USD116 BOE Update: Dec. 3 2024

View the fall housing report

Staff from UHS gave an overview of CTE offerings at the high school. Over the last couple of years there has been an increase in students taking CTE courses. In 2024, 865 students enrolled in a CTE class, compared to 764 in 2022. The graduation rate for a CTE concentrator (3 or more credits in a CTE pathway) is 94.4 percent.

• Illinois Network of Child Care Resources Referral Agency (INCCRRA) Level One
• Food Handlers Certificate
• Parkland Articulation for Automotive Classes --> Once UHS students are seniors and have passed Auto 1,2,3 with a C or better, they can attend Parkland College as an ECCA student as a second year Parkland automotive student.

Executive Internships

• Students apply their second semester junior year to intern their second semester senior year
• This internship is unpaid and typically somewhere students wouldn’t be able to be hired
• Students meet weekly during lunch and focus on essential employability competencies
• Students can earn 1 or 2 credits based on hours logged

Cooperative Education

• Students find jobs that align with their career interests
• Students are paid
• Students earn 2 credits, one for class and one for work
• This class counts toward Illinois Consumer Education Graduation requirement.

Electrical is being added to the shop at UHS to allow for more welding machines and equipment.The district is covering the cost of the materials and equipment, but we would like to thank Davis Electric and IBEW Local 601 for donating the labor with apprentices to the project.

In 2024-25, there will be new offerings:

• To better support our multilingual learners, we will offer a vocabulary class for students to learn career specific vocabulary (medical/welding/etc) before they enroll in a CTE class, so they have a better foundation before they begin a course.
• Introduction to health careers class
• AP Computer Science Principles
• Dual Credit Parkland Business Classes

The intent of the PaCE Framework is for it to be an organizing tool to help acknowledge and connect areas of success and identify those that may need additional attention or resources. The framework is organized around three key areas:

• Career Exploration and Development
• Postsecondary Education Exploration, Preparation, and Selection
• Financial Aid and Literacy

Each year the PaCE committee chooses priority goals.

UHS PaCE Framework

Q: What kind of barriers are there to expanding enrollment in these classes?

A: The biggest barrier is physical space, a lot of us share rooms. We do a great job at rotating to ensure the maximum number of students can participate.

Q: What is being done to ensure a wide variety of students are taking CTE classes?

A: We have a variety of weighted and non-weighted options in CTE. Students can also select some of the advanced courses as a weighted options.

Dr. Ivory-Tatum's Superintendent Report: Dec. 3 Supt. Update

Congratulations to Urbana High School for being awarded a grant for $7,500 from the Community Foundation to support vocational training and career and college readiness.