Witty.ca - Mr. Rich's Professional Archives

So looking through Australian P-TECH schools, something that keeps coming up is the VCAL, VET, and VCE. It seems like this is something you work towards, the way you work towards an associate's degree in the US.

So here are the terms:

VET: Vocational Education and Training 

VCE:  Victorian Certificate of Education

VCAL: Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning

"The VCE is awarded to students who successfully complete their secondary education." However, this is only in the state of Victoria.  So it seems like the VCE is like a regular high school diploma here. 

www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vet/publications/overviewbrochure.pdf

Here are P-TECH pathways at the NewComb P-TECH school in Australia. It seems like you go from your VCAL or VCE to further education. See Here. View one of the pdfs. (Back up pdf copy)

Windsor-Essex Catholic school students show off STEM academy
School board has spent $1.2 million getting the academy up and running
Dec 01, 2017

Note: This is NOT a P-TECH school, but is a Canadian attempt at a STEM school, something that is internationally recognized as desirable.

"The Catholic school board for Windsor-Essex showed off its new science technology engineering and math (STEM) academy at Holy Names High School Friday.

"The STEM academy was created to give students advanced education in the sciences and to better prepare them for post-secondary education in those fields.

"The newly renovated robotics, chemistry and physics labs give students a chance to do more hands-on work with the disciplines.

"The school board has spent $1.2 million getting the academy up and running. The academy offers 30 credits from grade 9 through 12.

"The board plans to start STEM academies at St. Thomas of Villanova and St. Anne's high schools next year."

P-TECH Schools are Unproven and Threaten Public Education (May 25 2015)

This article outlines the author's opinion on why P-TECH schools threaten public education:

1. Lack of evidence/ unproven
2.Narrow curriculum in which students could potentially go into vocational specialization too early
3.School privatization via IBM
4.Schools and students will be held "hostage" to corporate sponsors
5. profit/data over good teaching
6. Privacy issues with corporations having access to student records

"If it is to follow the New York model it will require changes to the Victorian Education Act." So I wonder if that's why they call the schools P-TECH styled. 

Interesting points raised. 

Found an article describing what Australia has changed from the USA model:
Link:www.theeducatoronline.com/au/news/australias-ptech-venture-takes-big-leap-forward/229959

"Federal Education Minister, Simon Birmingham, said the P-TECH model was not “a cut-and-paste” of the US model and that the Coalition was seeking to “take the best bits of that and adapt them to complement the Australian education and schooling context”."

So it seems like they took aspects of the US model and applied certain parts in order to develop Australia's own P-TECH model:

"“In the US, the word ‘college’ means something different. Two-year college is also known as ‘community college’ and four-year college is the equivalent of university. So that’s an example of what we have left out of the Australian model,” he said."

"Below are the five core elements Australia has adopted:
 
Innovative curriculum: A key aspect of designing the learning program includes the way existing Australian Curriculum and Australian Qualification Framework recognised education and training is sequenced (or ordered) to achieve the best outcomes for students.
 
Innovative approaches to learning: Partnerships between schools and industry enable innovative approaches to the way learning is delivered; approaches that would not be possible if schools, or industry, acted in isolation.
 
Industry mentoring and support: The mentor relationship between young people and industry personnel provides continuity of support for students to achieve a post-school qualification.
 
A post-school qualification: In Australia, it is likely that the achievement of a diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree will involve schools partnering with other education providers (TAFEs/RTOs or universities) to deliver elements of the P-TECH learning programme (either on-site or off-site).
 
Links to employment: Collaboration between the education and industry sectors strengthens the connection between student learning and the skills that employers need. It improves young people’s prospects of employment, including opportunities for employment with industry partners."

From reading the P-TECH US site, it seems that any school can call themselves p-tech as long as they follow its core values (correct me if I'm wrong, this is my interpretation)

Video Interview: here (7.58min) (July 19, 2018)

​Ivanka Trump sits down with a recent p-TECh graduate to talk about his experience and to talk about making jobs.

