QUALITY REVIEW MEASURES

THE REVIEW SYSTEM

Purpose
The Quality Review Measures of the Office of Career and Technology Education are designed to provide guidance and direction to school districts, schools and centers in establishing and maintaining quality career and technology education programs. The Measures are aligned with the 2020 Vision for Career and Technology Education for South Carolina. The measures will be used to review local career and technology education programs and determine where improvements should be made and/or where exceptional programs and activities exist.

Procedures for Annual Review
School districts, schools and centers are required to use the Quality Review Measures to make an annual review of their career and technology education programs. An assurance to verify this activity will be included in the annual local career and technology education plan/update.

Relationship to State Standards
The further use of Quality Review Measures will depend upon district/center performance on the State Standards for Career and Technology Programs. The application of the measures to career and technology education programs will positively affect student performance on State Standards. These State Standards are:

1. Career and Technology Education Skills Attainment
2. Academic Skill Attainment
3. Graduation
4. Placement

(Nontraditional enrollment and completion will be reported at the state level only)

School districts and multi-district career and technology centers will be evaluated annually based upon the students' performance with the State Standards for Career and Technology Education. Districts/centers failing to meet one or more standards will be asked to conduct a self-study using the Quality Review Measures. The self-study will be conducted by analyzing the Quality Review Measures which have the greatest effect upon the deficient areas. The measures directly related to each standard are found in Appendix I.

Application of Quality Review Measures
The Quality Review Measures will be used to analyze and improve student performance on state standards in the following manner:

Standards Met Action

Notification Procedures
Annually, the Office of Career and Technology Education will notify school districts and multi-district career and technology centers in writing of their performance, based upon state standards. This notification will identify the standards which have been met/not met and describe the actions required as stated above. Districts meeting two or three standards are required to reply to the Office of Career and Technology Education after program improvement plans have been completed. These districts will have six months from the date of notification to complete program improvement plans. Districts meeting one or none of the standards will be notified in writing and then contacted by a representative of the Office of Career and Technology Education. These districts are required to conduct a documented self-study of all Quality Review Measures, after which an on-site visit by state staff or an external team will be scheduled.

Exceptions
Multi-district centers are required to meet Standards 1 (career and technology education skill attainment) and 4 (placement). If one or both standards are not met, a state analysis will be conducted to determine actions required.

School districts without career and technology programs whose students are enrolled in career and technology centers are required to meet Standards 2 (academic skill attainment) and 3 (graduation). If one or both standards are not met, a state analysis will be conducted to determine actions required.

School districts with unusual configurations of programs at high schools and/or centers will be evaluated by the state standards which apply to their unique structure.

Initial Review
This review process will take effect in school year 2002-2003 and will analyze the results of the State Standards from school year 2003-2004. School districts and multi-district career and technology centers will be notified of their performance on the standards and actions required, if needed, in October 2004.

Subsequent Reviews
The degree of performance or progress toward meeting State Standards for Career and Technology Education for school year 2003-2004 and beyond will determine the actions required of school districts and career and technology centers. If a standards deficiency recurs for the same standards in successive years, an analysis of the prior year's corrective actions will be conducted at the state level, and the district/multi-district center will be required to write a program improvement plan in conjunction with other prescribed actions. For recurring standards deficiencies in school districts/ centers which were visited the previous year by the Office of Career and Technology Education representatives or an external team, additional state-level analysis will occur with the following possible actions:

E)   Conduct second visitation/review
F)   Send notification to the local superintendent and school board of program impairment
G)   Send notification to State Superintendent of Education of program impairment
H)   Budget funds to correct deficiencies
  I)   All the above

Courtesy On-Site Reviews
School districts and multi-district career and technology centers may request courtesy on-site reviews of their career and technology programs conducted by the Office of Career and Technology Education. These reviews can be requested for the entire career and technology program or for specific areas of the program. Requests for on-site reviews should be sent to the Director, Office of Career and Technology Education, with a description of the services needed. Requests must be received by July 15 of the school year for which the review is requested. The Office of Career and Technology Education will honor requests for courtesy on-site reviews using the Quality Review Measures as office capability permits.