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Riverside County Office of Education
Career Technical Education Unit
ROP Unit becomes CTE Unit
CTE video
 In an effort to meet the growing Career Technical Education (CTE) needs of Riverside County school districts and the many changes in CTE across both the state and the nation, the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) Regional Occupational Program (ROP) Unit became the RCOE Career Technical Education (CTE) Unit on July 1, 2007.
The mission of the CTE Unit supports RCOE’s larger mission of ensuring success for all students by promoting, enhancing, and providing CTE in Riverside County.
 This change was necessitated by the huge resurgence in CTE statewide. Governor Schwarzenegger, Secretary of Education David Long, and state senators and assembly members have made CTE a priority.
They have asked for greater coordination of CTE, including seamless pathways from middle school on through community college or post secondary training; increase in the rigor of CTE courses; and more equity for CTE with the academic program.
Both business/industry and educators express a need for students to be prepared for their future in ways that are not currently available to all. Furthermore, State Superintendent of Education Jack O’Connell and the California Department of Education are also promoting CTE and have recently published the CTE Framework for California Public Schools.
The RCOE CTE Unit has the experience to help districts plan for and implement the changes that will be called for as the CTE Framework and the legal mandates are implemented. Moreover, it will continue to help districts meet their federal requirements for CTE programs.
The unit will continue to provide high quality, high demand ROP courses, but has expanded its services so that the ROP courses are not the only service offered to districts, but are part of a larger service performed for districts and partners.
For example, the office is making available staff development opportunities to county and district teachers, both CTE and academic. It is hosting and coordinating county-wide meetings for all of the CTE stakeholders including district administrators, community college administrators, Workforce Development leaders, and other CTE leaders.
RCOE is working with these partners to increase grant funding, to meet legislated CTE requirements, and to create a system of CTE throughout the county. The office is working directly with each district, each high school, and the community colleges to create and implement a plan for sequences and pathways. RCOE is providing years of CTE expertise to help districts meet new CTE demands.
In addition, RCOE is piloting and designing both new CTE curricula and programs, some of which are serving special populations. For example, RCOE has placed classes at its Learning Centers to serve alternative education students and some special education students. RCOE is offering a pilot summer school that will teach algebra within the CTE context and offer both elective CTE credit and math credit.
RCOE is eager to expand its work with business and industry as it builds programs to serve Riverside County students. The office believes that with programs that are both rigorous and relevant, it can better retain and train students for all the options after high school, including the workforce, further technical training, and higher education.
So, in the RCOE CTE Unit, ROP is not only alive, but it is thriving. However, it has become just one of the many ways that the CTE Unit is using to serve districts and ensure success for all students.
For information contact:
Rick Peoples,
Public Information Officer
Telephone: (951) 826-6642
Fax: (951) 826-6199
rpeoples@rcoe.us
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