In today’s global economy, an educated workforce is the differentiator for competitive advantage. Creating seamless education pathways is an important strategy to build that educated workforce. States and instructors are finding that the Networking Academy curriculum, which is aligned with industry certifications and tailored to the needs of students, can assist in creating these important linkages and pathways.

The two featured models that follow represent some firsts with statewide honors credit and articulations, as well as an emerging Information and Communication Technology pathway with the Networking Academy as its core, leading to STEM two and four year degrees.

In 2005, North Carolina added Networking Academy coursework to its honors credit list, enabling Networking Academy students who successfully completed CCNA 3–4 to earn weighted grade points based on a 5.0 scale rather than the standard 4.0 scale. Citing the rigor of the coursework and preparation for industry certification, this marked the entry of career and technical courses to the honors credit list in North Carolina.

“Honors courses, especially those from the Cisco Networking Academy, offer our students more opportunities to reach for the most rigorous coursework and be rewarded accordingly. It also requires a higher level of involvement and commitment by the instructor.”

Dr. June Atkinson, North Carolina State Superintendent

“Conducting an orchestra” comes to mind when you think of the work of Richard Grotegut at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. Grotegut is not in the music department, but a professor in computer networking and emerging technology as well as the main contact for the regional academy at the college. His orchestra includes high school and college teachers and administrators, business and industry leaders, and an assortment of state education work groups and contacts. Building on a successful project for the National Science Foundation called Learning Alliance for Bioscience, Grotegut is applying the same idea to create partnerships for the newly launched Information and Communication Technology (ICT) pathway. He sees this pathway as the right time, the right place, and the right model.

• Missouri: Cisco Networking Academy Salutes Tenth Anniversary in Missouri
• Connecticut: Connecticut Public Television 10:10 Event Taping
• Oregon: Celebrating the Architects of a Networked Economy at Chemeketa Community College
• Minnesota: Area Alumnus and Instructor Honored at Cisco Networking Academy 10-Year Anniversary Salute (page 6)

Cisco Networking Academy is pleased to announce general availability of the English versions of the following courses:

CCNA Discovery

• Introducing Routing and Switching in the Enterprise
• Designing and Supporting Computer Networks

CCNA Exploration

• LAN Switching and Wireless
• Accessing the WAN

The CCNA Discovery and CCNA Exploration curricula are now complete and all course materials are available for immediate use on Academy Connection.

A refreshed version of the Cisco Networking Academy U.S. Standards Alignment Database is now available. The database includes the new CCNA Discovery, CCNA Exploration, and IT Essentials curricula.

This public database maps Networking Academy curricula learning objectives to math, science, and language arts standards in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. national standards.

Read the recent ACTE Brief on the important role that career and technical education plays in aiding students’ successful transition from secondary to postsecondary education. CTE programs are on the front lines of ensuring that all students have opportunities to gain the skills and credentials necessary for success in the twenty-first century economy.

Download the report from ACTE’s resource center

Cisco Networking Academy Resource Center was created to increase your access to the newest academy resources.

The website is continuously evolving to meet your needs. The most recent materials to be added include the following:
• Tri-fold and data sheet detailing how NETLAB helps academies meet new demands
• Student brochure and Networking Academy overview data sheet
• March edition of the academy newsletter distributed to U.S. academies
• Links and resources related to the U.S. Tenth Anniversary Salute
• Mind Wide Open videos

To visit the Cisco Networking Academy Resource Center, go to: http://www.cisco.com/go/netacadresourcecenter

• Gates to Students: Consider IT Careers (eSchool News)
• Starting Salaries for IT Pros to Jump in 2008 (Network World)
• Industry Leaders Establish Information Technology Certification Council (Certification Magazine)
  

Columbus City Schools is a large urban district with approximately 56,000 students and a stated mission to help ensure that “each student is highly educated, prepared for leadership and service, and empowered for success as a citizen in a global community.” Briggs High School is one of 17 high schools in the system. Although few Briggs students plan to join the technology field directly after graduation, the school system, parents, and students recognize that technology has become an important element of a liberal arts education.

Jim Martiny, a computer science teacher at Briggs, recognized the importance of networking skills in particular. “I had been creating my own networking coursework and lab exercises for students,” explains Martiny. “In 1999, I was invited to a presentation on the Cisco Networking Academy. It offered everything: an administrative system, curriculum, testing, and labs. I attended the training and began teaching the material that year.”

According to Joe Miller, a Cisco Networking Academy student from Fort Wayne, living with a visual disability can be hard, especially if you are pursuing a career in the IT field. “Throughout my life, people have thought of me as being less capable of doing certain things. This misunderstanding has caused me problems with getting jobs. One potential employer even thought I couldn’t use a computer.” Although Joe has faced many challenges, he says he has never let any of them stop him from pursuing the things that he wanted to do.