| University of Illinois
CTER Master's Program |
Major Project |
Anne Catey
Cumberland High School District #77 |
Abstract | Justification
| Project Description/Implementation
| Project Evaluation | Timeline
| Budget |
| Budget Justification | Personnel
| Equipment | Supplies | Conclusion
| References | ECOS Screen Shots
| Abstract/Executive Summary
The purpose of this proposal is to obtain approval to implement a new Internet-based careers program, Education and Career Opportunities System (ECOS), at the high school level in the Cumberland school district in Toledo, Illinois. This new program will enable the students to gather and use important information about more than 900 careers as well as to provide many different activities to enhance their education. Among these activities are ACT practice tests, resume writing assistance, college searches, and aptitude tests designed to help the students plan for the future. This program is essential as supplemental material to the careers development program at Cumberland High School. At this time, this Internet-based program is sponsored by the Eastern Illinois Education for Employment System (EIEFES) and is supervised by Dennis Hutchings, the Student Services Coordinator for EIEFES. However, the current contract will expire at the end of the 2002-2003 school year. Therefore, either EIEFES will renew this contract or Cumberland District #77 will need to fund this program. Since the goal is to provide every student at Cumberland High School with access to and instruction in the ECOS program, the students will be able to use this program throughout their high school careers. Each student will be issued a user name and password, which will be exclusively theirs as long as they remain an active user of the program. This can also be extended after their graduation as long as the Cumberland district's contract is kept current. Description of Program There are many advantages to using this program. For example, it is an excellent resource for junior and senior students because it provides learning opportunities in the following areas: careers, colleges, majors, scholarships, and ACT and SAT preparation. Sample screen shots can be seen at the bottom of this page. In addition, it provides students in each grade with a personal planner/calendar, an email account, and a locker for storing information. Likewise, the teacher can benefit from using ECOS. For instance, the teacher/facilitator can track his/her students throughout the program. He/She has access to every student's user name and password, which gives him/her access to each student's information throughout the program. An added benefit is that class assignments can be posted on the home page. That way, a student who missed class or forgot the assignment can log on and check the daily assignment. In addition, the teachers can refer to the section that provides suggestions for lesson plans. Additional information about the benefits can be found by logging on to the web site at http://ecos.embark.com . |
| Justification/Statement
of Need
There is a definite need for an extensive careers program at Cumberland High School, which has an enrollment of approximately 375 students, 50% or more of whom come from low-income households. While this district has a respectable graduation rate (95%), over one-fourth of the graduates from year to year head directly into the workforce (28%). Added to this is the fact that Cumberland High School has double the normal national average of identified learning-disabled students (20%). With all of this in mind, it is the responsibility of the district to prepare their students to be responsible citizens. In order to do this, a powerful careers program must be in place, one that not only provides excellent information on an abundance of careers but also one that guides the students to the areas they enjoy and in which they can become successful. While the high school does have a supplemental careers program in place, it is not as extensive as the program being suggested in this statement. The current program (CIS) is very basic with not much to encourage the students to reach high goals. The name of the new program is Education and Career Opportunities System (ECOS). As the name suggests, it is designed to show students many different opportunities, both in direct employment (affecting 28% of the Cumberland students) as well as in professions that encourage or require additional or higher education at accredited universities (affecting 82% of the students). This is a way to encourage students to investigate and possibly strive for further education in order to attain a professional career rather than just a job. There is a difference in the two, and it is usually found in pride and monetary gain. When this proposal is approved, the departments that will be involved are the business and English departments at Cumberland High School. Eventually, the social studies department may become involved. Currently, the business department uses a basic careers search program. However, the English department relies mainly on the Communication 2000 program to teach the tech prep/business English classes. The current programs are acceptable but are not as extensive or up-to-date as the program that is being proposed. Briefly, ECOS covers many areas such as careers, colleges, life skills, financial aid, and much more. ECOS is a program that can also help to improve state standardized test scores, as there are practice tests and test-taking tips available. Recent studies done with a pilot group of students have confirmed this fact. It is important for all high school departments to be consistent in career education. If there is consistency, departments could possibly collaborate on lessons and projects. As it stands now, as freshmen the students learn one careers program and as juniors they learn a totally different one. To achieve this goal of changing the supplemental careers curriculum, several actions are planned. First, prior research on the ECOS program will be combined with continuing research on that same program. The results of that research will then be used to convince the business department that it is a better program for the district than the one currently being used in their department. I will present this proposal to my administration for approval. Meanwhile, I will search for funding. This funding will most likely come from the Eastern Illinois Education for Employment System (EIEFES) or the administration of Cumberland Unit District #77. If EIEFES will not continue the funding, it is recommended that the Cumberland district fund this program as it costs only $4.81 per student. The ECOS program is most certainly cost-effective. Prior research was done using a pilot group of students, and the results were overwhelmingly positive. Not only did the students receive test-taking tips, they also were empowered to create their own file, full of interesting and useful information on real-life careers (Means, Penuel, and Padilla, 2001). This program allows for student-controlled activities where they "... gather and analyze information (and) produce on-line reports...as they develop and refine their understanding of systems and concepts...as they participate in real...investigations" (Means, Penuel, and Padilla, 2001). This is compelling information that proves the program is worth $4.81 per student. The ECOS program is obviously a viable program. It should be considered as supplemental materials in both the business department and the English department. It does, however, cost money so funding will be requested from either the Eastern Illinois Education for Employment System (EIEFES) or the administration of Cumberland Unit District #77. |
