Office of Career and Technology Education
South Carolina Department of Education
INNOVATIVE CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION COURSE
Districts/Multi-district career centers are allowed to develop and offer innovative Career and Technology Education (CATE) courses. Innovative CATE courses should be unique courses representing emerging areas of study that fall outside of the Office of Career and Technology Education's course offerings. The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 and the South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act require sequential CATE courses which are rigorous, relevant, and lead to employment and/or postsecondary education. If a district/multi-district career center plans to offer an innovative CATE course funded with federal (Perkins) and/or state (EIA Equipment) funds, the guidelines listed below must be followed.
GUIDELINES FOR OFFERING AN INNOVATIVE CATE COURSE
1. An innovative course application must be completed and submitted to the Office of Career and Technology Education for approval. The innovative course application is a form fill-in document. Handwritten applications will not be accepted.
2. A needs assessment and student surveys must be completed. Documentation must be provided in the application. Students' career assessment information may also be used.
· The course must lead to postsecondary education or directly to the workforce.
· The course must be needed by area employers.
· The course must be one that will be selected by students.
3. Minimum Course Requirements
· The school district must demonstrate how the proposed innovative course can be included as a component of a CIP-coded program (major) that may be articulated with a postsecondary institution.
- The name of the CIP-coded program must be provided in the application.
- The other courses currently offered in the CIP-coded program and the units of credit for these courses must also be listed in the application.
l The innovative course must be standards based.
l The innovative course should lead to national or industry certification.
l Adequate resources and instructional materials must be provided by the district.
l For a student completing a CIP-coded program, a student follow-up survey must be conducted. Placement reports must be maintained at the local level for a period of three years.
4. The local career and technology education advisory committee and local board of trustees must approve the proposed course.
5. A course syllabus must be submitted along with the innovative course application. The course syllabus must include (but is not limited to) the following:
a.) Course Name,
b.) Units of Credit,
c.) Prerequisite(s),
d.) Narrative Description of the Course,
e.) Course Standards,
f.) Course Outline (Scope and Sequence),
g.) Instructional Materials and Other Resources Used, and
h.) Method of Student Evaluation.
Innovative Career and Technology Education Course (Guidelines) 1
Updated September 2009
6. If CATE Perkins (federal) funds or CATE EIA Equipment (state) funds will be used for the innovative course, the application for the Innovative CATE course must be approved PRIOR to applying for Perkins or State Equipment funds (submitting the Local Plan) to provide supplies or equipment for the innovative course.
7. The application with accompanying supportive materials must be reviewed by the Office of Career and Technology Education staff prior to approval.
8. Within one month of the date the application was received, the person identified as preparing and submitting the innovative course application will be notified in writing as to whether or not the innovative course application has been approved.
9. Any innovative course application that has been approved by the Office of Career and Technology Education must be resubmitted annually.
10. The innovative course application must contain the signatures of the teacher of the innovative course, the principal/director of the school/center where the innovative course will be offered, and the district superintendent or designee. If a multi-district career center is submitting an application, signatures must be obtained from the superintendents of ALL districts sending students to the center.
11. The deadline for submitting an innovative course application is January 31 prior to the beginning of the school year in which the innovative course will be taught. (Example: An innovative course application must be submitted no later than January 31, 2009, if the innovative course is going to be taught during the 2009-2010 school year.)
12. The completed application to include the course syllabus should be mailed to:
Data Collection
Office of Career and Technology Education
South Carolina Department of Education
901-A Rutledge Building
1429 Senate Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Questions related to course content may be directed to the following individuals:
4 Health Science / Nancy Allen
803-734-0372
4 Business, Management, and Administration
4 Finance
4 Information Technology
4 Marketing, Sales, and Service / Tony Dillon
803-734-5349
4 Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources / William E. Keels
803-788-5700, ext. 31
4 Education and Training
4 Hospitality and Tourism
4 Human Services/Family and Consumer Sciences / Eleanor Glover
803-734-3826
4 Arts, Audio-Video Technology, and Communications
4 Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security
4 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
4 Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics / B. T. Martin
803-734-3398
4 Architecture and Construction
4 Information Technology
4 Manufacturing / Jim Spencer
803-734-8267
Innovative Career and Technology Education Course (Guidelines) 2
Updated September 2009
Application should be keyed. Handwritten applications will not be accepted.
1. District Name
2. School Name Where the Innovative Course Will Be Offered
*If application is being submitted for a career and technology center please provide the name of the high school(s) that will send students to the center to participate in the innovative course.
