Many might know that Oxford High School offers extracurricular programs such as DECA, BPA (Business Professionals of America), Auto Club, and a Robotics Team.
But what many might not know is these clubs and teams are connected with the high school’s Career Technical Education (CTE) program.
According to Lisa Butts, teacher and director of CTE at Oxford High School, the classes that are offered through CTE are state-approved programs, which also receive state funding. OHS currently has seven different programs, which include Finance, IT, (Computer) Programming, Marketing, Engineering, Auto and Digital Media Arts.
What’s the difference between CTE and core classes?
‘Basically, what makes our program (different) than core classes (is) the fact that the teachers that are teaching our classes have to have had recent and relevant work experience in the field that they’re teaching,? Butts explained. ‘We may not necessarily have graduated from college with a teaching certificate, but we’re teaching in the career field in which we worked.?
In order to qualify as a CTE teacher as well as to receive state funding, Butts noted they have to prove they’ve had over two years of recent and relevant work experience within the past five years in the area they’re teaching and have put together a plan to obtain teacher certification.
However, the state of Michigan is currently looking at ways to get more teachers certified to teach CTE by changing some of the standards, according to Butts.
‘Maybe the recent relevant work experience doesn’t have to be in the last five years. Maybe it’s the last 10,? she said.
In Oxford’s case, a change in the amount of years would be helpful. Butts explained OHS runs a very strong biomedical program, but it’s not state-certified, so they’re not receiving any funding for it.
‘The goal is to get that to a state-approved program,? she said. ‘We currently have an instructor who has everything that she needs, as far as experience and she’s already teaching the classes, but her recent and relevant work experience exceeds that five-year limitation, so we’re working on trying to have that class added.?
Along with hopefully adding biomedical next year, which would include the newly-implemented HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) club, Butts said they’re looking at bringing back the business program.
‘A few years back, prior to my getting here, we dropped our business program and just split it up to more of an IT and a finance realm. But we’re going to be pulling some of (the current) classes and adding some them back into the business program,? she said. ‘We’re adding a global business class, business essential class, which is more of a careers class. Then, we’re taking our personal finance classes out of the finance program and putting that into business and keeping accounting as a part of the finance program.?
Job ready
Butts said the majority of the CTE classes have certifications linked to them.
For example, she said they currently offer Mircosoft Power-Point certification for their marketing program and Microsoft Excel certification for their finance program.
With that, they are also fortunate to have a lot of ‘articulation agreements? linked to their programs as well.
‘That means that certain classes the students take here in our CTE programs, they could walk out and already have college credits to get into particular colleges,? she said. She noted some schools provide statewide articulation agreements, so any school in the state with that program can get college credits towards that school whereas some agreements are specific to just Oxford.
‘Some individual articulation agreements to our specific programs that we have (at) Oakland University (are) linked to our engineering program and Baker College is linked to our finance and our IT program,? Butts said.
As far as teaching job-readiness skills, Butts said it offers a way for some students to be able to use the current skills they learned in high school to help pay their way through college, when they might not have been able to go otherwise.
When it comes to job readiness skills and politics, Butts said many governors in the past have put a focus towards the core areas of math, reading, science and social studies, but current Governor Rick Snyder has shown great support for CTE. Because of that support, the state is now allowing some of the CTE classes to count towards core curriculum credits because those subjects are already being taught as apart of the course.
?(For example,) if you’re a completer and (have) taken all of our sequence of courses in engineering, you can also be awarded an Algebra 2 credit for that,? she added. ‘That frees up that time in that student’s schedule, so if they wanted to continue on taking more engineering classes, even outside of that two-year program ? then that Algebra 2 credit has already been completed. Now, they have a math spot where they can take another engineering class because they got that credit.?
Also in their marketing program, they have an economic credit that counts as a fourth year math credit.
‘We look at the benchmarks and standards (for) the core curriculum, math, science, economics and things like that. How many of these are we covering in our class and can we offer that in our class as well freeing up a student who might have an interest in one of our CTE programs, allowing them to have that room in their schedule now and that never before has been,? she said. ‘That’s where the support is coming from state level.?