Middleton-Cross Plains spotlights career and technical education; students describe youth-apprenticeship experience

Jan Shenoweth, the district irector of secondary curriculum, told the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District board on Feb. 24 that the presentation was timed for Career and Technical Education Month in Wisconsin and intended to highlight "all the wonderful things happening in our district."

The presentation described CTE offerings from middle school through high school, five program areas (family and consumer sciences; business and information technology; marketing/management/entrepreneurship; technology and engineering; and health science) and increasing student participation. Jan Shenoweth said teachers are focusing on "durable skills, incorporating reflection in student work, and then design thinking."

Five students in the district—areer programs described work-based placements. Hannah Lee, a youth-apprenticeship student at the UW Department of Biochemistry, said, "I isolate DNA from bacteria. I do protein purifications, run pcrs, and do a lot of biotechnology stuff." Daniel Buckman, who works on the district tech-services help desk, said the placement "really got into the nitty gritty of, like, technology and, like, how it works."

Presenters said the district now offers dual-credit partnerships with UW Stout, UW Oshkosh and Madison College, enabling students to earn college credit at reduced or no cost while taking courses in the high school. The district also reported industry-recognized credentials available in areas including childcare assistance, culinary (ServSafe), and other technical certificates.

Ray (Reid) Rosing, identified in the presentation as an associate principal working with CTE, and other staff said work-based learning has two primary components in the district: a career-internship program for students who already have a job and the youth-apprenticeship program that pairs students with employers in the region. The presenters said youth-apprenticeship options now include roughly 80 occupations the state recognizes and that employer participation in the region is growing.

Ken Metz, Glacier Creek Middle School principal, described middle-school exposure events such as the Dane County Future Quest for seventh graders and said the district is integrating career exploration with core academics to support students in the "cycle of knowing, exploring, planning and going."

District staff and board members highlighted a 70% participation rate: presenters said about 70% of seniors were identified as CTE concentrators (students taking two or more courses in a career pathway). Staff credited facility upgrades from the 2021 referendum and active industry partnerships for rising enrollments in construction and skilled trades; presenters said construction-program interest had grown about 35%.

Board members praised the program as a pathway for students who do not pursue four-year college and for those who want early exposure to careers. Board member Jim Coursey and others offered examples from the community about students who found careers through technical pathways. The presentation closed with recognition of student organizations including DECA, HOSA and FBLA and a reminder that CTE is intended to complement, not replace, academic coursework.

Ending: The district did not propose new board action during the CTE presentation; presenters said the board would continue curriculum renewal work and maintain dual-credit and apprenticeship partnerships. Several board members requested follow-up on transcript identification for concentrators and on expanding certificate recognition for students continuing at Madison College.