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Academy reports rising co-op placements, new JobReady360 portfolio tools and TAP services under Perkins funding
Summary
Staff said co-op placements began this week, with 16 students in collision repair and additional placements across other CTE programs; staff described new JobReady360 software for co-op administration and career portfolios and summarized TAP services tied to Perkins goals including professional development and articulation agreements.
Mifflin County Academy staff told the board the district has begun co-op placements for career and technical education students and is using new software to manage work-based learning and student portfolios.
The presenter said co-op placements start tomorrow, with 16 students placed in collision repair and other placements across programs: health professions, electrical (3), precision (1), auto (1), welding (1), construction (1), mechatronics (1). Staff said six non-student co-op slots were active as of the afternoon of the report. The board heard that co-op supervision days previously brought all students every other Friday; staff said the program split students into smaller groups to ease parking and supervision constraints.
Staff described JobReady360, a new online package the district rolled out to streamline co-op paperwork, time tracking and employer feedback. The presenter said JobReady360 also includes career-development activities and a portfolio feature that can attach employer feedback, photos and task-based evidence to items on a student's task list, which staff said can feed into resumes and program portfolios.
The board also received a report on the district's TAP (technical assistance program) services tied to Perkins Career and Technical Education funding. Staff said the TAP survey process identifies school goals and assigns free services to participating schools. The presenter said the academy qualified for about 15 TAP activities that align with goals to raise academic targets and industry credential attainment. Services listed in the packet include retired CTE leaders as mentors, data-literacy and instructional coaching, free study guides and data reports tied to NOCTI/industry exams, Penn College of Technology professional learning and math-in-CTE strategies, and an upcoming spring offering on artificial intelligence in CTE.
Staff said the academy has used Perkins funding to support professional development and articulation agreements that allow students who complete programs to receive college credit at partner institutions. The presenter said the district will encourage every CTE instructor to investigate offering at least one industry credential and that teachers will collect data tied to professional-growth goals.
Board members asked clarifying questions about supervision, how co-op time is verified and how JobReady360 populates portfolio items. Staff said students must present pay stubs or timesheets, employability-skills materials are part of supervised days, and employer feedback is used to identify training needs the teacher will address in the shop.
