N ews C C T I. irector. School Performance Profile. from the

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1 I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : CCTI School Performance Profile 2 LCCC Chemistry Entrance Exam 2 TV-13 Talk of the Town 3-6 CCTI Welcomes New Staff 6 Advisor Spotlight 7-8 C C T I irector V O L U M E I I, I S S U E 3 N O V E M B E R 2 4, N ews from the D School Performance Profile We are proud to announce that our Pennsylvania School Performance Profile (SPP) Academic Score for the school year rose 3.7 percentage points to There are 18 comprehensive career and technical schools in Pennsylvania. CCTI s SPP Academic Score is the highest score in the state among these 18 comprehensive career and technical schools. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our students, parents, staff, JOC, and all stakeholders within the community, CCTI has achieved this commendable ranking. The score also compares favorably to all high school building scores throughout the county and state. Based on a scale of 100, the average SPP score for traditional public schools across the state was As we all know, the Pennsylvania Department of Education has recently released the Pennsylvania School Performance Profile. This public site ( provides an academic performance score for public schools in the state. The performance score is designed with several purposes in mind: to inform the public of school performance to provide a building level score for educators as part of their evaluation system to allow the public to compare schools across the state to give schools a methodology to analyze their strengths and needs Acting Secretary of Education, Carolyn Dumaresq, considered the score of 70 to be the mark of moving toward success. For the school year, CCTI s School Performance Profile score was Last year we studied the elements that were used to determine our score, and developed plans to raise the school score in the future. We revised our curricula, master schedule, and delivery systems, and worked as a team to maintain our high standards for grading, attendance, and work ethic. In addition, we are once again pleased with our indicators of academic growth (PVAAS) which illustrate that our students exceeded the state s expectations for growth when they enter CCTI. Our career and technical based industry standard (NOCTI/ NIMS) overall score of 96% of our students scoring Advanced (85%) or Competent (15%) is well above the state average. The overall score combines written and performance scores. 100% of our students scored Adv. or Pro. on the written portion. And finally, our State Audit Report from 2011 and 2013 shows no findings. Following is a chart that indicates CCTI s High School Building Performance Score in comparison to the other 17 comprehensive Career and Technical High Schools in Pennsylvania.

2 P A G E 2 School Performance Profile LCCC Entrance Test for CCTI Chemistry II Students Many industry certifications, Dual- Enrollment academic courses, and Advanced Placement academic courses are available to CCTI students. This year, we will be offering another important post-secondary pathway opportunity for our students. Jane Farkas, Chemistry/General Science instructor, has worked closely with Heather Mullen, Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) Admissions Representative, to have CCTI Chemistry II students take the LCCC Entrance Chemistry Test as an end-of year exam. This is a win-win situation for both CCTI and LCCC. It will provide CCTI stakeholders tangible evidence on how well CCTI students are prepared for entry into post-secondary science programs. And, LCCC may see an increase in CCTI students choosing to attend LCCC because of being able to take this entrance test prior to their high school graduation, avoiding the pressure of preparing for, taking, and passing the test in the fall. A student unsure of attending college may get the confidence to apply to LCCC upon passing this chemistry entrance test. Discussions with Heather Mullen were started last spring to begin to iron out all the details for providing end-of-course testing for CCTI chemistry students. It was agreed that, this spring, LCCC will administer the LCCC Chemistry Entrance Test to CCTI Chemistry II students who maintain an 85% or higher GPA. Test administration at CCTI and scoring would be done by LCCC and results reported only as pass/fail. CCTI students who attend LCCC in the fall and passed the LCCC Entrance Chemistry Test would not need to take this test in the fall. Actual scores would only be available for LCCC s use and not be reported to any other college or school. As an incentive for CCTI students to strive to take this entrance test, any student who passes the LCCC Entrance Chemistry Test will be exempt from the Chemistry II final exam.

3 V O L U M E I I, I S S U E 3 P A G E 3 CCTI AST Students featured on TV-13 Talk of the Town Talk of the Town" is an hour long magazine format program. The once a month program includes multiple segments each month all focusing on unique topics and events that are the "Talk of the Town". The show is geared toward women but has attracted a larger audience due to the diverse topics. The hosts, Kim Bell and Marie Johns participate in the subjects/activities being covered. For their November show, Kim and Marie visited CCTI s Automotive Service Technology (AST) class. CCTI is currently being featured on Blue Ridge Communications Channel 13 Talk of the Town program. They met with AST students Amber Harvey, Miranda Green, Brenden Horos and instructor Hal Resh who all showed them several important automobile winterizing tips. Brenden Horos explained tire pressure, tread wear, and proper lug nut tightening and removal. Miranda showed the pair how to check, analyze, and replace fluids, and Amber demonstrated windshield wiper cleaning and replacement. Mr. Resh concluded with advice on monitoring dashboard warning lights. Miranda and Amber are considered non-traditional students because they are females in a male dominated career field. Having Miranda and Amber showcase their skills on this program is an excellent way for us to promote our non -traditional students and recruit others to enroll in our programs. The students did a fantastic job demonstrating their AST skills and knowledge as well as their poise and speaking skills. Please visit our website at and click on the Talk of the Town logo on our homepage.

