Re-Designing Business Education in Maryland to Meet 21st Century Assurance of Learning Requirements Dr. Nicole A. Buzzetto-More Associate Professor and Program Chair University of Maryland Eastern Shore Director MSDE Program Affiliate for Business, Management, and Finance Fellow, Informing Science Institute

Career & Technology Education A FEW WORDS ABOUT CTE Nationwide, more than 15 million high school students are enrolled in CTE courses. CTE is changing to reflect changing workforce demands. CTE is now more relevant than ever

Focus of Today’s Presentation Current relevance and impact of Business Education Changing expectations MSDE BMF Goals and Activities Improvements to the BMF State-Approved Programs of Study and what they mean

According to United States Secretary of Education Duncan “For far too long, CTE has been the neglected stepchild of education reform. That neglect has to stop & second, the need to re-imagine & remake career & technical education is urgent. CTE has an enormous, if often overlooked impact on students, school systems, & our ability to prosper as a nation. The mission of CTE has to change. It can no longer be about earning a diploma & landing a job after high school. The goal of CTE 2.0 should be that students earn a postsecondary degree or an industry-recognized certification-- & land a job that leads to a successful career…. (Duncan, 2011).”

National Research Center for Career and Technical Education study 2007 CTE students were found to: Score higher on standardized tests, More likely to complete dual-credit courses, More prepared to transition to college and careers More likely to report that they were provided with info on college More likely to report having clear career and/or academic goal

National Research Center for Career and Technical Education study 2007 Also found that CTE students were: More likely to report that they developed the following skills: problem-solving, project completion, research, math application, college readiness, work-related, communication, time management and critical thinking

Cte facts NEED MORE PROOF? ACCORDING TO AN ACTE REPORT CTE STUDENTS Have test scores that equal or exceed college prep students More likely to pursue postsecondary education, Have a higher GPA in college, Less likely to drop out of college in the first year, and Have an easier time finding internships and employment

HS Business Programs are also found to: Promote cultural awareness and competency Strengthen written and oral skills Build higher order, abstract and creative thinking skills Enhances financial and risk management skills Encourage an interdisciplinary perspective Increase awareness of skills, attributes, personal qualities and values Source IHSNO

U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education More than ½ of high school graduates who participate in CTE go on to some form of post-secondary education Almost all high school students take at least one CTE course, and ¼ of students take three or more courses in a single program area

Students who complete high school business programs are found to be better prepared for academic success in college business programs

BUSINESS IN HIGHER ED Business remains the number 1 college major in the nation overall for both men and women (Princeton Review, 2010) In terms of persistence to graduation & number of degrees awarded, Business holds the top spot (US Dept of Higher Ed, 2009). Represents nearly 25% of all degrees awarded annually (US Dept of Higher Ed, 2009).

AACSB Higher Education Business Programs are Impacted by the AACSB Global, nonprofit accrediting body for business with 643 accredited members. All USM business schools are required to seek this accreditation. Has radically changed most business programs in higher education with new standards. Community Colleges are not recognized with accreditation.

MARYLAND SCHOOLS Ranked the nation’s best education system for a 4th straight year by Education Week Rankings are based on the State of the States analyzed by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center which considers 6 indicators: Chance for Success, K-12 Achievement, Standards, Assessments, & Accountability Teaching School Finance, and Transitions and Alignment

MARYLAND SCHOOLS Recognized by the Washington Post in 2012 for having the highest percentage of rigorous high schools based on the Challenge Index, which examines: the percentage of students taking advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or other nationally recognized academic or professional tests.

CTE IN MARYLAND In 2009, almost 108,000 high school students in Maryland enrolled in CTE courses 20% of the graduating seniors completed a State- Approved CTE Program of Study (MSDE, 2011).

BMF PROGRAM AFFILIATE 2009 MSDE decided to improve the BMF programs of study. State Advisory Group decided to adopt validated national standardized assessments (CLEP exams and MOS) 2010 BMF Program Affiliate was formed to support these efforts and work in collaboration with and on behalf of the MSDE.

