QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS “Reshaping Work-based Learning in

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

“Reshaping Work-based Learning in Tennessee”

October 15, 2015

TEACHERS

1. Is there a work-based learning (WBL) teachers association in the state? In CA we have the

California Association of Work Experience Educators (CAWEE).

We do not have a WBL teachers association in Tennessee; however, we have implemented

regional professional learning communities located in each of Tennessee’s eight regions to

provide targeted support and networking opportunities for WBL coordinators across the state.

2. I hope you will describe the nature of the WBL certification process.

Tennessee’s WBL certification process walks through the WBL implementation guide and WBL

course standards. This can be found on our website:

Implementation Guide:

http://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/wbl_implementation_guide.pdf

Course Standards:

https://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/cte_std_career_practicum.pdf

There is also a handout specifically on the requirements for certification:

http://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/wbl_certification_and_prof_dev.pdf

3. In the Regional Professional Learning Communities, who is delivering the instruction—the

local WBL Coordinator or the state?

Our WBL Leadership Council is composed of individuals from each region or are either WBL

coordinators or administrators in charge of WBL placements that lead this training in

conjunction with support from the Tennessee Department of Education’s regional CTE

consultants.

STUDENTS

1. Do students have a K-12 career-based learning plan?

Yes, all students participating in WBL are required to have a personalized learning plan. This

documentation can be found here:

http://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/wbl_personalized_learning_plan_packet.p

2. Do students participate in any off-site WBL experiences prior to 12th grade? At what grade

level are students permitted to go on work study employment?

Students who participate in WBL activities such as apprenticeships, internships, or cooperative

education (co-op) may earn high school credit through Work-Based Learning: Career Practicum

(6105) when they meet the standards for that course through their placement. Students may

also earn credit for WBL experiences through other CTE “practicum” courses, such as

Engineering Practicum (6141), which must be taught by a teacher with the related CTE

endorsement. These teachers must also hold an active WBL certificate when they place students

in WBL experiences through that course. These instances can occur in either the junior or senior

year. Students also have the ability to participate in non-credit bearing WBL experiences off-site

(e.g., job shadow/tour) in younger grades.

3. Do you have a restriction of placing students who are not in a construction CTE program and

placing them in a construction WBL experience?

All student placements must be a continuation of the student’s prior learning. Hence a student

who has not taken any courses within a construction program of study would not be allowed to

participate in a construction WBL experience. Please see the WBL Implementation guide,

specifically the sections on Quality Work-Based Learning Experiences and Quality Work-Based

Learning Programs.

http://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/wbl_implementation_guide.pdf

4. Do you have a separate program for at-risk students, or admission procedures for students

with, for example, existing truancy issues, or economic/academic disadvantages?

Students must maintain an attendance rate of 90% in school and in the WBL experience unless

otherwise agreed upon prior to the start of the WBL experience and deemed acceptable to the

workplace mentor and WBL Coordinator. The student’s signed WBL Training Agreement must

stipulate any exceptions to this policy.” – WBL Policy Guide p 15.

http://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/wbl_policy_guide.pdf

5. Are the students responsible for their own transportation to and from work?

This is a district-level decision. In some instances, yes; in others transportation may be provided

by the school or industry partner. Some students also participate in WBL on-site at the school.

WBL CLASS/COORDINATORS

1. Where does the industry-specific differentiation occur? The WBL class sounds general.

WBL courses provide clear learning expectations for students. Work-Based Learning: Career

Practicum (6105) may align with any area of elective focus or CTE program of study. Other

courses may be considered forms of WBL and may require the teacher to hold the WBL

Certificate. These include, but are not limited to:

 Applied Arts Practicum (6158)

 Business and Entrepreneurship

Practicum (6159)

 Career Exploration (6166)

 Clinical Internship (5993)

 Construction Practicum (6160)

 Early Childhood Education Careers IV

(6135)

 Engineering Practicum (6141)

 Human Services Practicum (6138)

 IT Clinical Internship (6096)

 Manufacturing Practicum (5926)

 Nursing Education (6000)

 Programming and Software

Development Practicum (5908)

 Service Learning (6104)

 STEM Practicum (6147)

 Supervised Agricultural Experience

(5964)

 Teaching as a Profession III (6126)

