On November 4th and 21st, Ellen Cushing, Catherine Jacques, and GeMar Nelomsfrom the College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center, Glenda Copeland,SECC Georgia State Liaison, and Barbara Wall and Dwayne Hobbs, GaDOE, met in aphone conference to plan the second Employability Task Force Meeting. The Decembermeeting will be held on December 6 at the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce office inAtlanta.In November, Eric Waters, SECC Web Applications Associate, worked with SandiWoodall, Director of Mathematics, Curriculum and instruction, to post courses inmathematics and English language arts for stakeholder review. The data collected willbe shared with the Georgia Board of Education to assist them in their approval process.

On October 3, Ellen Cushing, Catherine Jacques, and GeMar Neloms from the College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center at AIR, Glenda Copeland, SECC Georgia state liaison, and Barbara Wall and Dwayne Hobbs, of GaDOE, participated in a debrief of the first task force meeting in Macon on September 21. The group discussed the concern about the importance of business representation in the work. It was determined that the next meeting of the task force would be in December.On October 27, Ellen Cushing, Catherine Jacques, and GeMar Neloms from the CCRS Center, SECC's Glenda Copeland, and Dwayne Hobbs, GaDOE, participated in a call to review the preliminary agenda and proposed activity for the second meeting of the Employability Task Force in December. The group also reviewed participant evaluation survey data from the first meeting. In October, Erin McCann, SECC senior researcher, continued to provide feedback to CTAE managers on their work plans for Goal 5 of the GaDOE Strategic Plan. McCann will work with CTAE Director Wall to incorporate these plans into the overall CTAE strategic management plan.

On September 21, Ellen Cushing, Catherine Jacques, and GeMar Neloms from the College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center at AIR; Glenda Copeland, SECC Georgia state liaison; and Dwayne Hobbs, GaDOE, facilitated the initial Employability Skills Task Force meeting to examine the skills necessary for students in Georgia schools to be successful. Twenty representatives of superintendents, CTAE teachers and directors, professional organizations, higher education, and business met to analyze the root causes of students’ lack of workplace success. The group identified next steps for the task force. On September 19, SECC's Erin McCann, senior researcher, continued to provide feedback to CTAE managers who had submitted their work plans for goal 5 of the GaDOE Strategic Plan.

On August 8, SECC Georgia State Liaison Glenda Copeland met with Dwayne Hobbs, GaDOE, to develop an email invitation and registration process for members of the Soft Skills/Employability Skills Task Force to establish goals and a strategic plan for improving employability skills instruction for students in K–12 education.On August 16, the planning team—Copeland, Hobbs, Ellen Cushing, and Catherine Jacques from the College and Career Readiness and Success Center—reviewed a PowerPoint deck to which Hobbs had added slides to be included in the September 21 meeting with the task force. The group continued discussing revisions and planning details for the event in Macon on August 30.

On July 29, Glenda Copeland facilitated a conversation with Dwayne Hobbs, GaDOE, and Ellen Cushing and Catherine Jacques, College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center. The group discussed a PowerPoint deck that Cushing created for the September 21 Employability Task Force meeting in Macon. The group also discussed communicating with identified task force members representing the various stakeholders in Georgia and possible agenda items submitted by Hobbs. Copeland will work with Barbara Wall, CTAE director, and Hobbs to compose an invitation to participants and a registration process to identify attendance at the Macon meeting and/or interest in serving on the task force. The planning group will check in on August 16.

Erin McCann, SECC senior researcher, continued to collect revisions and provide feedback to CTAE managers about their logic models and indicator measures. She included the final revisions of program managers’ plans to Barbara Wall, director of CTAE, on June 13. The group set August 19 as the date to begin work on the fifth pillar of the GaDOE strategic plan. On June 29, SECC state liaison Glenda Copeland facilitated a conversation between Wall and Dwayne Hobbs with the College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center at AIR to discuss the documents that have been shared. Ellen Cushing, CCRS, provided a revised work plan description and a Crosswalk of Employability Skills Framework with Georgia Career Technical and Agricultural Standard One document for review on June 8, and Dwayne Hobbs shared documents showing survey results on June 10.On June 6, McCann provided data files from the Social Studies surveys to Pam Smith’s staff for their compilation and analysis of the data, completing that data collection at this time.

