By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

The career-technical education (CTE) students in the Whiteville City and Columbus County schools saw significant increases in their end-of-grade test scores last year, according to a report released by the State Board of Education.

Statewide, the scores were down.

Anthony Martin, Whiteville’s director of CTE, said that Whiteville’s career-technical education end-of-course tests had increased 6.7 points. “This was significant for this year as the state experienced a decline overall in scores,” Martin said. “We were seventh in the state for growth during the 2005-06 school year.”

In the county schools, students had a 3 percent increase over the previous year, said Keith Jefferys, the county schools’ director of career technical education. He said that the county scores had a net increase of 10 points in six years.

“That’s significant enough to place Columbus County’s CTE program in the top 10 in the state,” Jefferys said.

Martin said that hard work from students and teachers accounted for the increase.

“Teachers used testing data to pinpoint opportunities for improvement,” he said. “Teachers also visited ‘high flying’ programs around the state to look for best practices and teaching strategies.”

Martin said there were more celebrations during the year for student success.

“Students received more recognition for their high achievement,” he said.

 Jefferys said the increases have been the result of many factors, including focused curriculum, program improvement and support and “professional educators who are very proud of their programs.”

“Several elements make the program work in the city schools starting with the teachers,” Martin said. “We have an excellent group of CTE teachers who are committed to their students.”

He said that CTE offers students learning opportunities that are difficult to duplicate in traditional “core” courses.

“These learning opportunities include many hands-on activities,” he said. “These activities provide students with an opportunity to use their knowledge gained from the courses in an authentic way.

“Our teachers are well aware of the challenges our students will face in the highly competitive job market and they are prepared to help students reach their full potential,” Jefferys said. “Our award-winning college tech prep programs prepare students to make a seamless transition from high school to the community college and beyond.”

Jefferys said that foundation courses at the middle school level provide students with workplace readiness and work-skill basics. This helps them choose courses of study that will lead them to rewarding careers.

Martin said he is pleased with the growth but always wants to do better.

“Our CTE teachers are committed to teaching first,” he said. “They continue to look for better ways to deliver instruction. As we improve our courses and teaching strategies, test scores seem to improve as well. We hope to continue our upward test score trend, but overall we want to meet the needs of the students though program improvements.”

End-of-course CTE test scores range from 31 percent to 82 percent statewide with Columbus County among the leaders with 72 performing at Level III or better, Jefferys said. “We are seeing steady increases each year. That being said, I am pleased we are moving in the right direction and look forward to continued improvement in the years to come.”

 Jefferys said that CTE is important.

“Career-technical education is an essential part of a student’s overall curriculum,” he said. “Math, English, science and social studies are all important academic skills but, through our CTE programs, students experience the rigor, relevance and relationships essential to the transference of those skills.”

Martin echoed Jefferys.

“CTE continues to offer students rigor, relevance and relationships,” he said. “Various high school reform initiatives, including the New Schools Project, push the new ‘Three R’s’. The interesting thing is that CTE has been offering the three R’s for many years. CTE courses give students authentic rigorous learning experiences in an environment that is conducive to building strong professional relationships. Could the ideal model of high school reform already be in our schools?”

Martin was referring to the State Board of Education’s plan to overhaul high schools by putting every student on a college-bound track and endangering the vocational and arts programs within the schools.

“If you think you might want to be an engineer, wouldn’t it be good to take a trade and industrial class like construction technologies to get a taste for what you might be doing?” Martin said. “The same holds true for the medical field. If you want to be a doctor, wouldn’t it be good to get a taste of what it is like before you spend the money on medical school? Allied Heath can give students that opportunity.”

Jefferys is looking for a few changes for next school year.

“CTE will play an important role in the new courses of study from the Department of Public Instruction and in the county’s strategic improvement plan,” he said. “We will continue to support and improve programs in order to provide students the best possible career-technical educational experience.”

Martin is looking toward the burgeoning biotechnology industry.

“As our biotechnology program grows we hope to have new equipment to do many DNA experiments in house,

he said. “Right now we are also looking at the possibility of adding a new course to the trade and industrial pathway.”

Columbus County’s CTE serves more than 3,500 students in grades 7-12 through five major program areas and more than 40 course offerings.