District Initiatives / District Initiatives

Career Center Expansion

During the 2010-2011 school year a committee of teachers, counselors, and administrators analyzed the programming offered at the Career Center along with the job growth projections for the region and state. From that research, the committee gathered student and community input about potential areas for growth for the Career Center to develop and offer to students.

In June 2011 the committee made the recommendation that the district focus on expanding the Medical and Health Careers Pathway for the Career Center. The Healthcare Industry is clearly a growth industry for the Billings region and student survey results indicated a high level of interest in this career area. During the 2011-2012 school year, district leaders will work collaboratively with the medical community and the areas colleges and universities to develop a series of courses that will help prepare students for the multitude of job opportunities in healthcare.

Common Core

Billings Public Schools Division of Teaching and Learning is developing a phased-in implementation plan for the new Montana English Language Arts and Math Content Standards. These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so they will graduate from high school able to succeed beyond high school in post-secondary education and the workforce. Montana joins 47 other states, two territories and the District of Columbia in the implementation of The Common Core Standards Initiative. Our implementation plan for the 2011-2012 school year will include:

Organizing a plan of action
Providing professional development for teachers and principals
Mapping the curriculum against the alignment of the new standards