State Board adopts standards for career-technical education
Published: May 13, 2005
Consummating years of planning and collaboration at its May 12 meeting, the state Board of Education adopted comprehensive academic standards for career and technical education for California students.
The adoption confirms the belief of many educators and policy-makers that California students need high-quality options to prepare them for life after high school. The California Career-Technical Education standards are designed to prepare college-bound students for more advanced coursework as well as creating clear career pathways for students who wish to secure good jobs with something less than a bachelor’s degree.
To begin the process directed by legislation in 2002, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell solicited input from classroom teachers, school administrators, parents, postsecondary educators, and representatives of business and industry in an advisory group that began meeting in 2003. Then work groups representing 15 industry sectors, with public input, wrote academic standards for 15 major groups of occupations and industries. Within each sector are a number of more specific career pathways; for example, food science, dietetics and nutrition is a career pathway within the hospitality, tourism and recreation industry sector.
The 15 industries which now have comprehensive standards are:
- Agriculture and natural resources
- Arts, media and entertainment
- Building trades and construction
- Education, child development and family services
- Energy and utilities
- Engineering and design
- Fashion and interior design
- Finance and business
- Health science and medical technology
- Hospitality, tourism and recreation
- Information technology
- Manufacturing and product development
- Marketing, sales and service industry
- Public services
- Transportation
The standards in each industry sector are based on rigorous academics, communications, career planning and management, technology, problem solving and critical thinking, health and safety, responsibility and flexibility, ethics and legal responsibilities, leadership and teamwork, technical knowledge and skills, and demonstration and application of ability in the career pathway.