Page 18 - ECCS 2019-20 AERR and Three Year Education Plan

East Central Alberta Catholic Schools Accomplishments
ECACS Three-Year Education Plan and Annual Education Results Report
Education Quality 91.8%
Safe & Caring 90.6%
Citizenship 87.5%
Work Preparation 87.4%
Program Of Studies
The Program of Studies rating increased from 74.9% to 78.8% ↑. The 2019-2020 school year marked the first-year students and staff utilized the Division's CTS trailer. This mobile learning lab provides our small rural schools with the ability to offer CTS programming opportunities (small engine repair, sewing, woodworking) that would otherwise not be possible given the lack of facilities, equipment, or specialized instructors.
The Division's Dual Credit program is one of the most vibrant in the province; it is a true partnership involving Alberta Education, Lakeland College, and nineteen school divisions province-wide with student numbers of 130 per semester. We were planning to offer seven courses in the 2020-2021 school year consisting of Early Learning and Child Care, Agriculture, Environmental Sciences, Aesthetics and Health Care. The dual credit coordinator continues to explore the development of a drone certification program and we are excited to introduce the new Sign Language course for the 2020-2021 school year.
With the uncertainty of sustaining CTS dual credit programs under the new student block funding model, school divisions across the province are taking a cautious approach to enrolling their students in dual credit programs. As a result, the Division had to re-evaluate the feasibility of the dual credit program offerings given the uncertainty. Combine these economic and enrolment realities with the COVID-19 school re-entry guidelines in the fall; ECACS and Lakeland College suspended the dual credit programming until the second semester of the 2020-21 school year and will continue to evaluate program offerings as student interest and enrolment information becomes more apparent.
As a small rural school Division, we feel all of our high schools must take advantage of programs like dual credit to remain current with the Career and Technology Studies (CTS) program offerings. We believe there is a strong correlation between students enrolled in the dual credit programming and the Division’s Work Preparation and High School Transition rates.
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