COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 32

June 10, 2005

ADMINISTRATIVE

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Industry Certification Academies and Data Collection for Teacher/Student Industry Certification Credentials Division Report

From January 2004 through May 2005 the Department of Educations Office of Career and Technical Education (CTE) has been conducting industry certification training and/or testing academies which have been funded through the federal Perkins Act. These certifications help career and technical education teachers become better qualified to teach current market skills and allow teachers to provide students the opportunity to obtain student-selected verified credits. The verified credits are earned by achieving industry certification credentials while passing related career and technical education programs and/or courses.

The Department of Education must report the number of career and technical education teachers who have obtained or previously earned industry certification credentials through personal, local, and/or state-supported training efforts as well as the number of teachers who need training/testing to achieve a credential. This information is important in planning for the 200506 industry certification training academies in various regions of the state.

Effective with the graduating class of 2004, students were eligible to use industry certification credentials for verified credits to meet the graduation requirement. Students who obtained industry certification credentials during the school year 20042005 must be reported to the Virginia Department of Education.

Please use the Web-based spreadsheet located at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Instruction/CTE/DataCollection on the career and technical education website to input these important data. All credentials listed on the data collection spreadsheet are considered eligible for student-selected verified credit as either industry certification pathway examinations, full certification programs, or licensures. Please follow the data input instructions to e-mail the completed spreadsheet by July 15, 2005. The submit option will e-mail the spreadsheet to Gordon Creasy at Gordon.Creasy@doe.virginia.gov.

For your information, the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) is being contracted to report normative data regarding the NOCTI job ready assessments that were administered in Virginia during the 2004-2005 school year. NOCTI occupational competency assessments that have been board approved also are eligible for student-selected verified credit.

Content assistance questions should be addressed to Gordon Creasy at (Gordon.Creasy@doe.virginia.gov), specialist for industry certification and licensure, at (804) 225-2057. Technical assistance questions should be addressed to Blair Seaford at (Blair.Seaford@doe.virginia.gov), data specialist, at (804) 371-2924.

JLD/GC/sgj