BMF Programs - Where we started No curriculum consistency High enrollment - low completion No formal student performance standards No validated assessment instruments Programs did not align with 4-yr expectations Difficult to develop articulation agreements with 4-yr institutions Many teachers lacking sufficient professional development to be current in the content they teach

ACTIVITIES Develop curriculum that : aligns with standardized assessments, aligns with higher education requirements, includes real-world project based learning, incorporates technology throughout, is rigorous and comprehensive Develop professional development opportunities Assist with the formation of articulation agreement s

the curricula The Curricula Business Administrative Services Accounting Business Administration and Management Marketing Please note, MBEA website does not have State Approved curricula on their site.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT Curricula were designed in 2011 by the BMF Program Affiliate in collaboration with MSDE BMF Cluster staffers, with input from various stakeholders. Draft versions were presented to various stakeholder groups across the State. Curricula were posted on the Affiliate website and feedback was elicited. Various revisions were made. Presented for State Approval March 2012

Important Points All content is purposeful. Either it is covered on the CLEP or MOS, aligns with the entry level higher-ed course in that area, or satisfies another larger initiative. Pacing of instruction is a local decision. Not all units require the same length of time to cover. It may be necessary at times to alter the order or extent of delivery of some content. While all content contained should be covered, additional content can be added by local districts as needed

Important Points Continued Teachers are still expected to create their own lesson plans and activities Schools may need to adopt more rigorous textbooks. This is a local decision and responsibility. No textbooks are perfect and contain everything, which is why teachers are trained in curriculum development. No curriculum specifies different content or standards for students with a disability IEPs identify specific accommodations to be made for individual students.

New Pathway Sequencing

Current obstacles Professional practices may have in changed for content areas and currency and depth of understanding is needed Familiarity with CLEP and MOS Couldn’t work on articulation agreements without curriculum. The articulations will focus on the overall program and its assessments not just the assessments (eg. CLEP or MOS). CLEP itself can be inconsistently recognized across the State CLEP website just lists all schools that accept a CLEP exam; however, that does not mean that they accept ALL exams.

Misconceptions These efforts are not an attempt to satisfy some self-serving goal of the USM. We should all want better prepared students Business is already the top college major in MD Teachers fear that enrollment will decline In states with similar programs such as Florida enrollment increased over time. High Schools should only prepare students for community colleges. K-12 should not focus only on preparing students for community colleges but more specifically University-level learning. Community colleges and our university system both add value in different ways to different students. Students cannot take both CTE and AP courses. The State highly recommends that whenever possible students benefit from both options CTE adds value to the learning of all students

Misconceptions continued Teachers express concern that content is too advanced Covers content covered in the entry level course in each discipline usually taught in 14 weeks modified to be stretched over two courses. Teachers should create age appropriate tasks; however, they should not be watered down. biggest concern expressed by higher ed professionals during the review These are not college courses. higher education courses move much faster, run over a much shorter amount of time, offer less support, and cover content with greater depth. Freshmen year of college is a foundational year, which does not include any business courses and mostly acts as a 13th year of high school. For example, the 1st math class taken is usually algebra. 4-year accredited institutions do not even require intro to business for bus majors

Other notes As the curriculum becomes more rigorous higher ed: Will be more likely to articulate and There will be more recognition of CTE programs by college admissions committees Raising the bar usually raises achievement Participation is voluntary and locally controlled

Take Away Points Rigor of each program is being dramatically increased in order to better prepare students for career or college entry as well as to align with entry-level undergraduate courses for each respective discipline. MSDE is supporting federal mandates to incorporate certification/ national examinations into curriculum to insure program validity and measure achievement. With contemporary AOL standards, it is imperative that CTE programs represent rigorous and not watered-down learning opportunities. Getting schools and teachers ready is a challenge Growing enrollment in completer programs is a bigger challenge Yes, we will have growing pains