RD450 - Virginia’s Examination of the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-Car) - September 24, 2008


Executive Summary:
• LEGISLATION

Item 138, 2008 Appropriation Act E. The Department of Education, in conjunction with the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR), shall examine the issue of I-CAR standards for entry-level students and report their findings to the Chairman of the Senate and House Education Committees no later than December 1, 2008.

The mission of the I-CAR program is to develop strong educational programs related to collision repair. See (www.i-car.com).

• BACKGROUND

The Virginia Department of Education includes automotive repair courses in its Career and Technical Education Administrative Planning Guide. Individual school divisions choose curriculum that may target an industry certification. A number of Virginia Automotive Body Technology programs utilize the “I-CAR Enhanced Delivery” curriculum. I-CAR indicates that its comprehensive collision repair curriculum can lead to a certification in the collision repair and refinishing area. Programs using any specific curricular approach normally target one or more of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Collision Repair & Refinish Test Series examinations to provide students with both student-selected verified credit eligibility and enhanced job market value.

In Virginia, the Path to Industry Credentialing initiated under former Governor Mark Warner encourages students to work toward earning an industry certification, achieving a state licensure, or passing an occupational competency assessment while pursuing a high school diploma. Students who earn a credential and complete a Career and Technical program may earn up to two student-selected verified credits to meet graduation requirements. The industry credentials earned by students are a measurement standard utilized on the Virginia School Report Card and also are a means of documenting the state’s performance on preparing students to achieve the Technical Skills Standard for the federal Carl D. Perkins Act of 2006.

A credential is defined as:

• a complete industry certification program, e.g., Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).

• a pathway examination that leads to a completed industry certification, e.g., automotive technician examinations from ASE.

• a state-issued professional license, e.g., Cosmetology.

• an occupational competency assessment, e.g., technical skill assessments from the National Occupational Competency Institute (NOCTI).

The Virginia Board of Education approves for student-selected verified credit only those credentials that meet the following criteria:

• They must prepare students for an occupation or occupational area.

• They must be knowledge-based, as opposed to performance-based. Credentials may contain a performance-based component, but it is not required.

• They must be in a career and technical education field that confers a credential from a recognized industry, trade, or professional association or entity.

• They must be administered on a multi-state or international basis.

• They must be standardized and graded independent of the school in which the test is given.

As of January 10, 2008, the Virginia Board of Education has approved 151 credentials for career and technical education (CTE) courses or course sequences. The current list approved by the Virginia Board of Education is attached for your information.

In addition to providing student-selected verified credit(s) and adding value to a student’s résumé for obtaining entry-level positions in today’s technical job market, credentials provide the following benefits to students:

• Evidence that the student has completed advanced educational preparation by verifying competency in career and technical education skill areas in demand by business and industry.

• Increased job opportunities for advancement in a chosen career path.

• Enhanced self-esteem for students through achieving national occupational competency standards recognized by business and industry.

When the Virginia Department of Education began identifying industry credentials in 2002, only a small percentage of Virginia students were enrolled in courses with the potential for achieving an industry credential. In 2008, most career and technical education course(s) offer training for one or more industry credentials. During the 2007 – 2008 school year, 15,430 Virginia students passed either industry certification exams, occupational competency exams, or achieved state licensure in areas eligible for student-selected verified credit. To date, thirty (30) students have participated in automotive collision industry certifications.

Students who complete a career and technical education program sequence and pass an examination or occupational competency assessment in a career and technical education field that confers certification; or earn an occupational competency credential from a recognized industry, trade, or professional organization; or acquire a professional license in a career and technical education field from the Commonwealth of Virginia may substitute the certification, competency credential, or license for (i) the student-selected verified credit and (ii) either a science or history and social science verified credit when the certification, license, or credential confers more than one verified credit. The examination or occupational competency assessment must be approved by the Virginia Board of Education as an additional test to verify student achievement. If approved, the I-CAR assessment would provide students in Auto Body Repair with a recognized industry credential that would allow the students to earn a verified credit.

Virginia continues to be a national leader in aligning career and technical education programs with business and industry expectations. Students who earn one or more external credentials have a distinct advantage in entering their chosen field of employment and/or in continuing their career preparation through higher education.

• EXAMINATION OF INTER-INDUSTRY CONFERENCE ON AUTO COLLISION REPAIR (I-CAR)

The I-CAR tests are a complicated system which is set up in modules for business and industry with “x” number of points being awarded each time a module is passed. These points accumulate to give the auto body collision repair shop a level, such as “platinum level or gold level” as their certification for I-CAR. This testing would have to be adjusted so that a module could be developed that would assure enough competencies/skills were tested to warrant an industry certification that could be approved by the Virginia Board of Education. If this type of testing could be developed with the national I-CAR system then it would be eligible to be part of the Virginia Board of Education approved list. In meetings with teachers of Virginia’s Automotive Body programs the teachers indicated that they would prefer to use the I-CAR training rather than Automotive Service Excellence (ASE – an industry recognized credentialing program.). As part of curriculum development and industry credentialing reviews, business partners that represented the auto body collision repair shops indicated their preference to have their employees have taken I-CAR.

I-CAR does not grade their tests externally for secondary students. The instruction comes on a CD ROM with the exam. I-CAR will grade the tests at the adult level, the teachers of adult programs can send the tests to I-CAR and they will grade the tests, but to this point they are not open to grading at the secondary level. The Office of Career and Technical Education has been working with I-CAR at the national level to secure grading of the tests externally at the secondary level which would meet the requirements of the Virginia Board of Education so that the Board could consider it for approval as a student-selected test. In addition, secure grading would meet the requirements for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 for the Technical Skills Attainment performance standard.

• CONCLUSION

The Virginia Department of Education will continue to work with I-CAR so that the Virginia Board of Education can consider I-CAR as an alternate test for the awarding of verified credits as soon as possible.