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Industry Recognized Credentials

Industry Recognized Credentials: Career Education / Roster

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Industry Recognized Credentials (IRC) are certifications, credentials, or licenses that are vetted by employers and serve to recognize skill attainment needed for recruitment, screening, hiring, retention, advancement, or to mitigate workforce shortages. The IRC is endorsed by a nationally recognized trade association or an organization in a particular industry. An IRC is a verification of a students’ qualification or competence through a technical education program. IRCs are reported as part of school and district report cards and general Career and Technical Education (CTE) data used for career pathway development. IRC State-Approved Business & Industry data, in particular, is also collected through the CTE Technical Incentive Grant application.

USES: Industry-recognized credential data is reported on district and high school report cards for postsecondary preparation and within WISEdash for Districts under Career Education and Coursework tab. IRCs are also reported within a separate Technical Incentive Grant application portal.

IRC Information

Industry-recognized credentials (IRCs) are part of Career Education data reporting. State statute (Wis. Stat. 115.385) requires DPI to report course data annually in Accountability Report Cards. This is presented in district and high school report cards for grades 9-12.

  • “the number of pupils earning industry-recognized credentials through a technical education program established by a school board” as described in s. 118.33 (1) (g) 1. c.
    • “Successfully completes a technical education program, established by the school board, in a subject or subjects.” 118.33 (1) (g) 1. c.

District CTE or Career Education teams will also utilize IRC data to strengthen career pathway development. IRCs are used as one of the five size, scope, and quality components of a career pathway as defined by Carl D. Perkins: Strengthening CTE for the 21st Century Act. CTE teams can utilize WISEdash for Districts to analyze IRC participation.

The Perkins V: The Official Guide published by an Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) states (pg. 154):

  • “Career and Technical Education" means organized educational activities that–
    • (A) offer a sequence of courses that–
      • i. Provides individuals with rigorous academic content and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current or emerging professionals, which may include high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations, which shall be, at the secondary level, aligned with the challenging State academic standards adopted by a State under section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965;
      • ii. Provides technical skill proficiency or a recognized postsecondary credential, which may include an industry-recognized credential, a certificate, or an associate degree;”

The Wisconsin Perkins V State Plan states, “Wisconsin’s secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs stem from the six CTE content areas associated with the Wisconsin education standards.” These CTE content areas include (pg. 6):

  1. Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

  2. Business and Information Technology

  3. Family and Consumer Sciences

  4. Health Science

  5. Marketing, Management and Entrepreneurship

  6. Technology and Engineering

IRCs are certified Career Education Programs. They are entered into the student information system (SIS) and associated with a course or directly with individual students (referred to as a student program association).

IRC calculations on report cards follow the students’ Primary Enrollment school. The data is then sent to WISEdata Portal and viewed in WISEdash for Districts.

Student IRC completion will need to be submitted with a Certificated Program Status at the end of the grading period to accurately record the data for accountability.

IRC Career Education Program definitions can be found on the Career Education Programs WISEdata elements webpage. Refer to the CTE Data Resources for recorded training to organize your data collection and Career Education Data Reporting (graphic) as a visual to Career Education Programs. WISEdata Portal, also has a link to Vendor Resources for data entry. There is a recorded CTE Data presentation with your student information system vendor and DPI presenting.

Each student information system has training and guides on how to set up a course to record the IRC for all students scheduled or how to identify each student individually with an IRC program. The district will need to create an organization method to properly report all students earning an IRC for the reporting year.

IRC Information Graphic

Industry Recognized Credentials are certifications, credentials, or licenses that are vetted by employers and serve to recognize skill attainment needed for recruitment, screening, hiring, retention, advancement, or to mitigate workforce shortages. The IRC is endorsed by a nationally recognized trade association or organization in a particular industry. An IRC is a verification of a students’ qualification or competence through a technical education program.

IRC Program Names:

  • IRC State-Approved WTCS–Embedded Technical Diploma
    • Verify state-approval status with the local technical college.
  • IRC State-Approved WTCS–Technical Diploma
    • Verify state-approval status with the local technical college.
  • IRC State-Approved WTCS–Associates
    • Verify state-approval status with the local technical college.
  • IRC State-Approved Business & Industry
  • IRC Not State-Approved
    • IRC earned by students that are not currently eligible for Technical Incentive Grant funding.
    • IRC that is part of a school board approved technical education program. It is vetted by employers and serves to recognize skill attainment needed for recruitment, screening, hiring, retention, advancement, or to mitigate workforce shortages. The IRC is endorsed by a nationally recognized trade association or organization in a particular industry.

