Work Based Learning Syllabus

Work Based Learning

Demopolis High School
Coordinator: Connie Davis
Contact Info:
Connie Davis
Demopolis High School
701 Hwy 80 West
Demopolis, AL 36732
email: cdavis@dcsedu.com
Phone: School: (334) 289-0294 Home: (334) 287-3223 Cell: (870)304-1474

DHS Mission: The mission of Demopolis High School is to promote excellence in academic and extracurricular activities, to develop productive citizens in a safe environment, and to employ a team of highly-qualified personnel who will implement the latest support materials and strategies.

Program: Work Based Learning
COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Work-Based Learning is a structured component of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum that integrates classroom instruction with productive, progressive, supervised, work-based experiences/apprenticeships (Paid) and internships (Unpaid), related to students’ career objectives.  Content is planned for students through a cooperative arrangement between the school and employer as a component of work-based learning.

Work-Based Experiences/Apprenticeships are paid work experiences for eligible 11th and 12th grade students where experiences, hours worked, and wages earned are monitored and documented by the employer and the coordinator.  (Paid work experience herein referred to as Apprenticeship)

Work-Based Experiences/Internships are unpaid work experiences for eligible 11th and 12th grade students where experiences and hours worked are monitored and documented by a supervisor/mentor and the coordinator.  (Unpaid work experience herein referred to as Internship)
Cooperative Education Seminar is not a required component, for the Cooperative Education work-based experience. However, students must report weekly hours worked or hours acquired  through internships.

CREDENTIAL AVAILABLE:
Workkeys

COURSE GOALS

Work-Based Learning provides students with educational opportunities that typically cannot be replicated in the classroom.  The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV) emphasizes the necessity of providing students with strong experiences in, and comprehensive understanding of, all aspects of the industry that the student is preparing to enter.
The work-based experiences  are designed to make learning relevant, improve graduation rates, and better prepare students for careers or continued education and to connect information learned in the classroom with skills obtained in an occupational setting.
Benefits of Work-Based Learning
Work-based learning is a major component of career and technical education.  Improved skills lead to higher efficiency and the availability of a better-trained labor pool that encourages business growth and productivity. Well-managed work-based learning experiences build confidence in the school system and have benefits for the student, employer, mentor, school, and community.
The students may be given the opportunity in work-based learning experiences to:
  • Receive specific school-based and work-based training in a chosen career while attending high school.
  • Earn income and become financially literate in some experiences.
  • Reinforce and apply academic competencies.
  • Develop, demonstrate, and refine safe work habits.
  • Demonstrate responsibility, maturity, job competency, and decision-making skills.
  • Gain an understanding of the financial operations, employment opportunities, and organizational structure of business and industry.
  • Develop a portfolio of academic, technological, occupational, and work-readiness skills.
  • Improve the transition from school to work.
  • Participate in Career Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) related to their career objectives and coursework.

