Newsletters 2014-15 Focus newsletter, [3] spring | Page 7

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE

PAGE 7

Career and college assessments prepare
not only students, but also the district
Last year, more than 1,300 AnokaHennepin students took career technical
education assessments in a slew of subject areas, and in the process earned
valuable college credits, and in some
cases, jobs.

In August, parents and guardians of
students in the Anoka-Hennepin School
District will be getting a new back-toschool newsletter. It will include important
information like open house dates and
times, a calendar for the upcoming 201516 school year, school start times, information from our Child Nutrition and transportation departments, and loads more.

“It’s just fantastic,” said Jessica Lipa,
director of Anoka-Hennepin’s career and
technical education programs. “As an
educator I see the benefits and I can’t
help but think back and wish I had
something like this when I was a
student.”
The assessments are found primarily
in the upper-level classes of the district’s
career and technical education classes,
such as accounting, nursing, law
enforcement, retail merchandising and
business classes, Lipa said.

The Focus newsletter that usually comes
in August will be published later in
September.
By creating this new publication, we’re
giving our community what it wants.
Parents and guardians want back-toschool information condensed into a
shorter, easier-to-use publication.
Community members without students in
the district want to read about what’s
happening with Anoka-Hennepin schools,
but don’t need the back-to-school details.

“Students have an 80 percent passrate on the assessments,” Lipa said. “So
kids are doing well and that tells me
we’re teaching the right stuff.”
And knowing whether AnokaHennepin schools are teaching the right
content has become a significant added
benefit of the assessments.
Last year, a handful of students took
the nursing career assessment, and in
the process, teachers found the students were consistently scoring low in
the same benchmark, Lipa said.
“They were able to put in a plan of
action to better the curriculum for all
students after learning there was a weak
spot,” she said. “So the assessments
have really become a valuable tool for
us as educators.”
The district pays the bill for all the
assessments using federal grant money,
Lipa said. “It’s Carl D. Perkins funds, and
they’re designed to help implement
high-level career and technical education classes,” she said. “One of the
requirements for the grant money is to
offer assessments in specific areas.”
The state determines which assessments are used for which class, Lipa
said, by bringing together business and
industry leaders with educators to determine which assessments are most
appropriate.

Students from around the Anoka-Hennepin School District, including law enforcement
and first responder students in the district's Secondary and Technical Education
Program (STEP), who often have hands-on learning opportunities through mock crashes, are also earning college credits by taking assessments as a part of their classes.

All residents will receive three regular
Focus issues in the coming year, full of
graduate spotlights and stories about
the kids and programs that help make
Anoka-Hennepin one of the strongest
school districts in Minnesota. ■

One assessment in particular, called the National Occupational
Competency Testing Institute (NOTCI) assessment, is given to a
lot of students in Anoka-Hennepin due to its wide range of subject matter. Last year, one student got a job in law enforcement
because of his NOCTI results.
“They were very honest about the fact he got the position
because of his NOCTI results,” Lipa said. “Many industries and
colleges believe the assessment sets applicants and students who
take it apart.”
And that’s why many colleges and universities offer college
credit for passing the NOCTI and other assessments. This year, in
the first trimester of school, 96 Anoka-Hennepin students took
and passed the NOCTI, each earning three entry-level college
credits in the process, Lipa said. “Added up, the students combined for about $60,000 in tuition cost savings at a community
college, or $370,000 at a private college or university. That’s a
big deal.” ■

Anoka-Hennepin’s business
office earns multiple
recognitions for excellence
The Anoka-Hennepin School District’s business office
has earned two national awards recognizing its excellence in financial reporting and accountability.
The Association of School Business Officials (ASBO)
has awarded Anoka-Hennepin its Certificate of
Excellence in Financial Reporting for “having met or
exceeded the program’s high standards for financial
reporting and accountability.”

John Koehler,
Director of Finance

New back-to-school
publication coming
to Anoka-Hennepin
parents/guardians
in August

In addition, the national Government Finance
Officers Association has also awarded the district its
Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for its
comprehensive annual financial report.