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| Assessment tests show PHS seniors are ready for work world |
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| Written by Maddy Houk / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 26 December 2007 | |
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“The WordKeys results indicate how well Patterson High students are prepared for the world of work.” — Patrick Sweeney Patterson Unified superintendent of schools Patterson High School seniors scored highest in the county on work skills assessment tests they took earlier this school year, according to county and school district officials. The nationally used WorkKeys tests, which PHS students took this fall, measure job skills and target specific training for jobs that may fit students’ skills. In the past, businesses that have been looking to start operations in Patterson thought too many people were entering the workforce with gaps between their skills and required characteristics, according to PHS guidance coordinator Dianne Vargas. “PHS has put that rumor to rest with the results from our assessment,” Vargas said. WorkKeys tests also are used to give businesses further insight into how job candidates will perform once they are on the job. At the time of the assessment, 311 of the 336 seniors took the assessment tests in applied mathematics, locating information and reading for information. In the area of applied mathematics, 68 percent of local students showed they have work readiness skills for 60 percent of the jobs in the nation. The test indicated 75 percent of students have the work readiness skills needed for 60 percent of the jobs in the area of locating information. The best results came in the area of reading for information, with 80 percent of the senior class showing work readiness skills for 60 percent of the jobs and 42 percent of those students having work readiness skills for 90 percent of the jobs. “With these results, students can apply for — and be successful at — jobs they might not have known they qualified for,” Vargas said. Patrick Sweeney, Patterson Unified School District’s superintendent of schools, said he has confidence in the local seniors as a result of the test scores. “The WorkKeys results indicate how well Patterson High students are prepared for the world of work,” Sweeney said. “We’re proud of our students and our teachers. Dianne Vargas is organized with counselors and teachers and administration to develop the career center and reach out to employers.” Keith Griffith, senior manager of education for the Stanislaus Economic Development and Workforce Alliance, said Patterson kids did better than any school in the county. “They are given skills problems to assess job sustainability,” Griffith said. “(WorkKeys) takes what they learn in the classroom and applies it to the real world. It’s a tool; it’s not a panacea.” Griffith said with WorkKeys, an employer can look at the scores and tell if a person is ready for a specific job. For example, a person might do well as an auto mechanic if he or she gets a 4 in math and 5s in locating info and reading info, while a restaurant cook would want to get a 4 in math and 3s in reading and locating info. In Patterson, on a scale of 1 to 6 with 6 being top, 87 percent of the seniors got a 3 or better in applied math, while 91 percent got a 3 or better in reading and 73 percent got a 3 or better in locating info. “It’s an outstanding result,” Griffith said. “It shows you the school is doing its job. They have a high percentage of students who show they have the basic skills required by employers.” PHS students will get a copy of their WorkKeys scores, which they can take to a prospective employer along with their high school diplomas. “Their prospective employer can look and see if they quality for the job,” Griffith said. “They can get the basic academic strengths of the individuals they are hiring. It’s just another tool in the hiring process. “The fact is that Patterson has taken the lead on this since Pat Sweeney has been over there — they’ve made tremendous progress. It helps employers in the hiring process by decreasing new employee turnover and reducing training time." Griffith pointed out that not all students go to college when they graduate — some must get full-time jobs, while others must work while they attend classes. “Our goal is to test every kid in the county — not only seniors, but also freshmen as well, to track them,” Griffith said. “My goal is to raise the educational attainment level for both our current and future workforce. We need to get as many students as we can qualified for the job marketplace.” Vargas said the WorkKeys assessment is a valuable tool. “To me, it’s a real document that kids can actually go out and get jobs with,” Vargas said. “It’s not just a career assessment. It doesn’t just tell them the jobs they are good at — it tells them what job skills they have for that particular job.” To reach Maddy Houk at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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