WIN Learning Overview & Media Updates

 

 INCREASED SKILLS WITH WIN COURSEWARE

WIN
  Career
  Readiness
  courseware
  begins
  with
  a
  “pre-­‐test”
  to
  determine
  participants’
 
current
 skill
 level
 and
 appropriate
 instructional
 modules.
 Participants
 are
 tested
 at
 the
 end
 of
 each
 
lesson
 to
 determine
 their
 mastery
 in
 building
 individual
 skills.
 In
 this
 Syracuse
 study,
 participants’
 
gains
  were
  measured
  through
  comparisons
  of
  pre-­‐test
  and
  post-­‐test
  scores.
  Gains
  were
  noted
 
both
 in
 terms
 of
 the
 WIN
 courseware
 and
 in
 terms
 of
 
 the
 US
 Department
 of
 Labor
 ‘s
 Educational
 
Functional
  Levels
  (DOL
  EFL),
  used
  as
  a
  common
  measure
  for
  comparing
  skill
  gains
  using
  various
 

national
 assessments
 and
 certification
 tools.
 
 
 

 
The
  Syracuse
  study
  found
  dramatic
  changes
  for
  all
  participants
  across
  all
  three
  skills
 
measured
  in
  the
  national
  work
  readiness
  certifications—Applied
  Mathematics,
  Reading
  for
 
Information,
 and
 Locating
 Information.
 
 For
 all
 five
 sites
 over
 the
 eight-­‐month
 study
 period:
 

 

   Skill
  gains
  in
  Applied
  Mathematics
  (n=140)
  showed
  a
  1.1
  level
 

  increase.
  In
  terms
  of
  DOL
  EFL;
  this
  parallels
  improving
  skills
  from
 

  beginning
 basic
 education
 (BB)
 to
 low-­‐intermediate
 basic
 education
 

  (LI).
 

 
 

   Skill
  gains
  in
  Reading
  for
  Information
  (n=60)
  showed
  a
  1.3
  level
 
 

  increase.
  In
  terms
  of
  DOL
  EFL;
  this
  parallels
  improving
  skills
  from
 

  beginning
 basic
 education
 (BB)
 to
 high
 intermediate
 basic
 education
 

  (HI).
 

 
 

   Skill
  gains
  in
  Locating
  Information
  (n=69)
  showed
  a
  2.0
  level
 
 

  increase.
 (No
 parallels
 are
 defined
 by
 DOL
 EFL
 for
 this
 
 measure).
 

 

 


 
A
  closer
  look
  at
  usage
  data
  suggests
  some
  participants,
  as
  indicated
  by
  the
  rapidity
  with
 
which
  they
  completed
  pre-­‐tests,
  used
  the
  WIN
  courseware
  to
  brush-­‐up
  on
  skills
  they
  had
 
previously
  acquired
  but
  which
  had
  deteriorated.
  Many
  other
  participants,
  however,
  as
  indicated
 
by
 the
 large
 number
 of
 hours
 invested
 in
 the
 WIN
 Courseware,
 
 definitely
 aquired
 new
 skills
 that
 
they
 previously
 did
 not
 possess.
 
 
 
 

 

 VALIDATION OF INCREASED SKILLS THROUGH CREDENTIALING

The
 ICT
 program
 makes
 extensive
 use
 of
 both
 the
 NWRC,
 endorsed
 by
 the
 New
 York
 State
 
Department
  of
  Labor,
  and
  the
  NCRC,
  more
  widely
  used
  nationwide.
  The
  NCRC
  is
  endorsed
  by
 
several
  industry
  groups,
  including
  the
  National
  Association
  of
  Manufacturers,
  the
  Center
  for
 
Energy
 Workforce
 Development
 and
 the
 National
 Center
 for
 Construction
 Education
 and
 Research.
 
 
However,
  the
  NWRC
  is
  gaining
  momentum.
 