Erin McCann, SECC senior researcher, continued to collect revisions and provide feedback to CTAE managers about their logic models and indicator measures. On May 20, SECC staff Glenda Copeland and McCann met with Dr. Barbara Wall, director, Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education, and the five division managers to review the collective CTAE strategic management plan and provide needed revisions to more accurately represent the work of all groups in working toward meeting GaDOE’s strategic goals. The group identified additional connections across the group’s work and had productive and meaningful discussions. McCann will include the revisions and reformat the charts to provide Dr. Wall with a clean copy for her use to share with GaDOE leadership.On May 20, Copeland facilitated a conversation between Dr. Wall and Dwayne Hobbs with the College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center at AIR. Center staff, Catherine Jacques, Ellen Cushing, and GeMar Neloms, hosted a conference that Hobbs attended in April sponsored by the center and participated in a session about employability skills. The SEA requested assistance from the CCRS Center to do a crosswalk with a framework used at the conference and the one used by GaDOE in development of Pathways. The CCRS Center and SECC are currently developing a plan to assist in an analysis of employability skills inclusion and how to ensure they are embedded in student learning.McCann continues to monitor the 40+ data files that were posted in April for a 30-day review period. McCann will provide data files from each of the surveys to GaDOE’s Pam Smith and her staff for their compilation and analysis of the data at the end of May.

During April, Erin McCann, SECC senior researcher, continued to provide feedback to CTAE managers. The managers groups continued finalizing plans, reviewing indicator measures, and receiving feedback. SECC’s Glenda Copeland met with Dr. Barbara Wall, director, Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education, on April 12 to discuss the proposed framework for a report to document their work on the strategic management and evaluation plan for GaDOE leadership and the Georgia Board of Education. She provided Dr. Wall with copies of SEA Strategic Communications and Functional Coherence in the State Education Agency: A Structure for Performance Management from the Building State Capacity and Productivity Center to assist in her thinking. On April 14, McCann and Copeland received Dr. Wall’s draft of the sections of the report for which she is taking the lead. McCann will work with Dr. Wall to develop charts for the report due to be completed in May. McCann received a request from Pam Smith, director of Curriculum and Instruction, and her staff, on April 21 to post additional surveys for social studies after there were additional edits prior to board of education approval. A team of SECC staff worked on 40+ data files that were posted on April 28 for a 30-day review period. McCann will provide data files from each of the surveys to Smith’s staff for their compilation and analysis of the data, prior to resubmission to the board. 

On March 3 and 7, Erin McCann, SECC senior researcher, provided feedback to GaDOE managers Emily Spann, Dwayne Hobbs, Myrel Seigler, Brenda Barker, and Chip Bridges on their revised plans. She developed a proposed report format for Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education Director Dr. Barbara Wall which they discussed on March 21. McCann also developed an indicator chart for use by the managers to determine measures of progress for their strategic plan outcomes. She conducted a manager’s meeting on March 22, working with them to refine plans and indicators. For the remaining week of the month of March, McCann will be refining and finalizing the strategic plans with the managers via e-mail and will begin reviewing indicator measures. The managers’ group will continue finalizing plans, reviewing indicator measures, and receiving feedback in April. McCann will work with Dr. Wall to develop charts for the report due to be completed in May. In addition, McCann downloaded science and social studies data from various stakeholder groups in Georgia on March 4 and provided Pam Smith, director of Curriculum and Instruction, and her staff an analysis and update of responses. On March 14, McCann closed out the survey and provided the remaining data and analysis. 

On February 22, Erin McCann, SECC senior researcher, conducted a work session with Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education Director Dr. Barbara Wall, and managers: Emily Spann, Dwayne Hobbs, Myrel Seigler, Brenda Barker, and Chip Bridges. The group continued development of strategic management plans that align with the GaDOE Strategic Plan and discussed feedback provided to the various work groups by McCann. There was a productive sharing and discussion session clarifying understanding and identifying ways to borrow ideas from each other to better coordinate and provide services to schools and districts statewide. The next work session with McCann will be March 22, as workgroups continue to address the five pillars of the GaDOE plan.On February 12, McCann provided Pam Smith, GaDOE director of Curriculum and Instruction, and her staff, an analysis and update of responses to the science and social studies standards by various stakeholder groups in Georgia. Both surveys will be available through March 15. 

