September 5, 2010
September 5, 2010
This school profile was commissioned by Colorado Succeeds, a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving education for workforce development and economic growth. Colorado Succeeds is working for the improvement and expansion of high-quality Career and Technical Education programs in Colorado, and offers this school profile as a learning tool for Colorado’s educators and policymakers. For more information on our efforts and other resources, visit www.ColoradoSucceeds.org
Located in rural Upton, Massachusetts, Blackstone Valley Tech operates as an independent vocational school district that serves 166,000 citizens living in or around the 13 towns in the region. The school operates on a full-day basis, offering a wide assortment of academic and technical courses. Students are prepared for either going on to post-secondary education or directly into the workforce upon graduation.
Blackstone Valley Tech believes that education is a process of developing an individual's potential. The school's stated philosophy is to provide the individual with the academic and career and technical skills “essential to achieve success in a productive career as well as to provide the global community with a highly qualified and prepared workforce"
The school was formed in 1964 and has evolved significantly since that time. Since its inception, the school facilities have been significantly renovated several times and expanded to where the school has state-of-the-art classrooms and technical laboratories, a television studio, and a first-of-its-kind 800 seat training and competition center. The most recent renovation was a $30 million endeavor that added one-third new space and renovated all existing space in the school.
Through an innovative education philosophy, the school has broken from the mold in several prevalent education practices with great success. Of the 26 regional vocational schools throughout Massachusetts, data shows that Blackstone Valley has made tremendous strides over the past decade and is now performing in the top tier of schools within the commonwealth.
| Blackstone Valley | State | |
| Grade 9-12 Dropout Rate | 0.2 | 3.8 |
| Attendance Rate | 94.7 | 94.6 |
| Average # of days absent | 9.7 | 9.3 |
| In-school Suspension Rate | 1.7 | 3.2 |
| Out-of-School Suspension Rate | 3.3 | 5.8 |
| Retention Rate (2006) | 0.4 | 2.5 |
| Graduation Rate | 94.6 | 80.9 |
| Truancy Rate | 0.0 | 16.4 |
| Total # of Teachers | 94 | 70,717 |
| % of Teachers Licensed in Teaching Assignment | 90 | 95.8 |
| Total # of Classes in Core Academic Areas | 289 | 275,949 |
| % of Core Academic Classes Taught by Teachers who are Highly Qualified | 94.5 | 95.7 |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 11.1 to 1 | 13.6 to 1 |
Knowing the need for change, the Blackstone Valley board recruited Michael Fitzpatrick as Superintendent in 1993. He brought with him a wealth of experience and a strong philosophy in the value of integrating academic content into CTE curriculum, and aligning curriculum across courses. Upon his arrival, a leadership team was formed that includes a dean of students, curriculum coordinators and a director of quality initiatives. At the superintendent’s direction, this team then developed a timeline for change that has since been successfully implemented.
Design Element on Display Success Factor 5.b. "Collaborative, mission-focused leadership
The timeline for change included introducing contractual professional development, a new staff development model, introducing long block-scheduling, doubling Math and English Language Arts instruction at both the 9th and 10th grade levels, and also increasing the student calendar days from 180 to 193. A wide variety of course offerings and very flexible master schedule allow each student’s schedule to best suit his/her specific ability level and provides for common planning time within each department. Half-day sessions are held eight times each year to accommodate staff in-service meetings and all staff members remain after school for hour-long meetings and/or professional development on alternating Wednesdays. During these meetings, data is frequently used for analysis.
After years of allowing academic teachers to remain on one side of the school and technical teachers to remain in their shops, Superintendent Fitzpatrick and Principal Richard Brennan began to break through these traditional silos of teaching by having academic and technical instructors tour one another’s classrooms/shops. Just by introducing what each faculty member did in the school began to foster collaboration among the different technical and academic disciplines. “A mutual respect was fostered,” said Fitzpatrick, and over time this has created a school culture which is characterized by a virtual absence of an academic-vocational divide.
Design Element on Display. See 5.c. “Supports for teaching excellence
Over a period of time, the faculty instituted cross-curriculum reading, writing, study skills, and math initiatives. This project involved vocational and academic teachers planning together and implementing teaching strategies such as the John Collins writing program. For example – A vocational instructor introduces “job sheets” that require extensive writing about the procedure of a machine. This sheet involves test taking, outlining and writing skills that many students lack. In order to address this problem, similar instructional initiatives are jointly designed with the English department.
Three full-time reading teachers as well as three reading tutors have been added to the faculty and appointed to work with struggling readers, including students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).
Design Element on Display Success Factor 3.b. "Rigorous Academic Preparation"
With the implementation of targeted intervention and system-wide improvement strategies, the number of students in the "failing" category of the state’s mandated assessment program (MCAS) has shifted from 21 percentage in Math and 18 percent in English Language Arts to 3 percent in Math and no failures in English over a seven year period. In that same timeframe, the number of students scoring in the “advanced” and “proficient” categories improved from 34 percent to 78 percent in Math and from 29 percent to 79 percent in English.
