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CTE News

House Bill 3485 - CTE Review and Rewrite
House and Senate Approve FY2009 Budget Resolution
Pilot Program to Fund Middle School CTE Courses
PSA Video Winners
Feasibility Study of National CTE Test Bank
Change in Perkins Split for Texas

House Bill 3485 Implementation - CTE Review and Rewrite

Posted April 14, 2008

In an effort to prepare Texas students for educational success and a dynamic Texas job market, the 80th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 3485. The purpose of the legislation is to update career and technical education (CTE) programs with current industry skill standards, infuse academics relevant to career fields, identify CTE courses to satisfy fourth year math or science requirements and increase the number of high school students earning college credit while in high school.

This week, CTE Writing Teams will convene in Austin to begin reviewing and updating CTE TEKS and organize them into coherent sequences that:

• Support challenging academic and technical standards
• Reinforce national cluster knowledge and skills
• Align to postsecondary programs
• Lead to technical skill attainment and an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the postsecondary level or an associate or baccalaureate degree
  

The teams will identify, develop and recommend advanced CTE courses to satisfy fourth year math and/or science graduation credit requirements, ensuring courses contain substantially rigorous academic content relevant to career fields.

The fast-paced 10 month review and rewrite process will allow for review and input by academic curriculum experts, postsecondary faculty and industry partners. CTE updated TEKS and recommendations for courses to satisfy fourth year math and science requirements will be presented to the State Board of Education for approval and adoption no later than September 1, 2009.

Additionally, the Writing Teams will recommend quality innovative courses to be offered statewide and identify courses and TEKS appropriate for an accelerated review cycle based on current and emerging industries experiencing dynamic changes in skill requirements.

The Writing Teams consist of secondary and postsecondary CTE faculty including teachers, administrators, counselors and employers. Teams are divided into six panels, each responsible for TEKS revisions in multiple clusters. The work of the CTE Writing Teams will be posted for public comment on the TEA website once complete.

The 10-member CTE Review Panel will continue to meet over the next year to review the articulation process between high schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions and recommend ways to simplify the process and increase statewide articulation. The Review Panel will also draft policy recommendations to positively impact statewide career and technical education, student opportunities and workforce development.

CTE Review Panel and Writing Team Members - Roster

House and Senate Approve FY2009 Budget Resolution

Posted March 18, 2008

Late last week the House of Representatives and the Senate passed their respective versions of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 budget resolution. The budget resolution sets funding caps for broad funding areas and sets the stage for appropriations work later in the year. Both the House and Senate budget resolutions increase the overall funding cap for education and training programs. ACTE is encouraging Congress to approve a budget resolution level that will provide adequate resources to restore Perkins and workforce program cuts from last year’s final allocations.
The House budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 312) passed on a 212-207 party line vote. It provides $7.1 billion above the President’s request for education and training programs. The Senate version of the budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 70) provides $8.8 billion above the President’s request for education and training programs. The Senate budget resolution passed 51-44 on a party line vote.
 
Although the budget resolution will only provide the spending caps that the appropriations committees will use to fund individual programs, the budget committee can recommend allocations for specific programs. Therefore, earlier in the budget process, Senator Collins (ME) initiated a letter with ACTE’s feedback requesting that the Senate Budget Committee include a restoration of funds for the Perkins program when reviewing their budget assumptions for FY 2009.
 
ACTE is working with other education organizations to advocate for the Senate’s higher number for the final reconciled budget resolution. If Congress decides to table all appropriations work until a new Administration is in the White House, than this budget resolution could serve as a guide for the new President.

CTE Weighted Funding Pilot Program for Eighth Grade

Posted March 3, 2008

SUBJECT: Request of Statement of Interest (RFSOI) for Participation in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Weighted Funding Pilot Program

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is requesting a statement of interest from public school districts and charter schools to participate in the CTE Weighted Funding Pilot Program. House Bill (HB) 3485, 80th Texas Legislature, 2007, added Texas Education Code (TEC) §42.154 (a-1), providing for the establishment of a pilot program under which a participating school district is entitled to additional funding for each student receiving CTE instruction in grade eight.  The program goal in accordance with HB 3485 is to develop and implement a statewide pilot to determine the effectiveness of extending the CTE funding weight to grade eight.

