Mexico, NY -- Oswego County BOCES has received the Gold Improvement Award from High Schools That Work, a national recognition presented to 12 schools nationwide this year. Ron Camp, BOCES director of career and technical education and alternative programs, said the award was presented because BOCES students have consistently increased their scores in academics and assessment tests and more students...
Mexico, NY -- Oswego County BOCES has received the Gold Improvement Award from High Schools That Work, a national recognition presented to 12 schools nationwide this year.
Ron Camp, BOCES director of career and technical education and alternative programs, said the award was presented because BOCES students have consistently increased their scores in academics and assessment tests and more students have graduated from BOCES and gone on to college.
Camp said BOCES students raised their scores on achievement tests by an average of 10 points from 2008 and had a graduation rate of 88 percent.
"And 79 percent of our BOCES graduates are going on to higher education," Camp said. This compares to only 34 percent in 2000. "Our kids are going on to higher education in record numbers," he said.
The changes made that have helped affect rates deal with the way subjects are taught and how learning is related to the career and technology courses the students take.
For example, Camp said information students learn in physics and math isn’t simply stashed away at the back of the brain. A lot of it is used in career programs like auto technology, he said.
"They have to do the math to know what tool to use in the job," he said. "We are integrating academics. And there is an increased rigor and relevance of all our classes."
"This school has shown what can be accomplished to raise student achievement by deeply implementing the High Schools That Work model for strengthening curriculum and instruction," said Gene Bottoms, senior vice president for the Southern Regional Education Board in Atlanta and founder of the High Schools That Work initiative.
"The school illustrates the spirit of change and the gains in performance that High Schools That Work advocates and supports through assessment, staff development and technical assistance," Bottoms said.
Camp said by following the High Schools That Work model, BOCES can "see if we have college level academics in our CTE (Career and Technical Education) classes. "It’s a huge deal. It’s just another thing that goes to show that this is not the old vocational ed."
Derek Natoli agrees. The 18-year-old recent Oswego High School graduate majored in public safety and justice at Oswego County BOCES.
"The testing was very rigorous," he said. "It was demanding for the three days we took it but it was a good test of our knowledge. Everything we learned — math, science, English — was on there and it shows me how I’m stacked up against everyone else.
Oswego County BOCES began partnering with High Schools That Work — run by the Southern Regional Education Board — in 2001. Dave Leavitt, school improvement consultant for High Schools That Work, worked closely with BOCES leadership and praised the staff for its dedication to the program’s principles.
"Oswego BOCES’ Career and Technical Education program is to be commended on their achievement of one of only 12 2010 Gold Improvement Awards presented by High Schools That Work. .¤.¤. This dedication has resulted in programs that will prepare (Oswego County BOCES) graduates for successful 21st century careers."
Oswego County BOCES Career and Technical Education programs serve about 700 students from Oswego County’s nine school districts. Students not only must do well on the High Schools That Work assessment tests, but pass all the state-required Regents examinations, put together and get a passing grade on their Career and Technical Education portfolio and pass all their academic subjects.
Contact Debra J. Groom at dgroom@syracuse.com, 470-3254 or 251-5586