Back to Top| Math Test Date | Advanced & Proficient | Failing | English Test Date | Advanced & Proficient | Failing |
| Spring 2008 | 78% | 3% | Spring 2008 | 79% | 0% |
| Spring 2007 | 74% | 3% | Spring 2007 | 73% | 1% |
| Spring 2006 | 70% | 9% | Spring 2006 | 66% | 2% |
| Spring 2005 | 62% | 8% | Spring 2005 | 55% | 3% |
| Spring 2004 | 55% | 6% | Spring 2004 | 58% | 3% |
| Spring 2003 | 36% | 17% | Spring 2003 | 42% | 4% |
| Spring 2002 | 34% | 23% | Spring 2002 | 34% | 9% |
| Spring 2001 | 34% | 21% | Spring 2001 | 29% | 18% |
Shared Educational Philosophy
The Superintendent, school leadership team, and faculty share a common philosophy that focuses on simultaneously developing both academic and career technical skills in a “safe learning environment” with emphasis on integrating specialized career technical training and academic learning. This shared philosophy is reinforced by a collaborative, professional working relationship among school leaders and staff.
Substantive Options for College and Career Preparation
While all students are encouraged to strongly consider further study after high school, all students also graduate with career-specific skills that make them immediately employable in skilled employment. The career-specific skills these students have obtained at Blackstone Valley are equivalent to the job skills that many adults acquire through technical colleges or private trade schools. Approximately 35 percent of graduates attend two-year college programs, 35 percent attend four-year colleges, and 30 percent of graduates go directly to work in a skilled trade.
Tightly Integrated Academic and CTE Content
Blackstone Valley has involved all staff over a 15-year period in introducing modified instructional objectives. Basic literacy work has been integrated into the career technical curriculum and created much needed time within the academic curriculum to align the content with state curriculum frameworks. In order to track progress and gather reliable data, each teacher uses computer technology with a uniform program for collecting student performance data. This data is used regularly for assessment and decision making.
"Across the Curriculum" Learning Projects
Design Element on Display. See 2.d. Teacher collaboration on curriculum
An emphasis is placed on integrating specialized vocational/technical training and academic learning in order to further promote life-long learning and career development. In order to achieve this, the career technical and academic staff has created "across the curriculum" efforts in Reading, Math, and Study Strategies. There is a cross-curricular respect among technical and academic teachers which allows numerous opportunities for experimental and integrated work.
The entire staff contributes to developing school “themes” which can include project learning, skills competitions and school programming. The initiative for a new cross-curricular offering generally comes from staff –often one person with an idea reaches out to someone on the other side (academic or vocational) to develop the initiative. This gives the staff a sense of ownership and strong desire to succeed when delivering these themes. As new teachers join the Blackstone Valley staff, they are mentored in cross-curricular strategies and in the processes that enable initiatives to be developed at the school.
In-depth Exploratory Process for Choosing a Career Program
Design Element on Display. Success Factor 4.b. “Career awareness and exploration activities”
Students are admitted to Blackstone Valley without needing to select a specific career major in advance. During the first half of their freshman year, all students participate in six one-week periods to “explore” six career programs they have selected among the school’s 17 offered programs. During these exploratory weeks, students get to actually do the work of the trade or career so they have a strong sense of what will be expected in the program. At the end of the exploratory period, they apply for admission to their programs of choice and are typically admitted to one of their top three choices. They then begin concentrating in that career area during the second semester of the freshman year.
Practical Applications to Build Workplace Skills
In CTE courses, students develop relevant workplace skills by writing essays, creating project plans, and developing entrepreneurship skills. Throughout their school career and culminating in their senior year, all students create comprehensive “digital” portfolios that reflect their learning at the school. This allows for comprehensive evaluation by both instructors and the student.
Emphasis on Learning versus High Volume Production
The school staff is very conscious about keeping the career technical programs at the “learning level.” This means that career technical courses are not allowed to slip into a “production mode” where there is a high level of repetition and volume, whereby learning would take second place to output. For example, while the culinary arts program could certainly develop the capacity for a high level of production, providing extensive restaurant operations, banquets, and community catering, the culinary arts program is intentionally limited in its scope.
Collaborative and Professional Culture
Design Element on Display. See 2.d. Teacher collaboration on curriculum
Blackstone Valley emphasizes an open and collaborative approach to curricular decisions. When reviewing academic and technical curriculum or when adding a new element into an existing program, instructors are given the opportunity to voice whether the previous or new element has “learning potential.” Through these conversations, the faculty evaluates what is being taught, discusses how to strengthen techniques, shares information about what is working, and decides how to eliminate counterproductive teaching methods and lessons.