PILOT DESCRIPTION: TEA will conduct a four-year CTE Weighted Funding Pilot Program under which up to five school districts are entitled to additional funding for each student receiving CTE instruction in grade eight.  Eligible participants of this RFSOI are public school districts and charter schools. The evaluation tool for the pilot will be developed by each participating district in collaboration with TEA.  Each school year of the program, the district will receive additional weighted CTE funds for students participating in CTE courses in grade eight. The pilot program will begin with the 2008-09 school year and continue through the 2011-2012 school year.  Data collection for the pilot programs may continue through October, 2012.

PROJECT FUNDING: CTE state weighted funds of 1.35 for students participating in CTE in grade eight are available to participating districts through this RFSOI process. Districts should already have the infrastructure needed to offer CTE courses in grade eight. 

SELECTION CRITERIA: The commissioner shall select not more than five school districts for participation in the pilot program, considering districts that provide services under this program at the least cost. Districts selected to participate in the pilot will be determined by: the goals of the pilot program as determined by the district; representation from large urban, medium-sized, and small, rural districts across the state; and the funding amount for the program.

VIEWING AND DOWNLOADING THE RFSOI: A complete copy of the RFSOI #701-210-08-051 is posted on the TEA Curriculum Website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/cte/ctepilotprogram for viewing and downloading.

DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF STATEMENT OF INTEREST:
The deadline for receipt of Statement of Interest for the TEA CTE Pilot Project is no later than 5:00 P.M. on March 28, 2008. If you are interested in participating in the CTE weighted funding pilot program, please complete and return the Statement of Interest as explained in the RFSOI. Please submit any specific questions about this RFSOI to career@tea.state.txs.us.

Career and Technical Education Staff, Division of Curriculum, 512-463-9581
Karen Batchelor – Karen.Batchelor@tea.state.tx.us

CTAT Announces 2008 PSA Competition Winners

Click here to view winning PSA videos

Posted February 8, 2008

The Career and Technology Association of Texas hosted its third annual Texas Public Service Announcement (PSA) Challenge. Over 21 entries from student teams across Texas were judged in the competition.

Teams were challenged with producing high quality PSAs that would positively impact enrollment in CTE programs, highlight innovation in education and increase awareness about career and technical programs in their districts.

The Winners Are:

PSA for Parents/Community in English
1st Place: Hurst-Euless Bedford ISD
2nd Place: Mansfield ISD

PSA for Parents/Community in Spanish
1st Place: Edinburg ISD
2nd Place: Hurst-Euless Bedford ISD

PSA for Students in English
1st Place: Birdville ISD
2nd Place: Hurst-Euless Bedford
Honorable Mention: Denton ISD

PSA for Students in Spanish
1st Place: Hurst-Euless Bedford
2nd Place: Mansfield ISD

CTAT extends sincere appreciation to all teams submitting entries. Congratulations to these students for creating powerful tools to promote career and technical education on a state and local level.

Department of Education Leads Feasibility Study of National CTE Test Item Bank

Posted December 21, 2007

Under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, states are required to report on students’ attainment of challenging technical skill proficiencies that are aligned with industry-recognized standards where available and appropriate, and that are measured in a valid and reliable way. Although a handful of States have established statewide exams or contracted for third-party assessments, a majority lack standardized testing systems and the resources to create such systems.

To assist states in collecting and reporting this information, ACTE is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), and other technical education stakeholders to explore the feasibility of establishing a Web-based, nationally-validated test item bank.

Working group members are currently focusing on clarifying the purpose of such an item bank and surveying states as to their needs and interest in participating. A Design and Feasibility RePORT 70,112,127,207,130,125 ess such issues as item bank organization and housing, strategies for soliciting and validating test items, assessment development and reporting features, and system design and maintenance costs.

The goal is to have a draft of this document completed by March 2008, and a final version printed in April 2008. If conditions warrant, the group will then move forward to secure funding commitments and develop a bidding process, with initial work on the item bank to begin in the fall of 2008.

SBOE Changes Split for Perkins Funds to 70/30 - Will change remain in effect?

Posted December 14, 2007

In a meeting held Nov. 14 – 16, the State Board of Education reviewed and approved the State Plan for Career and Technical Education 2008-2013 after changing the Perkins IV funding split to reflect a 70% secondary, 30% postsecondary division. The current split of 60% secondary, 40% postsecondary was the language included in the original draft as prepared by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

The unexpected change would take effect for the 2008-2009 funding cycle for the Perkins IV Basic Grant and reduce the amount of funds for postsecondary education by $2.8 million statewide, having a negative impact on postsecondary career and technology programs and poten height="310" />