Determination of Student Eligibility

The Coordinator will ensure that all requirements for WBL are met.  The Coordinator ensures that the student:
  • Is at least 16 years of age.
  • Is classified as an 11th or 12th
  • Is on track for graduation.
  • Has a clearly defined career objective.
  • Possesses the knowledge, skills, behavioral qualities, and abilities required for successful employment.
  • Is physically and mentally capable of performing the “essential functions” of the desired work-based experience. (Essential functions are responsibilities that must be performed by the position as identified by business and industry professionals.  This list should be discussed with all students and/or at all IEP meetings).
  • Has successfully completed the required prerequisite course, Career Preparedness, or documentation of course content objectives achieved for students on a regular diploma
  • Has an acceptable attendance, grade, and discipline record as validated by the Coordinator.
  • Has completed an Application for Enrollment.
  • Has provided the names of a minimum of three educators that know, and are not related to, the student and will complete recommendation forms including the teacher of the career cluster course, if applicable.
The steps for selection are:
  1. Recruitment by Coordinator
A planned recruitment campaign is appropriate and necessary.  Support is needed from teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, and students.  Activities should be planned well in advance to articulate with overall school calendars and to have adequate time to visit feeder schools.  Publicity should include purposes, career opportunities, and enrollment procedures. Designate a specific time frame for recruitment activities.  The following are suggested recruitment activities:
  • Classroom Visits
  • Posters/Flyers/Brochures
  • Awareness Presentations
  • CTSO Presentations
  • Assembly Programs
  • Advisory Committee Presentations and participation for all CT Program areas
  • Distribution of Enrollment Information and Applications
  • Personal and Parental Contact
  • Other
2. Application by students
  • To be considered for acceptance in cooperative education, the student must submit a completed application. The application provides information relative to the student’s interests, abilities, and adaptability in relation to the chosen career objective.
  • A minimum of three completed recommendation forms must be submitted to the Coordinator. These forms must be submitted by the current/former course teachers.  Other teachers, counselors, or administrators may submit additional forms.  
3.  Evaluation: The Coordinator will accept or reject an application based on:
  • Documentation and record review, such as attendance, academic and discipline.
  • Student interview.
  • Specified career objective. (Example: Listed in Kuder along with the Four Year Plan)
  • Interest in learning the skills for a chosen career.
  • Incomplete forms
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Career and Technical student organizations are integral, co curricular components of each career and technical education course. These organizations serve as a means to enhance classroom instruction while helping students develop leadership abilities, expand workplace-readiness skills, and broaden opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Students are encouraged to become active in a CTSO related to their career objectives, career pathways, and career clusters.
PROGRAM GOALS: Purpose/Objective
The purpose of WBL is to provide work-based experiences in approved training stations that typically cannot be obtained in the classroom.
Coordination functions ensure that certain essential objectives are attained:
  • Prevent any possible exploitation of students.
  • Determine progress of students’ performance on the job and in instructional activities.
  • Help resolve problems that occur on the job.
  • Increase the Coordinator’s understanding of the employer’s viewpoint.
  • Check on student’s work performance, progress, habits, and attitudes.
  • Evaluate the employer’s and the employee’s satisfaction with the job placement.
  • Promote enforcement of the school’s policies and procedures by the employer.
  • Collaborate with the employer to determine the student’s job performance.
  • Make school instruction relevant to the student.

Prerequisites
It is recommended, but not required, that a student obtain concentrator status, (two courses within a CTE program) prior to enrollment in cooperative education.  Students who have not obtained concentrator status must have successfully completed a minimum of one CTE credit while pursuing a Regular High School Diploma. The Career Preparedness course will count as a Career Technical course regardless of the instructor’s teacher certification.  Documentation of Career Preparedness content standards achieved by the student may be used in lieu of course credit for Career Preparedness, while pursuing a Regular High School Diploma.
INSTRUCTIONAL PHILOSOPHY
Students may report to the classroom one day a week, or they can complete assignments or update records online (Canvas/Kuder). Students will have access to online materials that must be completed on a weekly basis: wage and hourly report, discussion boards, etc. Students should have the time management, leadership, and academic skills needed to ensure that assignments are on time and are of the quality expected of cooperative education students.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
  1. Benefits of Work-Based Learning
  2. Work-based learning is a major component of career and technical education.  Improved skills lead to higher efficiency and the availability of a better-trained labor pool that encourages business growth and productivity. Well-managed work-based learning experiences build confidence in the school system and have benefits for the student, employer, mentor, school, and community.
  3. The students may be given the opportunity in work-based learning experiences to:
    • Receive specific school-based and work-based training in a chosen career while attending high school.
    • Earn income and become financially literate in some experiences.
    • Reinforce and apply academic competencies.
    • Develop, demonstrate, and refine safe work habits.
    • Demonstrate responsibility, maturity, job competency, and decision-making skills.
    • Gain an understanding of the financial operations, employment opportunities, and organizational structure of business and industry.
    • Develop a portfolio of academic, technological, occupational, and work-readiness skills.
    • Improve the transition from school to work.
    • Participate in Career Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) related to their career objectives and coursework.
  4. The employer or the employer-mentor may be given the opportunity to:
    • Be involved in the total school program.
    • Participate in the development of a work-based training plan that meets labor market demands.
    • Create an awareness of training needs for their business and industry.
    • Employ part-time employees that provide more flexible scheduling.
    • Develop positive public relations and build goodwill through partnerships with schools.
  5. The school may be given the opportunity to:
    • Increase the graduation rate.
    • Create broader curricula that encourage students to accomplish their educational goals.
    • Allow flexibility of instruction.
    • Meet the career goals of a diverse student population.
    • Correlate school-based learning with work-based learning.
    • Provide valuable industry contacts and opportunities for partnership development.
    • Enable students to receive training in a number of occupations in state-of-the-art facilities, utilizing the most current technology with minimal capital expense for the school.
  6. The community may be given the opportunity to:
    • Participate in partnership development with the school system.
    • Increase the local economy with student earnings.
    • Provide awareness of local career opportunities.
    • Assist students in appropriate career selection.