On January 22, Erin McCann, SECC senior researcher, and Glenda Copeland, Georgia state liaison, conducted a work session with Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education director Dr. Barbara Wall, and managers: Emily Spann, Dwayne Hobbs, Myrel Seigler, Brenda Barker, and Chip Bridges. The group discussed feedback provided by McCann regarding work from their team’s aligning strategies to the GaDOE strategic plan. There was a productive sharing and discussion session clarifying understanding and identifying ways to borrow ideas from each other to better coordinate and provide services to schools and districts statewide. The next work session with McCann will be February 22 as workgroups continue to address the five pillars of the GaDOE plan.Beginning January 4, Erin McCann began working with Pam Smith, director of Curriculum and Instruction; and her staff, including Juan-Carlos Aguilar, science program manager; Shaun Owens, social studies program manager; and Tony Vlachakis, technology specialist; to develop surveys for the review of science and social studies standards by various stakeholder groups in Georgia. Both surveys were activated on January 15 and will be available through March 15. McCann provides weekly data updates for both surveys.

On December 1, Erin McCann, SECC senior researcher, conducted a work session consisting of discussion, modeling, small-group work, feedback, and discussion for the Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education staff. They are working on developing a strategic management plan for their work that aligns to the GaDOE strategic plan. McCann will continue to provide support and feedback as the workgroups continue to address the five pillars of the GaDOE plan.Eric Waters, SECC web applications associate, closed the Technology course public review on December 2. He received three additional courses for review from Dr. John Pritchett, middle school curriculum coordinator, CTAE, on December 7 in the Architecture and Construction pathway for Industrial Maintenance for a 90-day review.

On November 16, SECC Senior TA Consultant Glenda Copeland and Erin McCann, SECC Senior Researcher, held a conference call with Dr. Barbara Wall, director, CTAE, and Lynne Wilson, director of the CTAE Resource Network, to review an outline for the November 30–December 1 retreat for staff of CTAE. An agenda is being developed that will enable the CTAE staff to create a work plan supporting goals from the GaDOE strategic plan. Dr. McCann will conduct the work session December 1 for CTAE staff. 

Eric Waters, web development specialist/client technology, continues to monitor three instructional technology courses for review and feedback by stakeholders in Georgia for a 60-day review. On October 23, SECC staff Glenda Copeland and Dr. Erin McCann, senior researcher, held a conference call with Dr. Barbara Wall, director, CTAE, and Lynne Wilson, director of the CTAE Resource Network, to discuss a process for developing a strategic management plan for CTAE. Dr. McCann and Copeland are developing an agenda and structure that will enable the CTAE staff to develop a work plan that supports goals from the GaDOE strategic plan. Dr. McCann will conduct a work session for the CTAE staff retreat that will be held on November 30 and December 1. 

The stakeholder survey on science and social studies standards was completed and the results were shared by Dr. Caitlin Dooley, deputy superintendent, with the Georgia Board of Education. Erin McCann, senior researcher at SECC, compiled feedback from the surveys and tabled information for SEA staff review. Tony Valachakis, GaDOE educational technologist, provided a variety of information that he was able to abstract from the data collected through the surveys.On September 25, Eric Waters, SECC web development specialist/client technology, responded to a request by John Pritchett, middle school curriculum coordinator, and posted three new instructional technology courses for review and feedback by stakeholders in Georgia for a 60-day review. On September 29, Glenda Copeland, SECC Georgia state liaison, met with Dr. Barbara Wall, director, CTAE, to discuss a process for developing a strategic management plan to guide the strategies and services that CTAE will provide in meeting the strategic plan for GaDOE. It was agreed that SECC will provide guidance for her staff in developing a detailed plan to identify strategies, timelines, expectations, and evidence of results.

Magdalena Acuna, SECC/AIR web development specialist, assisted GaDOE staff Dr. Caitlin Dooley, deputy superintendent; Pam Smith, director of curriculum, and other staff members develop an online survey to collect feedback from various stakeholder groups on science and social studies standards. Acuna also provided technical assistance to Tony Valachakis, GaDOE educational technologist, in accessing and selecting various types of reports to best communicate the results. The group is very pleased with the level of feedback they are receiving from the survey and the variety of information that Valachakis is able to abstract from the data.

