Health, Education and Social Services Committee Linda Benton Rafanan, Gayle Gentile-Royal Verlaine (Lyn) Schneider

Comments 8

• CO1
  Students 18 years of age or within 60 days of their 18th birthday.
• CO2
  Students within 60 days of scheduled graduation from high school had they completed the courses required for graduation.
• CO3
  Students 17 years of age who have been out of school for at least 60 consecutive days and provide a letter of request from the military, a post- secondary educational institution, or employer requesting verification of high school academic skills.
• CO4
  Students at least 17 years of age and have accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit and confined to state or county hospital or correctional agency and meets all the following criteria:  Do not have a realistic chance of completing the requirements for an HSD  Have adequate academic skills to successfully complete the HiSET test  Comprehend options available regarding acquisition of an HSD, the High School Equivalency Certificate, or the High School Proficiency Certificate and the requirement, expectations, benefits and limitations of each option  Have sufficient time to complete the entire HSE test while confined; however, if they are released before the test is completed, they may complete testing at an authorized testing center Vocational Certificate Programs A Vocational Certificate is earned by a student after taking a series of courses in a single subject. This does not qualify for a diploma however, it is a legal document. Students often earn certificates to get a step ahead in a professional field of interest. 2018-2019 Kern County Grand Jury For instance, there are certificates in business, education, technical and medical fields, which focus on practical training and troubleshooting. Many certification programs may require the completion of an apprenticeship. Kern High School District provides students the opportunity to earn certifications in their Career Technical Education (CTE) courses. Most CTE courses are designed to prepare students to follow a career path of their choice and preparation for certifications governed by a state board, often resulting in taking a state exam authorizing a person to work in a specific field. FINDINGS: F1. Graduating with a High School Diploma or equivalent (GED, HiSET or TASC) is a requirement to attend a California State College or University. F2. California Community Colleges may enroll students who do not have an HSD or equivalent. There is a process for determining if the student has the academic skills to profit from and complete the coursework. F3. A High School Diploma, GED, HiSET, TASC and a Certificate of Completion all demonstrate a level of academic achievement:  An HSD is awarded by the KHSD certifying that the student has met all the requirements for graduation set forth by the KHSD Board  All forms of high school equivalency are based on standards that are set by the State of California. The tests are administered and graded by private testing companies. The California Department of Education issues the GED equivalency to students who pass. Testing costs $130  A Certificate of Completion is an alternative only available to students with learning disabilities and is a certification that the student has successfully completed a subscribed course of study documented in an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and determined by the IEP Team F4. An HSD requires 220 credits and is usually achieved within four years. There are exceptions in the law for Foster Youth (AB 167), Homeless Youth (AB 1806), and Court School Youth (AB 2306) that allow certain students within each of these categories to graduate with fewer than 220 credits. F5. A GED is earned by passing four tests; Language, Science, Math and Social Studies. F6. A Vocational Certificate is a legal document that states the student can officially practice in a single profession. 2018-2019 Kern County Grand Jury F7. Kern County High School statistics for the 2017-2018 school year only includes students who completed all four years in the district:  COC - 95 certificates were awarded to Special Education Students  Liberty High School students earned the highest number of diplomas (97.2%)  Kern Valley High School students earned the least number of diplomas (83.5%)  88.6% of students earned a diploma  5.8% of students were dropouts  5.6% of students were home schooled or passed an equivalency test F8. GEDs are currently only offered through Bakersfield Adult School and students who completed their high school diploma early, such as Juniors or 5th year seniors, are not included in the above statistics. F9. California Department of Education statistics do not include students who pass any form of the GED, earn an adult school diploma, or who earn a certificate of completion as having earned a diploma. F10. According to high school officials; the lack of parental support and the “No Student Left Behind” policy has resulted in a “watering down of the curriculum” and pushes teachers to “teach to the (State) test.” COMMENTS: The Kern County Grand Jury thanks the Kern High School Superintendent for the valuable information provided and addressing the ongoing curriculum issues.
• CO5
  The Kern County High School District should post a copy of this report where it will be available for public review.