Interesting...but I think this is cool to show how this is still in the news. 

Link: After Six Years, Brooklyn’s P-TECH to Graduate First Class as the Model Expands Worldwide (March 13, 2017)

"With few exceptions, according to IBM and Brooklyn P-TECH officials, the majority of the 97 students in the original fall 2011 cohort are on track to graduate on time or have already graduated with both degrees. Fifty-four finished their high school and associate’s degrees early, as of January (including 18 from the 2012 cohort). Eight took jobs at IBM. About 25 are pursuing a bachelor’s degree, and 15 others are applying to four-year colleges "

Interestingly enough if you look at some of the graduates on the IBM P-TECH page most of them are planning to pursue higher education and not get a job right away (see here)

I think this will be useful info. I expect to compile it in a neater way, but I think you will be interested in these numbers. 

These are expenditures for some NY P-TECH schools

1. Pathways in Technology Early College High School (this is the school that IBM will ref a lot) - P-Tech: $11,024,598
View Report (2016 -2017)

2. H.E.R.O. High - Health, Education, and Research Occupations High School: $10,250,608
View Report (2016 -2017)

3. City Polytechnic High School of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology:
$8,925,254
View Report (2016 -2017)

4. Inwood Early College for Health and Information Technologies: $6,848,438
View Report (2016 -2017)

5. Manhattan Early College School for Advertising: $7,003,723
View Report (2016 -2017)

6. Energy Tech High School: $9,187,917​
View Report (2016 -2017)

AVG spending: $7,706,136

Type schools in here to see their budgets and reports. 

Looking at a few P-TECH schools: I'll update as I go through

1. Pathways in Technology Early College High School - P-Tech: 
Fiscal Year 2019 Budget: $ 5,460,909  View Budget
Demographics (2017): Asian: 3% | Black: 86% | Hispanic: 10% | White: 1%
Student with Special Needs 16%​
Quality Report Snapshot  (PDF)

2. Health, Education and Research Occupations High School (Focuses on health degrees)
Fiscal Year 2019 Budget: $ 5,246,229 View Budget 
​Demographics (2016-2017):Asian: 1% | Black: 39% | Hispanic: 57% | White: 1% | Student with Special Needs 20%
Quality Report Snapshot (PDF)
​
3. City Polytechnic High School of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology:  
Fiscal Year 2019 Budget: $3,825,010 View Budget
Demographics (2016-2017): Asian: 6% | Black: 71% | Hispanic: 17% | White: 3% | Student with Special Needs 18% | English Language Learners: 2% Quality Report SnapShot (PDF)
​
4. Inwood Early College for Health and Information Technologies:
Fiscal Year 2019 Budget: ​$ 4,429,512 View Budget

Link: Pathways in Technology (P-TECH)

"On 30 May 2016, the Government announced a $4.6 million expansion of the P-TECH pilot to twelve additional sites across Australia. "

------------  
More Australian P-TECH links:

• https://www.ptech.org.au
• https://www.ptech.org.au/southern-perth-partnership
• http://cecilandrewscollege.wa.edu.au/school-programs/p-tech
• https://federation.edu.au/ptech

 ​
​------------

From Australia's "Why P-TECH?"

The P-TECH styled model offers students studying for their Senior Secondary Certificate an industry supported pathway to a STEM related diploma, advanced diploma or degree. Students then have the option to continue their study at the tertiary level or pursue employment in a STEM related field, including job opportunities with the school’s industry partners.  Students participating in a P-TECH styled model study regular high school subjects such as English, science, and mathematics, while also undertaking an advanced STEM learning program with support from the school’s industry partners. Industry support could include: opportunities for students to engage in authentic work-based learning; provision of structured work placements; apprenticeships/traineeships; paid internships; or part time work.

