NOCTI

Based in Big Rapids, MI, NOCTI provides industry credentials and certifications for CTE programs.

Products Offered:
- CTE (Career and Technical Education) Assessments and Certifications
- NOCTI provides many products and services for educational testing. This includes assessments, accommodations, digital badges, certification/partner programs, collaborations with CTE, credentials, countdown kits, customized assessments, customized reporting, data upload tool, national averages and criterion-referenced cut scores, professional development, study guides, testing options.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
- For more details about the CTE in the 17 states we are targeting, please see this folder: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9hXNLWFJmfQZHdXenF0cm9Kdmc&usp=sharing This includes quick fact sheets for the states, and a more detailed account about the CTE and requirements: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MxOY0hOVEL0E_rD7U89DoPAEMB69KYLZSxAB1NmdBig/edit#

- Any info on industry buzzwords and other resources can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q3zZmHgBgXTrc15saTAumYRhlUiR8vQw0XWVw45M3FU/edit#gid=1577258557
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Process - local institution level
1. School decides they are interested
2. Setting up their site, completing a testing agreement, getting a site coordinator
3. Site code - unique code to track scoring
4. Site Coordinator works with Teachers to go over blueprints, which assessments are the best match for the program, might not be 100%, but some will match 85-95% - test is based on industry standards
5. Once they determine the assessment to take, Site Coordinator places order of assessments
6. Suggest they start with a pretest - determines benchmarks - before Nov 30th (past that won't give you the important info that you need)
7. Consider study guides that line up with assessment and can be built in to the curriculum
8. Post test administered in the spring (March to June) depending on state. NY - May, April are the most popular in most states
9. Provide score report - show pretest and post test and percentage change b/w the 2
10. College credit and badges come in with the post test, and rewards (PA gets alternate certificate)
11. Criterion reference cut score - if the student scores a 70% they get college credit and badge
____________________________________________________________________________________________

MORE INFO:
- Schools take data NOCTI provides and shows their programs are getting better, and here’s why
- Districts need to provide certain reports for the Federal requirement to maintain federal dollars for education, they need to show enough improvement to warrant additional investment from the state
- Motivation for schools to get NOCTI can vary: they have schools that look for ways to improve and schools that don't. EX. Urban city school having trouble with money is going to be looking for ways to be successful
- Focus currently- the acquisition of industry based credentials- one that you might get and have to renew every couple of years, put out by an association- to maintain license
- Use credential as opposed to the term assessment. The assessment is the vehicle they use to obtain the credential
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Popular Programs- (they will typically go along with popular media)
Carpenters
Mechanics
Cosmetologist
Healthcare
Childcare
Law Enforcement (CSI is popular)
Security
IT
____________________________________________________________________________________________

THE FOSTER PERSPECTIVE: For the school, what's available practically and what will they be able to deliver
- A school needs to be well resourced to deliver equipment! EX. Wind tech, and nanotech is sexy - but take A LOT of resources. Carpentry and cosmetology are easier to implement using tax dollars - are sustainable programs
- Department of Labor and Education- 16 industrial clusters, ? to a half of them have occupations that are popular: manufacturing, robotics, hydraulics, nomadic, clean suits as opposed to dirty work and busted backs/fingers
____________________________________________________________________________________________
All about quality improvements to CTE program:
- State client may be empowered by governor, sec of edu:
they'll take the data and show how programs are getting better
The state next door, could be driven by a federal requirement, to maintain the flow of perkins dollars - perhaps they aren't showing enough improvements - it's a big red flag if you aren't getting your $50 million a year
Driven by a stick vs internal motivation
Trickles down to institution - some schools in trouble, some improving programs
- Nice school has 20+progams, big NOCTI client
- transitioning to an industry based credential (might have to renew every couple of years) - welders etc have to do the same to maintain their license - that has been a big focus