Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Career and Technical Education programs are designed to prepare students for further education at two- or four-year colleges and universities, technical colleges, or to enter the workforce upon graduation from high school. Career and Technical Education instructional programs are correlated with Virginia's Standards of Learning (SOLs) and provide opportunities to reinforce SOL instruction.

Meeting Students’ Needs

Students are encouraged to consider Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses that provide exposure to their career plans and interests. Students pursuing an Advanced Studies Diploma may enhance their career plans by enrolling in CTE courses. Dual enrollment and community college credits are also available for students in certain CTE courses.

Announcement

GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES GRANTS FOR FIRST 
GOVERNOR'S CAREER AND TECHNICAL ACADEMIES

 “Academies to Prepare Students for 21st‑Century Careers 
in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics”

          RICHMOND ‑ Governor Timothy M. Kaine, on 1/4/08, announced grants to establish the Commonwealth's first Governor's Career and Technical Academies. The six academies will provide instruction in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and are being developed as partnerships among schools divisions, employers, business organizations, and colleges and universities.

          "These academies will combine programs based on local and state economic and employment needs with rigorous academics and opportunities for applied learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics," said Governor Kaine. "The academies will prepare young men and women for rewarding careers while ensuring that communities have the highly skilled workers necessary to compete in the global economy."

          Each partnership will receive a $20,000 planning grant, followed by a $100,000 implementation award upon program approval by the Board of Education and the State Council of Higher Education.

          The six academies will build on existing programs at the high school and postsecondary levels and align instruction in science, technology, engineering and mathematics with 21st‑century workplace and postsecondary expectations. The academies will serve as models for career and technical education programs that expand options for students and equip them with the knowledge, skills and credentials required for high‑demand and high‑wage careers. The six grantees were selected from twenty‑two applications. A grant review process with independent reviewers was instituted to review and evaluate the proposals. 

          The planning and start‑up funding for the academies is being provided through a $500,000 grant from the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. The grant program is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Intel Corp. and is the centerpiece of NGA Chairwoman and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano's Innovation America initiative to increase high school rigor. Virginia was one of six states to receive a grant and is providing matching support with federal Workforce Investment Act funds.

          The NGA grant also is supporting the development by the Virginia Career Education Foundation of a "Governor's Exemplary Standards Awards Program" to maintain high standards for career and technical education programs and to engage educators, business leaders and state, regional and local officials in a process of continuous improvement.

 Overview of the Academy Concept

          *Stafford Career and Technical Academy, Stafford County – The program will focus on information technology, mathematics and engineering with instruction provided at three locations ‑ Brooke Point High School, North Stafford High School and Stafford High School. Partners include Stafford [. . .]County Public Schools; University of Mary Washington, University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and Germanna Community College; Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, Fredericksburg Regional Alliance, Rappahannock Small Business Development Center, Stafford County Economic Development, Virginia Employment Commission and the Stafford County Workforce Investment Board; and Diversified Educational Systems, Employment Resources, The Free Lance‑Star, Hilldrup Cos., Mary Washington Hospital, R.L. Williams and Stafford Rotary.

 For information on the other 5 state grant winners, please go to:

www.governor.virginia.gov/MediaRelations/NewsReleases/viewRelease.cfm?id=578 

Resources and Websites

• Virginia Department of Education Office of Career & Technical Education:  http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/CTE/

• Individual task lists and course competencies: http://www.cteresource.org/tasklists/index.html

• Career Resources: http://www.KnowHowVirginia.org

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

CTE offers a competency-based curriculum (see Resources for information on “competency-based” curriculum) at both the middle and high school levels. All middle school programs include keyboarding/computers, family and consumer science (FACS), and technology education. These experiences provide opportunities for students to explore careers, interests and abilities, and life skills and prepare them for a more rigorous high school CTE curriculum. High school programs include agriculture, business/information technology, FACS, health and medical sciences, marketing, technology education, and trade and industrial education. Most high school courses offer the opportunity to earn industry-based certifications through national/industry assessments and/or licensure exams. Two sequential concentration CTE courses fulfill the elective requirements for graduation. Each CTE program offers co-curricular student organizations to enhance the CTE learning experience.

Service Learning

Students may actively engage in research, practice, literature, discussion, and planning for action in service-learning opportunities offered at the high school level either as an elective class, Learn and Serve, or independent study (Students Serving Stafford). Students at the middle and elementary school level develop civic knowledge, community awareness, and literacy through special projects.

Building Bright Futures

School-to-Career program supports activities that help students transition from school into the workforce or post-secondary education. Students may participate in on-line career exploration activities; develop career portfolios; choose high school courses to assess and support their skills, aptitudes and interests; and participate in work-based career exploration, such as informational interviewing or job shadowing.

Parent Involvement

Parents and students should consult their CTE teachers, counselors, and the SCPS Program of Studies for additional information as to course opportunities, program requirements, and locations for high school CTE courses. Career and Technical Education Student Organizations (CTSOs), Learn and Serve, and Building Bright Futures need parent volunteers as guest speakers for career information and technical resources, to assist in competitions and chaperone field trips, and to serve on advisory committees.

Please contact your child’s school to volunteer.

Contact Information:

Kathleen Burant, Director of Career and Technical Education
E-mail Address:  burantkm@staffordschools.net
(540) 658-6000 ext. 272

Mary Beth Dobbins, Coordinator of Career and Technical Education
E-mail Address:  dobbinsmb@staffordschools.net
(540) 658-6000 ext. 297

Ann Emerson, School-to-Career Specialist
E-mail Address:  aemerson@staffordschools.net
(540) 658-6000 ext. 253

Cynthia Lucero-Chavez, Community Involvement Specialist
E-mail Address:  clucero@staffordschools.net
(540) 658-6000 ext. 295

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Updated:  10/06/2008