 WBL: Career Practicum (6105)

 WBL: Special Education Transition (6107)

 Web Design Practicum (6171)

Please refer to course documents for specific requirements:

https://tn.gov/education/topic/career-clusters

All placement of students in WBL courses should be reflective of their previous learning and

course work; hence, all WBL experiences should be tailored to the individual student. Also see

the personalized learning plan. This documentation can be found here:

http://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/wbl_personalized_learning_plan_packet.p

2. How many students can be in a WBL class? In all or certain programs?

WBL: Career Practicum (6105) is a CTE course which, in Tennessee, has a maximum class size of

25 students. However, a few WBL courses may have lower class size requirements; for example,

Clinical Internship (5993, Health Science) has a maximum enrollment of 17 students.

STATE-LEGAL

1. Do the industry supervisors need a child abuse clearance as they would in some other states?

All placements must follow Child Labor Laws. Please contact Chelsea.Parker@tn.gov for a

response.

2. Our businesses are having a problem with the Worker's Compensation regulation. How does

your state frame this for the businesses?

When WBL capstone students are in paid positions, the student is like any other employee. For

unpaid internships, the student must clearly be working for educational purposes and meeting

course standards to earn credit. Federal guidelines for internships may be found online here:

http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm

3. Is there a limit to the number of hours per week for student WBL activity?

Tennessee does not have restrictions on the number/schedule of hours worked during a WBL

placement; however, all placements must comply with federal and state child labor regulations.

Additionally, school districts may identify their own scheduling requirements related to WBL

within local policy, so long as they align with state and federal law. Additional information can

be found here:

http://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/wbl_child_labor_law_quick_reference.pdf

STATE-MISCELLANEOUS

1. Is the application process a statewide mandate or a district-level option?

The application process discussed on the webinar was a district-level decision (specifically from

Rutherford County Schools) on how to identify students who were ready for a WBL experience.

This was a local-level decision and is not a state level requirement.

2. Please expand on the meaning of "self-directed" regarding the capstone experience.

Personalized Learning Plans are central to ensuring that students have rich learning experiences

that enable them to meet the WBL standards. All students who participate in WBL experiences

should have a Personalized Learning Plan to ensure that they get exposure to—and practice—

the employability skills outlined in SBE High School Policy 2.103 (for more information, see the

“Quality Work-Based Learning Experiences” section of this guide and the parallel section of the

WBL Policy Guide with the same title). While all students need to be aware of and practice these

skills, students who participate in WBL experiences for credit must complete the required WBL

paperwork to establish a formal Personalized Learning Plan—agreed to by the teacher, the

student, and the employer—that identifies the employability skills that students will develop

while in the workplace. It is important for all stakeholders to be clear about the learning

objectives and expectations of the WBL program, and be transparent about the time

commitment and activities involved. The purpose of the Personalized Learning Plan is to

establish clear, shared expectations for the learning experience among the WBL Coordinator,

the student, and the industry partner.

http://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/wbl_implementation_guide.pdf

3. Are these opportunities only for paid internships?

No, these experiences can be either paid or unpaid.

4. Heather [Justice] keeps mentioning elective courses. Are these equivalent to career and

technical education courses?

CTE courses are one of Tennessee’s elective course options. WBL is available to all students, not

just students who take CTE courses. Fine Arts and core academic students are also to engage in

robust WBL experiences; these would just be tailored specifically to the career path of the

student.

GENERAL

1. What is the old "co-op"?

Cooperative Education (Co-op) is a structured method of instruction whereby students

coordinate their studies with a paid job in a field related to their academic or career and

technical education course. Instruction is based on written learning and safety training plans

agreed to by the school and employer. Students may receive credit through the Career

Practicum course when they meet the course standards through a combination of classroom-

based and work-based experiences. Placements are dependent on the student’s goals and plan

of study.” – WBL Policy Guide, p. 12

2. Would you share local Tennessee WBL contact Karen Pitts’ contact information?

Glad to be of assistance. My email is karen.pitts@cmcss.net if I can be of assistance to anyone.

3. Would you share your WBL framework and content standards? Can you send us the

information on the WBL training?

All of our WBL resources including our standards we mentioned can be found online at

http://tn.gov/education/topic/work-based-learning