| Project Description/Implementation
Plan
During the 2001-2002 school year, the ECOS program was piloted through the junior English classes at Cumberland High School. The students received the basic orientation from Dennis Hutchings and were exposed to all of the modules. The emphasis, however, was placed on the ACT/SAT section, the College module, and the Careers module. An evaluation of the program was done which included surveys and interviews with the participating students and staff members. The results of the evaluation were overwhelmingly positive; all involved felt the program was more than worth the cost. The detailed results of the evaluation can be found at http://students.ed.uiuc.edu/catey/Evaluation%20Proposal.html#ep . There are several steps that need to be taken in order to insure a smooth transition from the prior, less-extensive program (CIS) to ECOS. For example, for successful implementation of the ECOS program, the teachers and administrators alike must be committed to the program and the implementation plan. The equipment needed includes a computer (ideally - a class-size lab) and Internet access. Also, the teachers from the participating departments (initially the English and the Business Departments) will need basic computer, Internet, and emailing skills. Both of these departments will play equal but different roles in the implementation of this program. Before the students can be exposed to the benefits of the program, the teachers, themselves, need to be exposed to it. Therefore, there must be some professional development as part of this plan. Participating teachers must be inserviced on the ECOS program. This can be accomplished by having the teachers attend a one-day workshop (below) given by Dennis Hutchings, the Student Services Coordinator for EIEFES. Dennis Hutchings is an expert in the program. He has helped to bring ECOS to several area districts. This is a free service provided to the schools that contract the program. This instruction includes set-up and hands-on guided tours through the program as well as a question/answer session. Teachers will be paid a stipend for attending this workshop and received credit for rectification. This acts as a good incentive for those teachers who need to become familiar with ECOS. Eventually, a district workshop will be offered to all staff members who need instruction in ECOS. This district workshop will be conducted by those teachers who have attended the official ECOS workshop with Dennis Hutchings. The same format will be used for the district workshop as was used by Dennis Hutchings, provided that his permission is granted. By the end of the five years, most teachers at Cumberland High School will be reached. This is important since Cumberland has several students (28%) entering the workforce directly after high school. If all teachers are knowledgeable of the ECOS program, they will be able to help all students find their desired career. To illustrate this point, the auto mechanics teacher can show his students the different careers that are available in that field, emphasizing any special requirements like amount of education needed, salary, and advancement opportunities. As one can see, the instruction does not have to be limited to the business and English Departments.
Implementation Schedule for Curriculum Each teacher will be able to use the program in the manner in which it best suits his/her curriculum. There are, though, some issues to consider during the implementation of this program. For example, this guide approximates instruction time for each grade level; however, these times are flexible. A teacher can spend more time on a certain section if it is desired. However, it is strongly suggested that each teacher does not move his/her class to a higher level on the guide. This could cause overlapping instruction, which could lead to confusion. Although going up a level is not acceptable, reviewing and/or returning to a lower level will be acceptable. A basic curriculum guide will be followed in order to avoid repetitive lessons and to insure progress in the program. This guide is designed to be a continuous program used throughout the students' high school career. In other words, it progresses as the students’ progress to higher grades. For the first year of this program, however, the seniors, juniors, and sophomores may have to spend more instructional time than this guide suggests simply because they were not exposed to it as freshmen. The following chart illustrates the plan for a basic curriculum guide, which is subject to change upon review.
A. Evaluation Purpose Although the program has already been evaluated through the pilot program during the 2001-2002 year, it will be evaluated again at the end of the 2002-2003 school year and annually thereafter. This evaluation will determine the usefulness of the Education and Career Opportunities System (ECOS). Since the sponsor's contract expires at the of the 2002-2003 school year, the evaluation will be used to determine whether or not the Cumberland school district will monetarily support the continuance of the program. B. Audiences The audiences for this evaluation are the same as the key stakeholders. The primary stakeholder is Eastern Illinois Education for Employment System (EIEFES), Cumberland High School’s sponsor for the ECOS program. Another stakeholder is Dennis Hutchings, the Student Services Coordinator for EIEFES. Finally, an interested party is obviously Cumberland High School’s administration and staff since they are the ones who are directly involved with the implementation of the program. C. Evaluation Questions To begin an evaluation, one must understand the needs of the client and the stakeholders. For this particular evaluation, the client, Dennis Hutchings, listed several issues he would like to see covered. These issues can be divided into two categories: Student Domain and Teacher Domain. The chart below illustrates the areas to be covered for the client. Evaluation Questions
There are several other questions that will be addressed in this evaluation
as well. The chart below illustrates some general questions concerning
cost.