• CO6
  Persons wishing to receive an email notification of newly released reports may sign up at: www.kerncounty.com/grandjury. 2018-2019 Kern County Grand Jury
• CO7
  Present and past Kern County Grand Jury Final Reports and Responses can be accessed on the Kern County Grand Jury website: www.kerncounty.com/grandjury. RESPONSE REQUIRED WITHIN 90 DAYS TO: PRESIDING JUDGE KERN COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT 1415 TRUXTUN AVENUE, SUITE 212 BAKERSFIELD, CA 93301 CC: FOREPERSON KERN COUNTY GRAND JURY 1415 TRUXTUN AVENUE, SUITE 600 BAKERSFIELD, CA 2018-2019 Kern County Grand Jury KERN HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT REGIONAL OCCUPATIONAL CENTER CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION CENTER “EXPANDING SCHOOLS THAT CHANGE LIVES” Photo from KHSD Website PURPOSE OF INQUIRY: Pursuant to California Penal Code §925 the 2018-2019 Kern County Grand Jury (Grand Jury) Health Education and Social Service Committee (Committee) inquired into the advantages that Regional Occupational Centers (ROC) provide. The Committee also followed up on the recommendations made by the 2015-2016 Kern County Grand Jury. In addition, this report provides an overview of the choices available for high school students to receive preliminary training in a vocational/trade of their choice. PROCESS: The Committee toured the local ROC, researched the internet, local news articles, previous Grand Jury reports, and interviewed the Supervising Administrator of ROC and researched vocational training centers in other states. 2018-2019 Kern County Grand Jury BACKGROUND: Kern County has one ROC, located on Mt. Vernon Avenue, with a second one under construction. ROC serves high school juniors, seniors, adult students and is part of the Kern High School District. They offer over thirty-three vocational choices for training and will be adding additional courses next year. These centers provide short-term courses that prepare students for entry-level employment in a variety of occupational programs. (See Appendix A) Students are trained so they are able to apply and pass the certification tests in the field of study. The certification rate for some courses is as high as 90%. The overall average is about 50%. “We believe that preparing students with the skills required to perform entry-level functions in the work world is our primary task.” (School Creed) The new Career Technical Education Center (CTEC), which is under construction, will add to the vocational choices. CTEC is located in southwest Bakersfield, adjacent to Independence High School. The multimillion dollar facility is funded through a taxpayer- approved bond measure passed in 2016. It will serve students taking vocational education courses, including construction trades classes where students will build so- called “Tiny Houses” for their final projects. Per ROC Staff, some of the houses will be donated for homeless Veterans and others will be sold to help cover the costs of materials. This facility will provide state-of-the art industry-specific resources to help prepare students for post-secondary education (college) or careers after graduation. Vocational schools offer a series of courses which directly prepare individuals for employment toward jobs that may have requirements other than college or advanced degrees. Across the states researched by the committee, these courses are filled mostly by minority students. According to ROC guidelines, readiness means a student has the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in college level courses that apply toward a degree or certificate without taking remedial or developmental coursework. Students have the opportunity through using a vocational skill to build working knowledge and continue to climb the corporate ladder toward a career and/or a higher degree. Research reveals that California and many other states offer vocational training in private trade schools which charge fees, unlike public schools. FACTS: A. Arizona stands alone in offering 246 public vocational high schools. B. California and most others states have, with few exceptions, Trade Schools/Colleges for vocational/trade training and certification. 2018-2019 Kern County Grand Jury C. Private Trade/Vocational Schools/Colleges which charge fees, offer financial aid and scholarships. D. ROC has grown from 800 students in 2016 to 2,000 students in 2019. E. The goal of ROC is to supply the necessary skills to students so they can qualify for an entry-level position upon graduation. Students often have a job waiting for them upon graduation. F. Most students are bussed to the ROC location for three hour classes, (morning or afternoon sessions), from 17 schools in KHSD. While currently there is no schedule for night classes, future plans in August 2019 will include night classes. G. Class size has been reduced from 30 to 25 students due to additional teachers and classes. H. The ROC program is funded by the KHSD budget and serves a range of students from Special Education through Gifted and Talented. I. ROC has many outside business partners to help in the job/apprenticeship placement of students who achieve a certificate in their field. J. Students are given instructions on completing job applications as well as writing and maintaining current resumes. K. Students are counseled on the importance of attendance, appearance, safety programs, written communication and need for good verbal communication. FINDINGS: F1. The ROC campus has a fully functioning branch of the Kern Schools Credit Union, staffed by students from the Banking and Finance Class. They are supervised by employees of the credit union. F2. The new classrooms at the existing ROC campus will be completed in August 2019. F3. The new campus, CTEC in southwest Bakersfield, will open in August 2020. F4. Cosmetology, Culinary and Veterinary Technician courses welcome outside clients who pay a discounted fee. This income helps defer the cost of replacing the consumable products used. 2018-2019 Kern County Grand Jury F5. The recommendations made by the 2015-2016 Kern County Grand Jury have all been met. They were:  R1. Explore additional avenues to bring more awareness to the general public about what the program offers and how it benefits students.  R2. Look into possibly adding night classes to help more working adults enroll.  R3. Continue to pursue the expansion of an additional campus to increase enrollment.  R4. As the needs of the ever-changing business community change and grow, keep looking at new programs. COMMENTS: The Grand Jury would like to thank the Kern High School District Superintendent and the Staff of ROC for the tour of the facility, cooperation and the plethora of information provided. Research confirmed the benefits of vocational training in high school and after high school.
• CO8
  The Kern High School District should post a copy of this report where it will be available for public review.