October FCS Update
Message from Lisa
It has been a busy couple of months at the Iowa Department of Education, just as it has been for those of you working hard to deliver quality FCS and CTE programming to our Iowa students! I have heard several comments about recent parent/teacher conferences and curriculum projects and have enjoyed getting to see and work with many of you in-person and virtually at meetings and on social media. October is a great month to discuss safety in Child development classes. Consider having your students share some safety tips and activities at a community activity or field site.
I have some important updates to share with you this month. As always, I'm here to help and am happy to spend some time with your and your colleagues helping you as you work to implement quality programming. There are a lot of questions and work to do as we move to implement CTE Redesign and align our work with Human Services for those of you with comprehensive programs. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions.
Secondary CTE Redesign -- Rules draft just released for comment
Rules have been written for Division I -- Career Guidance. As guidance documents are written, the expectation is that school districts will use this academic year as transition to have their career guidance process in place by the start of the next academic year. A draft of the proposed rules for Division II -- CTE Redesign is now available on the Department's website. The Department is committed to an open, inclusive rules process and is therefore interested in soliciting public input on the proposed rules, prior to the formal rules adoption process which also entails a public comment period.
Comments may be submitted either by email or through the online comment form available on the Department's website. If interested, please do so by 4:00 PM on Friday, October 21, 2016. This will allow the Department to review all feedback before the proposed rules are advance to the State Board of Education in November.
Statewide FCS Program Management Committee
I am excited to share that our newly formed FCS Program Management Committee held it's first meeting at Des Moines Central Campus on September 28th. The purpose of the committee is to:
- identify, assess, and evaluate initiatives and make recommendations for secondary and post-secondary family and consumer sciences (FCS) educators in areas such as student needs, student focus, professional development, curriculum development, and articulation
- make connections with the community regarding recruitment and retention to FCS careers and programs; and
- make budgetary recommendations to the Department of Education.
Members include secondary and post-secondary FCS and FCS-related educators, IFCSE, IACTE, and AAFCS representatives, Extension, FCS-related content business and industry representatives, secondary administration, and intermediary and work-based learning representation. Spring Updates sent to the field asked for names of those interested in serving. For a full list of members, see the attached document.
At this first meeting, we reviewed the committee purpose and were given an overview of Career and Technical Education and Family and Consumer Sciences - where we are and were we are going with CTE Redesign. We had updates from IACTE, FCCLA, IWBL, Intermediaries, IFCSE/AAFCS Summer Conference, and Iowa State's Teacher preparation program. Connie Sievers led us on a tour of Central Campus' FCS-Related career academies, followed by an excellent lunch prepared and served by the Central Campus Culinary ProStart students. The afternoon was a work session devoted to identifying strategic goals and action items that we can use to focus our work. There are limited dollars available, and the committee designated $3000 in support of the IFCSE Summer Conference that will be held June 11-13, 2017 in Ames.
We are still refining the wording a pieces of our action steps, but I wanted to share our strategic goals for the next five years:
1. A positive image of the value of family and consumer sciences education will be created and the development of talented FCS and Humans Services teachers will be recognized.
2. Appropriate resources will be provided to support quality family and consumer sciences education programs, including adequate numbers of family and consumer sciences teachers. (Including work-based learning opportunities for teachers and students.)
3. Partnerships among family and consumer sciences education, business and industry, and communities will increase.
4. Building awareness for students, families, and guidance counselors about what FCS offers as potential careers.
Financial Literacy Standards
A draft of the revised statewide standards for social studies was released that include financial literacy standards and members of a new state team who will conduct a public review of the draft standards has been announced. Click here to review the draft. Financial literacy standards are incorporated into content K-5 and pulled out 6-12. Page 46 has the anchor standards for 9 - 12. Within the document, you will find the standards at each grade level and how they are "drilled down" from the anchor standards for more specific competencies at each level. FCS did have representation in writing the financial management standards, and I serve on the Financial Literacy Network group. Thank you to Carol Van Waardhuizen, Ames High School FCS instructor for representing FCS in this task!
Perkins Reauthorization
Although the US House passed the Perkins reauthorization quickly, the US Senate has postponed the vote. Go to ACTE Policy Watch to find out the latest information.
Work-Based Learning is a Common Theme in Proposed Legislation
What do the proposed Perkins reauthorization, the Iowa CTE Bill, Workforce Investment Act (WIOA), and Future Ready Iowa have in common? Work-based learning is seen as a major component in quality career and technical education programs.
Consider how you involve business and industry as well as that essential "All Aspects of Industry" in your teaching-
- Do FCS business and industry professionals come into your classroom to share their knowledge?
- Do you plan tours or events where your students can interact with the business community?
- Have you organized job shadows or short term internships where students could be at a work site?
Help is just an email or phone call away by contacting your regional Intermediary Network. These coordinators work with business and industry and make connections to help you expand work-based learning opportunities for your students. From October 2013 until June 2015, Intermediaries have made more than 77,000 work-based learning opportunities available to students across Iowa. Find our regional Intermediary Network contact here.
Student Logo Contest for Iowa Work-Based Learning
The Iowa Work-Based Learning Coordinators Organization is sponsoring a competition for secondary students to design a logo that represents the IWBL Organization. Official rules and contest information is available here.
Request from FCCLA
Career and Technical Student Organizations are an important piece in developing a strong FCS program. Sarah Dillinger, Iowa FCCLA Vice President of Membership and Development is still in need of information about FCCLA involvement in FCS programs across the state. Please take the time to complete this survey to help her with her goal. And as always, check the FCCLA new website for all things FCCLA Iowa!
Professional Development Opportunity
The 2016 Global Education Institute for Teachers will be held December 10-11, 2016. Inspired by the introduction of the new Iowa Core Curriculum and its focus on global literacy concepts and 21st century skills, forty middle, junior, and high school teachers will be selected to attend this year’s institute and will receive free tuition. The first twenty teachers to register who live outside a 25-mile radius of Iowa City will receive free housing at the Iowa House Hotel. Registrations are due by October 31, 2016. For more information and application, check this link.
Kudos
The Iowa Restaurant Association recently held their annual Celebrating Excellence Awards Program on October 6th in Des Moines. Congratulations to all of the award winners who impact our communities in the industry! ProStart instructor from Washington High School in Cherokee, Lisa Breyfogle (shown above with Iowa Restaurant Association business board members) was celebrated as the 2016 Iowa and National Prostart Educator of Excellence. In addition, Valerie Gonzalez from North Iowa Area Community College was names 2016 Iowa ProStart Mentor of the year for her work with Jane Hoegh's students at Hampton-Dumont High School. See the write up on the awards in the Food and Beverage Iowa Business Quarterly here.
Congratulations to Maxine Barrows, FCS Educator at Cedar Falls Community Schools for receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Iowa ACTE conference held at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny September 29th. Maxine won our state IFCSE award in June and is now eligible to move on to the Region III ACTE competition. Let's be sure and show our support by attending the conference in Indianapolis June 21-23. Check back at this link for information on the conference and registration as it becomes available!
| Lisa G. Stange, NBCT, MA Ed Education Program Consultant Family and Consumer Sciences Bureau of Career and Technical Education Division of Community College & Workforce Preparation Iowa Department of Education Grimes State Office Building 400 East 14th Street Des Moines, IA 50319 515-242-5032 (O) 515-414-0864 (C) lisa.stange@iowa.gov Twitter: LGStange www.educateiowa.gov |
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