Mississippi Occupational Diploma Annie Margaret Harris, Coordinator Division of Technical Assistance

Mississippi Occupational Diploma Requirements - Standard 20.5 In accordance with MS Code 37-16-11(2), the State Board of Education has approved criteria for an occupational diploma for students with disabilities. The Mississippi Occupational Diploma (MOD) provides an option for students with disabilities that emphasizes high expectations in both academics and work experiences that will assist students in acquiring and maintaining the necessary competencies and skills needed to secure and retain competitive employment. The primary postgraduate goal for these students is competitive employment. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Decision Regarding Participation The decision regarding participation in the MOD will be made by the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) Committee, which must include a school counselor. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Role of IEP Committee The MOD may be implemented in any Least Restrictive Environment deemed appropriate by the IEP Committee. Prior to graduation, an exit IEP Committee must be held to evaluate accomplishment of the goals and objectives in the IEP and the completion of all requirements for the MOD. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MOD Requirements Must earn a minimum of twenty-one (21) course credits by successfully completing selected courses from the general education curriculum, vocational education programs, special education curriculum or any combination of these courses and complete an occupational diploma portfolio containing a collection of evidence of the student’s knowledge, skills and abilities as agreed upon by the student’s IEP Committee. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MOD Enrollment Enrollment: The MOD option is initiated at the time the student enters the 9th grade; however, a student can enter the MOD program at any time during their school career. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Optional Course Credits Employment English I Life Skills Science I Employment English II Life Skills Science II Employment English III Life Skills Science III Applied Employment English IV Applied Life Skills Science IV (On the Job) (On the Job) Job Skills Math I Career Preparation I Job Skills Math II Career Preparation II Job Skills Math III Career Preparation III Applied Job Skills Math IV Applied Career Preparation IV (On the Job), or (On the Job), OR Any combination of general education, vocational, and/or special education courses May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Required Course Credits Completion of a two-year Career/Technical (Vocational) Program OR 10th Grade School-Based Work Assessment (30 Hours)* 11th Grade Community-Based Work Training (30 Hours)* *For students not pursuing the Two Year Career/Technical (Vocational Program) May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Career/Technical Requirements Successful completion of a two (2) year career/technical (vocational) program OR 540 hours of successful, paid employment by the end of the senior year May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Please refer to MS Public School Accountability Standards 2010 Appendix A-1 Pages 36-37 and MS Public School Accountability Standards Appendix A-1 Page 32-34 2012 May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Please refer to MS Public School Accountability Standards 2010 Appendix A-2 Pages 38-40 and MS Public School Accountability Standards Appendix A-2 Pages 35-37 May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Please refer to MS Public School Accountability Standards 2010 Appendix B Pages 41-42 and MS Public School Accountability Standards 2012 Appendix B Pages 40 -41 May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Please refer to MS Public School Accountability Standards 2010 Appendix C-1 Page 41 and MS Public School Accountability Standards 2012 Appendix C-1 Page 42 May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Please refer to MS Public School Accountability Standards 2010 Appendix C-2 Page 44 and MS Public School Accountability Standards 2012 Appendix C-2 Page 43 May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Please refer to MS Public School Accountability Standards 2010 Appendix G Page 61 and MS Public School Accountability Standards 2010 Appendix G Page 59 May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Please refer to the MS Occupational Diploma Any Combination of General Education and Special Education Sample Course of Study Chart May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Monitoring Portfolio Objectives • Always check previous years’ portfolios to determine if any objectives were not mastered. • Objectives may be repeated over several years, repeated in more than one subject area and/or grade. • All objectives in bold print from all four years must be mastered or a passing grade must be earned from the general education class that coincides with the MOD course in order to earn an Occupational Diploma. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MOD Objectives • There is no single source for all objectives. • Teaching materials can include books, internet and teacher-made items. • Binders or files can be organized by objectives. Note: Only one item of evidence is required and the one item can cover several objectives. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MOD Portfolio Completion: • Occupational portfolio that reflects satisfactory performance in meeting both the academic and work-training curriculum requirements. • Core objectives must be mastered with a minimum of 70% accuracy. • Evidence of the level of acquisition must be included in the portfolio for all content standards. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MOD Portfolio Prior to graduation, an exit IEP Committee meeting must be held to evaluate accomplishment of the goals and objectives on the IEP and the completion of all requirements for the MOD. At this meeting, the student will present the completed MOD Portfolio for review by the IEP Committee. The final MOD Portfolio will be reviewed and approved prior to graduation by the principal or a designee. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Role of IEP Committee • Review the portfolio at the annual IEP meeting, or more frequently as needed. • Include all content standards not attained at the passing rate in the IEP revision as goals and benchmarks to be re-taught. • Ensure student repeats the course if the core content standards are not mastered. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MOD Portfolio Instructing Teacher’s Responsibilities: • Gather evidence to document attainment of portfolio content standards in the subject area. A single item of evidence may be used to document more than one content standard and in more than one core curriculum course. • Ensure that the portfolio is documented by the end of each grading period. • Report progress toward attainment of the content standards to parents at the end of each grading period. • Provide a copy of the progress to the teacher responsible for maintaining the IEP. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Student Responsibilities: MOD Portfolio Student Responsibilities: • Assist in management of his/her portfolio. • Review items of evidence each grading period and select the best product for display in his/her portfolio. • Prior to graduation, present the portfolio at the exit IEP Committee meeting as a replacement for the exit interview. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MOD Work Component 10th Grade: On-Campus Job Shadowing 11th Grade: Community-Based Work Training OR 12th Grade: 540 Hours Paid Work Experience in lieu of Completion of a two-year Career/Technical (Vocational) Program May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

