Focus on Common Education Standards

Why Common Education Standards Are Important to the Energy Industry

By Ann Randazzo, Executive Director, Center for Energy Workforce Development

Just as the industry has been working together to develop the common competencies for energy jobs, over the last few years there have been several efforts to develop common education standards including two that are discussed in this issue—the Common Core State Standards in Math and Language Arts, and the Next Generation Science Standards Initiative. Both of these efforts focus on establishing a set of clear educational standards that are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to go to post-secondary education or enter the workforce and that students, educators, and parents all understand what is expected.

Sound familiar? Through our work on the Energy Competency Model, our industry has identified some clear competencies students need in order to be prepared for further education and for the workforce. Tier 2 of the Energy Competency Model focuses on academic competencies which are based on a common set of requirements in areas such as reading, math, and science. If we can, as an industry, agree that the core concepts for math, for example, meet our need in terms of our competency requirements, then that’s good for students, it’s good for educators, and it’s good for industry. To the degree that these overlap with expectations outlined for students in the common education standards efforts, we should ultimately see a reduced need for remediation or additional training once these students graduate from high school.

Like our competency-based model, common education standards focus on producing common outcomes, but there’s still a lot of room for creativity in how you teach it. From a teacher’s perspective, most school days are already packed and there isn’t much time for teaching things that are not included in education standards. So when we go to them with requests, we want to make sure that whatever we ask them to include meets the state standards that already exist and that our curriculum maps to those requirements.

Having a common set of education standards for states can only serve to make our education system stronger and more efficient. Like our Competency Model, these standards can provide value for all three major stakeholders: students will get a better education that can help them succeed in a career; educators will gain a clearer understanding of what they must teach; and industry, which must rely upon these students once they graduate, will have a clearer understanding of what they can expect students to know when they leave the education system, regardless of where they live.

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In Florida, Energy Leaders Create New Standards for Education

Ten years of experience hiring students out of Florida’s Career Academies taught the state’s utilities a good lesson in what was and was not being taught that they needed students to know. And so it was that when they had a chance to have a say in what students would be expected to learn, they didn’t try to work within the existing frameworks at all: They created new ones.

“We knew what was wrong with them, and we wrote new ones,” said Jennifer Grove, Workforce Development Coordinator for Gulf Power Company and State and National Outreach Chair for the Florida Energy Workforce Consortium.

In fact, the consortium was successful in creating a whole new cluster for the energy industry in Florida, the first Energy Career Cluster in the nation. Recognizing that this would mean the development of state education standards for these Career and Technical Education courses, they asked if they could take ownership of the entire process, from writing the standards to providing curriculum as well as course materials.

“We wanted it to be a soup-to-nuts solution,” Grove said. “We wanted to make sure the instructors who would use these new frameworks had everything they needed to be successful. So we set up the cluster, owned it, and managed it as direct partners.”

In all, the Energy Cluster Working Group, which consists of leaders from many of the state’s major utilities (Gulf Power, Florida Power and Light, Lakeland Electric, and JEA) as well as the Florida Department of Education, created eight secondary and post-secondary curriculum frameworks. The first course in many of these frameworks, an overview of the energy industry, caught the attention of CEWD and grew into the Energy Industry Fundamentals course now being used by those in the Get Into Energy Career Pathways pilot programs and others.

Since they were writing both the standards and the curriculum, the group did not have to worry about aligning the courses to existing standards, Grove said. “We’re now about done developing curriculum,” she said, and even went so far as to “train the trainers” in a program that brought together secondary and post-secondary teachers and energy industry leaders to help those teaching the courses fully understand what’s needed.

The training did not stop there, however, said Grove. “I keep the teachers advised on what’s happening in the industry so they can stay current,” she said. “We focus on keeping them connected.”

The model is one that other states may soon follow. Grove said she has had conversations with representatives from state education departments in California, Georgia, and Mississippi, where Energy Career Clusters may soon be developed.

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Common Core Standards for Language Arts and Mathematics

With American students too often failing to graduate with the skills they need to succeed in college or on the job, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), in conjunction with the Councils of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), got together in 2009 to develop a set of common academic standards (the Common Core) that would ensure all U.S. students in grades K-12 were prepared to succeed in a global society.

“We need standards to ensure that all students, no matter where they live, are prepared for success in post-secondary education and the workforce,” reads a statement on the Common Core’s website (www.corestandards.org). “Common standards will help ensure that students are receiving a high-quality education consistently, from school to school and state to state. Common standards will provide a greater opportunity to share experiences and best practices within and across states that will improve our ability to best serve the needs of students.”

The group that developed the standards included state leaders—such as governors and state commissioners of education—from 48 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia. With the help of content experts, teachers, researchers, and others, they developed a set of draft standards based on education models from across the country as well as around the world. The draft then received feedback from national organizations representing teachers, post-secondary educators, civil rights groups, students with disabilities, and those for whom English is a second language. Finally, the document was released for public comment and received nearly 10,000 responses.

