WELCOME TO MARYLAND BUSINESS EDUCATION
The goal of the Maryland Business, Management, and Finance Program Affiliate is to support curriculum development and professional development for business education teachers in schools that are implementing the Maryland Business, Management, and Finance Maryland Programs of Study. This program represents a partnership between the Maryland State Department of Education and the Division of Career and College Readiness and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
In 2013, Maryland was ranked the nation’s best education system for a fifth straight year by Education Week. Considered in the rankings was how well a state prepares students for college and career success. In Maryland, these efforts are lead by our Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs, which the Governor and the State have committed to expanding. During the last school year, almost 108,000 high school students enrolled in CTE courses, and 20 percent of graduating seniors complete a State approved program of study. The Business, Management and Finance programs are the most popular of the 10 CTE career cluster programs and include the Accounting, Marketing, Business management, National Academy of Finance, and Business Administrative Service Pathways of Study.
In collaborative effort, the Maryland BMF Program Affiliate works with the MSDE Career and Technology Education (CTE) branch to provide leadership; professional development opportunities for teachers; curriculum and technical assistance; program alignment to industry standards; and assistance with articulation agreements in order to ensure excellence across the BMF discipline .
In 2013, Maryland was ranked the nation’s best education system for a fifth straight year by Education Week. Considered in the rankings was how well a state prepares students for college and career success. In Maryland, these efforts are lead by our Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs, which the Governor and the State have committed to expanding. During the last school year, almost 108,000 high school students enrolled in CTE courses, and 20 percent of graduating seniors complete a State approved program of study. The Business, Management and Finance programs are the most popular of the 10 CTE career cluster programs and include the Accounting, Marketing, Business management, National Academy of Finance, and Business Administrative Service Pathways of Study.
In collaborative effort, the Maryland BMF Program Affiliate works with the MSDE Career and Technology Education (CTE) branch to provide leadership; professional development opportunities for teachers; curriculum and technical assistance; program alignment to industry standards; and assistance with articulation agreements in order to ensure excellence across the BMF discipline .
Why Career and Technology Education?
The workforce has changed dramatically as a result of technological advancements made in the past two decades demanding that students enter the workplace prepared with advanced technical and 21st century skills. A study conducted by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce (2008) projects that from 2008 to 2018, about two-thirds of the job openings in the U.S. will require at least some postsecondary education and training. More specifically, approximately half of the jobs that will require post-secondary education will go to people with an associate’s degree or occupational certificate. Often referred to as middle skill occupations, they include such career paths as construction, paralegal, health technology, nursing, office management, administrative services, bookkeeping, sales, event planning, repair and installation, massage therapy, and law enforcement (1).
Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs are developed in response to an identified opportunity to add value to students’ overall educational programs and align with the most appropriate, reliable, and valid technical standards available. CTE programs provide multiple options for students as they prepare for entry into careers and further education and are measured against student attainment of rigorous academic, employability and technical skills and student success in further education and employment.
Career and Technology Education prepares both youth and adults for a wide range of careers. These careers require varying levels of education- from high school and postsecondary certificates, to apprenticeships, or two- and four-year college degrees. Students add value to their overall education by completing CTE programs of study that provide opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials and college credit while still in high school.
Is there any proof CTE works? Students who complete a rigorous academic core coupled with an academically challenging CTE program of study have test scores that equal or exceed college preparatory students. Additionally, they are more likely to pursue postsecondary education, have a higher grade point average in college, are less likely to drop out of college in the first year, and have an easier time finding internships and employment opportunities than non-CTE students. In short, CTE programs have been cited for: preparing students to be career and college ready, helping students learn how to apply core academic skills to real world professional situations, building the employability soft skills of students such as communications and critical thinking, and providing students with job-specific technical skills (2). Further, CTE students have also been found to be significantly more likely to report that they developed problem-solving, project completion, research, math, college application, work-related, communication, time management and critical thinking skills during high school (3).
The Business, Management, and Finance (BMF) programs of study include: Business Administrative Services, Business Management, National Academy of Finance, Accounting, and Marketing. They represent programs of study all found at the University level. In fact, published studies consistently find that business remains the number 1 college major in the nation (4) for both men and women (5). In terms of persistence to graduation and number of degrees awarded, business also holds the top spot representing nearly 25% of all degrees awarded annually (6). At the undergraduate level, business is recognized for highly applicable skills sets and the broad career possibilities it avails. Undergraduate business degrees also rank highest in terms of employability and transference across industry sectors (7).
Do BMF programs of study prepare students for academic studies in undergraduate business programs? Yes, students who take business courses while in high school are found to be better prepared for academic success in college business programs (8).
The Maryland State Department of Education has committed itself to improve all CTE programs of study. This effort has included the development of State-wide curriculum aligned with the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification exams (Business Administrative Services) and the CLEP Exams (Accounting, Marketing, and Business Management). Further, the rigor of each program of study is being dramatically increased in order to better prepare students for career or college entry as well as to align with entry-level undergraduate courses for each respective discipline. With contemporary assurance of learning and assessment standards occurring in higher education, it is imperative that high school completer programs represent rigorous and not watered-down learning opportunities. The MSDE is supporting a federal mandate to incorporate certification and/or national standardized examinations into curriculum to increase the career and college readiness of student, insure program validity and effectiveness as well as measure student achievement.
To review the MSDE Business Management and Finance Program Affiliate Goals click here
Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs are developed in response to an identified opportunity to add value to students’ overall educational programs and align with the most appropriate, reliable, and valid technical standards available. CTE programs provide multiple options for students as they prepare for entry into careers and further education and are measured against student attainment of rigorous academic, employability and technical skills and student success in further education and employment.
