"Students graduate and are prepared to enter the workforce and postsecondary education."
The assumptions made regarding Goal 2 have been summarized and divided into four categories outlined below.
Florida's performance standards, by their nature, define what it means to be a high school graduate, literate, and job-ready.
Exit-level requirements for high school graduation are synonymous with entry-level requirements for the workforce; these skills are defined by the Secretary of Labor's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) and are applied through Florida's Core of Essential concepts.
While learning is a lifelong endeavor, certain skills are needed by the time of high school graduation in order for youth to perform competitively and lead fully productive lives.
All persons are capable of achieving the standards set for exit from high school; some may require modification in instruction and/or assessment in order to demonstrate proficiency.
Alternative learning opportunities are needed to help at-risk students stay in school past the compulsory attendance age.
While traditionally schools have identified a specific time of graduation with the expectation that all skills and knowledge should be achieved at that time, the vision of a Blueprint 2000 school is to recognize that the graduation rate may vary, but all learning and skill development among students will be constant at the time of graduation-whenever that time may be for the student.
Recognizing that 37% of Florida's high school graduates do not aspire to pursue postsecondary education, these students must be job-ready when they graduate from high school, i.e., performance standards must have been met.
"All Florida students graduate from secondary schools with a certificate showing mastery of the student performance standards and outcomes identified in Goal 3."
The outcomes for Standard 1 have been summarized below.
Students' certificates will show the degree of mastery of specific standards; in addition, they will pass the High School Competency Test (HSCT).
Public high school graduates will be prepared for college-level coursework upon enrollment in public community colleges and universities in Florida.
Public high school graduates will demonstrate job readiness to prospective employers with a performance-based portfolio and will gain employment in their designated area of job preparation.
"All Florida students who leave the public schools prior to graduation are engaged in some alternative learning process in which they are making progress toward meeting the graduation requirement."
The outcomes for Standard 2 have been summarized below.
School drop outs will be identified through collaborative efforts among community agencies and will enroll in alternative programs to meet graduation requirements.
Community and Adult Education Practitioners will find 10 strategies for helping schools and advisory councils accomplish Goal 2 in the section below. Each strategy is followed by suggested steps for implementing the strategy.
Establish/maintain regular communication with the local school administrators. Find out their priorities for the year and pledge to assist with accomplishing those objectives.
Make deliberate and frequent contact with the principal and other school administrators. Devise a mechanism for regular communication.
Ask the principal for permission to attend regular faculty meetings. Share/disseminate information about Community and Adult Education programs and activities, and ask for ideas and input.
Volunteer to assist with school events and other key projects identified by the principal. For example, sponsor a booth at the school carnival, and promote students' efforts at the County Fair by encouraging local businesses to get involved.
Assist with the annual Open House by serving refreshments or setting up an information display about Community and Adult Education programs and activities.
Use day school teachers to teach Community and Adult Education classes, as appropriate. Ask principal for names of possible teachers.
Establish and maintain contact with guidance office staff.
Offer information and referral services for students and parents regarding local businesses that want to hire students.
Offer to disseminate guidance information during the evening hours. Post scholarship and financial aid information, as well as application deadlines and other general college information, particularly from the local community college.
Offer to arrange for Adult Education students to visit classes of at-risk students. Ask Adult Education students to provide testimonials about why they enrolled in Adult Education as well as the advantages of staying in school.
Ask for monthly listings of school dropouts. When appropriate, send letters of invitation to visit/enroll in Adult Education classes.
Solicit corporate support for scholarships to be awarded to outstanding school journalists.
Invite members of school clubs and organizations to volunteer time to Community Education projects. Arrange for this volunteer time to apply to eligibility for the Florida Academic Scholars certificate program.
Establish and maintain communications with the sponsors of the school newspaper and the yearbook.
Contribute articles and information about Community and Adult Education programs and activities on a regular basis.
Encourage local businesses to purchase ads congratulating students, athletic teams, etc.
Offer to write a regular column for the school newspaper that spotlights local organizations or businesses that have worked collaboratively with the school.
Solicit corporate support for scholarships to be awarded to outstanding school journalists.
Invite school newspaper staff to interview Community and Adult Education teachers and students.
Establish and maintain rapport with students.
Invite members of school clubs and organizations to volunteer their time on Community Education projects. Arrange for this volunteer time to apply to eligibility for the Florida Academic Scholars certificate program.
Conduct a survey of students who are school leaders; ask for their ideas on how to better motivate at-risk students to complete graduation requirements. Share their ideas with teachers and school advisory committees.
Generate corporate "scholarships" to pay for GED test registration for deserving students. Develop a formal procedure for application and recommendations for the scholarships.
Promote the advantages of good grades, such as reduced insurance rates for student drivers.
Set up a partners program, pairing a parent and child who are learning English with an English-speaking parent and child.
Create a student newsletter, targeting ESOL students and parents. Include information about services, laws, deadlines, etc. that pertain to their situations.
