FAQs

Advanced Placement

Yes.

While we expect LEAs to strive to provide paid internship opportunities for all students, Innovation Career Pathway designees are not required to offer paid internships to students.

Perkins programs (also known as non-Chapter 74 programs) may apply for Innovation Career Pathway designation.

A number of designees have endeavored to set up high-quality virtual capstones or internship experiences. We have developed materials that are specifically supportive of remote work-based learning in the library of resources. Questions about specific internship and capstone structures should be asked on an individual basis.

Innovation Career Pathways must incorporate at least two yearlong-equivalent, college-level courses that may include dual enrollment, AP, IB, PLTW or articulated college credit opportunities. Both Early College and Innovation Career Pathways are intended to provide access to post-secondary education.

Wall-to-wall Chapter 74 schools are not eligible to apply for the Innovation Career Pathway designation. For the most part the Chapter 74 requirements offer the participating student high quality career readiness already. [Vocational technical schools can, however, apply for designation as an Early College program, and will need to show how all Chapter 74 program elements can be met as well.]

You may submit questions to the CCE/DESE team via the Contact Form. We welcome all questions and are here to support you throughout the planning, designation, and implementation processes. Join the MAICP Portal, and you can post questions to the Community of Practice in the Forum. Also, reach out to the Peer Ambassadors, who are available as a peer resource to applicants.

Pathways must start no later than in 10th grade, and MyCAP must start no later than 9th grade.

Connecting Activities

Yes. Note that an “Innovation Career Pathway” is distinct from an “innovation school,” as defined in state statute.

Yes. Perkins programs often have that broader characteristic (industry sector alignment), and may lend themselves to ICP designation. Note – to report a student as ICP, the program must have achieved final designation.

No. A student cannot complete more than one ICP program. Students may take courses in other available ICP pathways in their school, if they desire, but they can only complete one Innovation Career Pathway. Note – to report a student as ICP in SIMS, you must select the appropriate industry sector code for each student enrolled, as reflected in the LEA designation.

Alternative schools are welcome to apply. As with all applicants, to receive designation they must satisfy all requirements. Note that completion of MassCore is a requirement for students in Innovation Career Pathways.

An appropriate use of implementation dollars is to support staffing. You’ll want to plan for sustainability of the position(s) beyond the life of the grant.

For a Massachusetts student to participate in an internship outside of Massachusetts, the state in which they would work must allow for it and all labor laws that are pertinent to that state must be followed. This can be a complicated matter, requiring research on the part of the internship coordinator beginning with the pertinent state’s Department of Labor.

The following are useful links to bordering states’ appropriate web sites:

• Connecticut: http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/
• New Hampshire: https://www.nh.gov/labor/
• Rhode Island: https://dlt.ri.gov/
• Vermont: https://labor.vermont.gov/

It is possible for an LEA to have a portfolio of multiple types of High Quality College and Career Pathways within a school. An applicant can propose a wall-to-wall Early College or Innovation Career Pathway (one in which all students are enrolled); most applicants submit proposals for one or more sector-based pathway programs that serve a cohort of students.

Yes. Students can and should get credit toward graduation for summer internship experiences, provided they happen in the summer before senior year. Student participation in the 100 hour career immersion Internship or Capstone experience must be documented as a course with a local SIMS course code. Each secondary institution can make their own decisions around offering summer courses, and should then follow DESE procedure and work with district data staff for documenting course-coded summer courses.

Yes. In addition to the local MassHire board and an employer partner (one of which is required per chosen industry sector), examples might be different types of employers, designated apprentice programs, workforce career centers, or community based organizations.

Center for Collaborative Education