COURSE OUTLINE
Roles and Responsibilities
WBL requires time, commitment, and collaboration of the following partners
Students may, at the LEA discretion, meet with the Coordinator one class period per week (WBL Seminar) to maintain all required documentation and coursework and to accommodate student and/or employer needs based on individual circumstances. The LEA may use the online Kuder Portfolio for updating records and/or regularly scheduled visits by the Coordinator to meet with students.  The Student must adhere to all policies of the program and training station/agency.  Students must maintain transportation to continue with work-based experience.
Parents/Guardians should provide ongoing support to the student. They should support the goals and policies of WBL and assume responsibility for the conduct of the student.  Parents/guardians must sign all required forms.  Parents/guardians must arrange transportation for the student to and from the training station.
Business and community partners agree to serve as training stations/agencies providing placements for students to complete work-based learning experiences. Training mentors are responsible for evaluating student performance, ensuring that students are scheduled to meet the minimum work hours required as participants in an apprenticeship or internship, as defined in the Training Agreement, and for providing rigorous and progressive employment experiences.
Coordinators will provide ongoing supervision to the student and will manage all requirements of cooperative education. This includes, but is not limited to, collaboration with partners, selection of students, selection of training stations, placement of students, coordination of WBL components, documentation and submission of required reports.
Coordination of WBL Components
Coordination is the process of aligning administrative, organizational, and instructional activities to accomplish the objectives of WBL that requires time released from school as detailed in this manual.  The Coordinator must be constantly aware of the student’s performance on the job and instructional activities for optimum results.  The Coordinator ensures that normal progression takes place and that a complete series of manipulative skills is acquired.  These skills are supplemented by technical and general information that will make the student a competent and well-rounded employee.
During the coordination period(s), the Coordinator performs the necessary out-of-school activities including visiting training stations, observing students at work, and consulting business individuals responsible for training the student.
Coordinator Responsibilities
The Coordinator will:
  • Create a Training Plan for each WBL participant.
  • Complete training agreement with required signatures. It is through this training agreement that the essential functions are outlined and agreed to by the training mentor, student, coordinator, parent, and school administrator (see Training Agreement, page 13).
  • Explain to the employer prior to the first written evaluation, the Work-Based Experiences/Apprenticeships or Internships “Evaluation Report” that rates the student on personal qualities and job tasks as defined in the Training Plan. (See Work-Based Learning Training Plan, page 23)
  • Secure an evaluation at least once per grading period, at the end of the semester/term, and at other times deemed appropriate.
  • Encourage students to become active in a CTSO related to their career objectives, career pathways, and career clusters.
  • Prepare students for Work-Based Experiences/Apprenticeships or Internships, expectations.
  • Inform all students within the system of the WBL opportunity.
  • Conduct an annual follow-up with employers.
  • Conduct an annual self-evaluation to facilitate continuous improvement.
  • Have communication, contact, or visit (CCV) the training station of each student a minimum of once per month. (More frequent communication, contacts, or visits (CCV) may be required to monitor students experiencing difficulties.)
  • The student must have a “minimum” of 140 hours of apprenticeship experience or 140 hours of internship experience. The student will be awarded one credit per period for which the student is registered (the student may not receive two credits in the same class period), for successful completion (end of the term) of the career experience.  (Example: Minimum of 140 hours per period per semester on a BLOCK schedule or a minimum of 140 hours per year per period on a 7 period day) A majority of these hours should be worked Monday through Friday.  (WBL students may earn one credit for the completion of a work-based experience/apprenticeship or internship in the summer if they are enrolled in a formal summer school program, provided the Coordinator is on a 12-month contract).
  • Complete and submit reports as required by the Department and LEA, (including the R-1 report that is due November 1 and March 1).
