President's Report
Welcome to the 2004-05 school year, I hope the start of
this year has been a good one. The weather sure has been
wonderful after the cool summer we had. With the Board's
approval, I will be serving my third and final year as
president of this wonderful organization. One of things that
I continue to enjoy is the opportunity to meet and
communicate with so many wonderful individuals who have the
same goal of providing opportunities to students with
special needs. In setting goals for this year, I find that
we have met a number of previous goals and continue working
on others. See article on this year's goals. One of the
challenges that I continue to have is keeping my email list
current. The list continues to grow and that is great.
However, throughout the year I get bounce backs from those
whose email addresses have changed or are filtered out. If
you do not receive my emails, or no longer receive them, and
would like to, please send me an email at
(rlindgren@parkrapids.k12.mn.us). Also, if your information
changes during the year, let me know and I will notify
membership.
There will be the annual MACTA/MnACTE Winter Conference
on February 17, 2005, with a number of Hot Topic Sessions
specifically for educators, see article. We will again be
working with these two organizations regarding legislative
issues concerning CTE and our programs. MnACTE has announced
its Award Winners, and MNACTE/SNP's LuAnn Tauer is the CTE
Teacher of the Year, she will receive the award at the
winter conference's evening awards dinner, I would encourage
people to try and attend the conference as well as the
awards dinner. Congratulations LuAnn. More from the
conference and LuAnn's award will come out in the Spring
Edition of the ECHO. Speaking of legislation, IDEA's
Reauthorization is before the full House and Senate for
their voting before break. Perkins will be looked at again
when the new session begins.
Elsewhere in this edition of the ECHO is an article on
MnACTE/SNP's Conference. Please read the article, mark your
calendars, and plan on attending our Statewide Conference,
Continuing To Thrive in 2005, March 3 & 4, 2005.
 Submitted
by:
Robert W. Lindgren
Work Experience Coordinator
Area High School
401 Huntsinger Avenue
Park Rapids, MN 56470
Office: 218-237-6479
Fax: 218-237-6401
rlindgren@parkrapids.k12.mn.us
Student Excerpt
My name is Sabrina Garritsen, I am 18 years old and I
work as an umpire for softball and baseball, referee for
hockey, and I also work as a lifeguard at Maple Grove
Community Center. On top of those jobs I also volunteer in
the community. I help out at Lord of Life Lutheran Church
with the youth, volunteer with different church activities
throughout the state, and I also help out with Maple Grove
Days which I have been doing since I was really little with
my dad. I am finishing up work experience at the Osseo Area
Learning Center with Susan Ritter, my teacher and work
coordinator.
I have been working at Maple Grove Community Center as a
lifeguard for 3 _ years. Since I have been working there
nothing tremendously exciting has happened as far as
emergencies or serious injuries. There are those times we
give out band-aids and jump in to rescue the kids who get
out too far or cannot swim. Other than that there is nothing
else major that has happened. However, the one day I will
remember for the rest of my life and feel good about knowing
what to din in these types of situations is when I saved a
young boy from choking.
How it happened is that when it was time to rotate for me
to go on break, I was on the bottom of the slide guard stand
and I was walking by the glass windows that lead into the
concession stand area. I happened to have looked in there
and I saw a bunch of people around the garbage can, so my
curiosity got the best of me and I peeked in to see what the
commotion was about. What was happening was that a young boy
was choking. The mom was trying to do the Heimlich maneuver
but was unsuccessful due to her not doing it correctly. She
was yelling to the concession stand employees saying, "Help
me! Help me! Someone please, he is going to die. He can't
breathe." They looked at her dumbfounded because they didn't
know what to do. As soon as I analyzed the situation I
didn't think twice and I went behind the boy and placed my
hands right below the sternum, pushing in and up. Soon he
threw up a huge piece of hotdog and he was all better. His
mom couldn't stop thanking me. She said, "Thank you so much,
you just saved my boys life. How can I ever repay you?" I
told her, "It is no problem; it is all in a days work." Then
I went to break and told the head lifeguard what just
happened. Later my supervisor and everyone heard of it and
congratulated me. The best part was saving his life, but I
had another incentive. I was on probation and I knew my
supervisor was mad at me. I felt after that I proved myself
and basically told her through skills that I knew what I was
doing and that I did pay attention when I took the lifeguard
class
Osseo Area Schools District 279 CBVAT Assessment
Center
Assessing vocational interests, readiness, and abilities
of special needs populations is an area that may possibly be
one of the most significant pieces of information we gather
to determine the success of our students as they become
young adults. It is an area that is essential to our
students if we expect them to be happy, productive citizens
in the community. All too often we transition these students
on to adult service programs without the knowledge of their
vocational interests and abilities or their preparedness for
the working world. This potentially sets young adults up for
years of frustration and possibly failure in the working
world.