While the P-TECH styled model can be adapted by local education, industry and community partners to suit local circumstances, the overarching aim of a P-TECH styled learning program is to build the technical and non-technical skills students need to succeed in school, further education and work. Throughout the learning program, industry are involved in the design and delivery of learning (both at school and in the workplace). The P-TECH styled learning program matches each student with an industry mentor in years 1-3 of the program and provides opportunities for students to connect their learning to real life applications. Mentors work closely with teaching staff and help guide students through practical projects and problem solving exercises that extend their learning beyond the classroom and build students’ understanding of the world of work.

A P-TECH styled learning program involves an introductory phase to enable young people to connect and engage with the school’s industry partners, and build the foundation skills students will need to succeed in the increasingly rigorous later years of their study. A key focus of the introductory phase is to ignite young people’s interest in STEM and build their understanding of the range of STEM related careers.  Following the introductory phase, and with support from an industry mentor and the school’s industry partners, secondary students undertake more formal STEM training as part of a nationally recognised qualification (e.g. Certificate III or IV). This qualification will put them on a pathway to post-school studies at a diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree level that will further strengthen their prospects for employment.

A P-TECH Six Year Scope and Sequence (thanks to ADK P-TECH)
(backup PDF copy)

Course Options:

• ​Mechanical Technology
  
• Electrical Technology - Electronics
• Computer Information Systems
• Computer Technology
• Wind Energy and Turbine Technology
• Renewable Energy Technologies
• Enviromental Technologies

Link: www.hfmboces.org/programs-services/ptech/

File: Info Brochure for Students (MUST READ!) {backup PDF} {test}

Associate degrees offered by FMCC that students can earn through PTECH:
-Business Accounting
-Business Administration
-Business Technology and Applications
-Electrical Technology
-Computer Information Systems
-Computer Networking
-Computer Technology
-Health Information Records Management
-Health Studies
-Radiologic Technology

Article: Idaho educators say farewell to PTECH program for high-schoolers
(June 25, 2018)
​
As June winds to a close, so does PTECH, or the Pathways to Early Career High School program, a four-year-old effort that aimed to help rural Idaho students continue their education after high school graduation.

​The program won support in 2014 from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, which Millar estimates spent about ​$7 million to help PTECH get off the ground. Millar – and the foundation – had planned to supplement, and eventually operate, the program with financial help from cooperating companies nearby. When Millar, PTECH’s executive director, couldn’t secure that corporate support, he said, the JKAF foundation eventually decided to pull the plug effective June 30. About 50 students who were already enrolled in PTECH-supported programs will be able to continue over the next two years to complete their work, Millar said.

Article: Early college programs hold promise, but are costly
(January 21, 2017)

"Under a plan unveiled last week by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, such programs would expand to at least 10 other schools next year thanks to an extra
​$5.3 million in state funds. 

B​y the 2019-20 school year, the last year of the first cohort's grant period, P-Tech will have cost the state nearly $42 million. And that's just for one cohort."

""In some ways it would almost be better not to enroll another cohort if you're not sure the funding will last, because you don't want to promise kids something and then take it away halfway through," said Watson. "It is a very expensive program. It's a college degree for every student. That's a significant investment. There's no doubt about it.""

"At first, Laboy did not like the P-Tech program...  For starters, it was hard. Teachers granted him more independence than he was used to. They didn't chase him down to hand in his work on time. And they focused much more on collaborative, hands-on learning. He couldn't just sit back and wait for them to teach him. He had to work with other classmates on "real-life" projects, and then present on what they had learned.  "I really like it now," he said." (student experience)

Article "Turmoil Behind The Scenes At A Nationally Lauded High School"
(March 14, 2016)

"But five years in, a year before the first full graduating class of the original school is expected, the model is showing signs of growing pains. Many of its students failed college courses early on, and internal emails obtained by NPR reveal disagreements across the many parties to this partnership over how best to serve those students.

"​P-TECH was designed to address a set of familiar problems: Fewer than 30 percent of students who begin community college in the U.S. finish their two-year degrees in three years. Those who don't are largely relegated to entry-level jobs in the low-wage service sector, while the nation faces a shortage of people qualified for well-paying technical jobs."

ADK P-Tech ending; several parents frustrated, concerned

​Link to school: adkptech.com