The Jersey Shore Area School District has an open admissions guidelines in effect for Career and Technical Education programs in which there are sufficient openings available in order for all students to be accepted. For those programs which have limited annual openings, students will be considered for admission based upon the eligibility criteria listed. These criteria will help to predict an applicant’s ability to succeed and complete a Career and Technical program at Jersey Shore Area High School.
- Career Readiness: An applicant’s career maturity and assessment of his/her knowledge of the career preparation required of the program in which the applicant wishes to enroll will be measured by his/her given career knowledge of the area chosen and by the applicant’s interviewing an individual who is already employed in the applicant’s field of interest. In lieu of an interview, a student may research existing career-oriented literature or the Jersey Shore Area School District’s CHOICES© computerized career assisted guidance system. The interview report, or research of existing literature, will not be judged by the quality or style of writing. The applicant will need to be aware of several factors concerning the occupations:
- Working conditions
- Job opportunities in the field
- Special aptitudes and abilities required for success in the field
- Job hazards
- Job advantages
- Further education necessary to be successful in the occupation
- Job disadvantages
- Salary range – Points will be awarded based upon realistic answers for each area covered. Adaptations will be made for students with disabilities regarding the interview process. The interview report may be taped on cassette whenever writing presents a problem; and interpreter will be supplied for students with limited English proficiency; a person versed in sign language will be provided for hearing impaired candidates; and students who cannot interview an individual due to transportation or time limitations may research their field of interest using career oriented literature. Other adaptations, specifically designed to meet the needs addressed in the student’s IEP will be made on an individual basis.
- Teacher Recommendations: All applicants must submit two (2) teacher recommendations with their application. One (1) recommendation must be from an academic teacher who has taught or worked with the student within the last year. One (1) recommendation may be from another academic teacher or a technology education or family consumer science teacher. The recommendation criteria are not based on academic achievement, but rather on the student’s potential for success.
- Attendance: Jersey Shore Area School District believes a student’s attendance record is a vital component when considering his/her potential for success in a Career and Technical Education program. Employers rely on this information to predict an employee’s dependability. For this reason, all absences will be considered when reviewing a student’s application. Lengthy illnesses (in excess of three days) which are documented by a physician’s excuse will not be included in the applicant’s attendance record. A student will be awarded points, based upon a sliding scale from zero (0) to twenty-three (23) days of absence. The student’s absentee record will be averaged from the past three years of school attendance. Students with unlawful absences in grades 9 and 10 will be given last preference for admission.
All applicants will be ranked, from high to low points, for their CTE program of choice. The highest ranking applicants will be selected until all vacancies are filled. If vacancies remain for the program, applicants for a second-choice program will be ranked and selected to fill those vacancies. Students who are not selected for their first or second choices will receive a list of programs that still have vacancies. Students who apply after the application deadline will be automatically placed on the waiting list, if their choices are already full. If a program has unlimited vacancies, all candidates who apply will be accepted into the program. Students with disabilities who also have an IEP which has prescribed vocational program enrollment to a specific CTE program due to employment capability will not be required to follow the eligibility criteria.
If a waiting list of applicants result, these individuals will be ranked for their first and second choice programs. Whenever an admitted student cannot fulfill his/her obligation to enroll in a CTE program at Jersey Shore Area High School, the highest ranking applicant on the waiting list(s) will be selected first.
These admission guidelines will be be posted on the Jersey Shore Area School District website in the spring prior to the year of enrollment. It will also be translated into a foreign language, when necessary, for students with a limited English proficiency. It will also be available via audio for students who have a limited reading proficiency.
Questions regarding this application process may be referred to the Jersey Shore Area Senior High School Principal, Jersey Shore Area School District, 701 Cemetery Street, Jersey Shore, PA, 17740, 570.398.7170.