Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program Improvement and Innovation Plan
Relevant details and data for the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs
Program Overview
Students taking Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes study the technical parts of jobs. This prepares students for follow-on schooling and/or employment. CTE gives students a look at many career fields. These courses let students prepare for their future careers with hands-on practice. They also work in the career field with job-related and work-based learning experiences. Students can earn industry credentials that may help them after high school. They can join Career and Technical Student Organizations. These organizations let students develop leadership skills and provide opportunities to meet with business professionals. Students may also apply for scholarships.
CTE includes seven program-specific areas:
- agricultural education (veterinary science),
- business and information technology,
- family and consumer sciences,
- health and medical sciences,
- marketing,
- technology and engineering education, and
- trade and industrial education (including JROTC, residential construction, and student auto sales).
Other courses include Entrepreneurship, Teachers for Tomorrow, and Career Strategies. There are many CTE classes offered throughout the county. CTE makes sure the courses are current with work-based learning. Career pathways are available to every student. Summer enrichment camps allow students to explore CTE opportunities.
CTE continues to revise the curriculum so students are ready to enter their career field. The curriculum changes based on input for business and industry collaborations. New courses are being developed in:
- Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM)
- Computer Science
- Health and Medical
- Cyber Security
CTE supports Dual Enrollment, Work-Based Learning, and High-School Career Pathways.
Federal funding for CTE is through Perkins IV legislation. Workplace readiness skills and Portrait of a Graduate Skills are in all CTE courses. Teachers use project-based learning and hands-on training to teach students.
Scope of Impact
| School Year | School Level | Number of Sites | Number of Students Served |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | MS and HS | 64 | 68,376 |
| 2022-23 | MS and HS | 64 | 65,905 |
| 2023-24 (projected) | MS and HS | 64 | 66,500 |
Goals, Actions, and Measures
Increase of at least 5% of students in a level II or above CTE course earning at least one advanced level industry credential by the end of the 2023-24 school year (SY).
Actions
- All CTE courses level two and above will be mapped to the matching industry credential. These will correspond to the state approved credential list.
- Annual summer review to check the pathway for relevance and appropriateness. Business and industry partners have input to this review.
- Each school’s CTE credential lead reviews participation and pass rates. Industry credential specialists assist with the review.
- Teachers, credential leads, and program managers will align curriculum to promote student success on the credential exams.
- Encourage student credential testing participation with incentives.
- Remediation plans are in place for students to retake unsuccessful credential exams. Another test-taking opportunity increases the student’s chance to earn the industry credential.
Measure
Number of CTE completers (identified from the state CTE sequences) participating in at least one industry credential will show an increase of at least 5%.
At least 18% of CTE completers will participate in at least one high quality work based learning experience by the end of the 2023-24 SY.
Actions
- Purposefully embed career-connected learning opportunities into CTE courses to make students aware of specific occupations that might align with their strengths, interest, and abilities.
- Design, develop, and maintain instructional and student-facing toolkits loaded into the internal Google websites to include general information about work-based learning, continuum of experiences, worksheets, template emails, graphic organizers, employability skills resources, communication templates, and sample experiences.
- Coordinate an annual college and career exploration fair (Instruction2Industry and Postsecondary Week) for students and their parents to connect with industry professionals from in-demand career fields.
- Provide a Career Pathway Speaker Series where guest speakers provide exposure to potential careers and jobs, a realistic picture of different workplaces, their unique roles in the community, and the career paths and occupations recommended to career success in the 21st century workforce.
- Expansion of internship opportunities to include for credit courses that count towards high school graduation.
Measures
- Increase the number of internships and externships by 10%.
- Increase the number of business partnerships by 5%.
- Increase the availability of instructional resources by WBL experiences for stakeholders.