Since the final version of the Common Core State Standards was released in June 2010, 45 states have adopted it. The standards, which “provide teachers and parents with a common understanding of what students are expected to learn,” are divided into a section on what students should learn from kindergarten through high school and one on what they are expected to learn in order to be prepared to enter college or the workplace.

The Language Arts standards include sections on reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and media and technology. They specify, for example, that students should become increasingly proficient at reading comprehension so that by the time they graduate from high school, they are prepared for college-level or career-level reading tasks. While they do not offer a reading list (leaving these kinds of decisions to states and school districts), they do state that students should be introduced to “a diverse array of classic and contemporary literature as well as challenging informational texts in a range of subjects,” so that students can “build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspective.”

The Mathematics standards are broken down into K-5 (foundational basics), middle school (hands-on learning in geometry, algebra, probability, and statistics) and high school (applied mathematics and mathematical reasoning that prepares them to use math in “everyday life, work, and decision-making”).

“Having these standards in place now in almost every state in the nation will help better prepare America’s next generation of workers for the kinds of skills they need to succeed in our industry and many others,” said CEWD Executive Director Ann Randazzo. “It’s a major step in the right direction.”

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Aligning the Common Core and the National Career Readiness Certificate

One of the many stackable credentials now being used by those in the energy and other industries to determine work readiness is the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), which measures foundational skills (such as problem-solving and critical thinking) needed for success in the workplace.

Recently, ACT, Inc. undertook an analysis of how this new credential aligns with the Common Core State Standards for education, which define the knowledge and skills students should learn from kindergarten through the end of high school. What it found was that there are many areas where the two overlap, and some in which they do not.

Overall, both cover content in “foundational skills and knowledge in math, reading, locating information, and reasoning,” the analysis found. But, there are gaps when it comes to applying workplace skills.

For example, the NCRC measures applied workplace math and reading skills, such as finding mistakes in calculations and interpreting instructions, which are not covered by the Common Core standards. Conversely, the Common Core includes knowledge and skills critical to college success, such as trigonometry and other higher-level math, that may not be directly measured by the NCRC assessments.

Because of these gaps, the NCRC can serve as an invaluable tool for employers trying to determine an applicant’s ability to succeed on the job.

“The NCRC is a portable, evidence-based credential; it is based on the same criteria for all individuals who earn it. Thousands of employers nationwide rely on it as the best predictor of an individual’s job performance because it reflects an individual’s ability to apply knowledge and skills to workplace contexts,” the analysis concluded.

“The NCRC’s greatest value resides with the independent perspective it applies to preparation pathways leading to occupational success. It serves as an employer-driven metric that supplements measures of knowledge acquired through academic experience.”

Jennifer Horn-Frasier, Director of Partnerships and Marketing at ACT, said the analysis shows that “while we are making great strides toward closing the gap between the skills and knowledge required by jobs and those acquired by individuals through traditional educational pathways, there’s still work to be done to fully align them. Continuing the trend of improved communication and collaboration among educational systems and employers and industry groups is critical to this work.”

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Next Generation Science Standards: Have You Weighed In?

It has been 16 years since the last national standards for science education in the United States were developed. In that time, U.S. students have dropped to 17th in science test scores worldwide, Americans have lost the lion’s share of technology patents to foreign inventors, and the U.S. share of high-tech exports has shrunk, while China’s has grown.

Meanwhile, U.S. employers—chief among them those in the energy industry—struggle to find job applicants both interested in the sciences and possessing the necessary skills to succeed in the workplace.

“A lot has happened in those 16 years,” said Peter McLaren, Science and Technology Specialist for the state of Rhode Island, and President of the Council of State Science Supervisors. McLaren is a member of the writing team which is charged with the development of the Next Generation Science Standards based on the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education.

“If you look at the practices described in the framework, it parallels very strongly to the skills that are needed, not just in STEM careers but overall,” McLaren said. For example, practices such as arguing from evidence and the ability to analyze, ask questions, and develop a deeper understanding of a subject are all part of the framework and all critical skills included in the career readiness certificate because employers have emphasized that they need them.

Input from U.S. employers was critical in developing the career readiness certificate, and is likewise crucial to ensuring the national science education standards match the needs of American business and industry, McLaren said.

A draft document will be available for input from states (who need guidance from employers in providing that input) by late February or early March, he said. The standards are expected to be finalized and released by the end of the year.

“Industry needs to reach out to their state committees and let them know what they need,” he said, “so there is a consensus, and language that is helpful to them to ensure that students are learning the skills they need to enter the workforce.”

To find out who to contact in your state for input on the standards, visit http://www.csss-science.org/ and find your state’s science and technology specialist. To learn more about the standards, visit http://www.nextgenscience.org/.

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Students Highlight Importance of Energy Workers in Essays Recognizing Careers in Energy Week

Winners have now been chosen and recognized for their work highlighting the importance of energy workers in America, in essay contests held by three state energy consortia last fall as part of Careers in Energy Week.

Information on the winning essays by students in Florida, Virginia, and Mississippi can be found at: http://www.cewd.org/careersinenergyweekessays.asp.

