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I reside in Pennsylvania, and if you’ve been following the news, you know that Pennsylvania is in the political spotlight right now. You see, this particular state is
next on the list to vote in the primary elections and many say that the outcome of the primary here will determine who the democratic candidate will be in the presidential election. I don’t know if any of that’s true, but what I do know is that there has been something missing throughout the campaign by both parties. That something is a lack of focus on Career and Technical Education. It seems that at a time when we need workforce development more than ever, none of the candidates are talking about it. In civics class I was taught that our congressional delegates represent the will of the American people. It wasn’t too long ago that the House and the Senate voted, almost unanimously, for legislation that helps drive Career and Technical Education. I don’t understand the lack of focus on behalf of the candidates because rarely is there an issue that gets such bipartisan support. My sincere hope is that after the primaries are concluded we are able to hear more from both parties on their plans for workforce development and that Career and Technical Education is a big part of those plans. In the meantime, that lack of focus is something that you won’t find at NOCTI. We are clearly focused on Career and Technical Education and we are continually improving our products and services for your benefit. Speaking of professional development, we continue to offer numerous web seminars on topics of interest and you’ll find more about those in this newsletter. In addition, we will soon offer online training related to our products and services that will be available 24/7 via the web. When available on our web site, you will be able to access four to seven minute videos that you can use to make the most out of testing. I need to mention that we are continuing our collaboration with the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education. We do this by providing data for a number of research projects. This year we will also be serving as principal investigators for a research project involving the use of data in professional development. For a number of years NOCTI has been able to provide clients with academic correlations to our technical tests and, in some cases, we provide that information based on state standards as well. However, we are also bringing you the ability to utilize national criterion referenced scores or norm based scores. These criterion referenced scores are based on bringing together industry and education experts from around the country and establishing scores on NOCTI assessments that they would accept as competent. We can also customize that industry based passing score to your individual state. These are just a few of the enhancements and the services we are providing to make things easier for you. Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you that our second annual assessment and accountability pre-conference will be held with our partners, ACTE in Charlotte, North Carolina on December 3, 2008. More information will be available later, but for now, please mark your calendar!
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As I listen to discussions among colleagues from around the country I again am struck by the fact that assessment has become such an important issue in the reform efforts in modern American education and the new Perkins Act. There is still much apprehension and confusion about technical skill attainment as we begin to implement our five-year plans. Educators are struggling with their understanding of how students gain skills and, subsequently, how to incorporate assessment into the learning process at critical intervals and to help students gain the critical technical skills in demand by industry. We are beginning to understand the power of assessment in the hands of capable teachers who understand and use testing as an effective tool for benchmarking the learning of knowledge and skills in demand by industry. Assessment plays a critical role in helping teachers and students collaborate in charting a successful pathway to the skills for both a career and postsecondary education. When assessment is done correctly, it is a tool to evaluate the readiness of a person to continue on to the next level. Tests should not serve as gatekeepers that prevent a student or potential employee from moving on, but a gateway to a clearer understanding of that person’s skill level. At NOCTI, our commitment has been to provide our field with those appropriate assessments to help students move to the next level by listening to you, our customers, and then using the experience of experts in the field. Now, we want to bring you together. In continuing our commitment to assist educators in getting the most out of their assessment tools, we are again partnering with ACTE to hold a Pre-Convention NOCTI Conference on Assessment at ACTE. On December 3 at the Charlotte Convention Center, North Carolina, our staff and national experts on assessment will challenge and teach you to make the most of your assessment practices. The presenters will also talk about using assessment to improve programs and student achievement to plan for the future. There will be discussions about practical strategies to create a learning culture where assessment for learning and improvement - not of learning - can become a reality.
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