Career Technical Education


Middle School Project

While it may seem premature to ask middle school students to begin thinking about careers, research has shown that one of the key indicators of future academic and career success is exposure to career awareness activities in grades 6-8. At these grade levels, the goal is not for students to select a career, but to introduce them to the range of possibilities that exist and prepare them to make decisions about high school coursework and, ultimately, their future.

For the past several years, the Sonoma County Office of Education and Santa Rosa Junior College have been leading a grant project that supports career exploration in middle schools. The goals and objectives of this initiative are to:

  • Implement model programs featuring high-wage, high-growth careers
  • Expand student knowledge of career options
  • Expand student knowledge of high school and post-secondary education/training options
  • Increase positive perceptions regarding the relevancy of post-secondary career, education, and training opportunities
  • Increase student understanding of career goals, interests, and aspirations
  • Increase staff awareness of career development resources and educational options available to students

Participating Schools
Adele Harrison Middle School in Sonoma
Altimira Middle School in Sonoma
Comstock Middle School in Santa Rosa
Crossroads Community Day School in Petaluma
Healdsburg Junior High School in Healdsburg
Kenilworth Junior High in Petaluma
Lawrence E. Jones Middle School in Rohnert Park
Petaluma Junior High School in Petaluma
Piner-Olivet Charter School in Santa Rosa
Rincon Valley Middle School in Santa Rosa
Roseland Accelerated Middle School in Santa Rosa
Slater Middle School in Santa Rosa
Washington School in Cloverdale
Windsor Middle School in Windsor

News & Announcements

Save the Date!
Sonoma County Maker Kids Mini-Maker Faire, March 31, 2012
The third annual Sonoma County Maker Kids Mini-Maker Faire will be held at Sonoma Country Day School on Saturday, March 31, from 11:00am to 3:00pm. This is a youth-oriented DIY (Do-It-Yourself) event that promotes science, technology, engineering, and math. Kids of all ages are encouraged to show off their creations and take part in hands-on activities at this fun, free event. The Faire is sponsored by the Sonoma Country Day School, Sonoma County Children’s Museum, and SCOE. For information, contact Dan Blake at (707) 524-2780 or dblake@scoe.org.

Step-Up Classes earn rave reviews from students
During the spring and summer, over 300 middle school students had the opportunity to participate in 16 Career Technical Education (CTE) Step-Up Classes at local high schools. Based on student evaluations, they clearly had great experiences!

Step-Up Classes are free 8- to 16-hour mini-courses taught by high school CTE teachers. The classes offer students an opportunity for a hands-on experience in a career pathway of interest, help with the transition from middle school to high school, and provide an excellent recruiting opportunity for high school programs.

Students took courses in welding and metal fabrication, animation and computer design, biotechnology, child development, construction technology, culinary arts, and digital video. When asked to rate their overall satisfaction with the courses on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest, students gave the courses a combined rating of 4.79. Even more impressive, 97% of the students said they would participate in the class again and/or recommend it to others.

Since a major objective of the courses is to assist students in making decisions about which courses to take in high school, students were also asked whether their participation in the class would help them in making a decision about what pathway/elective courses they would take in high school. An overwhelming 91% of students replied “yes” to this question.

SCOE receives new middle school CTE grant
SCOE has been named one of 13 recipients of a Middle Grades Career Technical Education (CTE) grant awarded by the California Department of Education. The $145,000 grant will allow Sonoma County to expand and improve existing career awareness and exploration efforts, provide hands-on CTE experiences, and further institutionalize career development commitments in local middle schools. The hands-on CTE experiences supported by the grant will encourage students to think about their future, allow them to explore a variety of career paths, and produce more successful transitions from middle school to high school and beyond. Learn more... (pdf)

Survey shows students benefit from Kuder Career Planning System
A recent survey of students from Sonoma County middle schools suggests that students are learning about college and career options, identifying their interests and skills, and planning for the future thanks to their use of an online career and academic planning tool. The Kuder Navigator System was made available to 39 Sonoma County middle schools and high schools during 2009-10, with over 9,600 students establishing lifetime accounts on the system. A survey of student users conducted in May of 2010 revealed that:

  • Using the Kuder system has helped a majority of students (68%) identify their interests, skills, and work values.
  • 84% say it has helped them explore possible career options.
  • Two-thirds (66%) say they have used it to find information about colleges and post-secondary training and 48% have located scholarship and financial aid information.
  • 61% say it has helped them develop an educational plan for the future.

Career Days introduce students to a wide range of careers
At a number of Sonoma County middle schools, spring means “Career Day.” These annual events allow students to meet and ask questions of individuals from a wide range of careers—careers they themselves may want to pursue. Schools hosting Career Days in 2010 included Comstock Middle, Healdsburg Junior High, Piner-Olivet Charter, Roseland Accelerated Middle, and Windsor Middle. At each of these schools, students participated in pre-activities to help them get the most out of the day’s events and post-activities which allowed them to reflect on what they heard and gained from the experience.

Real Game prepares students for success beyond high school
Students in ten local middle schools are experiencing the sometimes harsh realities of making a living and balancing life and work, all with the intention of getting them to begin thinking about what they need to do in preparation for a fulfilling and successful future. The Real Game California, an experiential curriculum that allows students to take on adult career roles and begin to understand and appreciate the complexity of adult life, is being used at all of the schools participating in the Sonoma County Middle School Career Exploration Program. A training on the use of the curriculum hosted by SCOE attracted over 20 teachers and counselors from local schools.

Staff

  • Dan Blake, Career Development Specialist
    (707) 524-2780,