The essays helped raise awareness among students of how energy plays a part in their daily lives, said Leilani Todd, Vice President of Human Resources at Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative, which sponsored a statewide essay contest as part of Virginia’s Careers in Energy Week. But it also raised awareness among industry leaders of how far they have to go in teaching students about energy, she said.

“You don’t meet a little one who says, ‘I’m going to grow up to be a lineman or a pipefitter’,” she said. “We’re not out there in front of them to bring about that awareness. We have a long way to go in teaching them what careers are there, what it means to be in the energy industry, and more importantly, the impact energy has in our lives.”

Some students, however, did understand.

Because of energy workers, writes Brooke Read, a senior at Virginia High School in Bristol, “we have opportunities to better our education, to be safe in our environment, to communicate without hassle, to eat food without getting sick, to drive our cars, and to save lives.”

Virginia chose four winning essays, Todd said: Two from middle schoolers and two from high schoolers. Winners received iPods for their work.

In Mississippi, students at 12 schools also competed for iPods, writing on the theme, “Energy Workers Make a World of Difference.” Two winners were chosen from each school.

Hannah Lee of Oak Grove Middle School brought the point home, writing about her memory of what it was like to do without a crucial energy source in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

“For one week, everybody in our town experienced power outage,” she wrote. “We had no running water, the food in our refrigerator smelled rancid, and we couldn’t go anywhere. It was an absolutely terrible experience, one that I would not like to go through again. By the end of the week, though, our power came back on. We dashed out of our home, just like everybody else did, and we all cheered for joy. There were people up and down the street clapping to the people who had labored so hard to get the power started again. These people were the energy workers, and they worked 24 hours every day, leaving their families at home and coming to work for everyone else.”

Nor was the significance of energy in our day-to-day lives lost on Jared Smith, a senior from Lakeland, Florida.

“The essential coffee maker, the toaster, the microwave, these simple machines are powered by electricity and electricity isn’t a magical power that just appears when you insert a plug unto a socket,” he wrote. “Electricity is its own thing, harnessed by people. People who work on turbines and in substations, they allow you to make your morning joe.”
Smith was one of three students recognized for his writing in Florida, where the statewide contest also netted iPods for winning essayists. Carol Higley, co-chair of the Florida Energy Workforce Consortium and legislative affairs specialist at JEA, said they were delighted with the attention many schools gave to the contest and to the energy industry in general.
“The Florida Energy Workforce Consortium greatly appreciates the focus on Energy Education many of our high schools across the state adopted this year,” she said. “We were thrilled to have the support of Governor Scott’s office and the Center for Energy Workforce Development as we celebrated our second annual Careers in Energy week this past October. Our statewide essay contest offered high school students the opportunity to increase their awareness and understanding of the field of energy as well as educate themselves on the varied career opportunities within our industry.”

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Department of Labor Launches Summer Jobs Program

As one of CEWD’s most important government partners, we hope that you will participate in the Summer Jobs 2012 program sponsored by the Department of Labor.

As the nation continues to recover from the deepest recession since the Great Depression, American youth are struggling to get the work experience they need for jobs of the future. According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Only 48.8 percent of youth between the ages of 16-24 were employed in July, the month when youth employment usually peaks. This is significantly lower than the 59.2 percent of youth who were employed five years ago and 63.3 percent of youth who were employed 10 years ago.
  
• Minority youth had an especially difficult time finding employment this past summer. Only 34.6 percent of African American youth and 42.9 percent of Hispanic youth had a job this past July.

Businesses, non-profits, and local leaders can embrace the President’s call-to-action by making an online pledge to provide opportunities for young people in the following ways:

• Life Skills: Provide work-related soft skills such as communication, time management, and teamwork, through coursework and/or experience. This includes resume writing or interview workshops and mentorship programs.
  
• Work Skills: Provide youth with insight into the world of work to prepare for future careers. This includes job shadow days and internships.
  
• Learn and Earn: Provide on-the-job skills in a learning environment while earning wages for their work.

Youth looking to get a jump start on a career can sign up to be the first to know about a new summer job bank—an easy-to-use search tool to find summer opportunities in their area. 

Visit http://www.dol.gov/summerjobs to find out how you can get involved.

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Upcoming Events

National Nuclear Science Week
Jan. 23-27, 2012
www.nuclearscienceweek.org

Engineers Week
Feb. 19-25, 2012
www.eweek.org

South/Southeast Regional Meeting
April 19, 2012
Charlotte, NC

USA Science & Engineering Festival
Apr. 28-29, 2012
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Washington, D.C.
www.usasciencefestival.org

Midwest Regional Meeting
May 16, 2012
Marshall, MI

Mid-Atlantic-Northeast Regional Meeting
June 19, 2012
Arlington, VA

Northwest Regional Meeting
July 17, 2012
Location TBD

West Regional Meeting
July 19, 2012
Phoenix, AZ

National Forum
August 15, 2012
Atlanta, GA

CEWD Summit
November 14-16, 2012
Washington, DC

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