It's official! After an 18 month-long process, our Graphic Communications program is PrintED certified and accredited in the areas of Introduction to Graphic Communications, Advertising Design, and Digital File Preparation. Students who complete all of the courses in the program (we call them "pathway completers") will have an opportunity to take the PrintED/SkillsUSA Graphic Communications Skills Assessment before they graduate. Passing this assessment, and meeting the PrintED competencies, further ensures our graduates are workforce ready.

I've been teaching to Georgia's revised and updated Graphic Communications standards for over three years now. I'm excited the standards are now "officially" in place for the GC programs throughout the State. This means, quite simply, your student will continue to be introduced to 'real-world' experiences in the Graphic Communications classroom and lab, while being taught skills and gaining knowledge current to industry standards. Be sure to visit the "Document Manager" area to download and view PDF files of the standards for each of the three courses offered, as well as course syllabi and the PrintED competencies.

I'm also excited about the continued learning opportunities offered through the RCampus web site. Again this year, advanced students are building online portfolios through the RCampus web site. While this project has had its share of glitches to work through, the process and end result are beneficial for the students. I'll continue to implement the development of an online portfolio in my advanced classes for the 2011-2012 school year, and will likely incorporate the project in my Introduction course.