1. Welcome to Teacher
Professional Development
Creating a College & Career Readiness
Culture in the Classroom
Gregory Taylor
CTEC/511 – Professor Johnathan Roberts

2. Topics
• What is CCR in the Maryland Classroom?
• Maryland Blueprint CCR & CTE
• Creating CCR Culture in the Classroom
• Practices
• Implementing
• Barriers to Success
• College and Career Readiness Culture - Shared Responsibilities
• Overcoming Barriers

3. Creating a College and Career Readiness Culture!
“Improving readiness to succeed after high school begins with understanding and
support from educators and families. One of the key findings from a study of high
schools that prepare a greater than expected proportion of students for college and
career readiness is the existence of a strong college and career readiness culture
(see, e.g., Conley, 2010; McDonough, 1997).”

4. What is CCR in the Maryland Classroom?
College and Career Readiness in MD
• The Division of Career and College Readiness provides leadership, support, and technical assistance to local education
agencies and community colleges in the implementation of high-quality career and technical education (CTE) programs
of study to prepare Maryland’s current and future workforce. The Division also leads K-12 education in financial literacy,
computer science, and STEM and is responsible for early college enrollment programs such as Pathways in Technology
Early College High (P-TECH) School.
• Career and Technical Education (CTE) provides secondary and postsecondary students an opportunity to pursue a
sequential technical and academic program of study leading to advancement in a career field. Secondary CTE programs
of study, which can start in 8th grade and culminate in high school, give students the opportunity to earn college credit
and/or industry credentials in a career field of interest. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) works
closely with the Governor’s Workforce Development Board to identify new programs in response to Maryland’s
workforce and economic development needs and to ensure all CTE programs keep pace with industry expectations to
prepare students for both college and careers.
• CTE programs are designed to support students in making decisions about education and career options. Preparing for
CTE begins in elementary school with career awareness learning experiences. In middle school, students participate in
career exploration learning experiences such as workplace tours, job-shadows, and interest inventories. Students are
required to develop an academic and career plan prior to entering high school. Plans must be updated annually. With over
60 CTE programs statewide, students can find the career pathway that will prepare them for future success.

5. Maryland Blueprint CCR and CTE
Promise and opportunity for every Maryland child.
• The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is a landmark legislation passed in 2021, which includes comprehensive changes to nearly every
aspect of Maryland’s public education system. Increasing annual education funding by over $3.8 billion over the next 10 years, the
Blueprint will enrich student experiences, accelerate improvements to student outcomes, and improve the quality of education in
Maryland.
• Delivering opportunity and promise of a better future to every Maryland child, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future will transform the
State’s prekindergarten through post-secondary systems with extensive policy changes and an unprecedented investment of State and
local resources.
• Prioritizing equity, the Blueprint prescribes new programs and innovative approaches to catalyze a world-renowned education system
that aims to eradicate achievement gaps and ensures opportunity for every student, regardless of family income, race, ethnicity, or ability.
• The Blueprint is a product of the recommendations made by the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, more
commonly known as the Kirwan Commission, which met over the course of three years (2017-2019). The commission was comprised
of a cross-section of stakeholders including education advocates, teachers, legislators, and experts to address education funding and
needed approaches to better prepare students for success in the modern workforce. In doing so, the Blueprint’s future focus directly
benefits students and educators, lifts historically underserved communities, prepares the workforce of tomorrow through college and
career readiness, and enhances the State’s economic competitiveness. The Blueprint also establishes the new Accountability and
Implementation Board (AIB) solely dedicated to ensuring the successful implementation of the Blueprint.
• The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future provides the foundation needed to elevate every child to reach their full promise and potential by
transforming Maryland’s education system to a world-class model. The bold work of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is organized
into five distinct pillars.
• continued…

6. Maryland Blueprint CCR and CTE
Continued…
The College and Career Readiness Pillar sets a new College and Career Readiness (CCR) standard that prepares graduates for
success in college and the workforce by ensuring they have the knowledge and skills to complete entry-level credit-bearing college
courses and work in high-wage and high-demand industries. The Blueprint aims to have all students meet the CCR standard by the
end of their 10th grade year, develops CCR-Support pathways to support students in meeting the standard, enables students to
enter a Post-CCR pathway that builds on the student’s strengths, develops a Career and Technical Education (CTE) system that is
aligned with industry’s needs, and ensures that prekindergarten through 12th grade curriculum, standards, and assessments are all
aligned with the new CCR standard.

7. • Naviance Career Research
• Career Based / Project based learning on your particular subject matter
• Senior Capstone Project
• Summer Bridge Program
• Guest Speakers
• College visits/ Job Fairs
• Local Employer Events
• Community Stakeholders
Creating a CCR Culture in the Classroom Activities

8. Problem Based Model
• Engage with a problem. Virtually every part of the curriculum provides an answer to some problem or another. Science and history in particular
are composed of answers to problems, and there is always a problem at the core of literature. The history of mathematics is replete with problems
that demanded solutions. World languages present opportunities for the study of problems of communication and culture. Survey the standards
that you are teaching to, asking yourself, “To what problem is this information the solution?”
• Explore the problem with the PBL inquiry chart. This chart maps the questions surrounding the problem to sources that students can use in
finding answers to the questions. The chart is an organizing tool to help students in their pursuit of problem identification, data collection, and
problem solutions; it can be developed individually and in groups.
• Explain and share the information. Different sources may provide at least slightly different answers to the questions or solutions to the problem.
The PBL inquiry chart allows students to map different perspectives on the same questions.
• Elaborate and take action. Students elaborate on the solutions through clarifying terms and conclusions and by justifying the problem solution
that was identified. The solutions to the real-world problem at the heart of the inquiry can now be put into action—through letters to the editor,
communication with state or Congressional representatives, presentations to relevant boards, or by whatever means the students’ imaginations can
conjure. The point is to take learning seriously enough to lead to action of some kind.
• Evaluate the process. Student learning must be assessed. Were the objectives of the unit met? Was the PBL inquiry model helpful to students as
they progressed toward the clearly stated objectives? The PBL inquiry model must be evaluated by attending to the specific content and processes
students have learned. (Estes 2015,pg. 220)
CCR Teaching Practices

