Greenville Career-Tech Center shows progress

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GREENVILLE — Greenville City School District Director of Special Education and Career Technology Andrea Townsend said, the level of talent within the teachers in the Career-Tech Programs is awesome.

“They are experts in their fields, and the kids they are working with know that,” she said. “It blows my mind.”

Some of Greenville’s Career-Tech Center (CTC) programs include: Agri-Business, Auto Technology, Careers with Children, Engineering Tech Prep, Interactive Media (IMTV), Marketing, Medical Tech Prep, Supply Chain Management and Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC). Townsend said there is increased or steady participation in almost every program.

“That is important to us, because it’s not mandatory that students participate in Career-Tech,” she said. “We are hoping that we are choosing programs the students like, and will want to engage in.”

As part of the CTC’s evaluation by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), students are followed post-graduation, according to Townsend.

“We have greatness happening while they are here, but we ultimately want that to transfer into their lives,” she said. “That is our purpose; making the difference in someone’s future.”

Greenville’s CTC receives a report card from the ODE, separate from the District’s report card, because Greenville’s CTC is comprehensive and is a planning district.

“Only about six schools in the state are like this,” Townsend said. “Considering we follow the same rules and get measured the same as the larger Career-Tech districts, we are really proud of the outcomes. That tells us that the investment that we give the CTC is really paying off for students, which is what we want to see.”

Some 2016/2017 state Report Card outcomes for Greenville CTC are as follows:

Achievement C; “Technical Skill Attainment”: 75.4 percent; “Indicators Met”: 14.3 percent

The Achievement grade is not yet developed, according to Townsend.

“Eventually, the “Indicators Met” will be taken from the traditional report card,” she said. “They will measure what kind of impact Career-Tech has on actual achievement. We also measure students’ “Technical Skill Attainment” through web exams, and other assessments that tell us of they have they actually learned enough skills to be competitive in the work force. We would like our number to be a little higher than a “C”. We are still learning about these assessments, and making sure our programs are really lining up. Furthermore, not every program has a web exam, and this year, we will have web exams for every program.”

Graduation Rate A; 99.1 percent of students graduated in four years; 98.2 percent graduated in five years

“This is an amazing piece,” Townsend said. “We want more kids to successfully complete high school, and be prepared and empowered to do whatever they want to do next. What we find is when kids engage in a Career-Tech program, that is something that keeps that tie strong, and they are more likely to finish.”

Prepared for Success D

“This data is one year in arrears,” Townsend said. “There are two prongs to this component: participation in and performance on the assessment. Last year every junior in the state was required to take the ACT test. We were dinged here because of low participation. That will increase, because of the requirement, giving us more information on how they performed.”

Post Program Outcomes A; Post-Program Placement: 93.9 percent.

“This number is very exciting,” Townsend said. “This is all students who might be engaged in employment, an apprenticeship, the military, or in education. They are taking the next step within that first year out of high school, and that is what we want.”

According to GCS District Superintendent Doug Fries, Townsend is a dedicated, hardworking and passionate director.

“She works hard to support the Career-Tech students and staff,” he said. “The Career-Tech Center is full of outstanding students and staff, that represent our school and community well. Our Career- Tech Center students are well prepared with skills to be outstanding employees, due to the dedication of all our staff and students. Our Career-Tech students represent us well in a variety of state and national competitions, and have a nearly perfect graduation rate. Our Career Tech Center is a unique and wonderful part of our high school.”

For more information on Greenville’s CTC, visit www.greenville.k12.oh.us/CareerTech.aspx

Greenville City School District’s Career-Tech Interactive Media (IMTV) Program Instructor Lori Hoover teaching her senior class.
https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_ctc-4.jpgGreenville City School District’s Career-Tech Interactive Media (IMTV) Program Instructor Lori Hoover teaching her senior class. Carolyn Harmon | The Daily Advocate
State Report Card shows 99 percent graduation rate

By Carolyn Harmon

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The writer may be reached at 937-569-4354. Join the conversation and get updates on Facebook search Darke County Sports or Advocate 360. For more features online go to dailyadvocate.com.

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