Ford PAS Implementation Options

The collaborators in the implementation of the Ford PAS program typically include a national, regional, state, or local partner organization that supports program implementation; host sites (formal or informal education settings) that actually offer the curriculum; and a local Business/Education Advisory Council (BEAC). Partner organizations include colleges and universities, state education agencies, school districts, and community-based organizations. BEAC members include representatives of businesses, institutions of higher education, and community organizations; they contribute in a variety of ways, including arranging coordinated learning experiences (CLEs) for students. (CLEs are community-based, real-world experiences directly linked to the curriculum, for example, classroom speakers and visits from experts in relevant fields, mentoring and job-shadowing experiences, and worksite and campus tours.) Additional implementation support is provided nationally by the Ford PAS Technical Assistance Group.

The Ford PAS program is designed to be flexible, and there are a number of different implementation options:

• Type of Program Host: Though high schools are the most likely hosts of the Ford PAS program, other institutions and organizations—including colleges, universities, and community, professional, and industry organizations—can also serve as program hosts.
• Level of Implementation: While students will benefit most from implementation of the entire curriculum, sequences of modules organized around particular themes, or one or more individual modules, may be offered to meet the needs and requirements of host sites. (Use of less than one full module or of module activities out of sequence is strongly discouraged.)
• Type of Setting (Formal and/or Informal): The curriculum may be used in a formal program of study; an informal setting, such as summer, after-school, or weekend programs; or a combination of these two options.

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Type of Program Host

Comprehensive high schools may choose to implement the Ford PAS curriculum as a set of electives for students wishing to increase their chances for success in college and professional careers. Such schools can use Ford PAS both to support the academic rigor of their other course offerings and to provide students with skills that help them prepare for higher education and careers. While Ford PAS modules were designed to be taught three per semester, in some schools teachers use two modules per semester and spend longer on each module in order to ensure that students master the skills they need to succeed in the Ford PAS curriculum, including math and literacy skills. Ford PAS is aligned to national academic standards as well as to the standards for several states in which schools have implemented the program. High schools currently using Ford PAS include public comprehensive schools in urban, suburban, and rural areas, as well as career academies, other small learning communities, and charter schools. These schools are located in neighborhoods, towns, and cities spanning the socioeconomic, demographic, and cultural diversity of the United States. Some high schools have agreements with colleges or universities that allow them to offer students college credit for completing Ford PAS courses.

Career and technical education high school programs may implement all or some of the Ford PAS modules that address many of the key Performance Elements and Measurement Criteria for each of the 16 national career clusters. Ford PAS has been aligned to the Career Cluster standards for all 16 clusters. In addition, Ford PAS addresses the requirement of the Carl Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 that high school programs of study integrate rigorous academic content with technical content (see the Ford PAS Connection to Perkins on the Ford PAS Network section of the Web site). College credit may also be offered to students who complete Ford PAS courses in these programs.

Community colleges and four-year colleges and universities may host a Ford PAS program that draws high school students from several area schools. College credit may be offered to high school students who complete Ford PAS courses. Some universities also offer Ford PAS to first-year students, particularly those taking introductory math, science, and business courses.

Community organizations may host a Ford PAS program that is open to high school-age students in their communities.

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Full or Partial Curriculum Implementation

Full Implementation: High school students may begin the Ford PAS program in ninth or tenth grade. Full implementation takes a minimum of two and a half years, and the program may also be extended through a senior project or internship.

Partial Implementation: A site may choose to implement only part of the Ford PAS curriculum to best fit its own context and needs. For example, as mentioned above, some teachers find that they can only teach two modules per semester, which typically precludes offering all of the modules in elective courses. Because the curriculum is designed to be flexible, programs may implement one or more modules integrated into academic courses, or thematic sequences of modules offered as electives.

For example:

• Several Ford PAS modules may be bundled by content or theme to immerse a group of students in a particular content area. Thematic sequences of modules offer students an introduction to business and entrepreneurship, business and manufacturing, economics, and science, engineering, and technology.

• Modules may be bundled to develop a foundation in the skills needed for future success (as illustrated below) or by a particular skill set to help students develop specific skills, such as teamwork or oral and written communication.

• One or more stand-alone modules may be integrated into an existing academic course:

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Type of Setting (Formal or Informal)

Ford PAS may be offered as formal coursework and/or as an informal learning experience in summer, after-school, or weekend sessions. As the curriculum was being developed, modules were piloted in a variety of informal and formal settings.

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Ford PAS Implementation Examples

The following are some examples of different combinations of implementation options, listed by the type of host institution(s).

