Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 25, 1994 TAG: 9410010020
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH COX SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES &WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It's called Tech Prep, in coordination with a program called High Schools That Work. Tech Prep coordinator Gay Shrum said Staunton River was selected by the Southern Regional Education Board and the Virginia Department of Education as a model.
The goal is to integrate traditional academic college prep courses with hands-on practical skills to make educational improvements, Shrum said. ``That way, students graduate from high school with a foundation for further education and marketable employment skills.''
Tech Prep is meant for all students, whether they are headed for community colleges, four-year institutions or the workplace.
It's part of the plan for the entire Bedford County school system to become more competitive, said Superintendent John Kent.
Although Bedford schools are using the same basic instructional program of kindergarten through 12th grade, with math, language arts, social studies and science as the pivotal points, Kent said, more and more technology is being integrated into the classroom.
Technology, Kent said, accelerates studies in the four basic areas. It provides much greater access to information - for instance, middle-school students take tests on the computer, have E-mail and an integrated phone system for attendance and school assignments.
In high school, students can work through complex math formulas more quickly. Through Ethernet, they can tap into major research institutions across the nation.
Science teachers, he said, are re-examining how they present work in the classroom, using hands-on and computer-assisted learning to show how science applies to real-life situations. In addition, computer-assisted design and drafting programs are available at Bedford Educational Center, the vocational school.
``I don't know if technology accelerates the students' learning, but it makes them more competitive in the job market,'' Kent said.
Shrum said it's estimated that 80 percent of the jobs in the first quarter of the next century will require at least two years of education past high school.
``In our society today, a student who locks himself into a narrow field is going to have a very hard time," Shrum said. "The benefit we see, primarily, is that it will give our students marketable skills.''
Tech Prep includes two components - 4 + 2 for community college-bound students, and 4 + 4 for four-year college-bound students. Both are at all three Bedford County high schools. Under an agreement with the high schools and community colleges, students start on the track of post-high school education during their freshman year.
With the 4 + 4 program, students have more options, although they have to work harder for them, said Shrum, adding the program ``requires students to meet higher standards of achievement.''
At the same time, they have a greater concentration in their area of interest.
For instance, a student interested in biology would take an introductory class as a high school freshman. The next year, perhaps, he or she would take an introductory class in agriculture, then upper-level biology, agriculture or even ecology.
The student then could choose between studying horticulture at Virginia Western Community College, getting a job in a lab or attending Virginia Tech.
In 1995, a student will be able to address an employer, ascertain the needs of the marketplace, and present a resume and work samples, said Kent. Ten years ago, he said, a student wouldn't have had the same credentials - he or she wouldn't even have had a portfolio. ``You've got to be able to go to a prospective employer and indicate you have something he wants to buy,'' said Kent.
Now, apprenticeship programs at the Bedford County schools connect businesses with students in high school and middle school. In middle school, they gain an understanding of how the business world and the economy work. They also work on computer modules that explore their aptitude and attitude toward various skills and career possibilities. This, said Kent, is really pre-vocational training.
In high school, career fairs during senior year are passe. Now, students in the eighth-grade start thinking about careers and begin working toward them.
A cooperative apprenticeship program also allows students to leave school an hour early and intern at various businesses in the area. Unlike previous work-study programs, newer intern programs cater to the college-bound as well as those students seeking jobs out of high school.
by CNB