About

The Rowland Unified School District Career Certification Program provides students the opportunity to earn a Certification of Completion in a career pathway in addition to earning their high school diploma at graduation.

Students develop professional and personal skills preparing them for employment and higher education.

Students commit to completing the following requirements:

• Complete the pathway sequences of courses
• Earn a "B" average (80%) in the core courses
• Earn a "B" or better grades in advanced courses
• Earn a "B" or better in Senior Seminar
• Earn proficient evaluations from professionals

History of Rowland USD Career Certification Program

The state and national focus of linking students academic learning to broad-based career preparation sparked the development of the Rowland Career Certification Program. The Program developed as a direct result of the District's 1989 master plan for Career Vocational Education and was Board approved at that time.

The Program components follow the California Department of Education's 1992 document Second to None, which was the blueprint for secondary education in California. It identified career pathway majors as a way of connecting students to school. This Certification Program is incorporated into the District's annual Areas of Focus and is reflective of the District's mission and core values, which, in part, are to provide all students with the opportunity to be successful in a chosen field and focus on the necessary curriculum to support that choice.

With the approval of the Board of Education, the Certification Program was instituted through the leadership of the Assistant Superintendent of the Secondary Division, Dr. Anthony Santorufo, and the Director of Adult Education/Career Preparation, Rocky Bettar. Working with teachers and business representatives, they developed the structure and content of the Certification Programs and implemented it in 1993.

The first Business Pathway certified thirteen students. The program has since grown to six pathways, certifying an average of 120 senior students each year and serving approximately 20% of the students. The six career pathways are:

• Arts & Communications -- implemented 1996-97
• Business -- implemented 1992-93
• Family & Consumer Sciences -- implemented 1994-95
• Health & Medical Services -- implemented 1996-97
• Public & Human Services -- implemented 2000-2001
• Technology -- implemented 2003-04

The program continues to evolve. Although students voluntarily choose to be part of the Certification Program, it became clear to the District and high schools that all students need guidance in career preparation. Due to the success of the program, the Board of Education in 2001 approved revised graduation requirements, adopting a career pathway requirement for all students.

In 2012, the California CTE Model Curriculum Standards were reorganized into 15 high-employing industry sectors. As a result, in 2017, the Board of Education approved the restructure of the original six career pathways into eight cutting-edge career pathways. They include:

• Arts, Media & Entertainment
• Computer Science
• Education & Child Development
• Engineering/Construction/Transportation
• Finance & Marketing
• Health Science & Medical Technology
• Hospitality
• Public Services