Follow up on Adult Education students who have missed more than three consecutive class meetings.
Schedule TABE testing at times and locations convenient to prospective students; include a brief orientation about the classes and programs available.
Establish and maintain contact with the local community college.
Distribute class schedules and brochures on community college offerings; distribute Community Education schedules and other information at offices where college information is disseminated.
Obtain a campus telephone directory for use in making referrals; call on offices that may be able to help you accomplish your objectives.
Arrange for a tour of the community college for Community and Adult Education students who are interested in continuing their educations. Include visits to offices of student support services and job placement offices.
Invite community college staff involved with recruitment, vocational programs, and/or college preparation programs to visit classes where interest in post secondary education is high.
Develop a network of local merchants who are willing to support Community Education efforts.
Invite local merchants and business people to the high school campus to observe job training programs, and technical laboratories.
Encourage business contacts to sponsor community events; encourage participation of employees who are local graduates.
Host a job fair or career day at the school site to bring students and local employers together.
Organize a summer job and/or volunteer program for youth by developing contacts at local businesses and putting youth in touch with these contacts. Make children of Community and Adult Education students the first to be referred; then open it to all day school students.
Furnish local employers with competency standards for high school graduation; post open positions for employers in the Adult and Continuing Education office or in other appropriate locations.
Request permission to use local employers' position descriptions as learning tools for Adult Education classes.
Use the Community Education Office and publications as a means of keeping the public informed of upcoming community events and activities.
Create a permanent display highlighting Community Education activities. Place it in a well traveled passageway or hall on the school campus.
Record and monitor all local collaborative efforts involving education; share this information using both internal and external marketing strategies.
Create a recorded telephone message that announces coming events, registration times, or other current information to be played during the hours when the office is closed.
Post high school graduation requirements in Community and Adult Education classrooms.
Involve school advisory council members in Community and Adult Education activities.
Invite a member of the advisory council to assist in making the contact when contacting local businesses for help in sponsorships or participation in upcoming events, This may be done by calling on the business person together, jointly signing a letter, or asking the council member to make an advance call to the business on your behalf.
Ask to be a part of school advisory council meetings. Become a regular part of the agenda and have something brief to report each time. Be sure the council is aware of how Community and Adult Education efforts coincide with the goals of Blueprint 2000.
Invite an advisory council member to be an honorary chair of a planning committee that you have organized. Keep the member informed and always provide an opportunity for him/her to offer input and information that may further the objectives of the council.
Invite the advisory council to meet at the site of a Community Education class or activity. This may provide an opportunity for a tour of a facility, testimonials by students, or other equally beneficial events.
Offer to assist the advisory council in gathering information, conducting needs assessments, conducting telethons or other activities that will promote council efforts.
Ask council members for names of churches, businesses, and service organizations that they are affiliated with when planning community events. Seek their support in inviting these organizations to become involved in these events.
Establish a communication link with the school's PTA, Booster Club and/or other parent groups to build parent support.
Meet and get to know the leadership of these organizations with the help of the principal. Attend their meetings when possible. Distribute information and ask for their help in becoming a part of an information network designed to keep parents informed of school activities.
Ask for a volunteer from the parent organization when organizing this network. This person's responsibility will be to stay in touch with your office and to disseminate information that you provide regarding high school completion requirements, state scholarship programs, GED programs, etc.
Offer to promote PTA/Booster information in Community and Adult Education classes.
Help to involve businesses with Booster Club efforts. Offer incentives such as free publicity for businesses who support school efforts.
Invite Community and Adult Education students who are parents at the school to become involved in the parent group meetings and activities. Find out their concerns as parents and relate these to the leadership of the parent groups.
Hold an "Operation Graduation" campaign in conjunction with orientation for new students at the high school or middle school. The focus of the campaign will be to outline the purpose and significance of the next years of school, and to get new students in the school to commit to following through with graduation from high school.
Secure administrative approval to plan this event, and organize an Operation Graduation planning team, including representatives such as members of parent groups, guidance department, student leaders, and local businesses.
During the summer, organize specific activities to occur during orientation, such as setting up a parent information table or serving refreshments.
Have "Operation Graduation" ribbons printed for students and distribute them as students enter the orientation site. The ribbon can be used as a "ticket" or other authorization to receive the student packet, a lunch plate, or other special gift. If parents attend, make them ribbons that say "I Support Operation Graduation." If ribbons are not dated, large quantities can be printed and used in later years.
Invite a special motivational speaker to present a brief message during orientation. The speaker might be a graduate of that middle school or high school who has gone on to be successful in business, the military, or in another position.
Ask local businesses to provide promotional materials (pencils, pads, key rings, etc.) to make a packet for each student who participates in orientation. One business might offer bags that say "Operation Graduation" on one side and have their business logo on the other.
Reconvene the planning committee when Operation Graduation is over to make recommendations for improvements the following year.