10th Grade On-Campus Job Shadowing Students must have successful experiences and acceptable work performance evaluations in three to six school-based work experiences; six to eight job shadowing experiences; or a combination of the above for a minimum of 30 hours. NOTE: This requirement may be waived in lieu of a minimum of 30 hours of other community-based training experiences if agreed upon by the student’s IEP committee. The substituted work experience must be documented and noted in the student’s portfolio. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

11th Grade Community-Based Work Training Students must have successful experience and work performance evaluations in two to four community-based work training experiences with a minimum total of 30 hours. NOTE: This requirement may be waived if the student successfully completes a planned sequence of courses from a career/technical (vocational) education course of study in his/her chosen career/technical education field that designates the student as a “program completer”. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

11th Grade Community-Based Work Training Community-based job shadowing and work training are designed to provide opportunities for a student to learn appropriate work habits and to determine the things they like or dislike about the jobs experienced, rather than being designed to train a students for a specific job. Each student will visit various businesses in the community to observe work being performed, talk to employees, and actually perform work under direct supervision. NOTE: This is in lieu of the two-year Career/Technical (Vocational) Program. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Review existing labor market 11th Grade Community-Based Work Training: Developing Community-Based Work Training Sites Review existing labor market Develop a list of potential employers to contact Contact local business groups in the community (e.g., Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce) Retain employer contact information NOTE: This is in lieu of the two-year Career/ Technical (Vocational) Program. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Locate individual employers who may have appropriate training sites. 11th Grade Community-Based Work Training: Developing Community-Based Work Training Sites Locate individual employers who may have appropriate training sites. Visit business sites and meet with employers. Discuss the employer options for participation. Allow students to visit and/or job shadow. Volunteer as a classroom speaker. Serve as a training site. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

11th Grade Community-Based Work Training: Developing Community-Based Work Training Sites • Make follow–up arrangements. • Send a thank-you letter to each employer contacted. • Complete the Community-Based Work Training Business Agreement when a business agrees to participate. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Plan transportation arrangements. Develop a schedule including all 11th Grade Community-Based Work Training: Developing Community-Based Work Training Sites Plan transportation arrangements. Develop a schedule including all community-based work training sites and participating students. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

12th Grade: 2-year Vocational Completer Cooperative career/technical education may be substituted not to exceed one credit in each of the non-elective subject areas of English, math, science, and social studies. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

12th Grade: 540 Hours Paid Work Experience • Enrollment in the Career/Technical Cooperative Education Program by the end of the senior (exiting) year • Documented evidence of a minimum of 540 hours of successful paid employment • Release time may be given for students to participate in work experiences for credit May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MS Occupational Diploma: Where Are We Now In 2012? The MOD is a State law enacted by the MS State Legislature and MDE governs the process through the MS Public School Accountability Standards. The MOD is an appropriate, viable exiting option for some students with disabilities. The MOD is focused primarily on teaching employability skills and is based on an employability skills curriculum. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MS Occupational Diploma: Where Are We Now In 2012? The MOD may not be accepted in lieu of a Standard High School Diploma. The MOD is not an academic program that will prepare students to be successful in a postsecondary academic program. The MOD is not a job-specific training program. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MS Occupational Diploma: Where Do We Go From Here? IEP Committees should continue to consider the MOD as a viable graduation option for students who do not have plans to attend college or enter military service after exiting from high school. IEP Committees should have frank conversations with parents, explaining that this option focuses on teaching May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MS Occupational Diploma: Where Do We Go From Here? employability skills, not guaranteeing a job placement or entrance to community college or entrance to military service. IEP Committees should include a representative from the community college to participate in developing a student’s transition plan if the student desires or plans to attend community college. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

MS Occupational Diploma: Where Do We Go From Here? Students with a postsecondary goal to attend community college or enter military service should be enrolled in one of the Career Pathways Diploma option or the Standard High School diploma option. May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education

Questions Annie Margaret Harris marobinson@mde.k12.ms.us Desma McElveen dmcelveen@mde.k12.ms.us Tanya Bradley tbradley@mde.k12.ms.us Office of Special Education Division of Technical Assistance (601) 359-3498 May 2012 Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations/Office of Special Education