  • The Coordinator needs adequate time prior to the opening of school to make business/community contacts in order to facilitate the implementation of work-based learning experiences.  Making contacts in the community is critical to the success of the work-based learning experience.
The Coordinator will:
  • Visit the business and industry leaders in the community to explain the opportunities available, as well as benefits of the work-based learning experiences to the employer.
  • Develop a work-based learning brochure/handbook to distribute to business, industry, the school community, and other stakeholders.
  • Develop a communication plan to keep the community informed regularly of work-based learning experiences. Suggested forms of media include, but are not limited to, presentations, articles, television programs, billboards, radio spots, etc.
  • Facilitate placement of students in employment. (no job is guaranteed)
  • Participate in Program Advisory Committee meetings for all school CTE programs.
Required Documentation
Each step in the WBL process has documentation that must be completed.
Required documents must be on file (paper or electronic) in the Coordinator’s office and must include the following:
  • Individual Student Record:
  • Application for Enrollment
  • Resume
  • Interview Evaluation form
  • Training Plan
  • Training Agreement
  • Work-Based Learning Evaluation Reports (one per grading period)
  • Training Station/Agency Visit Coordinator Summary
  • Wage and Hour Reports, apprenticeships and/or internships
  • School Regulations and Policies (signed)
  • Teacher Recommendation forms (3-minimum) including a recommendation from (3) different subject areas.
  • Interest/Aptitude Inventory, (example Kuder) results required.
  • Safety training documentation.
  • Emergency Contact Form
All coordination communication, contacts, or visits (CCV) must be documented.  A written summary is required for each CCV.  Each coordination visit must include documentation of a contact with a supervisor to ensure implementation of the Training Plan and Training Agreement.
When making the monthly coordination communication, contact, or visit,(CCV) the Coordinator’s records may include:
  • Duties and tasks relative to the Training Plan.
  • Student’s performance on assigned responsibilities and work habits including dress, grooming, general appearance, attendance, safety, etc.
  • Quality and quantity of work expected and performed.
  • Student’s attitude toward the job, employer, co-workers, etc.
  • Student’s reaction to rewards, criticism, and disciplinary action.
  • Safety conditions of the training station.
  • Validation of the student’s work hours for work-based experiences/apprenticeships or internships, including punctuality and regularity of attendance.
  • Student’s rotation through different job experiences ensuring that they are diverse, rigorous, and progressive.
  • Student’s preparation for position/job change or advancement.
  • Additional opportunities for involvement in work-based learning experiences.
CULMINATING PRODUCT(s)
  1. Portfolio
RESOURCES FOR INSTRUCTION
  • Computer
  • Internet Access
  • Kuder
  • Canvas
  • Blogger
  • Remind 101
  • Google Docs
ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES:
COURSE EVALUATION
Student Grading
The Coordinator must set high standards for students and expect high-quality work.  A complete record of all grades earned must be maintained. Grades for work-based experiences/apprenticeship or internship are determined by the Coordinator through utilization of written evaluations of the student's' job performance and consultation with the employment supervisor.  Written employment evaluations are given at least once per grading period, and at other times deemed appropriate.  It is the responsibility of the Coordinator to secure ratings from the employer on the student’s personal qualities, job performance and incorporate this information into the final grades for each student.  Evaluations must be reflective of progress on skills, knowledge, and processes identified in the Training Plan.   
Student Attendance
If it is necessary for a student to be absent from the job, the students must contact the employer and the Coordinator prior to the absence to provide notification and/or secure permission.
Weekly Wage and Hour Report
Compliance with all Federal and Alabama Child Labor and minimum wage laws is required.  Students may not work in a training station that would pay a lower training wage for hours worked.  Each student must keep a record of hours worked each day and wages earned in an apprenticeship or internship.  These records are checked weekly by the Coordinator and verified with the training station.  The student will locate wage and hour report in assignments section of their online class Work Based Learning 2018 in Canvas. Wage and Hour reports are due by 8:00 a.m. Monday of every week
Breakdown
Homework  (Discussion Boards, etc)10%
Wage and Hour Report (Weekly)  30%
Training Station Evaluation 60%

