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Winnacunnet Cooperative High School
Career Paths Curriculum
(Hampton, New Hampshire)
Summary: Overview of the Strategy
The Winnacunnet High School School-To-Careers Career (STC) Paths Curriculum
is a collaboratively designed career-based model in which all students participate
in personal and career development activities. Students take part in a combination
of required and elective courses which enable each individual to develop
strong core skills, demonstrate awareness of a variety of career opportunities,
and create an individual plan for their own career path.
Three major elements link to ensure each student's success:
- Ninth grade: Introduction to Computers and Careers (ICC). The
ICC develops competency in computers, uses computers to explore careers
in Arts & Communication, Business & Marketing, Health & Human
Services, and Technology & Engineering.
- Tenth grade: Cluster Exploration Course. The tenth grade cluster
exploration course provides students with opportunities to explore a career
cluster of their choice.
- An Individualized Career Education Portfolio. Students create
an Individualized Career Education Portfolio with the help of parents,
teachers, and counselors and identify courses they can take to prepare
for their career choice. In grades 11 and 12, students select courses linked
to their own interests and aptitudes. Framed within one of the clusters,
each student will design a career major strand which is appropriate to
individual abilities and desires.
Essential to our model, is the use of Critical Skills Strategies, which
assist each student to develop their self-concept, team working skills,
and integrate the SCANS skills. During their four years, each student also
participates in work-based learning activities such as job shadowing or
internships.
The Need
When she arrived at Winnacunnet High School in the fall of 1988, Principal
Roberta Neuman discovered a school with experienced teachers, small classes,
and a good budget, but she also found a record of excessive dropouts and
too many academic failures. She found a traditional curriculum in place,
taught largely through traditional methodologies.
Encouraged by the superintendent of schools and a supportive school board,
Neuman embarked on a mission to redesign the school to address the educational
needs of all students. It was clear that two changes were necessary:
- The school needed to be restructured to a model of schooling that would
motivate all students.
- Teachers needed to be retrained in methodologies that would address
all learning styles.
"We need to provide all students the focus that our top students
have demonstrated," she explained. "Our focus tends to be very
narrow. To be successful students will need a broader set of skills than
they have ever before been required to have. At the same time we need to
have a curriculum that will address the needs of all our students."
"One of our biggest changes will be shifting to a more process orientation,"
she continued. "We teach content, confident that students will recognize
the process. That is not a correct assumption and we need to focus on process,
recognizing that they will use the content if they understand the process
related to that content."
The career paths curriculum adapted by the school board includes:
- A comprehensive guidance and counseling program
- Activity-based instructional methodology in a related instructional
curriculum
- High performance standards for all students
- A greater number of students in secondary vocational-technical opportunities
- Career majors articulated with appropriate post-secondary programs
- Dissemination of the program as a model to other schools within the
state and region.
Evidence of poor attendance, incomplete work, poor test scores, and significant
time dealing with discipline demonstrated that a large number of students
were not successful. Career Paths was developed over several years following
a master plan for school restructuring which was collaboratively developed
by representatives of the school, post-secondary schools, business, and
community leaders. This plan engaged the school and community in changing
the model of schooling and creating a means for teachers to develop skills
to address all learners. As Career Paths has been implemented, students
have demonstrated an appreciation of a variety of careers, while the school
has created meaningful connections with the community.
Recognizing the limitations of a strategy which separated students into
categories, consensus was reached that our plan must be for all students,
with opportunities for flexibility as appropriate for each learner. The
model creates an emphasis on preparation for education and work following
graduation. All students develop a plan of studies which is based on career
exploration, individual skills, and orientation to careers.
Meeting the Need
During the 1991-92 school year a curriculum committee reviewed the status
of our programs and agreed that Winnacunnet has a well-trained and experienced
staff with many opportunities for professional growth, an ample budget,
and small class sizes. Even with these resources, however, the school had
a substantial failure rate.The Career Paths curriculum was conceived by
a vision team including the Superintendent, High School Principal, Guidance
Director, a School Board Member, and an Educational Consultant. The vision
was for a career-based curriculum addressing all learner's needs. This group
concurrently shared this vision with the educators and a community advisory
committee representing the towns that send students to the schools and a
broad range of the businesses in the area.
