Pathway Quality Review and Certification

Hundreds of schools in California are implementing pathways to improve outcomes for students. Yet, without a common standard as a guide for pathway implementation and quality, schools and districts may have difficulty determining whether the pathways they are implementing are likely to improve student achievement. ConnectEd and its partners, the Career Academy Support Network (CASN), the Education Trust-West, the National Academy Foundation (NAF), and the National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC), have developed pathway quality review criteria and continuous improvement process to address this need.

Criteria for Linked learning Pathway Quality Review and Continuous Improvement
The revised Criteria for Linked Learning Pathway Quality Review and Continuous Improvement (October 2012) describes the specific elements that should be included in a quality pathway. The revisions were informed by lessons learned during the first two year of the Linked Learning Certification process.

Rubric for Linked Learning Pathway Quality Review and Continuous Improvement
The Rubric for Linked Learning Pathway Quality Review and Continuous Improvement was created to help pathway teams as they work together to develop and improve a comprehensive program of study. Specifically, the rubric can serve as a tool for:

• Visioning – the pathway community of practice to gain a common understanding of what a high-quality pathway looks like;
• Self-assessment – the pathway community of practice to self-assess and analyze the current status and quality of its pathway;
• Planning – pathway teams to identity and set priorities for areas of improvement from which to develop annual work plans; and
• Quality Review – external review to assess program quality.

Guide for Linked Learning Pathway Quality Review and Continuous Improvement:
The Guide for Linked Learning Pathway Quality Review and Continuous Improvement is intended to support a pathway community of practice as it engages in a cycle of continuous improvement and move towards  pathway certification. Linked Learning certification is not intended to be the goal or end of the pathway improvement process; rather, it is merely a snapshot of pathway quality at a moment in time. The continuous improvement process is expected to be ongoing and should not end with certification. The Guide is intended to be used with the Criteria for Linked Learning Pathway Quality Review and Continuous Improvement as a guide for further development and ongoing improvement of high-quality pathways following certification.

These elements are based on the National Standards of Practice for Career Academies that were jointly developed by the National Career Academy Coalition, the National Academy Foundation, the Career Academy Support Network, the Southern Regional Education Board and others. These standards have been used, tested, and validated for more than 5 years.

There are currently 28 certified pathways throughout California. By school district, they include: