FUNDING
FINDINGS
A unique feature of the Connecticut vocational-technical (v-t) school system is its status as a state entity.
APPLICANTS AND ENROLLMENT
FINDINGS
The proportion of secondary students statewide who attend v-t schools has remained between 7 and 8 percent since 1980.
The number of applicants to each v-t school differs considerably. Since there is no systemwide minimum score an applicant must attain to be admitted to a v-t school, the scores of those who enroll vary among the individual schools.
The Department of Education never finished the admissions study it began in 1989.
RECOMMENDATION
The program review committee recommends the state Department of Education (SDE) conduct a study of the relationship between admissions scores and performance within the vocational-technical school system, using the groups of ninth-grade students entering the system as the Classes of 2003, 2004, and 2005. The department shall provide periodic, written updates to the legislative committee of cognizance for education and the program review and investigations committee regarding elements of the study. Specifically:
- on September 15, 2001, the department shall describe: (1) the number and distribution of students by school by class; (2) the format and contents of the initial data base created to carry out the study (3) the measures (e.g., Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) scores, grade point average, class rank, dropout and "leaver" rates, trade-specific assessment tests, etc.) selected to assess the ability of the individual components of the admissions score to predict success on future measures; and (4) any other factors relevant to conducting the study or understanding the final results;
- on March 15 and October 15, 2002, the department shall describe the progress of the study, including data collection activities and any problems that have developed concerning assessment measures or other relevant factors, and shall include statistics on the number of students from each class who have already left the system;
- on March 15, 2003, the department shall present preliminary results of the study based on data analysis through the first quarter of school year 2002-2003, including the relevance of the five components of the admissions score to the assessment measures;
- on December 30, 2003, the department shall present final results for the Class of 2003, including graduation rates and the results of the post-graduation survey. Based on the results for that class, the department shall indicate the probability of a vocational-technical school student being successful based on the elements of the admissions score and shall discuss whether changes appear to be needed in the system's admissions policies;
- on December 30, 2004, the department shall present final results for the Class of 2004 and explain any differences compared with the results from the Class of 2003; and
- on December 30, 2005, the department shall submit its final report, including final results for the Class of 2005. Based on the results from the three classes, the department shall indicate the probability of a vocational-technical school student being successful based on the elements of the admissions score and shall describe any changes it intends to make in the system's admissions policies.
PROGRAM OFFERINGS
FINDINGS
Since the 1980s, the vocational-technical school system has added 10 new programs and eliminated nine other programs.
From 1993-1999, the trade programs with the highest rates of growth were newer ones, including several related to information technology. However, overall enrollment levels remain weighted toward traditional areas rather than new fields. Many of the same secondary-level trade programs have been ranked in the top third of v-t school offerings for many years, although specific rankings have fluctuated.
The process currently used to reauthorize trade programs does not include a detailed analysis of the statutory evaluation criteria.
No written process for establishing new trade programs existed until spring 2000, after the program review committee's September 1999 briefing found the system out of compliance with this statutory requirement.
Administrative staff do not appear to have the time to thoroughly analyze the data the system collects to determine the accuracy or assess the implications of the information.
RECOMMENDATION
The program review committee recommends the Regional Vocational-Technical School System investigate opportunities to use faculty and graduate students from public and private colleges and universities in Connecticut to conduct research projects that will analyze existing system data and collect new data where appropriate.
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
FINDINGS
In key measurement areas, students in the vocational-technical schools are performing below the state average. Indeed, in some areas, v-t school performance is similar to or lower than ERG I schools, a grouping that includes many of the neediest schools in Connecticut.
The vocational-technical school system as the state's own school system should receive sufficient support from the state Department of Education and the State Board of Education to enable the v-t schools to flourish.
Supplemental Information:
· Students at v-t schools are required to meet the same statutory promotion and graduation requirements as students in local area high schools.
· Public Act 99-288, An Act Concerning Education Accountability, requires the State Board of Education to prepare a list of elementary and middle schools in need of improvement based on student performance and requires boards of education for those schools to develop improvement plans and take steps to become accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
· Each vocational-technical school has been working on a School Improvement Plan that focuses on critical school practices including fostering improvement in student learning. All 17 v-t schools are currently accredited by NEASC.
RECOMMENDATION
The program review committee recommends the state Regional Vocational-Technical School System, the State Board of Education, and the state Department of Education work together to define specific achievement goals for secondary v-t school students at each grade level, which will be the basis for allocating additional resources if needed.
In addition, the v-t school system, the state board, and the department shall identify a set of quantifiable measures to be used to create an index reflecting the performance of each vocational-technical school. The measures shall include factors such as CAPT scores, trade-related assessment tests, dropout rates, and graduation rates.
IMAGE
FINDING
Many people in Connecticut are still not familiar with the state vocational-technical school system.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The program review committee recommends the Regional Vocational-Technical School System make outreach to the business community a top priority and establish a position in its central office specifically assigned to carry out this task (in coordination with trade instructors in the individual v-t schools).
The program review committee recommends vocational-technical system administrators and members of the Vocational-Technical School Committee periodically invite local legislators to tour the vocational-technical schools in their districts and become more familiar with v-t school programs.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Supplemental Information:
· The number of different towns sending students to individual v-t schools ranges from six to 32; the median number of towns is 16. Only 39 percent of the towns in the state send more than 40 students to vocational-technical schools.
· Each v-t school is supposed to have a Citizens Consulting Committee that includes representatives from various interests in the region and provides input to the school director. The composition and activity levels of the committees vary from school to school.
· Three v-t schools have received state, inter-district cooperative grants for programs involving local area school districts.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The program review committee recommends the central administration of the Regional Vocational-Technical School System monitor the composition and meeting schedules of the Citizens Consulting Committees at each v-t school to ensure each committee includes representatives of area school districts as participating members.
The program review committee recommends each regional vocational-technical school director:
· annually convene a meeting to discuss coordination issues with representatives of all of the towns that send students to the v-t school; and
· quarterly host a meeting with representatives of those towns that send students comprising more than 5 percent of the total secondary enrollment at the v-t school (as measured annually on October 1) to work on developing programs that can be jointly sponsored.