Total 100 Pre-Exam Grade

GRADING SCALE:
• A = 90-100
• B = 80-89
• C = 70-79
• D = 60-69
• F = 59 & Below

CLASS RULES/SCHOOL REGULATIONS/POLICIES

  1. Student acknowledges that the primary purpose of Work-Based Learning is educational and, therefore, agrees to abide by the Work-Based Learning (WBL) program policies and decisions of the WBL Teacher-Coordinator, including those regarding specific job placements.
  1. Student acknowledges that the school, through the WBL Teacher-Coordinator, is acting as an intermediary between the training mentor and student and that the WBL Teacher-Coordinator has a legitimate right to know and a significant role in determining the outcome of any placement issues including, termination, scheduling, assignments, and all other aspects of student placement.
  2. Work-Based Learning students who fail to perform satisfactorily in all subject areas during any grading period and who fail to improve during the next grading period should be asked to resign from his/her placement.
  3. A student suspended from school should not be allowed to attend their WBL placement during the suspension. On the second offense he/she may be dropped from the Work-Based Learning program with a loss of all credit.
  4. A student must comply with the LEA attendance policy to participate in the program.
  5. A student losing his/her WBL placement due to any action deemed unacceptable by the school and WBL Teacher-Coordinator will be dropped from the program with possible loss of all credit.
  6. A student whose WBL placement is terminated for any reason is to report to the WBL Teacher-Coordinator. Failure to do so may results in the student being dropped from the WBL program.
  7. A student not attending regular school classes, and/or the WBL Seminar class (per LEA decision) cannot work at the WBL placement on the day(s) he/she is absent.
  8. In case of absence, the student is required to call the WBL Teacher-Coordinator and his/her training mentor before class or working period.
  9. Personal business handled at the WBL placement is prohibited.
  10. Friends or family are not to visit the student at the WBL placement.
  11. A student is to be on time at school as well as the WBL placement.
  12. Parents should understand the student’s responsibility to the training WBL placement and not interfere with the performance of his/her duties.
  13. Business rules for dress and personal hygiene will be observed.
  14. Since training is the primary objective, a student is expected to remain with the WBL placement to which he/she is assigned. Students may resign or change placements only with the express written permission of the WBL Teacher-Coordinator and following business practices for resignation.  Students who fail to follow these procedures are subject to being dropped from Work-Based Learning.
  15. The student organization is an integral part of a student’s Career and Technical Education program. Therefore, all students are expected to participate in and actively support the Career and Technical Education student organization that relates to their career objective.
  16. When Work-Based Learning students honor their training mentors with a banquet, reception, etc., all students are expected to attend with their training mentors as their guests.
  17. Students are placed to train and are under the supervisions of the WBL Teacher-Coordinator and training mentor where they are placed.
  18. Students must abide by all school rules and regulations for other students and consider themselves under the jurisdiction of the school while at the WBL placement.
  19. Transportation to and from the WBL placement is to be arranged by the student/parent/guardian. Transportation problems do not justify absence from the WBL placement.
  20. Students will leave the campus immediately following the last scheduled class. If for any reason a student needs to remain on campus, permission must be obtained from the WBL Teacher-Coordinator, School Administrator, or CTE Instructor.

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