Questions to identify IRC categories:

  1. IRC State-Approved WTCS:
    1. Does the technical education program have an agreement with a local technical college to offer an embedded technical diploma, technical diploma, or associate's degree?
      • If YES, students completing the criteria in the agreement would be associated with an IRC State-Approved WTCS (embedded technical diploma, technical diploma, associate’s degree). These IRC’s provide industry recognition of technical skill proficiency.
      • If NO, proceed to #2 and #3.
  2. IRC State-Approved Business & Industry:
    1. Is the IRC listed on the current State-Approved list provided by DWD?
      • If YES, proceed to b.
      • If NO, the IRC could be Not State-Approved. Complete questions under #3.
    2. Is the IRC from a “technical education program, established by the school board, in a subject or subjects,” 118.3 (1) (g) 1. C.?
      • If YES, students are identified as completing the criteria for the IRC-State-Approved Business & Industry.
      • If NO, the IRC could be Not State-Approved. Complete questions under #3.
  3. IRC-Not State-Approved:
    1. Does the IRC provide technical skill proficiency for employment?
      • If YES, proceed to b.
      • If NO, the IRC is for life skill development and not part of a technical education program. Thus not reported.
    2. Is the IRC from a “technical education program, established by the school board, in a subject or subjects,” 118.3 (1) (g) 1. C.?
      • If YES, proceed to c.
      • If NO, the IRC is for life skill development and not part of a technical education program. Thus not reported.
    3. Is the IRC listed on a currently published Regional Career Pathway map?
      • If YES, students are identified as IRC State-Approved if there is an asterisk and IRC Not State-Approved, if no asterisk.
      • If NO, proceed to d.
    4. Has the IRC been vetted by employer stakeholders to provide technical skill proficiency to recruit, screen, hire, retain, advance, or mitigate workforce shortages in an industry?
      • If YES, students are identified as IRC Not State-Approved.
      • If NO, the IRC is not reported.

The December Career Education snapshot collects the end-of-school-year IRC data used in report cards. Data collected in the snapshot is viewable in WISEdash for District in the following two snapshot dashboards: Career Education and Coursework and Perkins. The Technical Incentive Grant is a separate reporting application and does not cross-reference data submitted to WISE. Districts will submit IRC-State Approved Business & Industry data twice. WISE collects all 9-12th graders that earn an IRC and the CTE Technical Incentive Grant collects only those students that qualify.

FAQs, Details, and Points to Note

  1. Can students be counted if they earn an IRC at a part-time job, not associated with a school or subject?
    No, State statute (Wis. Stat. 115.385) requires DPI to report course data annually in Accountability Report Cards. This is presented in district and high school report cards for grades 9-12. It further references “the number of pupils earning industry-recognized credentials through a technical education program established by a school board as described in s. 118.33 (1) (g) 1. c. and successfully completes a technical education program, established by the school board, in a subject or subjects.” 118.33 (1) (g) 1. c.”
  2. Can the general Health Education course, required for graduation, count IRCs in First Aid, CPR or Lifeguarding for report cards or Perkins data?
    No, a Health Education course is a graduation requirement. This type of Health course does not meet academic standards for Health Science. The course would need to be utilizing Health Science CTE standards and the teacher would need to be properly licensed. See the additional licensing options for a Health teacher to be considered CTE. Health Science does not meet the requirements for Health as a graduation credit.
  3. Do Homeschool students count in IRC data?
    No, Homeschooled students are not counted on school or district report cards, Perkins Accountability or Regional Career Pathway data. These students elected to be primarily homeschooled and are able to take up to two courses at a public school. Their data is not sent to WISE.
  4. If a student earns multiple IRCs in a single school year, will that student be counted multiple times?
    No, students are counted once per school year for any number of IRCs earned on district and school report cards. This is a participation count. Please refer to the Postsecondary Preparation description at the top of the district/school report card page.

    The CTE Technical Incentive grant allows for students to be submitted for each IRC earned during high school that is on the DWD State-Approved list. Reporting is done in the CTE Technical Incentive grant application.

  5. How do I report IRCs listed on Regional Career Pathway maps?
    Regional Career Pathway (RCP) maps are created and vetted with multiple stakeholders, including business and industry. IRCs identified on RCP maps meet the requirements of either State-Approved or Not-State Approved. Use IRC State-Approved if there is an asterisk and IRC Not State-Approved, if no asterisk.

  6. Does Youth Apprenticeship count as an IRC?

    No, Youth Apprenticeship does not count as an IRC on district/school report cards. Youth Apprenticeship is counted as Work-Based Learning on district/school report cards and Perkins Indicator 5S3 Work-Based Learning.

    The CTE Technical Incentive grant allows

    for Youth Apprenticeship to be submitted as an IRC. Please refer to the DWD State-Approved list and CTE Technical Incentive grant application.

  7. Can the Wisconsin Seal of Biliteracy or the Wisconsin Certificate of Global Competence count as an IRC? It depends. If one (or both) of these certificates is listed on a currently published Regional Career Pathway map or if it has been vetted by employer stakeholders to provide technical skill proficiency to recruit, screen, hire, retain, advance, or mitigate workforce shortages in an industry as a part of a student's technical education program then it can be reported as an IRC-Not State-Approved. If a student completes one (or both) of these certificates for the purpose of developing general life skills and is not participating in a technical education program related to the certificate(s), then it should not be reported as an IRC.

 

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