Career and Technology Education prepares both youth and adults for a wide range of careers. These careers require varying levels of education- from high school and postsecondary certificates, to apprenticeships, or two- and four-year college degrees. Students add value to their overall education by completing CTE programs of study that provide opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials and college credit while still in high school.
Is there any proof CTE works? Students who complete a rigorous academic core coupled with an academically challenging CTE program of study have test scores that equal or exceed college preparatory students. Additionally, they are more likely to pursue postsecondary education, have a higher grade point average in college, are less likely to drop out of college in the first year, and have an easier time finding internships and employment opportunities than non-CTE students. In short, CTE programs have been cited for: preparing students to be career and college ready, helping students learn how to apply core academic skills to real world professional situations, building the employability soft skills of students such as communications and critical thinking, and providing students with job-specific technical skills (2). Further, CTE students have also been found to be significantly more likely to report that they developed problem-solving, project completion, research, math, college application, work-related, communication, time management and critical thinking skills during high school (3).
The Business, Management, and Finance (BMF) programs of study include: Business Administrative Services, Business Management, National Academy of Finance, Accounting, and Marketing. They represent programs of study all found at the University level. In fact, published studies consistently find that business remains the number 1 college major in the nation (4) for both men and women (5). In terms of persistence to graduation and number of degrees awarded, business also holds the top spot representing nearly 25% of all degrees awarded annually (6). At the undergraduate level, business is recognized for highly applicable skills sets and the broad career possibilities it avails. Undergraduate business degrees also rank highest in terms of employability and transference across industry sectors (7).
Do BMF programs of study prepare students for academic studies in undergraduate business programs? Yes, students who take business courses while in high school are found to be better prepared for academic success in college business programs (8).
The Maryland State Department of Education has committed itself to improve all CTE programs of study. This effort has included the development of State-wide curriculum aligned with the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification exams (Business Administrative Services) and the CLEP Exams (Accounting, Marketing, and Business Management). Further, the rigor of each program of study is being dramatically increased in order to better prepare students for career or college entry as well as to align with entry-level undergraduate courses for each respective discipline. With contemporary assurance of learning and assessment standards occurring in higher education, it is imperative that high school completer programs represent rigorous and not watered-down learning opportunities. The MSDE is supporting a federal mandate to incorporate certification and/or national standardized examinations into curriculum to increase the career and college readiness of student, insure program validity and effectiveness as well as measure student achievement.
To review the MSDE Business Management and Finance Program Affiliate Goals click here
BUSINESS EDUCATION VIDEO
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Why Business Education
Need a video to promote high school business education programs? Look no further. I prepared the video to the right as a means to highlight the are array of facts demonstrating the value of high school business education programs. |
(1) Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce, (2010). Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018. Georgetown University
(2) Association for Career and Technical Education. (2009). FactSheet. Retrieved 11/22/11 from: www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/About_CTE/files/CTUFactSheet2.0-3.doc
(3) Grasmick, N. (2011). Across the nation during the month of February, Career and Technology Education programs are being celebrated during CTE Month. Maryland State Department of Education. Retrieved from: 2/16/2011 http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/F1D78DCC-1403-4029-A4CB-BF6BB8106752/27453/oped_career__technology_03_2012.pdf
(4) Princeton Review. (2010). Top 10 College Majors. Retrieved 1/20/2011 from http://www.princetonreview.com/college/top-ten-majors.aspx
(5) U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2010) Digest of Education Statistics, 2009 (NCES 2010-013)
(6) Goudreau, J. (2010). Most Popular College Majors for Women. Forbes.Com. Retrieved 3/10/2011 from http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/10/most-popular-college-degrees-for-women-forbes-woman-leadership-education-business.html
(7) Shatkin, L. (2008). Best Jobs for the 21st Century. St Paul, MN, Jist Publishing.
(8) Sweitzer, K. (2011). High School Preparation Tips for Aspiring Business Majors. Retrieved 3/17/2011 from http://businessmajors.about.com/od/undergradbusinessmajors/a/HighSchoolPrep.htm
(2) Association for Career and Technical Education. (2009). FactSheet. Retrieved 11/22/11 from: www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/About_CTE/files/CTUFactSheet2.0-3.doc
(3) Grasmick, N. (2011). Across the nation during the month of February, Career and Technology Education programs are being celebrated during CTE Month. Maryland State Department of Education. Retrieved from: 2/16/2011 http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/F1D78DCC-1403-4029-A4CB-BF6BB8106752/27453/oped_career__technology_03_2012.pdf
(4) Princeton Review. (2010). Top 10 College Majors. Retrieved 1/20/2011 from http://www.princetonreview.com/college/top-ten-majors.aspx
(5) U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2010) Digest of Education Statistics, 2009 (NCES 2010-013)
(6) Goudreau, J. (2010). Most Popular College Majors for Women. Forbes.Com. Retrieved 3/10/2011 from http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/10/most-popular-college-degrees-for-women-forbes-woman-leadership-education-business.html
(7) Shatkin, L. (2008). Best Jobs for the 21st Century. St Paul, MN, Jist Publishing.
(8) Sweitzer, K. (2011). High School Preparation Tips for Aspiring Business Majors. Retrieved 3/17/2011 from http://businessmajors.about.com/od/undergradbusinessmajors/a/HighSchoolPrep.htm
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MSDE, Business Education, Business Education Resources
Maryland Business Education Program Affiliate
Maryland Business Education Program Affiliate