All ninth grade students who enroll at Keefe Technical School participate in a Career Exploratory program designed to help them learn about their talents and interests relative to a variety of different career- technical programs. Through Career Exploratory, students are able to explore multiple career-technical programs at Keefe Technical School.
Career Exploratory offers students a chance to learn about and explore eight career-technical areas. Students are guaranteed one of their top three selections, and we strive to offer students a chance to explore all of their career choices. Grade 9 students participate in career exploratory for four consecutive periods each day every other week.
Career technical instructors evaluate students during the exploratory program using the Career Exploratory Shop Evaluation Rubric. On this rubric, each student is rated based on Conduct/Cooperation/Professionalism, Time Management/Preparation, Safety, and Task Completion/Workmanship and Effort/Employability, with each category valued at a 10 point maximum, for a total possible score of 100 points earned during each of the exploratory portion of Career Exploratory.
Take a look at our Freshman Experience HERE!
The career exploratory program runs for over three-fourths of the freshmen year. Students meet individually with their guidance counselor to discuss their career-technical program choice. Once students decide on a program they feel will benefit them, they further explore that choice to ensure success. If any student does not feel they made the correct selection during this time period they will have the opportunity to research other programs within the exploratory period. After each student has spent the allotted time in each area, the teacher using a secondary evaluation tool will select their final class.
Students are admitted into the career technical program of their choice based on a ranking that includes the grade the student earned while visiting the chosen exploratory program, highest cumulative career exploratory average of all programs taken by the student during exploratory, best overall average effort, and best overall average conduct. It is the district’s goal for students to be placed in their first choice career-technical program. If this goal cannot be met, career-tech areas are ranked based on students’ first choice career technical program selection. A waiting list will be maintained of students for oversubscribed programs. When an opening becomes available, the list will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee and the highest ranking student will be offered placement in that program.
After placement, students continue to explore the career-technical program in which they were placed for the remainder of the school year, in order for them to continue to learn about their talents and interests. Students who wish to transfer from one career-tech area to another may apply for transfer. Transfer requests will be considered subject to the availability of openings in the requested career-tech programs. Each transfer applicant will be interviewed and counseled individually to determine the appropriateness of the transfer for the particular student.
Students who wish to move from one career technical program to another during the school year may apply for a transfer by meeting with their guidance counselor and obtaining a signed permission statement from a parent/guardian. When making a decision about transfer from one career technical program to another, the school will consider enrollment availability in the program, the student’s discipline record, record of unexcused absences, and current grades. The Guidance Office will consult with the Career Technical Coordinator during this process.