CSArts-SGV CTE Pathways Creation: Preparing Students for an Evolving Arts Work Force

Pathways Improvement Scope

1)The design, creation, implementation, and staffing of a Film, Television, and Media Technologies Conservatory, creating several additional CTE pathways in the Arts, Media, and Entertainment Industry sector for students to complete. This conservatory will educate students enrolled in the Film, Television, and Media Technologies Conservatory with a specific curriculum, as well as support efforts of all 11 of the other arts conservatory concentrations for filming, documentation, marketing, and archival purposes.

2)The design, creation, implementation, and staffing of both Games and Simulation and Game Design and Integration CTE pathways within the Information and Communication Technology industry sector and Arts, Media, and Entertainment industry sector. This program will exist as courses during the academic day, enabling any enrolled student – in any arts discipline – to engage this curriculum as elective courses.

In addition to hearing from our parents, community, and other constituent groups regarding the need for qualified workers in the film, television, and media technologies industries, the arts and entertainment industry in the United States recorded roughly 4.43 million employees in 2022. Overall, this industry’s employment increased by around 15 percent over the previous year. In 2023, the number of employees was forecast to reach 4.81 million and predicted to grow even more rapidly in future years. While media will continue to be produced in traditional formats and be offered through film and television, industry trends dictate our desire to incorporate media technologies into our curriculum as well, thereby offering CSArts the ability to stay current and prepare students for developing trends in smaller-screen content creation for internet based social platforms, streaming services, and wireless providers.”

Goals & Priorities

Objective 1: The successful launch of the Film, Television, and Media Technologies Conservatory will offer students comprehensive training in film and television production, editing, screenwriting, sound design, cinematography, directing, and producing. Additionally, we will integrate current courses in Digital Media with new courses in design, software, and content transmission to adequately reflect current market demands. Based off of the successful program at our sister school, the Orange County School of the Arts, the Film, Television, and Media Technologies Conservatory will feature a rigorous, hands-on curriculum, where faculty members will challenge and mentor students to be their best selves, both artistically and individually. Students will be encouraged to use their work to demonstrate visual invention and curiosity, collaboration and individual expression, solid technical craftsmanship, and captivating storytelling that creates a thoughtful exploration of the human condition. The Film, Television and Media Technologies Conservatory will be both a pre-collegiate cinematic arts school and an industry prep program, helping students discover their own visual voices through practical training with industry equipment, software, and protocols.

Objective 2: The grant will implement Games and Simulation and Game Design and Integration pathways within the Information and Communication Technology industry sector and Arts, Media, and Entertainment industry sector. Both pathways will fully support the school’s growing interest in eSports, a competitive, fast-growing international phenomenon that has proven lucrative for players and game designers as well. The school’s focus on eSports is completely organic, as CSArts afterschool arts conservatory program inhibits the school offering team sports, and the length of our instructional day frequently prevents students from participating in club sports. Both of these pathways will promote the values of teamwork, communication skills, grit, and school spirit, with tournaments and games that provide an opportunity for students to hone their in-game skills, create content around their team, and take up leadership and management roles to help organize and coordinate their fellow students.

The successful launch of two new CTE Pathway Programs within the Information and Communication Technologies and Arts, Media and Entertainment sectors will now be available to students through our academic electives program (a first for our campus, as all of our CTE pathway programs currently exist through the afternoon arts conservatory program). Games and Simulation and Game Design and Integration will be available to ALL of our enrolled students, regardless of arts discipline. We consider this offering to our entire student population to be significant and impactful for equity and for offering additional training opportunities for our more disadvantaged students.

Objective 3: 100% of enrolled students in the new conservatory and two new pathways will complete the CTE Pathway prepared through the sequenced curriculum. They will demonstrate immediate alignment with CTE career and/or postsecondary pathways. 100% will have access to work-based learning opportunities focused on entrepreneurial opportunities and partnerships with local institutions that provide work-based learning experiences. Additionally, all student completers will have obtained postsecondary credits through a robust early-college program with our partner, Citrus Community College.