D. Process: Types of Evaluation There are several different types of evaluation, which will be used throughout this particular evaluation. One type employed will be descriptive. This is when the results of the instrumentation used to gather information will be described. Another type is summative. For this type the results will be summarized and judgments on the worth or merit will be submitted to the stakeholders. This evaluation will be somewhat consumer-oriented in that it will be focused on whether or not the program is meeting the consumer’s needs. Finally, it will be the intent of the evaluator that the results of this evaluation will be used immediately by the district, making it a Utilization-Focused evaluation. E. Methods
2. Instrumentation
This section is a very important part of the evaluation. The procedures for data collection must be pure to insure the validity of the results. With this in mind, the evaluator will show integrity when completing the evaluation worksheet, collecting the unobtrusive measures of the number of hits on the web site, conducting the surveys and interviews, completing the checklist and keeping the logbook. G. Interpretation Procedure Different techniques will be employed when interpreting the data once it is collected. Descriptive statistics, charts, graphs, percentages and summarization will be used for the student surveys. After the survey is completed, the results will be helpful in composing the interview questions. A summarization of the major themes of the interview transcripts will be completed. Finally, the evaluator will combine all results for a summary and description of the trends and solutions to any problems. To ensure the validity of the results, the instruments will be crosschecked before lasting interpretations are completed. For example, the Web Site Evaluation Worksheet will be checked against the Checklist for Evaluations. In addition, the unobtrusive measures, the surveys, and the interviews will be crosschecked against each other. Finally, the results of previous ECOS evaluations will be cross -checked with the evaluation done at the end of the 2002-2003 school year. |
Timeline
|
| Budget Justification
ECOS Contract: The suggestion of a five-year contract ($4,850) was made for several reasons. Most importantly, if the contract lasts five years, the impact of the program can be fully recognized by tracking one class (2006) through its four years of high school and one year after graduation. At that point, the percentage of students who attend college and a percentage of those who go directly into the workforce in that class can be compared to those percentages of any class before it. This may help determine the success of the ECOS program. In addition, those students in the other classes (2003, 2004, and 2005) who graduate in the meantime will be contacted for further study and evaluation. Another reason to sign for five years is that the price is reduced somewhat for each year added to the contract. For example, one year costs $1,095. $1,095 multiplied by five is $5,475. However, if the contract is signed for five years, the cost is $4,850, a savings of $625. With all things considered, the five-year contract makes sense. Personnel
|
Personnel/Equipment/Supplies
The school is already equipped with three computer labs with 25 workstations in each lab and is wired for the Internet. Therefore, there is no special equipment that needs to be purchased in order to implement this program. For class instruction and the workshops, it would be advantageous to use the computer labs. Most of the needed supplies can be covered in the normal school budget. However, there will be correspondence to parents and community members. Consequently, extra paper, copying materials, and stamps will be needed for this program. Other than that, there will be no other supplies needed. |
| Conclusion
With 50% of its students coming from low-income families and 28% of the graduates heading directly into the work force, Cumberland High School has a strong need for a powerful careers program. The Education and Career Opportunities System (ECOS) is that powerful program. When using this program, the students have access to information on over 900 careers and 1500 institutions of higher learning. This is far beyond the capabilities of the careers program that is being used at the present time. The total cost of the five-year contract and implementation of the program is approximately $9,025. Considering that Cumberland High School has approximately 375 students annually, the cost per student per year is about $4.81. This program is well worth its cost and should be approved as the new careers program at Cumberland High School and, if needed, funded by Cumberland District #77 in the future. |
| REFERENCES
ECOS: Education and Career Opportunities System Implementation Guide. San Francisco: Embark, 2000. ECOS: Education and Career Opportunities System. 2002 http://ecos.embark.com . “Education and Career Opportunities System (ECOS) Order Form-Single
School Purchase.” The
Free Online Surveys.com. 1 Mar. 2002 http://www.freeonlinesurveys.com . Henderson, Larry. Email Correspondence. 27 June 2002. Hutchings, Dennis. Consultant. Spring 2002 Means, Barbara, William R. Penuel, and Christine Padilla. The Connected
School: Technology
Schofield, Janet Ward, and Ann Locke Davidson. Bringing the
Internet to School: Lessons from an Urban
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