Business Partnerships
Design Element on Display. See 2.b. Educators understanding the world of work
In order to provide the highest caliber of specialized training and maintain its relevance to the ever changing workplace, Blackstone Valley has established solid partnerships with local business and industry, recruiting industry representatives to serve on its program advisory committees. These committees serve as vibrant and energetic partners with the school in promoting public/private collaboration and cooperation. Program advisors work hand-in-hand with vocational technical teachers to constantly monitor trends in business and industry and suggest curricular modifications and enhancements. They also serve as excellent resources for potential grant funding and student placement opportunities, suggest community service projects that enhance students’ learning experiences, and help secure corporate donations of supplies and equipment to ensure students have access to the latest technology they will encounter in the workplace.
Support for Diverse Learning Styles
Design Element on Display. See 1.b. "Personalization strategies"
Blackstone Valley’s delivery model rests on the belief that students learn best through a variety of learning experiences. By offering one-on-one coaching, small groups, contextual classes, and career development for even the youngest students, the school is working to ensure students excel in their studies. Students are given individualized instruction and encouraged to use learning technologies to support diverse learning styles. The school also works to complement its instructional program by offering a comprehensive competency-based counseling program and a wide array of extracurricular activities. In alignment with this emphasis of multiple modes of teaching and learning, there is an intensive emphasis on professional development and teachers are offered a bonus incentive for student improvement.
School Calendar Which Allows for Alternating Academic and CTE studies
Learning is divided in a two week academic/vocational rotation, one week of core academics which are required for college admissions, and one week of applied lab experience in the career technical “shops.” Currently, this week-on, week-off schedule appears to be unique to Massachusetts’ regional technical high schools.
Performance Contracting for Administrators, Teachers
Design Element on Display. See 5.d. Focus on the knowledge and skills needed for teaching success
The school has utilized performance contracting for administrators and support staff since 1998. The superintendent works with administrators, who in turn work with their support staff, to develop goals intricately tied to the system’s mission. Those goals are reviewed and approved by the school board and are subsequently used to determine eligibility for percentage pay increases linked to goal attainment and performance.
Additionally, teacher contracts ratified in 1998, 2001, 2005, and 2008 have included performance award programs that provide teachers with cash bonuses for improved system-wide student performance on the Massachusetts high stakes exams. The Valley Tech Performance Award program was the first of its kind for a public school system in Massachusetts and is linked to the system’s professional standards evaluation instrument, NCLB AYP targets, and graduation rates. This groundbreaking bonus clause makes a bold statement about the willingness of Valley Tech teachers and administrators to be held accountable for student performance and to strive to meet ever higher standards.
Success Strategies for Special Needs Students
Design Element on Display. See 1.b. "Personalization strategies"
Another area the school has focused on is to fully engage special education teachers in the academic and career technical classes, and to consult extensively with these teachers to design strategies that help special needs students participate fully in Blackstone Valley’s programs. Additionally, for many of the career technical programs, the school has recruited professional tradespeople and then trained them in special education strategies. This has allowed for a greater breadth of class offerings to special education students.
Focus on Deep Learning with Strong Testing as a Secondary Benefit
The school does not primarily focus its curriculum around the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System), but rather focuses on ensuring each student reaches their full learning potential through sound academic and vocational curriculum. It should be noted that there are MCAS preparatory classes available and it is an excellent accountability driver, but overall, the school feels that students who have participated and succeeded in their classes are well-equipped to pass the MCAS.
Back to TopThe school has grown significantly during the 15 year tenure of the current superintendent, from 750 students to 1100 students. The annual spending per student is $14,877. Approximately 750 students apply for the school’s 350 freshman openings. There are approximately 12% of students on free/reduced lunch and 5% of students are minorities.
Blackstone Valley students score among the highest in the state (among ALL high school students) in terms of first-time passage of the state’s high stakes reading and math exit exam. There has been a 15 year emphasis on integrating academic skills across curricular areas. Teachers exhibit a high degree of collaboration across academic disciplines (e.g. history and English), and between academic courses and CTE courses.
Other notable achievements include reducing the school dropout rate to .2%; the state average is 3.8%. There is also nearly 100% student placement after graduation whether it be postsecondary education or workplace entry.
Back to Top| Blackstone Valley | State | |
| 4-Year Private College | 16 | 31 |
| 4-Year Public College | 22 | 27 |
| 2-Year Private College | 1 | 2 |
| 2-Year Public College | 19 | 20 |
| Other Post-Secondary | 3 | 3 |
| Work | 35 | 10 |
| Military | 3 | 1 |
| Other | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown | 1 | 64 |
Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School
Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick, Superintendent
65 Pleasant Street
Upton, MA 01568-1499
Ph: 508-529-7758, ext 3034
Email: Send Email
Website: http://www.valleytech.k12.ma.us
For a complete list of all academic and vocational course offerings, visit http://www.valleytech.k12.ma.us/educational_programs.html
Last Updated, June 2009
This case study was prepared by the Meeder Consulting Group, LLC, a firm providing research, analysis and strategic advisement on promising education practices. Hans Meeder, President of the firm, was formerly Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, visit the website: www.meederconsulting.com.
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