 shows the proportion of departing students who were from each grade level. The loss rates for individual schools generally ranged from 6 percent to 21 percent. Two schools lost one-third of their total enrollment.

An analysis of enrollment data for the class of 1998 indicates the number of students who graduated in June 1998 represented only 61 percent of the number who entered the v-t school system in September 1993. The proportion of the class graduating from the individual schools ranged from 42 percent to 75 percent. Figure III-3 compares the number of students entering and graduating from each of the 17 schools.

These non-completion rates were not unique to the class of 1998. October 1 enrollment levels for the year a class of students entered school and the year they were expected to graduate were examined for the classes of 1997, 1998, and 1999. That data showed systemwide the v-t schools lost one-third of each class. For the class of 1999, three schools lost almost half of the class. Only two schools lost less than 10 percent of the class. Appendix K presents a series of graphs comparing freshman and senior year enrollment for the three classes by school location.

An analysis of completion rates for individual trades also shows uniformly high departure rates across all programs. Sophomore year enrollment data, which covers the year students begin studying a specific trade, and senior year enrollment data were available for the classes of 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999.

Systemwide, only a few trades had even a single instance where the number of students still in the program at the start of the senior year was the same as the number who started in the program during the sophomore year. In most cases, enrollment declined 15 percent or more.

For example, Auto Mechanics, which has had the highest total enrollment systemwide since 1995, sustained declines of one-fifth to one-third among those four classes. Some individual v-t schools experienced declines in excess of 50 percent among one or another of those classes. Figure III-4 displays systemwide enrollment data by school class for the five trade programs with the highest total enrollment in 1998.

Post-Graduation Results

The vocational-technical school system annually surveys its secondary school graduates regarding their employment and education status. Results are tabulated for each class systemwide, by school, and by trade program. Similar data are collected by high schools statewide.

Figure III-5 shows the distribution of activities reported by the class of 1998 as a whole. Although 56 percent were employed at the time of the survey, only one-third were employed full time in a job related to the trade they had trained for. Approximately one-third were pursuing additional education. People not responding to the survey are included in the "other" category.

The proportion of v-t school graduates pursuing further education has been increasing. In 1985, only 18 percent of the graduates were in this category. By 1990, it was 21 percent; in 1995, it was 27 percent. Graduates attend a mix of two-year, four-year, and other schools.

Figure III-6 tracks post-graduate activity from 1984 through 1997. The proportion of graduates reporting full-time employment related to their training has increased since bottoming out in 1992, but it is still lower than at any point in the 1980s as depicted in the graph.

 From 1985 through 1989, between 41 and 44 percent of the graduates were working full-time in their trade area. By 1992, the proportion declined to 25 percent. Since then it has increased annually to the current level. The percentage of graduates reporting unrelated full-time work ranged between 14 and 20 percent throughout this period.

With respect to graduates who were available for work (i.e., not in education or the military full time), systemwide half were employed in work related to the trade they studied. This statistic ranged from 29 percent to 71 percent for individual schools.

In terms of specific trade areas, the education and employment rates varied considerably. The greatest number of graduates of the class of 1998 were enrolled in Hairdressing & Cosmetology. One-third of these were employed full time in related work, 29 percent were employed in unrelated jobs, and 7 percent were employed part time. One-quarter of the hairdressing graduates were pursuing additional education.

Only six trade programs had half or more of their graduates employed full time in related jobs. Table III-4 lists all of the trade programs with 1998 graduates. Also shown are the number of graduates and the percent employed full time in a related area.

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