Charter Schools, Alternative
Programs, Supplemental
Educational Services, and McKinney-Vento Homeless
M E M O R A N D U M
| TO: |
Alternative Education Contacts |
| FROM: |
Molly
Chamberlin, Director |
| DATE: |
March 16, 2007 |
| RE: |
Credits for Career/Work, Internship, Community Service & Service Learning Components |
In an effort to increase relevance and motivation for nontraditional learners, many alternative education programs have a career/work, internship, or service learning component to their program. Over the years this has been done in a variety of ways. This memo will provide guidance for implementing each type of experience. Some programs require some components without awarding credit. While this is allowed, students benefit more if they are able to stay on track by earning credit. The following types of courses and descriptions can be used to implement career/work, internship, community service and service learning components. It is important to understand that all of the experiences identified below are expected to be tied to a classroom piece and meet the Academic Standards for each course.
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION combines in-class instruction with on-the job training experiences to help students prepare for or explore their occupational objectives. A procedures manual for cooperative education is at http://www.doe.in.gov/octe/bme/curriculum/CooperativeEducation.htm. Click on Section V, On the Job Training, to find requirements for granting credit for work experience. Students must be employed an average of 15 hours per week or a total of 540 hours over two semesters to earn 4 credits. Click on Section IV, Related Class & State Standards, to clarify content and minute requirements for the course that must be taught in conjunction with the work component. One credit of related instruction requires 250 minutes of instruction per week for one semester or 250 minutes per week for the school year for two credits. Be aware that all of the cooperative education courses are listed at http://doe.state.in.us/publications/courses2.html under ‘Cooperative Education’. There is also a Professional Career Internship course in CTE Business. Contact Barbara Beadle in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) at 317-232-9179 or email her at bbeadle@doe.in.gov if you need further information. There is a course in CTE Family and Consumer Sciences called Family and Consumer Sciences Issues and Applications that is especially appropriate for students doing work in human services, education and other ‘helping’ professions. Contact Peggy Wild in CTE at 317-232-9168 or pwild@doe.in.gov for more information. If you claim CTE funding, you would not claim alternative education funds for students while they are involved in this programming. To determine licensure requirements, look at the bottom of the page at http://www.doe.in.gov/publications/courses2.html under CTE-Teacher Credentials. Cooperative education courses count for the Core 40 and the Technical Honors diploma.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY COURSES are listed in the Course and Program Descriptions for Indiana Schools at http://www.doe.in.gov/publications/courses.html. By clicking on ‘Multidisciplinary’ you can access the course titles and descriptions. Career Information and Exploration (0522), Community Service (0524), and Career Information Internship (0530) are the high school courses most often used in alternative education programs. Please note that the course on internships (0530) is intended primarily for Grades 9-10. The Internship Manual available at http://www.doe.in.gov//octe/bme/curriculum/pdf/Co-op/InternshipManual06.pdf clarifies information about this course. Peer Tutoring (0520) is another option that could be used depending on your alternative education program needs. These courses can be taught by a teacher with a license in any area. Due to a technical problem, the Community Service (0524) title and description are missing from the multidisciplinary course listing but should be restored soon. Contact Michelle Sullivan at msulliva@doe.in.gov if you need assistance with the Community Service course title. IC 20-30-14 allows school corporations to grant two (2) elective credits to students in grades 11 or 12 for community service or other volunteer service. The rules state that the student must perform at least forty-eight (48) hours of service to earn one (1) academic credit. Go to http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title20/ar30/ch14.pdf for the legislative requirements.
SERVICE LEARNING is considered a teaching strategy. Information on how to implement service learning and funding opportunities are available at http://doe.state.in.us/opd/srvlrn/. Many schools implement service learning under the social studies course title, Current Problems, Issues, and Events (1512). A description is available by clicking on Social Studies at http://doe.state.in.us/publications/courses.html. A teacher with any social studies license can teach this course and it counts for the Core 40 diploma.