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Moline High students press district to expand CTE access; propose counseling, course-catalog and peer supports
Summary
A student-led CTE advisory presented survey findings and recommended steps — better middle-to-high-school transitions, clearer course cataloging, more counseling time, peer mentors and a social-media presence — and told the board some low-cost actions are already being piloted with administrators.
A student group from Moline High School presented findings and recommendations Monday urging the Moline Coal Valley School District to make Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways more visible and accessible to middle- and high-school students.
Presenters representing the district’s student CTE advisory told the Board of Education they analyzed survey data and middle-school focus-group responses and identified three primary barriers: grade- and age-based course restrictions, scheduling conflicts that block students from taking CTE classes, and insufficient information reaching younger students.
“Kids want to talk to people in careers — they want one-on-one conversations,” a senior who helped analyze the data said, describing students’ appetite for conversations with professionals and counselors about pathways.
Students proposed a multi-part plan: use Link Crew and eighth‑grade orientation to introduce D‑Wing (where engineering and CNC courses are housed), simplify and repackage the course catalog so it’s easier to navigate, expand peer-mentor and student ambassador presentations, increase counselors’ time with eighth graders (students reported spending about three to four minutes with a counselor to set a freshman schedule), and create a chatbot and social-media outreach to answer common questions.
Presenters said they had already discussed “low-hanging” solutions with administrators — including Dr. Dube and high‑school staff — and that some steps (student social-media accounts, peer presentations and early pilots) are in progress. One student said the group had a recent meeting with principals and a district administrator to plan immediate next steps.
Student presenters also asked the district to consider adding a career counselor position at Moline High School, to promote CTSO (career and technical student organizations) participation, and to pursue College and Career Pathway endorsements (CCPE/endorsements) to strengthen alignment with postsecondary credentials. One presenter said they plan to continue surveying students and recommended the district make the work a formal district goal.
District leaders in the room responded positively, with one board member praising the students for addressing a long-standing need; administrators said they were listening and would help scale student recommendations where feasible. The students noted they have presented their model at an ISAC (Illinois Student Assistance Commission) conference and are working with regional partners.
No formal motion was made; students asked for administrative support and recognition of the recommendations as district priorities.
