MEMORANDUM

 

 

TO: Tech Prep Consortium

FROM: Nancy Gerry

DATE: September 12, 2001

RE: FY02R1

Welcome & Introductions
  1. Enclosed find Summative Report FY01
  2. We received a contract for Tech Prep for year 4 of 5. The Ocean County College Board of Trustees accepted the funds at its August 27th meeting. The grant term is from September 1, 2001 to August 31, 2002 for $100,000 FY02.
  3. We have money to revise and update curriculum in Accounting in grade 11, Computer Science in grade 12, Marketing in grade 13, and Administrative Office Management in grade 14. We have a stipend of $1000 for 14 business teachers to participate in curriculum revisions and to act as liaisons to your schools by providing information about Tech Prep through newsletters, listserves, and meetings in your districts. They will have to maintain a detailed Time and Effort Report that itemizes the time spent on these tasks. Please let me know who that person will be for your district. We also have funds for our Tech Prep Counselor, Mary Ann Richards. Her number is 732-255-0400 x 2067. She is already scheduling presentations in your schools.
  4. A budget is enclosed for your review. We have already processed a Purchase Order for ECOS by Embark.com so that every high school student in the county will have a user license for this on-line comprehensive guidance program.
  5. ECOS will send Sharon Thompson, Director of Training, to train the trainer on October 5th at 1144 Hooper Avenue, Toms River from 9; 00 to 2:00 p.m. Sign your guidance people up for this training session especially if they missed it last year. The person trained is expected to go back to your district and train others, so send someone who is computer literate.
  6. We are updating our Snow List, so please make sure your name, address and home telephone number are correct.
  7. We never approved the Tech Prep dates for meetings for this year, so we need to do that now.
  9. The Tech Prep Advisory Board and local employers validated curriculum revised FY01. We signed an upper level agreement with Northwood University in Computer Science and a CISCO articulation agreement with OCVTS. They are both in your packet for your review.
  10. Students from the Computer Science, Marketing and Office Systems Technology did take advantage of the Fee Waiver for testing to gain college credit at OCC. We have no Fee Waive money FY02.
  11. We had the largest participation of students so far for The Great Ocean County Tech Prep Cardboard Canoe Race in June. Thank you, thank you, and thank you for your help with the race. You make the whole race run smoothly!
  12. We finished two short video Brush-ups Before Taking the College Placement Test. They are done by students-to-students. We are in the process of copying them and distributing them to you.
  13. A tape of the Cardboard Canoe Race was sent to school district, thanks to Harry Ferone at Manchester. Use the tape to encourage your school system to use this wonderful example of Project-based Learning for this year.
  14. We need to find a way to raise money for prizes. The OCC Foundation has new guidelines for expenditures and they are no longer able to fund a free course with books for each member of the winning team. Any suggestions?
  15. Lacey High School Television Production along with Brick Memorial, Central Regional, Jackson Township, OCVTS, and Pinelands Regional filmed graduation at OCC this year. They worked with Adelphia Cable (now Cablevision), OCC Media, and Public Relations Departments. This was a wonderful experience for the students from different high schools to work together and to participate in a work experience. The Brick Township Band was a new addition to the ceremony which added a great deal to the whole graduation.
  16. We need you to include updated information in your Courses of Study about Tech Prep for the school year 2002-2003. Use our most recent brochure as your guide. Many programs were consolidated to make it easier to know what is available. If you agree, I have asked Fred Moramarco and Mary Ann Richards to run the subcommittee meeting to work on this on October 17th at Pinelands. When you get this included and updated in your Program of Studies, please send us a copy.
  17. There is a new state Enrollment system FY02. The state will send you a disk to do an extension of the VEDS report for Tech Prep. We will need to continue filling out Enrollment Forms on students until the state has the new system running and your agreement on what data you are willing to provide. We will need your cooperation in getting students to fill out the enrollment forms.
  18. The Tech Prep Home Page address is: www.ocean.edu/techprep/index.htm e-mail is ngerry@ocean.edu
  19. Secretary's Report
  20. Walter Hrycenco is our Chairperson and Stephen Fisher is our Secretary for this year.
  21. We will be part of an Eisenhower Higher Education grant called Algebra Reform. One algebra teacher from each district may participate and a mathematics supervisor from that district must participate in the local planning consortium.
  23. English and Mathematics supervisors continue to meet to resolve issues around testing and to explore ways to cooperate for a smooth transition from high school to college. Students producing evidence of 500 or better on the SAT's will not have to take the College Placement Test.
  24. Seventy-eight Tech Prep students graduated from OCC in May. They were then surveyed to find out their future plans. Results are enclosed in your packet.
  25. We will also be conducting an Employer Survey by phone to look for additional internships for students.
  26. The state is offering a one time only automatic approval of occupational programs. If you have programs that are not approved and you have three courses leading towards a career, send us your program guide outlining which approvals you are seeking and I will forward the information to the state. I must caution you that you may be required to provide the state with data collection on these approved programs. The good news is that you will be eligible for more Perkins Funds and you will have more programs approved for Tech Prep.
  27. We will probably need to modify year five of five of our grant proposal. Next year the state will not fund anyone without approved programs. We have Teaching Assistant Child Care for year five, but we don't have enough schools with approved programs. We may want to look at Television Production or CAD programs or something else. Please tell me what you think we should do.
  28. Free Tech Prep Workshops are: Design Your Own Web Page, Oct. 3rd, 3:30-6:30, Center for Business, Education & Training, Room 103, Brick; Train the Trainer for ECOS, Oct. 5th, 9:00- 2:00, Toms River Technology Lab, 1144 Hooper Avenue 3rd floor-Lunch on your own; An Introduction to Microsoft Power Point to Enhance Your Instruction, Oct. 18th, 4:00-7:00, OCC Kable Russell Building, Room 135; You've Got Mail, Oct. 25th 3:00-6:00, Computer Science Lab, Room 102; How Tech Prep Can Benefit Teachers and Students, Dec. 3rd, 8:00 to noon, Center for Business, Education & Training, Room 103 Brick. A sign up form isenclosed.
  29. OCC is still piloting Discounted Tuition at $70 for a 3 credit course. We will be offering college level C++ with Southern and Jackson. Pinelands is interested in offering Integrated Office. Does anyone else want to participate? We would like to pilot accounting as part of the Tech Prep grant if possible. Students must pay their own tuition. We will be doing this differently in the future, but that is still being worked out.
  30. Three Ocean County Tech Prep Representatives will do a ninety-minute presentation at the National Tech Prep Conference in Dallas, Texas in October. The topic is a The Great Ocean County Tech Prep Cardboard Canoe Race with a step-by step directions on how to organize the competition, prepare a winning canoe, and actual execute the race. You will receive a power point presentation and a copy of the booklet when it is completed. Joe Gawlik, Manchester will discuss how to build the winning boat, Neil Schiller, OCC will talk about executing the race and the rules, and I will talk about all the preparation needed to get this off the ground.
  31. Tentative Tech Prep Robotic Contest date is March 22, 2002. The Great Ocean County Cardboard Canoe Race is tentatively May 17, 2002. Must have rain date!
  33. The yellow Office of School Relations has many Professional Development Workshops listed along with Free Tech Prep offerings, Kean University graduate level courses, and Substitute Teacher Workshops. We have added a Substitute Nurse/Teacher program and Volunteer Mentoring which are not in the booklet, but available.
  34. Other