1. Establish High Expectations for All Students and Staff

HTM Career Pathways - Final Proposal

Ruidoso Municipal School District, in partnership with the Ruidoso community, will meet the educational needs of all students by planning and delivering a meaningful and relevant student-centered curriculum where students are actively challenged to become productive citizens and lifelong learners in a global society.

Hospitality / Tourism

Careers in this path are linked to the fields of hotel management, restauranteur, culinary, casino management, racetrack development and management, ski area development and management, and recreational parks.

Vision

All high school students will choose and actively pursue their own unique career paths. Students will graduate with marketable skills and the necessary academic credentials required to pursue higher learning and chosen careers.

Ruidoso High School will be recognized as a Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education by 2003-04.

A Career Pathway philosophy and program will be developed for grades K-12. Career awareness and exploration activities in grades K-8 will establish the foundation for development of an Individualized Career Plan (ICP) for each high school student. Through career activities, assessments and inventories, and advisement from school and home, students will be guided to identify personal strengths, passions, and possible career goals. The ICP will be a specific, individualized written road map to assist student decision making in areas of course selection, work experiences, internships, extracurricular activities, community experiences, volunteering, and other related activities to empower them to properly prepare and pursue their career goals and passions.

Career implies more than just a job; it includes education, work, and lifestyle. Achieving a successful career requires years of planning, studying, training, and hard work. To assist students in planning wisely, the district has developed six broad career clusters reflecting community input and career opportunities unique to our area. Within each path, numerous career pathways or opportunities have been identified. The career paths are areas of study that are flexible enough to meet student needs as they acquire new knowledge and experiences. Courses, internships, work experiences, extracurricular activities, and community partnerships will be further developed to support the six career paths and the development of an ICP by each student.

Career paths include:

INDUSTRIAL/AGRICULTURAL Careers in this path are related to agriculture, the environment, and natural resources. They include jobs in construction, plumbing, electrical, welding mechanics, architecture, surveying, engineering, forestry, range management, landscaping, parks, horticulture, and meat processing.

BUSINESS/MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY Careers in this path are in the fields of business and marketing. They include opportunities in computer programming, software development, desktop publishing, computer networking, insurance, accounting, secretarial, management, and entreupeneurship.

HOSPITALITY & TOURISM Careers in this path are linked to the fields of hotel management, restaurateur, culinary, casino management, racetrack development and management, ski area development and management, and recreational parks.

SCIENCE/ENGINEERING/MEDICINE Careers in this path are related to fields of medicine, dentistry, optometry, veterinary, forensics, chiropractic, pharmacy, paramedics, geology, technology, chemical and electrical engineering, and others.

FINE ARTS/LIBERAL ARTS Careers in this path are linked to the humanities and include performing and visual arts and communications media. They include careers such as sculpting, music, dancing, museum arts, gallery owner/manager, framing, foundry worker, author, publisher, artist and actor/actress.

HUMAN SERVICES These careers provide services related to people's needs, welfare, and personal safety. Careers include education, social work, police and protective services, law, counseling, childcare worker, ministry, and military.

Overview

Over the next two years, Ruidoso High School must change to adequately prepare our students to be successful in the 21st Century. This challenge is based on many issues and concerns including: changing world competition and global economy, demands from community and businesses, directives from federal and state education agencies, poor student attendance, high student dropout rate, new student standards and high expectations, student needs, etc. Our students deserve the best possible programs to enhance career opportunities and/or further academic opportunities. Ruidoso High School shall guide students to choose a course of study or Career Pathway that is interesting, challenging and relevant to their future.

Restructure and revitalize Ruidoso High School utilizing the following guiding tenets:

1. Establish high expectations for all students and staff. 2. Prepare all students to be successful in an ever changing society. 3. Offer students as many quality educational opportunities as possible. 4. Research best possible means to build on current strengths. 5. Utilize community, businesses, partners, and other outside agencies to enhance student educational opportunities.

Short Term objectives (Can be completed with our current resources within the next two years)

1. Provide a wider variety of academic and vocational opportunities for our students to meet 21st Century challenges. 2. Expand vocational course offerings to reflect relevant Career Pathways and national certification. 3. Provide more effective support system for each individual student. 4. Utilize current personnel more efficiently to support Ruidoso High School students and programs. 5. Expand professional development opportunities to support staff in implementing Ruidoso High School programs. 6. Meet the needs of students failing classes and potential dropouts.

