Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Career And Technical Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
PCSD approves two ‘innovative’ English courses for CTE diploma pathway
Summary
Trustees approved staff’s recommendation to submit two innovative course applications—English I: The Entrepreneur’s Voice and English II: The Financially Literate Voice—to the South Carolina Department of Education as part of a CTE-aligned diploma pathway under the federally funded South Carolina Pathways Project.
The South Carolina Public Charter School District Board of Trustees on April 10 approved two innovative-course applications—English I: The Entrepreneur’s Voice and English II: The Financially Literate Voice—to be submitted to the South Carolina Department of Education as part of a career-and-technical-education (CTE) diploma pathway.
District staff told trustees the district is one of five participants in the federally funded South Carolina Pathways Project, which is designed to enhance postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities while also benefiting all students. Staff said the diploma pathway combines individually approved innovative courses with CTE content to create alternatives that preserve Carnegie-unit rigor while offering hands-on learning, apprenticeships and work-based learning. If the district board approves the applications, they will be forwarded to the state department for review; staff noted the state’s review period is expected to take about 30 days.
High Point Academy was identified as the first PCSD school scheduled to implement the courses, with staff saying the school plans to pair English I: The Entrepreneur’s Voice with entrepreneurship coursework and English II: The Financially Literate Voice with personal finance to increase relevance. Staff said the initiative is driven in part by a federal grant that requires certain participation outcomes for students with IEPs; the pathway will be open to general-education students as well. The board voted to approve staff’s recommendation and authorized nonmaterial edits as needed for submission to the department of education.
Staff said the district has received approximately $76,000 so far for Pathways-related work and expects modest annual contract funding tied to implementation; staff do not anticipate ongoing school-level costs tied to the diploma pathway beyond local implementation requirements. The motion to approve was made, seconded, and carried by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