Fourteen courses in the Health Sciences cluster have been posted allowing stakeholders to review and provide feedback for use by the Georgia State Board of Education. The group of courses are posted for a 60-day review period.

Fourteen courses in the Health Sciences cluster have been posted allowing stakeholders to review and provide feedback for use by the Georgia State Board of Education. The group of courses are posted for a 60-day review period.

Dr. Barbara Wall has been named the new director of Career, Technical, and Agricultural (CTAE) group at the Georgia Department of Education. She will begin her position in May.On March 23, Dr. John Pritchett, CTAE middle school curriculum coordinator, forwarded 14 courses in the Health Sciences cluster to Eric Waters for posting to allow stakeholder review and feedback. The group of courses will be posted in April for a 60-day review period.

Erin McCann, SEDL project director, provided Pam Smith, director of curriculum and instruction, with summary feedback on three math courses (Geometry, Algebra I, and Foundations for Algebra) based on the revised Georgia Math standards. On February 9, Eric Waters, SEDL web applications associate, compiled and summarized feedback for John Pritchett, CTAE middle school curriculum coordinator, on the remaining courses from the Information Technology Career Cluster currently under review.  

Erin McCann, SECC project director, provided Pam Smith, GaDOE director of curriculum and instruction, with summary feedback on the revised Georgia standards for math and English language arts (ELA). McCann also worked with Pam Smith and Tony Vlachakis at GaDOE to develop and administer surveys to collect stakeholder perceptions on revised Georgia standards for three math courses, Foundations of Algebra, Algebra I, and Geometry. On January 14, 2015, John Pritchett, CTAE middle school curriculum coordinator, requested and received a data update on two courses from the Information Technology Career Cluster that are currently in a 60-day review period. Those courses were made available for review on December 15, 2014.

SEDL Project Director Erin McCann has provided Pam Smith, GaDOE director of curriculum and instruction, with periodic summaries of respondents’ comments on the revised Georgia standards for math and English language arts. Respondents are reviewing the standards for Grades K–5, 6–8, high school, or K–12. A summary of all feedback will be sent after the surveys close.John Prichart, CTAE middle school curriculum coordinator, submitted two courses from the Information Technology Career Cluster for a 60-day review period to SEDL Database Development Associate Eric Waters for posting. Those courses were made available for review on December 15, 2014.

On November 17, Erin McCann, SEDL project director, spoke with Emily Spann and Myrel Seigler of GaDOE, about the surveys they need to develop. They want a survey of school counselors to ask what support they need in three areas of counseling students— socioemotional, academic, and career. They will work with McCann to develop the survey in early 2015.McCann has also worked with Pam Smith, director of curriculum and instruction, to develop two surveys for gaining feedback on the revised Georgia standards for Math and English language arts. Respondents are reviewing the standards for Grades K–5, 6–8, high school, or K–12 and then providing comments on the standards they review. McCann will provide a summary of the feedback periodically and a summary of all feedback when the surveys close in December 2014.

On October 15, Glenda Copeland, SECC program associate, met with David Turner, Director CTAE, Emily Spann, Merle Seigler, Dwayne Hobbs, and Brenda Barkin, GaDOE program managers, to discuss the Year 3 projects and to identify key contacts for the work. Erin McCann, SECC evaluation project director, will work with the team to begin development of the surveys for counselors, school nurses, and administrators in November.

Glenda Copeland, SECC Georgia state liaison, and David Turner, director CTAE, set a meeting in October with program managers to discuss the Year 3 projects and identify next steps in their implementation.

Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, continues to monitor data and provide updates to GaDOE regarding online responses and surveys from stakeholders regarding the pathways courses currently under public review. On June 30, Glenda Copeland, SECC Georgia state liaison, met with Director David Turner and Program Managers Emily Spann, Dwayne Hobbs, and Brenda Barker, at GaDOE, to discuss the status of their work and to identify projects they wish to include in the SECC Year 3 work plan.

Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, continues to monitor data and provide updates to GaDOE regarding online responses and surveys from stakeholders regarding the pathways courses currently under public review. On June 30, SECC Program Associate Glenda Copeland met with GaDOE staff David Turner, director; as well as Emily Spann, Dwayne Hobbs, and Brenda Barker, program managers; to discuss the current status of their work and to identify projects they wish to include in the SECC Year 3 work plan.

Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, continues to monitor data and provide updates to GaDOE regarding online responses and surveys from stakeholders. Four transportation courses were added on May 8 to those that are currently under public review.

Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, continues to monitor data and provide updates to GaDOE regarding online responses and surveys from stakeholders. Seven courses are currently under public review, and four additional courses for the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics Cluster will be added for review in May.

Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, posted three new courses on March 20 for stakeholder review for 60 days. The courses are under the Architecture and Construction Cluster and the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics Culture.

Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, provided the Career Pathways group with the final data update on February 3. On February 13, Waters provided Georgia’s David Turner with a proposal for developing a database for the Work Based Learning/Youth Apprenticeship Programs.

The CTAE group provided Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, with the files of 83 proposed courses for the Career Pathways that were released for the round of public review that ends January 31. The group expects to release two or three additional courses on February 21.Additionally, Georgia staff David Turner and Dwayne Hobbs have requested additional assistance in establishing a database that would enable schools to supply their data regarding 24 standards for Work-Based Learning/Youth Apprenticeship Programs. They have identified a staff member who would utilize the resource and consult with SECC staff in its operation and maintenance.

The CTAE group provided Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, with the files of 83 proposed courses for the Career Pathways that were released for the round of public review that began on November 7, 2013. He provided the group with an update on reviews received on December 1. Review on the group will continue for 60 days.Additionally, Waters has provided Pam Smith, director of curriculum and instruction, with updates from a public review of a statistical reasoning course on December 16, and final results at the end of the year.

The CTAE group provided Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, with the files of 83 proposed courses for the Career Pathways that were released for the round of public review that began on November 7. A drop-down menu reconfiguration allows additional courses to be accessed under their pathway designation and enables the user to more easily find and complete a review. There is a 60-day review period for each new course.

The CTAE group has been working with Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, to revise the layout for the next round of public reviews of proposed courses for the Career Pathways. The drop-down menu has reconfigured to allow the additional courses to be accessed under their specific pathway designations. The changes enable the user to find and complete the review more easily.

The CTAE group has submitted 87 pathways courses to their advisory board for approval to move forward with public comment. The group expects to post the courses in November for a 60-day review period. An additional group of approximately 80 courses is expected to be ready for review in December. These courses are the second and third courses required for completion of a pathway.

The CTAE group has been working to complete additional courses for the 17 career clusters pathways. The CTAE leadership team will be assisted by SECC in soliciting, collecting, and analyzing feedback on the new courses beginning in September.

Glenda Copeland, SECC Georgia state liaison, met with Director David Turner and Program Managers Dwayne Hobbs, Emily Spann, and Myrel Seigler to identify and plan implementation of additional tasks previously identified. Surveys for counselors, CTAE teachers, and principals to determine their professional learning needs will be implemented in the fall and a new cycle of public comment on additional Pathways courses will begin in September.

SECC Database Development Associate Eric Waters provided the CTAE development team with a report on public comments May 7. These results will be presented to the Georgia Board of Education for its approval. All previous courses that have undergone public review were approved by the board in April. Glenda Copeland, SECC Georgia state liaison, will be meeting with the leadership group in June to plan implementation of additional tasks previously identified.

On April 8, Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, posted six additional Pathways courses for public review. He provided the CTAE development team with interim reports on public comments on April 16 and April 30. Results of the public review of web-based surveys for the six career pathway courses will be provided after May 7. The results will be presented to the Georgia Board of Education for its approval.

On March 25, Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, provided the Pathways development team with the results of the public review of web-based surveys for 28 career pathway courses that went live February 21. Interim reports of responses received were also sent to CTAE for review. The results will be presented to the Georgia Board of Education for approval at the April meeting.

On February 1, SECC program associate, Glenda Copeland met with David Turner, director; Dwayne Hobbs and Emily Spann of CTAE to initiate planning for SECC assistance in implementing the Pathways career clusters throughout the state. Initial tasks were identified, and on February 12 a conference call was held with Eric Waters, SECC database development associate, to clarify tasks and set up a strategy to provide web-based public input for 28 completed foundation courses. Waters developed web-based surveys for 28 career pathway courses for public review that went live February 21 and will shut down March 24. An interim report of responses received has been sent to CTAE for review.