Long term objectives (requires in depth planning, restructuring and additional resources)

1. Research and develop a Ruidoso Career Pathways model that reflects our unique local needs, input from various stakeholders and high standards. Career Pathways could include Arts and Communication; Health and Medicine; Business and Marketing; Science, Engineering and Technology; Social, Personal and Public Services, etc. This vision demands a revitalized school mission and restructuring of programs, staffing patterns, instructional strategies, evaluation, etc.. Virtual classrooms, applied technology, community and higher education partnerships, community internships, concurrent enrollment, workplace experiences, and other similar strategies shall be researched and incorporated as appropriate. 2. Incorporate vertical teaming within all core areas of instruction. 3. Implement national certification exams as culminating outcomes for appropriate programs. 4. Require an additional math/science class for graduation. 5. Implement a supported, sequential, and revitalized honors/advanced placement program. 6. Establish career portfolios as part of graduation requirements. This plan recognizes that we are indeed in an information era and that technology is 7. changing every day. This document is designed to be both a blueprint to lead the 8. Ruidoso Municipal School District in the 21st Century and a resource for staff and 9. students who are using technology in the teaching/learning process. 10. The technology plan is part of our overall district Educational Plan for Student Success 11. (EPSS). The plan is an integral part in supporting our three target areas: 12. 1. Caring for Self and Others 13.  Students will recognize and apply positive options to solve peer/adult 14. relationship issues and conflicts, and demonstrate respect and 15. responsibility for each other. 16.  Students will promote appropriate behavior and be responsible for 17. their own actions 18. 2. Communication 19.  Students will show improvement in written communication skills 20. across the curriculum RMSD Technology Plan Page 3 21.  All students will improve reading skills across the curriculum 22. 3. Math 23.  All students will improve mathematical literacy across the curriculum, 24. with all fourth graders performing at grade level, and all RHS students 25. completing at least one math course beyond geometry.

Activities to Date

Spring 2000

 Plan Career Preparation class. ENMU provides teachers for English and Math classes. High school instructor monitors student schedules and on the job training experiences. Twenty students identified as potential dropouts enrolled in program, 15 completed first semester. English IR class planned for incoming freshmen that were identified as low achievers in Reading and Language Arts. This class is taught within the English department and the goal is to prepare students for English II.  Reading Tutoring course established. ENMU provides instruction/direction for students with reading disabilities. Seniors and juniors are trained as tutors utilizing a nationally recognized program. Cisco Networking Academy program developed. This is a four semester cooperative program with ENMU culminating in internationally recognized Network Administration Certification.

Fall 2000

 August - Implement/monitor Career Preparation program, English IR class, Reading Tutorial program, and Cisco Networking Academy.  October - Career Summit I convened with 25 secondary staff members attending. Carl Perkins Grant, careers, clusters, national certification and need for restructuring were all discussed. Possible short term and long term changes for vocational classes reviewed.  November - Department chairs asked for input on school improvement and ways Ruidoso High School might change for the 21st Century.  November - Career Summit II convened to solidify goals and plan for the future.  November - Assignment/challenge: Ruidoso High School 21st Century Career Pathways plan to be developed and implemented with a final set of recommendations prepared by November, 2001.  November - Administration sets aside funds for meetings, observations, etc. in support of change process.  December - Staff visited two high schools in Texas that have already implemented Career Pathway concepts. Materials brought back, reviewed, and shared.  December - Modified class schedule proposed to meet short-term objectives and to reflect staff suggestions. Time Line for Career Pathways Plan

 This draft "plan to plan" for Ruidoso High School 21st Century Career Pathways developed and distributed to Ruidoso High School staff and School Board for discussion and review (January 8-9, 2001).  Steering Committee established including representation from businesses, parents, RHS staff, RMS staff, elementary staff, ENMU, School Board, and students (January 15, 2001)  1st Steering Committee meeting scheduled with Lena Trujillo-Chavez, Assistant Superintendent, New Mexico State Department of Education as facilitator (January 23, 2001). Subcommittees established as appropriate and following tasks completed. o Review current accountability data (February, 2001) o Develop Ruidoso High School philosophy or mission statement (February, 2001) o Research various Career Pathways models (February, 2001) o Select 1-3 models to explore in depth (March, 2001) o Identify schools utilizing models, and organize team site visitations (March, April 2001) o Based on tasks above, develop draft Ruidoso High School 21st Century Career Pathways model (May, 2001) o Identify potential concerns and barriers (resources, facilities,accountability, logistics, etc.) (May, June 2001) o Conduct public forum(s) to present draft Ruidoso High School 21st Century Career Pathways model and solicit input (August, September, 2001) o Review and revise model based on public forum(s). Develop solutions to identified concerns and barriers (October, 2001)  Finalize Ruidoso High School 21st Century Career Pathways model for presentation to Ruidoso School Board in November, 2001

Implementation

Career Pathways Education and Advisement

 K-8 Career Awareness and Exploration  Student assessments (beginning grade 7)  Ruidoso Career Planning Guidebooks (grades 9,10,11,12)  Student Career Portfolios  Advisory Period  Additional Counseling Services

Professional Development

 Department -Long Term, Short Term Staff Training Plans  Emphasize AP, Pre AP  Vertical Articulation  Advisory Role Training  Staff Evaluation  Technology

Extension of Boundaries

 Expand ENMU Collaboration  ITV/Virtual Classroom

Schedules/Graduation Requirements

 25 Credit To Graduate Beginning With the Freshman Class of 2002-03  Flex Schedule  New Course Development

Program Evaluation

 State Mandated Assessments  EPSS, (Educational Plan for Student Success) Comprehensive Assessment System  Quality of Education Survey  Student Surveys  Development of New, Appropriate Assessment Strategies

Parent Communication

 Implement additional communication links (PowerSchool, Advisor, etc.)