Comprehensive High Schools

• Bath High School in Lima, Ohio, offers the entire Ford PAS curriculum to students, who, upon completion of the course sequence, are then eligible to receive credits at a local college and university. [High school host site; full implementation + college credit; formal setting]
• Romulus High School in Detroit, Michigan, an alternative school that serves students who have not succeeded in other schools, offers a group of students the option to experience the entire Ford PAS curriculum throughout their school day. These students take four or five Ford PAS courses at the same time. Romulus has seen improvements in Ford PAS students’ attendance, grades, and self-esteem. [High school host site; full implementation; formal setting]
• The Advanced Technology Academy (ATA), a charter school in Dearborn, Michigan, provides the full Ford PAS program to all of its students. In addition, Lake Superior State University, ATA’s charter public school authorizer, offers college credit to students who successfully complete Ford PAS courses. A case study about ATA’s Ford PAS program, conducted in spring 2006, documents the positive impact of the program on students. [Charter school host site; full implementation + college credit; formal setting]
• West Bloomfield High School, a large high school in suburban Detroit, offers a sequence of Ford PAS engineering modules. As a special project, integrated with the curriculum, Ford PAS students prepare to enter national competitions in robotics and computer technology. [High school host site; partial implementation; formal setting]
• The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) supports local high schools in using the Ford PAS Foundations sequence with incoming freshman. UTSA has also helped the San Antonio Independent School District get the Ford PAS Economics sequence approved for the state’s economics requirement. [High school host sites; partial implementation; formal settings]

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Career and Technical Education High School Programs

• The Ohio Department of Education, Office of Career Technical and Adult Education, has a statewide model for implementing Ford PAS in high schools that offer manufacturing technology and other career technical education programs. An Ohio Ford PAS Resource Center at Sinclair Community College offers teachers intensive professional development institutes and provides ongoing support for program implementation. [School host sites; partial implementation; formal setting]
• In Nashville, Tennessee, the Center for Information Technology Education at Nashville State Community College, Nashville Career Advancement Center, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Alignment Nashville, and the Nashville Technology Council began collaborating in 2005 to offer an after-school program in four high schools. This program, XXI Tech Skills and Careers, focuses on workplace communication and careers, using Media and Messages (Module 2) and Careers, Companies, and Communities (Module 4). Starting in 2006, Nashville began training more than 200 teachers to implement the two modules, along with From Concept to Consumer (Module 1), as a transition course for ninth-graders in small learning communities district-wide. Business teachers in Nashville also integrate Ford PAS modules into their courses, and broader use of the curriculum is expected in coming years. [School host sites; partial implementation; informal and formal settings]
• At the Met School, a charter school in Providence, Rhode Island, high school students interested in business and marketing earn community college credit for taking Ford PAS courses that combine several modules organized around themes of entrepreneurship and product design. [Charter school host site; partial implementation + college credit; formal setting]

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Community Colleges and Four-Year Colleges and Universities

• At the University of New Mexico, freshman engineering students have the opportunity to take an introductory engineering course using the Ford PAS modules Reverse Engineering (Module 10) and Different by Design (Module 11). [University host site; partial implementation + college credit; formal setting]

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Community Organizations

• In Detroit, the Children’s Aid Society offers selected Ford PAS modules to students who are at risk of dropping out of school. The program is taught by social workers who work closely with students’ families. [Community organization host site; partial implementation; informal setting]

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Multiple Sites

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Alabama, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, and Texas have piloted Ford PAS programs for high school and college students. These programs range from summer offerings to high school students on a college campus to collaboration between a college business program and one or more local high schools to offer the program as part of the school curriculum. Several of these pilot programs include such features as college student mentors, college credit, and scholarship opportunities. [University and school host sites; full and partial implementation; formal and informal settings]

For more specific guidance on getting started, visit How Do I Start.

Learn more about the costs of the program.

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Related Reading...

Read the following documents that offer information to help you implement the Ford PAS program:

Articulation Agreements (Updated 3/28/06)
Brief descriptions of Ford PAS sites (both high schools and post-secondary) which offer opportunities for students to earn college credit for Ford PAS courses.

The Ford PAS Course and Module Academic Subject Areas
Lists of academic subject areas intended to assist in identifying teachers most likely to be qualified to teach the interdisciplinary Ford PAS courses and modules.

Ford PAS Correlation with Academic Standards and Core Skills
A list of standards and core skills that are taught, assessed, and/or applied throughout the Ford PAS curriculum.

Ford PAS Student Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills
A listing, by module, of the recommended knowledge and skills students should have prior to beginning each module.

Guidelines for Ford PAS Adaptations and Extensions (Updated 05/23/06)

Role of the Coordinator (Updated 10/27/05)
This document lists responsibilities generally assumed by site coordinators and/or partner coordinators.

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