9/6/2019
By: Staff Blogger
Following the premiere of The Career Path Less Taken and the after-show discussion, Career Tech Talk,, State Supt. Paolo DeMaria continued his back-to-school tour. Today he explored more of Ohio’s career-tech programs, visiting the Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center, Mad-River Middle School in Mad River City School District and Woodward Career Technical High School in Cincinnati Public Schools.
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9/5/2019
By: Staff Blogger
State Supt. Paolo DeMaria spent time with some of Ohio's career-tech educators and students anticipating the premiere of The Career Path Less Taken, a documentary about career-technical education in Ohio. Today’s visits on his back-to-school tour brought him to Delaware Area Career Center and the Lincoln-West School of Science and Health in Cleveland Metropolitan School District. After the visits, it was time to join the viewing party for The Career Path Less Taken. He also moderated Career Tech Talk, an after-show discussion with students and industry experts.
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9/5/2019
By: Julia Simmerer
Editor’s Note: Samantha Fallucco helped author this blog. Samantha is a program administrator in the Department’s Center for Teaching, Leading and Learning. You can contact Samantha here.
Recently, I heard some news that reinforced how meaningful it can be for adults who didn’t receive their diplomas in high school to take advantage of Ohio’s options for earning a diploma or the equivalent. Graduates from these programs don’t just survive, they thrive. In July, two Ohio GED graduates received national recognition and $1,000 scholarships at the GED Testing Service Annual Conference. Reginald Latten was one of only four people to receive the 2019 GED Graduate of the Year Award and Kyle Reckart received the 2019 GEDWorks Graduate of the Year Award.
In today’s rapidly changing job market, finding meaningful employment can seem out of reach for many Ohioans without a high school diploma. The good news is Ohio offers several pathways for adult learners to earn a high school diploma or equivalent. These pathways include taking a high school equivalence exam, such as the GED, enrolling in the Adult Diploma program, or participating in the 22+ Adult High School Diploma program.
High School Equivalence exams provide learners 18 years old and older the opportunity to gain the academic skills and credentials needed for acceptance into postsecondary education programs or directly into the workforce. The most well-known of these exams is the GED®. Other Ohio-approved options for high school equivalence are the HiSET and TASC exams. For learners interested in earning high school equivalence by taking one of these exams, more information, including the location of testing centers and exam costs, can be found here.
The Adult Diploma Program provides job training and a new pathway for adults ages 22 or older to earn a high school diploma AND industry credentials aligned to one of Ohio’s in-demand jobs. What makes this program different is that instead of measuring academic achievement through clock hours, seat time or credits earned, the focus is on a competency-based approach that provides a self-paced option. Once competencies have been learned, adults then demonstrate mastery of skill. Each eligible adult works with his or her provider to create a customized student success plan. Click here to learn more.
The 22+ Adult High School Diploma Program helps adults earn a high school diploma. The program is free to adults over 22 years old who live in Ohio and do not have a high school diploma or equivalent. Counselors work with adult learners to develop individual plans to identify the courses and assessments needed to graduate and earn a diploma. Providers try their best to schedule instructional dates and times to meet the needs of adult learners. To learn more about this program, click here.
By taking advantage of one of these programs, adult learners can find meaningful employment to support themselves and their families. With a little hard work and a shot of inspiration from adult learners like Reginald and Kyle, your dreams are within reach!
Julia Simmerer is senior executive director of the Center for the Teaching, Leading and Learning at the Ohio Department of Education. You can learn more about Julia by clicking here.
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9/3/2019
By: Staff Blogger
As part of his back-to-school tour, State Supt. Paolo DeMaria visited Arts Impact Middle School and Windsor STEM Academy in Columbus City Schools and Maryland Elementary in Bexley City Schools.
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8/27/2019
By: Staff Blogger
With the 2019-2020 school year underway, State Supt. Paolo DeMaria is back on the road learning about what works in Ohio’s schools. His first stop of the year was to Princeton City School District. In Princeton, educators recognize that building partnerships and supporting the whole child are major contributing factors to the success of each student in their schools and in their community.
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