4 V O L U M E I I, I S S U E 3 P A G E 4 TV-13 Talk of the Town features CCTI AST Students Brenden Horos explains the importance of proper tire tread, pressure, and even wear to Talk of the Town hosts Kim Bell (left) and Marie Johns during their recent visit to the AST area.

5 V O L U M E I I, I S S U E 3 Talk of the Town continued... P A G E 5 Miranda Green demonstrates the proper technique of using a hydrometer to check your vehicle s antifreeze Amber Harvey shares her knowledge of windshield wiper cleaning and maintenance as well as wear and new wiper blade installation.

6 V O L U M E I I, I S S U E 3 P A G E 6 Talk of the Town continued... Kim Bell (left front), Hal Resh, AST Instructor (center), Marie Johns (right front) and CCTI AST Students complete their Talk of the Town segment for TV-13 CCTI Welcomes New Staff Jennifer Voltz We are pleased to welcome our new special education mathematics instructor, Jennifer Voltz. Jen graduated from Dickinson College with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in After a stint as an assistant volleyball coach at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana from , she went back to school to Salem College in Winston Salem, North Carolina where she received her teacher certification in December 2011 and a Master s of Arts (MAT) with a Special Education in December Jen accepted a job as a Special Education and Math teacher at North Forsyth High School in Winston Salem, NC in January She taught co-teaching and resource math classes while there until October Jen enjoys spending time with her family and playing volleyball and softball in her spare time. Special Education Mathematics Instructor

7 Advisor Spotlight P A G E 7 Michele Dominic HOSA Major Advisor Michele Dominic, Health Medical Assistant/Aide instructor, is our Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA). Mrs. Dominic has been an outstanding leader and devoted promoter of HOSA at CCTI for over 10 years. Here, she discusses her experiences as an advisor. 1. Did you start a HOSA Chapter at CCTI? If so, what year and why did you start the chapter? If not, do you know the history at CCTI? Our original HOSA chapter was started in 1998 by Rosemary Cherba, but this year I started a new HOSA chapter. Our HM program and interest in HOSA has grown over the years so we now have an AM and PM chapter. 2. How long have you been an advisor? Why did you choose to become an advisor? I have been a HOSA advisor since starting at CCTI in I didn t really choose to become an advisor, it was just part of the job. I started teaching in Feb and went to my first conference in April. I didn t really know what HOSA was, but I immediately realized what an integral part of a Health Education curriculum it is, so I embraced it. Actually I was just elected to the HOSA Board of Directors. 3. Please give us a brief description of HOSA. HOSA Future Health Professionals is a student run organization. Our mission is to enhance the delivery of compassionate, quality health care by providing opportunities for knowledge, skill and leadership development of all health science technology education students, therefore, helping students to meet the needs of the health care community. Plus it is a great way for our students to network with health professionals and peers, it provides scholarships and builds students confidence and self-esteem. 4. Please give us a brief description of your professional background. I started working in a hospital as a Nurse Assistant when I was 20 years old. CCTI used to have an LPN program, and I actually graduated from it. After that I went to Cedar Crest for my BSN and worked in the ER, ICU, Med-Surg and Dialysis. I worked for Blue Mountain Health Systems and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg. I was also an Assistant Director of Nurses and Manor Care Health Services in Allentown. I also taught both the LPN and RN programs at LCCC as an adjunct professor. Not to give my age away, but I ve been in health care for 37 years. Seriously, when I started in Health Care, doctors and nurse s smoked in the hospital. Not me, I was never a smoker.

8 P A G E 8 Advisor Spotlight Continued How has HOSA affected your students? It just builds their confidence and self esteem so much. It teaches them to interact with adults and their peers in a mature way. When we return from a conference, the shyest student is able to express themselves in an adult manner. They work really hard for their competition. They learn that not everyone is a winner and you need to lose as graciously as you win. They also learn perseverance, because if they don t make it one year they go back and do it again. 6. Explain one experience that you have had with your HOSA chapter as an advisor that you will never forget. They are all memorable. It s just so rewarding to see the excitement on the student s faces during awards ceremonies. 7. What are some of the more recent accomplishments of your HOSA students? CCTI has consistently sent students to Nationals over the past ten years. This past year we placed top ten and 3 rd in our competitions. There were 8500 competitors at Nationals. Every state and US territory is represented at Nationals. 8. Were you ever a HOSA member? No, I graduated from a traditional high school and my college did not have a HOSA chapter. They do now though. There are several post-secondary colleges in HOSA. 9. Explain one experience you have had because of HOSA that you will never forget. Standing in line for a ride at Disney 10. How has HOSA changed your life? I was seriously burned out from working in the nursing field. HOSA helped me realize that I can still make a difference in someone s life. There is nothing better than watching my students succeed and grow both personally and professionally after joining HOSA. Michele Dominic HOSA Major Advisor