Elkin City Schools ranked number one in the state among districts reporting test scores from career technology education (CTE).

“The scores are for the 2008 - 2009 school year,” Barbara Long, CTE coordinator said. “We were number 10 out of 115 school systems in the VoCats, (exams).

“I think that one of the reasons our students do so well is because we have a small school system that allows for individual contact with the students,” she said. “Our career development coordinator works one on one with the students in helping them to coordinate their choices in course study in high school. This allows the students to plan courses that will help them achieve their post high school graduation goals.

“We’re doing a follow-up study right now by calling the students who were involved in CTE in 2008 - 2009,” Long said. “We’ve received a lot of information from those students who graduated saying that the CTE program really helped them.”

30 districts reported four-year cohort graduation rates of 90 percent or above among students completing a four-course CTE concentration. These “concentrators” had to take at least one capstone or second-level course in the sequence. Statewide, almost 72 percent of all students graduated in four years or less.

Districts reporting this high graduation rate among concentrators were: Elkin City (97.50 percent), Scotland County (95.85 percent), Mooresville Graded Schools (95.18 percent), Dare County (94.87 percent), Lincoln County (93.83 percent), Pamlico County (93.62 percent), Richmond County (93.58 percent), Craven County (93.53 percent), Haywood County (93.45 percent), Ashe County (93.33 percent), Catawba County (92.86 percent), Burke County (92.81 percent), Stokes County (92.50 percent), Hickory City (92.08 percent), Swain County (92 percent), Macon County (91.78 percent), Clay County (91.67 percent), Lexington City (91.59 percent), Randolph County (91.22 percent), Guilford County (91.15 percent), Transylvania County (91.12 percent), Polk County (91.11 percent), Yadkin County (91.04 percent), Avery County (91.01 percent), Jackson County (91.01 percent), Surry County (90.96 percent), Onslow County (90.67 percent), Henderson County (90.67 percent), Roanoke Rapids (90.54 percent), and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City (90.54 percent).

“Career and Technical Education plays an important role in helping prepare students to be globally competitive and college- and career-ready,” State Superintendent June Atkinson said. “This is evidenced by the findings of my Career-Ready Commission and its report and recommendations. Research has shown that CTE courses provide many students with a way to connect what they learn in school with their plans for future education, training and work.”

“I believe that the involvement of our teachers in Elkin with the students plays a substantial role in their success,” Long said. “Our teachers know their students and know their strengths and weaknesses and help to guide them toward a goal that is best suited to what the student hopes to accomplish. All of our teachers work together to help our students achieve their best.”

Statewide, more than 72 percent of high school students, or about 310,000 students, take CTE courses each year; and approximately 90 percent of students take at least one CTE course before they graduate. Post-assessments are given in two-thirds of all CTE courses.

The Department’s Career and Technical Education Division annually reports performance on eight Performance Indicators to the U.S. Department of Education as a component of the Carl Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.

Elkin City Schools ranked 8th in the state in students scoring proficient on state-developed Career Technical Education (CTE) post-assessments taken in 2008-09. Statewide, 80 percent of students tested met this goal.

The Elkin Tribune

by Karen Martin

April 29, 2010