We, as vocational coordinators for District 279 came to a
decision to strike out on our own and develop an informal
vocational assessment center in an effort to gain some
valuable information about our students' understanding of
the working world. It is our hope that we can take this
information and better prepare our young adults for life
beyond high school, and help them achieve a more fulfilling
and productive life.
The CBVAT program (Community Based Vocational Assessment
and Training) in District 279 has developed an assessment
center. Our program consists of three components. We work
with special needs students from our three high schools and
four junior high schools within the district. Some students
are in real life work experiences within the community, with
support from our vocational trainers. Another component is
piece work. We work with local businesses to bring work into
our center, for the students who are not able to have a job
in the community. They are paid a piece rate for the work
they complete. The third and newest component is our
informal assessment in which we assess students utilizing
interest and aptitude inventories, work production samples,
academic skills, and observations. We schedule students into
the center where we gather information on the student's
interests, aptitudes, physical stamina, motor skills and
work behaviors.
This information is compiled into a written report which
is presented to the students, parents, and case managers. We
are not licensed vocational evaluators, and therefore do not
make recommendations for programming. We offer suggestions
that may steer parents and case managers in a direction that
provides for successful vocational training and exploration.
The information also enables us to provide appropriate
vocational opportunities for the student.
We continue to grow and expand our services to include
all populations of special needs students. We are currently
working with several educational companies to help develop
products that meet the needs of the higher functioning
population of students. These students sometimes may be
overlooked because they have such positive social skills,
but not necessarily the vocational skills necessary to
become employable. We plan for continued growth of our
assessment center over the next few years with the goal that
we can better service special needs students in a
comprehensive vocational program.
Submitted by:
Beverly Rath
Laurie Yahn
Terry Toops
Osseo Area Schools
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Announcements
ACTE National Convention: December 9-11, 2004, Las
Vegas, NV
MACTA/MnACTE Winter Conference: February 17, 2005,
Radisson City Center, St. Paul, MN
MnACTE/SNP Conference: March 3 and 4, 2005, Earle
Brown Center, Brooklyn Center, MN
Remaining 2004-2005 MnACTE/SNP Board Meetings:
Hennepin Technical College, Brooklyn Park; 12:30 in Room
H195.
January 13, 2005
February 10, 2005
April 14, 2005
May 12, 2005 (site to be determined).
2005 MnACTE/SNP Awards: The forms are nearly
complete and will be posted on our website by January 1,
2005. A notification email will be sent when they are
available.
MnACTE/SNP Plans 2005 Conference
March 3rd and 4th 2005 mark the dates for the Minnesota
Association for Career and Technical Education Special Needs
Personnel Winter Conference at the Earle Brown Heritage
Center in Brooklyn Center, MN. The conference planning
committee has been working hard to put together, what we
hope, will be a fantastic conference. This years' program
title is "Continuing to Thrive in 2005", strands include:
Mental Health, Curriculum, Rejuvenation and Legislation.
Opening keynote speaker will be Candace Richards. Her theme
is "Attitudes are Contagious." She will also be staying to
present a breakout session on "Creating the Dream Team."
Back by popular demand will be the Nuns. They will be
presenting the closing address and a breakout session.
Additionally, there are many outstanding breakout sessions
planned that will bring new information and best practices
that are occurring in career and technical education for
students with special needs. We look forward to seeing many
familiar faces and hopefully lots of new faces too.
For information or questions, please contact:
Lu Ann Tauer
Richfield Transition Plus Program
612-798-6305
luann.tauer@richfield.k12.mn.us
University of Minnesota's Work-Based Learning
Program
As the Director of the University of Minnesota's
Work-Based Learning Program, I often get asked if it still
is possible to get (or complete) a "work experience
license." Technically, the answer is no. However, you still
can get a "license endorsement" which can be added to your
current Minnesota secondary teaching license (if you have
one). This is the "Teacher-Coordinator for Work-Based
Learning" (WBL) license endorsement.
