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From the Superintendent - graduation policy and career pathways
Published on Jan 5, 2019 21:00

Dear CV Families:

It is hard to believe that we are nearly half way through this school year and beginning to discuss student scheduling for the 2019-20 school year at Cumberland Valley High School. While your student may not yet attend and be scheduling High School classes, it is still important that all families are aware of the new endorsements that students have an opportunity to receive in addition to their diploma. 

At Cumberland Valley School District, we do not simply want our students to plan to graduate. Rather, we want them to graduate with a plan. Whether our students plan upon graduation to directly enter the workforce or military, or attend a two-year college, trade school, or competitive or highly-competitive university, we want them to exit with marketable skills that give them an edge in the local, state, national, or global economy. As part of the District’s new graduation policy, which was approved late last year, CV is now awarding endorsements in addition to a High School diploma. These endorsements indicate that our students are Workforce Ready, Career and Post-Secondary Ready, and/or Advanced Post-Secondary Ready.   

Seeking a CV endorsement in addition to a High School diploma is voluntary and does not require coursework beyond the total credits a typical CV student takes. However, to receive an endorsement, it does require courses that align with the student’s career goals and that enhance their ability to enter and advance within a specific career cluster. In order to receive an endorsement, students complete five to eight credits in a career pathway designed by CV or by the student. These career pathways will include a collection of rigorous and high-quality courses, workforce preparation activities, and other educational experiences that are organized around a cluster of careers sharing similar characteristics and common employment requirements. As an example, a student with a strong interest in healthcare may attend Cumberland Perry Area Vocational Technical School in Nursing to receive their PA Nurse Aide Certification, they may take course work at CV High School, complete college coursework through our articulation agreement with Harrisburg Area Community College, and/or receive a Personal Care Assistant Certification through training with one of our local healthcare providers, who often will subsidize the student’s pursuit of a two- or four-year degree in a health field. Likewise, a student may take a series of Advanced Placement and College course work in math and science with an emphasis in the biological sciences, in order to pursue post-secondary work in Pre-Med. In any of these cases, the coursework is clustered around healthcare and represents marketable skills as well as preparation for post-secondary study.  

CV has designated pathways in Advanced Manufacturing and Pre-Engineering (PLTW), Agricultural Science, Computer and Information Science, Emergency Medical Responder, Emergency Medical Technician, Firefighter, Heavy Equipment Operations, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Teacher Education, and Military Science (JROTC). Students can design meaningful pathways tailored to their skills and interests utilizing the courses offered at Cumberland Valley High School and through our articulation agreements with Harrisburg Area Community College, Shippensburg University, Harrisburg University, and Penn State Harrisburg.  Further, CV has growing numbers of community partners willing to offer our students opportunities for work-study, internships, and paid apprenticeship programs centering around career clusters, as well as employment after graduation with benefits that pay for their continued studies.

At CV, we believe that high school programming aligned with meaningful career pursuits is where purpose meets opportunity for business, industry, taxpayers, and – most importantly – our students’ futures.

Please click here to learn more about our new graduation policy, endorsements, and pathways. You may click here to learn more about the scheduling process at CV High School and to review the Program of Studies. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s school counselor or building principal should you have any questions about class scheduling or the graduation policy.

With sincere appreciation,

Frederick S. Withum III, Ed.D.
Superintendent

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