Job Training Programs Curriculum Study
Job Training Programs Curriculum Study: Final Report
WESTED AND EDUCATIONAL POLICY IMPROVEMENT CENTER (EPIC), 2013, GRADE 12
This study analyzed the content of course materials from job training programs for five occupations to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are prerequisite to and taught in their entry-level courses, across over 100 institutions.
This report describes the Job Training Programs Curriculum Study, which was commissioned by the Governing Board to analyze the content of course materials from five job training occupational areas. This study was designed to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are prerequisite to and taught in entry-level job-training programs and to describe the KSAs expected at the conclusion of job-training programs. This study also compared the prerequisite KSAs identified through analysis of job-training course materials to KSAs identified by panels of job training program instructors convened for Judgmental Standard Setting (JSS) studies, where they determined the academic performance on NAEP reading and mathematics required for enrollment in a job-training program. These JSS studies were commissioned by the Governing Board in 2011 and also addressed college.
This study analyzed course materials from 122 institutions—85 courses were analyzed for mathematics content and 80 courses were analyzed for reading content. The courses were for job training programs in five occupational areas: Automotive Master Technician; Computer Support Specialist; Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC); Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse (LPN), and Pharmacy Technician (entry and concluding level).
This study was conducted by the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) as a subcontractor to WestEd, and includes several appendices with supporting materials:
C: Sample Learning Objectives from Course Syllabi
Judgmental Standard Setting: JOB TRAINING | MATHEMATICS | READING