In addition, work-experience licenses are STILL valid,
even though new ones are no longer being issued.
The Minnesota Department of Education's requirements for
the WBL endorsement have little overlap with the
requirements for the previous work experience licenses. So
what do you need to know about how to get the WBL
endorsement?
Admission:
If you are seeking licensure as a Teacher Coordinator of
Work-Based Learning you may apply for admission to the
University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human
Development endorsement program.
(Previously, you applied to the Department of Education
for a license.
NOW you must apply for admission to the WBL Program at
the University and the University will send your file to the
Department of Education AFTER you have completed all license
requirements.)
Admission criteria and application forms for endorsement
programs may be found on the U of MN's web site at:
http://www.education.umn.edu/SPS/programs/endorsements/
Information about programs in Work, Community, and Family
Education may be found on the Department ensuite at:
http://www.education.umn.edu/wcfe/
In addition to applying to the College, you will also be
required to submit a letter to the Coordinator of Work and
Community Education in the Department of Work, Community,
and Family Education expressing your intent to pursue this
licensure. The letter of intent should include transcripts
and verification of degrees and licenses held at the time of
admission to the endorsement program. Please send these
materials to:
Jim Brown
Coordinator of Work-Based Learning Program Department of
Work, Community, and Family Education Room 350 Vocational
and Technical Education Building
1954 Buford Avenue
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, MN 55108
Licensure Requirements:
To fulfill requirements for the Teacher Coordinator of
Work-Based Learning licensure according to Minnesota Board
of Teaching rules, you must fulfill the following
requirements:
- Hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally
accredited college or university.
- Have completed an approved teacher preparation
program under MN Board of Teaching rule, part
8700.7600.
- Hold, or have applied and qualified for, a Minnesota
license for teaching grades 9-12.
Required Courses:
In addition to the above requirements, you must also
successfully complete the following U of MN courses:
WCFE 5511 Education for Work (required of all students
seeking this licensure) (3 cr.)
WCFE 5521 Work-Based Learning Policies (2 cr.)
WCFE 5522 Work-Based Learning Practices (3 cr.)
WCFE 5802 Enhancing Work-Based Learning through
Collaboration (2 cr.)
Up-coming Course Schedule:
If you are interested in completing the WBL license
endorsement, the required courses will be offered as
follows:
Spring Semester 2005
WCFE 5522 Work-Based Learning Practices: Date yet to be
determined; likely location - Hennepin Technical College,
Brooklyn Park
Summer 2005
WCFE 5511 Education for Work: 8:30 - 3:00 W,Th,F
(06/15/2005 - 06/24/2005) St Paul Campus
WCFE 5802 Enhancing Work-Based Learning through
Collaboration 8:30 - 4:00 M,Tu,W,Th,F (08/15/2005 -
08/19/2005) St Paul Campus
Fall Semester 2005
WCFE 5521 Work-Based Learning Policies: Dates and
location not yet arranged for metro area
If you want additional information about enrolling in any
of these courses, contact Kay Cohen (U of MN) at
612-624-1700 or email her at cohen018@umn.edu
If I can help answer any other questions about the WBL
license endorsement, please contact me:
Jim Brown
brown014@umn.edu
MACTE/MnACTE Winter Conference
This year's combined MACTA / MnACTE Winter Conference
will offer something for everyone; Administrators, Perkins /
Tech Prep Coordinators, Post-Secondary Reps, and CTE
Educators. Our Conference theme is: "Career and Technical
Education &endash; It's Role in Learning and Earning." Mark
your calendar for February 17, 2005 and plan to attend the
conference at the Radisson-City Center, St. Paul. We are
planning three breakout sessions of hot topics for each
group. Possible joint session being put together dealing
with the just released Citizens League Report. ACTE
Executive Director, Jan Bray, will present the afternoon
keynote address by taking a look at the national picture of
career and technical education. Another keynote speaker will
be Dr. James Stone, from the National CTE Research Center at
the U of M. That evening will be the awards banquet, which
will include Alice Seagren, Minnesota Commissioner of
Education, as the speaker. For MnACTE members, the MnACTE
annual membership meeting will be held during the
conference. There will be a session with legislative reports
and remarks, too.
Watch for the registration material to be coming out
shortly with more details. Information on lodging at the
Radission-City Center will be included on the registration
material
Robert Lindgren
Park Rapids
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