The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE) has released COVID-19 Guidance for Work-Based Learning for all students for this year. It is strongly encouraged, where possible, that these WBL opportunities within business and/or industry continue this year.
However, the current crisis is placing strains on districts to ensure that the needs of all student learners are met and that opportunities for WBL are still made available for all students. The KDE has produced the following language for temporary flexibility around the required WBL requirements of the Employability Skills Attainment Record (ESAR) and the courses leading to the Career Work Experience Certification (CWEC):
The KDE will temporarily offer flexibility in where and how these WBL opportunities are offered during this state of emergency as long as such options continue to align to CWEC course content and standards (Employability and Foundational Standards: Alternate Assessment. These options must continue to allow the student to learn, practice and demonstrate workplace skills, but will offer these through additional methods and settings.
OCTE will be providing a guidance document offering alternative ways to provide WBL for students, but this document will not be all inclusive and should be used to help districts determine new ideas for these options. This guidance document is not yet available, but it is important that schools know that this flexibility will be available this school year. At this time, the plan is to post the full guidance document within the next two weeks. This guidance document should be used primarily for students that are 100% virtual this school year, but it is understood that some students may have other extenuating circumstances, due to the crisis, that would prevent them from accomplishing this in the traditional business and/or industry setting.
For any questions or concerns, please contact Kiley Whitaker, Assistant Director of the Division of Technical Schools and Continuous Improvement.
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