  Steck
  Vaughn,
  a
  subsidiary
  of
  Houghton-­‐Miflin
 
publishing
 company,
 and
 the
 exclusive
 publishers
 of
 the
 GED
 preparation
 material
 has
 secured
 the
 
rights
  to
  promote
  the
  NWRC
  nationally
  and
  will
  be
  releasing
  NWRC
  test
  prep
  materials
  in
  2011.
 
 
The.NYS
 DOL
 has
 also
 recently
 launched
 an
 on-­‐line
 NWRC
 test
 prep
 program.
 


  Page
 4
 
 

 
 

  Several
  of
  the
  Syracuse
  study’s
  conclusions
  directly
  support
  the
  use
  of
  WIN’s
  Career
 

Readiness
 Software
 to
 prepare
 for
 the
 National
 Career
 Readiness
 exams.
 

 

  NWRC:
 
 Of
 the
 88
 participants
 who
 chose
 to
 enroll
 in
 

  testing
 for
 the
 NWRC,
 59.1%
 (52)
 passed
 the
 assessment
 

  and
 received
 the
 NWRC.
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
Because
 the
 Mathematics
 portion
 of
 the
 NWRC
 test
 is
 most
 difficult
 for
 participants,
 
additional
 data
 were
 analyzed
 for
 the
 math
 scores.
 Findings
 showed
 that
 participants
 who
 scored
 
higher
 in
 the
 WIN
 Courseware
 also
 received
 a
 higher
 score
 on
 the
 Math
 portion
 of
 the
 NWRC
 
Assessment.
 
 

 

 
NCRC:
 Of
 the
 46
 participants
 who
 sat
 for
 the
 NCRC,
 95%
 (43)
 

 
 
  passed.
 
 
 Of
 those,
 41%
 received
 a
 Bronze
 (qualifying
 for
 35%
 


  of
 all
 American
 jobs
 ,
 47%
 received
 a
 Silver
 (qualifying
 for
 

 

  65%
 of
 American
 jobs),
 and
 7%
 received
 a
 Gold
 
 Certificate
 
(qualifying
 for
 90%
 of
 American
 jobs).
 

Additional
  analyses
  also
  suggested
  that
  participants
  generally
  needed
  to
  reach
  at
  least
  a
 
critical
  level
  (level
  4)
  in
  the
  WIN
  courseware
  to
  assure
  passing
  the
  NWRC
  Math
  Assessment,
 
whether
 they
 were
 using
 the
 WIN
 courseware
 to
 brush
 up
 on
 existing
 skills
 or
 build
 skills.

 SUMMARY

The
  Syracuse
  study
  showed
  that
  WIN
  Career
  Readiness
  courseware
  builds
  foundational
 
skills.
  Participants
  made
  significant
  skill
  gains
  within
  the
  WIN
  Courseware
  itself
  and
  these
  gains
 
were
  validated
  using
  assessments
  associated
  with
  both
  the
  NWRC
  and
  the
  NCRC.
 
  The
  WIN
 
Courseware
 was
 helpful
 to
 all
 and
 also
 proved
 extraordinarily
 useful
 for
 assisting
 English
 Language
 
Learners
 to
 acquire
 work-­‐ready
 foundational
 skills.
 
 
 

 

 


  Page
 5
 
 

 
 

 
 

FEATURE

Students benefit from early start in
career tech

California’s Pomona USD encourages seventh and eighth
graders to start thinking about career paths

By:
Nancy Mann Jackson
District Administration, November 2013

For years, schools have focused on preparing students for jobs that
require a four-year degree from a university, and federal and state
education policies “have prioritized college preparation over career
preparation,” says Ashley Parker, spokesperson for the Association
of Career and Technical Education (ACTE).
As it becomes clearer that many high-paying jobs are remaining
unfilled—and that many university-educated job seekers are not
prepared to fill them—that focus has started to change. But to get
students and parents on board, districts must start early.
Last year, California’s Pomona USD began using the WIN Learning
System’s Strategic Compass program with seventh and eighth
graders to get them thinking about potential career pathways and
inform them of the variety of opportunities available in their region,
says Enrique Medina, director of career readiness for the district.

