(Back to the index) (Back to the beginning of this issue) © 2010 CORD	The great state of Wyoming adopted its name from the Delaware Indian word meaning "mountains and valleys alternating." There is also a claim that the name comes from the Dakota Indian word "mscheweamiing," meaning "at the big flats" or "large plains." Both are certainly appropriate in depicting the landscape of Wyoming, as CORD's cadre of trainers can attest from their experiences over the last several years in delivering staff development throughout Wyoming (Cheyenne, Laramie, Rock Springs, Jackson, Powell, Casper, Riverton, Thermopolis). Topics for keynotes and workshops have included technical skill assessments, programs of study, career academies, implementation of Career Pathways in rural settings, and, of course, Career Pathways Leadership Certification. A total of approximately 600 educators have been served through CORD workshops and/or presentations at Wyoming conferences over the last three years. Career and technical education plays an important role in high school reform, and Wyoming has adopted the 16 career clusters. Wyoming adopted a new strategic plan titled New Directions for High School Career and Technical Education in Wyoming and developed a CTE Demonstration Project to redesign career and technical education in Wyoming through the Career Pathways initiative. Early this year Wyoming started the piloting of assessments in the following cluster areas in: (1) Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; (2) Architecture and Construction; (3) Business Management and Administration; (4) Information Technology; (5) Manufacturing; (6) Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics; (7) Human Services; and (8) Hospitality and Tourism. Just recently the establishment of the Wyoming Careers website within Wyoming Fusion made possible the single sign-on web portal for Wyoming education entities. The site provides career guidance to people of all ages and lifelong learners. Let's focus on one area of Wyoming—Laramie County. Laramie County Community College (LCCC) serves three secondary school districts in the southeastern corner of Wyoming and approximately 20 percent of the state's high school population. In January 2010, a core Career Pathways development team consisting of two secondary and two postsecondary members began a six-month project to coordinate every career pathway offered by LCCC from ninth grade through a certificate or degree and into a viable career. Working backwards in partnership with industry, the two secondary education and two postsecondary education core members of the development team established a postsecondary curriculum to fulfill the needs of employers. A strong concurrent and dual enrollment credit program, postsecondary program of study (POS) requirements, and state high school enrollment and scholarship requirements shaped the secondary curriculum and course recommendations. In integrating all curricula, LCCC and the development team championed the state-mandated Secondary School Course Classification System: School Codes for Exchange of Data (SCEDS) language in the creation of cross-institutional Career Pathways roadmaps using the College to Career Transitions (CCTI) outline as a design foundation. The development team has begun the next and most time-consuming phase of the process by expanding the team to include additional subject matter experts. Individual meetings are scheduled with the lead postsecondary instructors and secondary curriculum coordinators, the curriculum experts in every POS. Together, these educators have the expertise to examine the myriad of choices facing students who register for high school classes and recommend the most efficient and effective course work for students at each grade to successfully complete a POS with no remediation. This expanded team is also responsible for recommending elective course work that best prepares a student for success in their programs. Working cooperatively, LCCC and service area secondary schools offer all secondary education students four "free" dual credit classes on the college campuses. The development team outlines the best use of these classes to promote our students' programs. Back to the index     © 2010 CORD	Maryellen Tast is Dean, Lifelong Learning Center, Workforce and Community Development, Laramie County Community College. Tom Martin is Career Technical Education Supervisor at the Wyoming Department of Education. Debra Mills is Vice President for Partnerships at CORD. For more information, contact Maryellen Tast at mtast@lccc.wyedu, Tom Martin at tmarti@educ.state.wy.us, or Debra Mills at dmills@cord.org or 217-247-9930.