Perkins IV
Programs of Study
Programs of study are organized around the national Career Clusters framework. The Career Cluster framework provides an organizational tool and curricular tool, and assists institutions with strengthening secondary-postsecondary transitions by making their curriculum efficient, effective, and streamlined.
Reading through the entire Perkins act, there are not references to “career clusters.” Similarly, reading through the States’ Career Cluster Initiative information, there are not references to the Perkins Act or “programs of study”. Only recently has the Career Clusters Initiative started referring to program of study to represent a plan of study which is a sequence of courses. Missouri, however, has chosen to define program of study to represent not only a sequence of courses but also all of the supporting institutional activities that would accompany a sequence of courses in order to more effectively institute the personal plan and maintain a process of continuous improvement around the plan.
Program of study and personal plan of study are related but not the same. A program of study is a collaborative effort among schools and colleges to seamlessly coordinate classroom instruction, student guidance, career and technical student organizations, career development and community participation for a particular Career Cluster/Pathway. A student’s personal plan of study should reflect a program of study, but it should also be individualized for that student’s career interests. The school clubs and community activities incorporated into a personal plan of study can give students practical experience to hone skills learned in the classroom and to develop personal qualities such as leadership and teamwork.
Program of study implementation is built upon a curriculum that addresses the Career Cluster knowledge and skills and Pathway knowledge and skills, as well as national and state academic standards. Standards-based curriculum will move education away from the narrow job-specific preparation towards a more broad and durable technical instruction while it expands, enhances, and reinforces academic content.
Career Clusters provide the framework for these standards-based, rigorous studies for all students within programs of study. Local course content is aligned horizontally to Career Cluster knowledge and skills. The horizontal alignment is in essence a gap analysis between course content and knowledge and skills information. Particular attention is then paid to how the ‘gaps’ in the curriculum should be addressed. Following the gap analysis, a vertical alignment must occur between secondary and postsecondary coursework; this alignment will provide the seamless component to student transition into postsecondary education. Then the model personal plan of study can be created.
A Program of Study Advisory Committee is developing a process. The Programs of Study Advisory Committee most recently met Monday, June 9, 2008 in Jefferson City.
Resources:
-
Glossary (pdf)