The Strategic Compass program allows students to see career
options that fit their profile and that are projected to be available in
their local economy. In addition to learning about career options,
students can also read about the education pathways to get to each
career and projected salary information and budgeting tools.
Such programs allow the school district to prepare high school CTE
programs to meet the needs and interests of incoming students, and
they help students to begin mapping career and education plans.
“Students need to be exposed to the career fields and job possibilities
that exist today, and will continue to grow in the future,” says Parker,
“and offered multiple pathways to career exploration and skills
development.”

 

 

 

How to teach skills for post-school
success

By Enrique Medina

March 4th, 2014

Pomona USD is ensuring that students are ready for college or a career
by redesigning its curriculum to include a focus on the ‘soft skills’
needed for success

Will every student pursue higher education? Not

necessarily. Should every student be prepared for
and have the choice to attend college, or pursue

other types of post-high school opportunities—
whether it’s to attend a trade school, serve in the
military, or enter the workplace? Absolutely.

College and career readiness has become an

important topic of conversation across the nation
as policy makers, educators, community leaders,

and business professionals look for new ways to
ensure all students are prepared to succeed after

high school.

What makes this so imperative is that, despite our current unemployment rate of
nine percent nationwide, nearly 3.2 million jobs go unfilled across all industries,

because the individuals applying for these positions simply lack the required
skills (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2011).

So what are these deficiencies in skills? Some involve technical expertise, but

the vast majority are known as “soft skills”: attitudinal and behavioral skills, social
skills, and general workplace skills.

One thing is clear: As educators, we must face the reality that it is no longer
enough to teach students to read, write, add, and subtract. The responsibility for

preparing our young people with these “soft skills” falls squarely on our shoulders
as well.
One size does not fit all
The “one size fits all” education model that focuses on college entry alone won’t
work in today’s workforce reality. To provide true college and career readiness,
we must ensure that our graduates can convey professionalism, communicate
effectively, work successfully on a team, think critically, and solve problems,
among other skills.
The importance of soft skills development drove us to supplement our curriculum
and focus on these essential areas as well.
(Next page: How to design curriculum programs with the future in mind)

Career readiness must go
hand-in-hand with
academic standards.


 

 

 

 


 

 


 
 

September 9, 2014

Math For the Real World

Forget about the intricacies of advanced algebra and
calculus because WIN Learning’s WIN Math concentrates on the math a student
will need in life and the workplace. Aimed at 5th through 8th graders who are a
year behind on math, WIN Math has interactive tools, problems and connections
to real-world jobs that use math. It’s divided up into 36 units that cover 16 career-
based topics.
 



Creating the workforce of tomorrow today

House Bill 5 promises to change the face of public high school education in Texas.
An area superintendent shares how districts can manage the new requirements.