9. Suchman Inquiry Model
• Select a problem and conduct research. Choose a puzzling situation or an event that will entice the students to discover the answer, and then research the problem for
possible solutions.
• Introduce the process and present the problem. Carefully explain and post the rules that the students will follow for the inquiry. Present the puzzling situation to the
students in writing and provide them with a means for recording data.
• Gather data. Respond to questions posed by the students for the purpose of gathering and verifying data. Guide the students to ask questions more clearly or more
completely, but avoid restating the questions for them. Encourage the students to call for a small-group discussion when they need to talk with one another, but do not
permit students to talk to each other during the questioning periods. Reinforce the idea that this is a group process requiring the attention and participation of the entire class.
• Develop a hypothesis and test it. When a student poses a hypothesis, stop the questioning and write the hypothesis on the board. The class decides to accept or reject it.
Emphasize that at this stage the questioning is directed toward experimenting with one particular hypothesis. If other hypotheses are posed, write them on the board and tell
the class that they will be explored later if the hypothesis under examination does not prove adequate. Encourage the students to consider all possible types of questions. For
example, if they are focusing on an event, encourage them to consider conditions that might cause it. Questions are valuable tools at this point in the model. Students may be
encouraged to do further research or to experiment in the laboratory as they try to accept, modify, or reject a particular hypothesis. The Suchman model can be used over a
variety of time frames. In the case of gathering data from sources outside of the teacher, the model may be used over a number of classroom periods.
• Explain the hypothesis and state the rules associated with it. Once a hypothesis or a possible answer has been verified by the students, lead them into an explanation
and application of their hypothesis. Discuss the rules or effects of the hypothesis as well as the predictive value the explication may have for other events.
• Analyze the process. Finally, discuss the inquiry process with the class. Examine how they arrived at an acceptable explanation of the problem and determine how the
process could be improved. As the class gains confidence, they may assume more responsibility for the process.
• Evaluate. Test to determine whether the students have understood the hypothesis derived from the process and determine whether they are able to generalize the rules to
other situations. Also, encourage the students to look for other puzzling situations and to develop a habit of asking questions and looking for answers. Because this model is
based on a scientific method, determine whether the students are solving problems more effectively with this technique. (Estes 2015, pg.213)
CCR Teaching Practices

10. Implementing CCR in the classroom
• Implementing CCR in the classroom is quite valuable. Teaching life applicable skills in computer science class is rather
important and even more so when students are able to apply what they learned in class to prepare them for the real world and
workforce.
• In class, students often have the opportunity to learn how to problem solve by answering their own questions with teacher
guidance, collaboration during group projects, independent learning, critical thinking, and team work which help provide and
prepare for my students, and not just for college, but again, preparing for the workforce (the real world).
• In my computer science classes, students are learning such skills as understanding and implementing the problem solving
process and how it effects decision making, understanding usability vs. aesthetics, time management, job description, and
designing for others with empathy. In class my students are encouraged and empowered with interdisciplinary activities to help
develop and build good habits such as accountability, leadership and responsibility. Routines and procedures are consistently
implemented to foster a positive environment, communication, creative thinking and writing, and an understanding of how to
tackle adversity while solving a problem.

11. • Student Behavior
• Stereotypes for Jobs
• Small schools with limited resources
• Project Sustainability
• Breaking the stigma that taking CTE courses means you are not going
to college (CTE actually makes you College OR Career Ready)
Barriers to Success

12. • The best way to start developing or to improve upon an existing CCR process at your local school is to create a
leadership team made up of representatives from key stakeholder groups. Team members could include:
• Student
• Principal / Administrator
• Counselor
• Parent / Family
• Classroom Teacher
• Special Education Teacher
• Career technology center teacher
• Member of the business community
• Community Education liaison
College and Career Readiness Culture - Shared Responsibilities

13. Overcoming those Barriers
Maryland Blueprint’s goal is to prepare students for a
diverse, modern economy. It sets a target that by school
year 2029-2030, 45% of graduating public school
students will achieve an industry-recognized
occupational credential before they graduate.
In Maryland, There are currently 46 MSDE-Approved
High Schools CTE Programs in 11 Career Clusters in a
Total of 259 Schools.
• Success Stories
• Work Place Experience
• Program Sustainability
• Classroom Visits to School of Technology
• Career Exploration 7th – 8th
• Local Employers
• Blueprint Funding

14. The Organizer is a
composite of essential
considerations that are
equal in importance
and interconnected.
Each of the four
strands presents a
distinctive topic area
essential to college
and career readiness
and success.

15. Questions?
Estes, T. H., Mintz, S. L., & Gunter, M. A. (2015). Instruction: A models
approach, loose-leaf version, 7/e (7th ed.). Pearson Education.
McGaughy, C., & Venezia, A. (2015). McGaughy, venezia. Supporting the dream..
SAGE Publications.
Maryland State Department of Education. (2023). Maryland BluePrint in
Action. https://blueprint.marylandpublicschools.org/
Maryland State Department of Education. (2023).
https://marylandeducators.org/career-and-technical-education/