07/19/12 The Plymouth School Board heard a report on Indiana Career Pathways Initiative during a meeting on July 10. Presenting the information was Plymouth High School Guidance Counselor , Aimee Porttues. Portteus said Indiana’s College and Career Pathways is “an aligned sequence of secondary and post-secondary courses that leads to industry certification or a college degree in a high wage, high demand occupation.” The Indiana Department of Education has set the 2013-2014 school year as the year for full implementation of the program.
This year’s 8th graders will be given a 4-year plan.
Guidance counselors help students select appropriate course work to compete a number of credits. She said, “A “concentrator” is a students who has taken 6 credits in pathway courses and a “completer” is a concentrator who has taken the Pathway Assessments.” She said Pathway Assessments lead to industry-recognized certifications using final exams for specified dual credit courses and specified end of course assessments.
According to Porttues, there are cluster areas of interest including the following: Agriculture, architecture & construction, and Arts AV Communications. Additional areas include: Business & marketing, education and training, health science, hospitality & human services, information technology, manufacturing, public safety and transportation.
She said students are free to change pathways at any point if their interests change.
Plymouth Schools is a part of the North Central Vocational Co-op that offers many of the vocational courses of interest. Plymouth Superintendent Daniel Tyree said the state provides additional vocational money for students and then the schools pay for the cost of the vocational training through the co-op.
The next School Board meeting will be August 7 at 7:00 p.m. in Administration Board Room.
Carol Anders Correspondent