3. Date Innovative Course Application Submitted
4. Name of Innovative Course
5. Application Prepared by
6. Position
7. Mailing Address
8. Principal/Director of School Where the Innovative Course Will Be Offered
9. Course Beginning Date (Month/Year)
10. Course Ending Date (Month/Year)
11. Length of Course Semester Year
12. Grade Level(s)
13. Projected Enrollment: Males Females
14. Unit(s) of Credit to Be Granted
15. Check the Career Cluster Area of Credit:
1) agriculture, food, and natural resources;
2) architecture and construction;
3) arts, audio-video technology, and communications;
4) business, management, and administration;
5) education and training;
6) finance;
7) government and public administration;
8) health science;
9) hospitality and tourism;
10) human services;
11) information technology;
12) law, public safety, corrections, and security;
13) manufacturing;
14) marketing, sales, and service;
15) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and
16) transportation, distribution, and logistics.
16. Teacher's Name
17. South Carolina Teaching Credential Number
a) List all area(s) of certification/endorsement that appear on the SC Teaching Credential.
b) List all industry certification(s), license(s), and/or registration(s) which this teacher possesses.
c) List any specific experience(s) or training(s) the teacher may have in this area of study.
18. How is this course different from current state-adopted CATE courses?
19. What warrants offering this course as an innovative course?
20. List the criteria used for selecting students for the course.
21. List the proposed teaching methodology to be used in the course.
22. The Office of Career and Technology Education requires programs consisting of a sequence of courses that are standards based. Complete the information requested to indicate the CIP-coded program in which the innovative course will be counted.
Name of CIP-coded program
List other CATE courses currently offered in the CIP-coded program (listed above):
CATE Course Code / Course Title / Grade Level / Credit23. List the name of the postsecondary institution(s) with which an articulation agreement may be developed and the name of the postsecondary course(s) that students may exempt if they successfully complete this secondary course.
Institution Name
Course Name
Institution Name
Course Name
24. Explain how the needs assessment conducted at the local level substantiates the need for the innovative course.
25. How many area employers were surveyed?
26. How many employer responses were received?
27. Summarize the employers' responses to the need for the innovative course.
28. How many students were surveyed?
29. How many student responses were received?
30. Summarize the students' responses to the need for the innovative course.
31. Has the Innovative Course been approved by the local Career and Technology Education advisory committee? Yes No
32. Does this course have the approval of the local board of trustees? Yes No
33. To which national or industry certification(s) does this course lead?
34. REQUIRED SIGNATURES
Teacher of the Innovative Course ______Date______
Principal/Director of School Where Innovative Course Will Be Offered______Date______
Superintendent or Designee ______Date______
Superintendent or Designee ______Date______
(Applicable ONLY for a multi-district career center serving more than one district)
Superintendent or Designee ______Date______
(Applicable ONLY for a multi-district career center serving more than one district)
Innovative Career and Technology Education Course (Application) 1
Updated September 2009
INNOVATIVE CATE COURSE APPLICATION CHECKLIST
(For use by SDE reviewer; applicant may wish to use as checklist)
1. The completed innovative course application was submitted by the deadline.
2. A needs assessment has been completed by the LEA, and documentation of the needs assessment results is provided to substantiate submitting an innovative course application.
3. Area employers and students have been surveyed. Documentation of survey results is provided to substantiate submitting an innovative course application.
4. The district demonstrated that the innovative course is a component of an existing CIP-coded program.
5. A course syllabus has been submitted with the innovative course application.
6. The course syllabus contains:
a.) Course Name,
b.) Units of Credit,
c.) Prerequisite(s),
d.) Narrative Description of the Course,
e.) Course Standards,
f.) Course Outline (Scope and Sequence),
g.) Instructional Materials and Other Resources Used, and
h.) Method of Student Evaluation.
7. The innovative course is standards based.
8. The innovative course may lead to national or industry certification.
9. The innovative course can be articulated with a postsecondary institution.
10. The local Career and Technology Education advisory committee has approved the innovative course.
11. The local board of trustees has approved the innovative course.
12. The teacher of the innovative course is properly certified.
13. The signature of the teacher of the innovative course has been obtained.
14. The signature of the principal or director of the school where the innovative course will be offered has been obtained.
15. The signature of the district superintendent or designee has been obtained. (Not applicable if application is submitted by a multi-district career center.)
Innovative Career and Technology Education Course (Checklist)
Updated September 2009