This vision was shared with small groups, along with a solicitation for
feedback. During this phase the essential question of potential stakeholders
was, "What can you do to make this vision work?" Through this
strategy, work groups were formed for the purpose of developing the mission
statement and a restructured model of schooling. A master implementation
plan was developed collaboratively establishing key working areas, specific
tasks, and completion dates.
Financing for this was provided by grants, local district funds, and
contributions from the business community. Implementation costs have been
borne by a combination of local district monies, Tech Prep, and School-To-Work
grants.
The Results
- All students in the Career Paths STC Curriculum have demonstrated course
selections with greater focus than previously evidenced.
- Appropriate modifications in the individual curriculum have been adopted
when necessary.
- Through both student internships and teacher externships, links with
work-based learning are more clearly defined and students demonstrate how
school and work are linked.
To implement Career Paths, we have phased this curriculum in over a four
year period. This has enabled us to address the critical need for retraining
our staff, which is necessary for the changes to be successful. This has
also allowed for limitation of the stress on students of dealing with graduation
requirements from two separate curriculum models.
Evaluation of the strategy has been done by interviewing counselors,
teachers and students. Annual surveys of participating students have indicated
awareness of more career options available to them. Student Career Plan
Portfolios also evidence more thoughtfulness, reflection, and more focused
career preparation through Career Paths.
Reflections on Our Strategy
- Although this model has been developed collaboratively with the community,
ownership by those other than the school (in all phases) could be more
clearly defined.
- Teacher training in infusing career development in all areas of instruction
also could have been done more effectively for all staff.
- Finally counselors have not been as directive in working with students
in making career major choices as they could be.
Within specific content areas, it is appropriate to provide levels of
instruction based on an individual student's ability. In our experience,
promoting the least restrictive environment for every learner has ensured
access and success for all.
Overall, we have been pleasantly surprised by the ownership students
have taken with respect to course selections related to areas of interest.
Satisfaction with choices by students has been demonstrated by limited changes
once selections have been made. Most importantly the inclusion of all students
in the curriculum model has given the changes a level of credibility difficult
to obtain in any other way. Clearly this decision has proven to be critical
to the overall acceptance of Career Paths by all teachers, students, parents,
and the community. If nothing else, this sense of oneness has empowered
students to plan for their own futures.
Examples of Learners
Three examples of successful learners are provided to demonstrate the
impact the Career Paths Curriculum has had for all students.
Example 1
Our first example is of a learner with a disability known as Downs Syndrome.
Because work-based learning experiences are available to all students, this
learner has chosen a work experience option provided through a local movie
theater. She is a ticket taker and also works in the area of concessions.
Her supervisor credits our career-based model for providing the opportunity
to develop the job-seeking and job-keeping skills which support her desire
to succeed. Her employer reports a high level of satisfaction with her job
performance.
Example 2
Our second example is of a youth who is a currently a senior and who
will be attending college next fall to study Veterinary Science. With an
interest in this career field, the student reports that she has had opportunities
to participate in two internships, which have assisted in confirming her
decision. Due to the structure of the curriculum, she has taken courses
which she might not have considered as essential to her career preparation
under our previous system - such as Anatomy and Physiology, as well as advanced
mathematics and Chemistry. In the Career Paths Curriculum, she has developed
an understanding of why this is important and how to put this learning into
practice.
Example 3
Our third example is of a young adult with a developmental disability
caused by a brain tumor when he was very young. Career Paths has motivated
him to focus on the courses necessary to seek a high tech option. His counselor
explained that without the structure of the Career Paths Curriculum, he
may not have sought this particular option, which includes math, science,
and computer electronics courses. As a senior, he has already been accepted
into a two-year advanced diploma program in Automotive Technology. His focus
on academics and career planning is directly attributable to the system
we have in place - the Career Paths Curriculum.
For more information on the Winnacunnet Career Paths Curriculum model,
contact:
- Paul Cuetara, Coordinator
- c/o Winnacunnet Cooperative High School
- Alumni Drive
- Hampton, NH 03842
- (Phone) 603/926-3395 x 262
- (Fax) 603/926-5418
- (E-mail) cuetara@winnacunnet.k12.nh.us
Back to The Award page
Note: Funding for the All Means All School-to-Work Project
has ended. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of contact information listed
here. Additionally, awarded programs that we profile may no longer exist.
We are publishing this information as it may be relevant to the current work
of assisting youth with disabilities in the transition from school to post-school
opportunities.
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