by Royce Avery, El Paso ISD area superintendent

In 2014, sweeping changes are in store need to gain better perspective into career of Aransas Pass; Rosemary Vega of the
for Texas high schools, thanks to the pathways at an earlier age. This path Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce; John
introduction of House Bill 5 (HB 5), should begin forming in middle school Costilla of WIN Learning; and Shannon
which was made into law during the 83rd and then can be developed further during Buerk of EngageToLearn. Our mission
legislative session. the high school years, when career routes was to discuss and align our current
and options can be explored and selected. activities and make recommendations for
While generally positive for Texas moving efforts forward.
public school students, HB 5 puts new In anticipation of HB 5, school
constraints on high school administrators administrators must make staffing Using our meetings as a foundation,
and teachers. As one of only a handful decisions and develop relationships with we decided to create a scalable, easy-to-
of states that has so far opted not to nearby community colleges, universities replicate program to help all schools and
participate in the Common Core State and employers that can offer the range of districts — from large, urban districts
Standards (CCSS) initiative, Texas courses and training needed to complete to small, rural entities — meet HB
clearly has its eye on helping to develop the endorsements. For some districts, this 5 requirements. The plan centers on
tomorrow’s workforce by assisting transition to endorsements may come developing best practices for educational
students in fine-tuning their career choices rather easily. For other smaller or rural technology programs that combine core
before graduation. districts, it will be problematic. curriculum with support from local
businesses, trade schools and associations,
Under HB 5, for example, students Steps to success as well as technology programs. All of
will select a diploma “endorsement” in these programs, of course, are in the
one of five areas: science and technology, Last year when I was superintendent interest of driving personalized career and
business and industry, public services, at Aransas Pass ISD, we collaborated college-readiness for students.
humanities, or a multidisciplinary option. with Bill Symonds, a Harvard researcher
It’s no longer all about academics; it’s who authored the report “Pathways to To ensure that every APISD student
about career preparedness and giving Prosperity”; Sylvia Carrillo, city manager has an equal opportunity to make a smooth
students the tools and information they transition from high school to college
and/or work, we recently implemented a
HB 5 FAST FACTS standards-aligned, Web-based program
that helps students effectively prepare for
With the passage of House Bill 5, students now will need fewer the realities of college and the workplace.
science, math and social studies credits to graduate, but they will Based on real-world information and data,
be able to earn more workforce-related credits in business and the WIN Learning Personalized Career
industry, humanities, and science and technology. Four English Readiness System includes personalized,
credits will remain mandatory for graduation. HB 5 also reduces, project-based learning and career
from 15 to five, the number of standardized exams (STAAR tests) exploration, particularly in the areas of
that high school students must pass to graduate. science, technology, engineering and math
(STEM).
The changes associated with HB 5 don’t end there. The new law
also allows school districts to offer a course or activity (including Measuring the impact
an apprenticeship or training hours needed to obtain an industry-
recognized credential or certificate) for local credit without obtaining As one of 28 Texas superintendents
approval from the State Board of Education as long as the district who was involved in the early stages of
develops a partnership with an institution of higher education HB 5’s development and was charged
and a local business. Districts also will be allowed to pair up with with helping to rethink education in
institutions of higher education to develop and provide courses in the state, I’m proud to say that APISD
college prep math and English language arts (ELA) for seniors whose students will now graduate more career-
performance on end-of-course (EOC) exams indicates they are not and college-ready than ever before. This
ready to perform entry-level college coursework. is an awesome opportunity for schools to
engage with their communities and area
businesses to help build out the workforce
of tomorrow.

24 Texas School Business • January 2014

Among the participants at the business and education summit at Aransas Pass ISD in the spring As it stands now, HB 5 will have a
of 2013 were (from left) Shannon Buerk, CEO of Engage! Learning; Royce Avery, former super- huge impact on Texas as a whole and on
intendent of Aransas Pass ISD (now area superintendent of El Paso ISD); William C. Symonds, the way schools develop and support their
director of the Pathways to Prosperity Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education; and John curriculum options. It’s going to change
Costilla, vice president of strategic relations at WIN Learning. the face of public education and ensure
that our 21st-century learners not only
have more opportunities at their fingertips
but that they’re also well-equipped to
recognize and grab those opportunities as
they present themselves.

ROYCE AVERY is
an area superintendent
for El Paso ISD. He
is a life-long educa-
tor with classroom and
district-level experi-
ence in Aransas Pass,
Woodsboro, Lubbock
and Waco ISDs, as well as with the Texas
Education Agency. Avery received his
undergraduate degree from Rice Univer-
sity. He holds a master’s degree in educa-
tional leadership and administration from
Texas A&M University. He earned his
doctorate in educational administration
and supervision from The University of
Texas at Austin.

January 2014 • Texas School Business 25