Photo by Emma Delk John Marshall High School Automotive Technology teacher Jared Ulrich, right, works with automative technology program junior Bo Blake, left, in the Screamin’ Eagle Auto Shop.

GLEN DALE — John Marshall High School automotive technology teacher Jared Ulrich was named the 2024 Carl J. Schaefer Memorial Career & Technical Education Teacher Award winner by the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute Board of Trustees.

The memorial award recognizes an outstanding CTE teacher in the country and is a tribute to Carl J. Schaefar, a lifelong champion of CTE as an educator and author. The criteria for the award includes an application describing personal goals, work experience, awards and honors received, professional memberships and leadership and community service activities.

Ulrich believes the significant improvements in his students’ NOCTI test scores, a career-readiness assessment for CTE students, over the past two years earned him the recognition.

When Bob Wilson, Marshall County Schools’ Career & Technical Education director, asked CTE teachers in the county two years ago to explore ways to improve students’ NOCTI scores, Ulrich began collecting and analyzing NOCTI data. Seniors in Ulrich’s two-year automotive technology program take the NOCTI pre-test in October and the NOCTI post-test in April.

Using students’ test scores over a seven-year cross-section, Ulrich identified areas of knowledge on the NOCTI test that “consistently needed improvement” among his students. Ulrich said these areas included certain aspects of car systems, such as steering, suspension and engines.

Ulrich formulated a plan to address the shortcomings in his students’ scores based on the data from their October pre-test scores. He then had seniors undergo a “six-week boot camp” during their second semester, where every​​ Tuesday and Thursday his students were out of the automotive workshop and in the classroom reviewing NOCTI materials.

These review sessions included study guides and paper quizzes to help students prepare for the April test. The students also answered questions from the NOCTI test while competing against each other during classroom Kahoot games.

“I do Kahoot because that brings out the students’ competitive sides but also has them answer questions from the test,” Ulrich said. “I also have other kids who read a little bit slower, so I make sure to focus on them to make sure they’re understanding the material as well.”

Ulrich said students were covering materials from the test “two times a week for six weeks.” This meant by the time the April post-test date rolled around, they had an understanding of the terminology and topics on the test.

Ulrich noted his students also continued their hands-on work in the auto shop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, allowing them to “put what they learned on the paper to practice.”

“It’s helpful to the students that things that pop up on the quizzes I give them in the classroom pop up while we work in the shop,” Ulrich said. “I can tell them, ‘Hey, remember we covered this already.’ Seeing and touching the different topics we’ve learned while working on cars in the workshop also helps them visualize what they’ve been learning on paper.”

Ulrich’s efforts in addressing the NOCTI test standards paid off. The first year his students underwent the boot camp, their average NOCTI test score rose 40 points on the 100-point scale. Last year, Ulrich saw continued growth, with his students seeing an average score gain of 20 points from the pre-test to the post-test.

Ulrich noted that all but one of his students last year achieved or exceeded the Governor’s Workforce Score, the highest achievement level on the NOCTI test.

With the NOCTI test reflecting CTE students’ career readiness, Ulrich said the improvements in his automotive technology students meant they were becoming better prepared for their career or additional schooling upon graduation.

Ulrich added that higher NOCTI scores can help students receive technical school or college scholarships and help CTE programs earn more funding.

“My kids really take this test seriously because they know their scores could impact the program for future kids coming in,” Ulrich said. “They also know their scores are a reflection of my teaching. They rose to the challenge to raise their scores.”

Ulrich said it was “extremely humbling” to be recognized for his efforts in raising his students’ scores. Ulrich traveled to San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 4 to receive the Carl J. Schaefer Award during the ACTE’s CareerTech VISION Conference.

“When I attended the award ceremony that evening, I didn’t expect that many people from all across the nation to be there,” Ulrich said. “I am humbled that Mr. Wilson asked all CTE teachers to accept this challenge to raise our NOCTI scores. I am thrilled my efforts are helping make things better for Marshall County CTE, as I want us to be the standard for CTE across the states.”