Clinton Area Tech Center meets all goals on latest report card

Posted January 31, 2018 at 9:27 am

Clinton County Area Technology Center is one of 53 Kentucky Tech Area Technology Centers in the Commonwealth. Clinton County ATC services Clinton and Cumberland secondary students by providing students the opportunity to gain academic, technical, and occupational skills needed to transition successfully to work or post-secondary eduction.

Clinton County ATC Principal Stesha Flowers said, “As a district, Kentucky Tech strives to create a CTE system in Kentucky that is continuously improving to meet the needs of business and industry.”

Kentucky Tech improvement is monitored through the Biennium District Continuous Improvement Plan process. With the current biennium ending May 2018, Clinton County ATC has successfully met the 2016-18 KY Tech District Continuous Improvement Plan goals.

The ‘16-’18 KY Tech District goals focused on Career Pathway completion, College and Career Readiness measures, and students graduating and entering work or postsecondary education successfully.

Each year, the Kentucky Department of Education releases school report cards that give insight to individual school performance. Based on the 2016-17 Kentucky date released recently, Clinton County ATC was one of only four ATCs in the state to meet all the goals that were a part of the 2016-18 Biennium District Continuous Improvement Plan.

Clinton County’s ATC’s College and Career Readiness was 84 percent, which was above the 2018 state goal of 82.5 percent. The percentage of students enrolling at the ATC who finish career pathway was 75 percent, which was above the 70 percent 2018 state goal.

Flowers was extremely pleased with the local ATC’s accomplishments in all areas of meeting its goals in the improvement plan, primarily in being fourth highest among all 53 area tech center’s in Kentucky.

The ATC principal also noted the high achievement would have a positive effect on Clinton County’s goal of becoming a Work Ready “In Progress” county, but a Work Ready Community, which is a goal being worked toward among local government officials, school officials and the business community in the county.

“Students really like coming here,” added Flowers.

She said they can get independent certification and work toward receiving two-year Associate Degrees in several fields, earning dual credits. She also attributed the local district’s collaboration with Somerset Community College in the success of students being able to obtain degrees while still in high school.

Flowers continued, “Moving forward to the 2018-19 school year, Clinton County ATC is working on various initiatives to further improvement.”

In addition to successful Career Pathway completion, other areas of focus include enhancing the partnership with Somerset Community College to increase dual credit opportunities, working with the local Workforce Investment Board in analyzing labor market information to improve pathways and support transition to postsecondary and the workforce, and working with the local Work Ready Community Committee to increase the number of graduates earning the Work Ethic Seal Certification.