Career and Technical Education Newsletter

This update is provided by the Career and Technical Education team at the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. We welcome your support in encouraging anyone who would benefit from the information to join our listserv. Individuals can sign up here. Questions can be submitted to CTE@che.IN.gov.    

Fall CTE Enrollment Deadlines

Data Submission Technical Assistance: CTE staff members are hosting open labs throughout October to support schools and career centers in submitting fall enrollment data into InTERS. Staff will be available all day to provide assistance to attendees with importing data, understanding import errors, analyzing their Form 30A report, and other topics.  

The remaining scheduled sessions are listed below. Attendance is open to anyone involved in handling CTE data on behalf of a school or career center. Please RSVP to Jedd Vance if you plan to attend. Individuals can locate a recording from a fall InTERS training here.  

• October 18 – Central Nine Career Center 
• October 24 – J. Everett Light Career Center 
• October 25 – Location TBD 

InTERS Reporting Deadlines: Upcoming deadlines for submitting CTE data into InTERS are listed below:  

• October 20 – Initial submission deadline 
• November 3 – Final amendment deadline 
• November 10 – Deadline for uploading signed Form 30A 

Enrolling Students in WBL Experiences 

For a summary of this topic covered in our August Newsletter, see the section below, "Reminder - WBL information from August Newsletter" or information can be found in full here (Page 3). Individuals are encouraged to read the previously shared information first before reading the additional clarifying language directly below. 

Submitting WBL Information into InTERS: Only minimal changes were made within InTERS this year related to gathering WBL data. Work-Based Learning experiences should continue to be captured in InTERS, separate from the new IDOE 0-credit courses.  

When entering WBL experiences within InTERS, entities are reminded that two items must be selected in the “Employ Types” column:  

• Step 1: Select either Paid (P) or Unpaid (U)  
• Step 2: Select one of the following codes: W (Workplace Simulation), Y (Modern Youth Apprenticeship), R (Registered Apprenticeship), I (Internship), S (Shadowing) or O (Owner/Entrepreneur).
  • In previous years, users were able to select “standalone” or “embedded” as “Employ Types.” These were removed because CTE staff can determine this information based on other aspects of a student’s enrollment data. The embedded or standalone experience should now be identified as one of the items under Step 2 above.
  • A workplace simulation is an experience that mirrors a live employment setting and may include facilities, resources and equipment provided by the employer or school. It should include interaction with industry professionals and external customers.  

IDOE 0-credit WBL Course Codes: The Indiana Department of Education has shared that these course codes should denote completion of the Graduation Pathways Employability Skills experience. Upcoming InTERS deadlines do not apply to submitting this information to IDOE. IDOE’s guidance is that the appropriate code should be added to a student’s transcript upon completion of the experience.  

For further questions, contact IDOE’s Student Pathways and Opportunities Department.  

Additional Examples: Some additional student scenarios and a clarification from the 4 examples shared in August are below: 

• A student is taking the Cooperative Education course (6162). The student would be enrolled both in 6162 and in course 0543 (WBL Lvl 1).  
• A student is taking the Career Exploration Internship course (0530). The student would be enrolled both in 0530 and in course 0543 (WBl Lvl 1).  
• Example 3 previously shared caused some questions. A school-based enterprise could also have associated CTE courses along with marking it as a Lvl 1 experience (0543). If a school-based enterprise has the components shared above for a workplace simulation, it can be captured as a Lvl 2 experience (0544) along with any associated CTE courses.    

Reminder – WBL Information from August newsletter

Updated WBL Level Definitions: As part of the initial communication around House Enrolled Act 1002, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) released updated definitions of their four levels of Work-Based Learning (WBL). These definitions replace the definitions of the four 0 credit courses that were introduced last year. You can find the updated WBL Definitions here. The four levels are: 

• 0543 Work-Based Learning Level 1: Employability Skills (WBL Lvl 1) 
• 0544 Work-Based Learning Level 2: Internships (WBL Lvl 2) 
• 0545 Work-Based Learning Level 3: Modern Youth Apprenticeship/Pre-Apprenticeship (WBL Lvl 3) 
• 0546 Work-Based Learning Level 4: Federal Registered Apprenticeship (WBL Lvl 4) 

WBL Lvl 1 may be used to denote completion of the Graduation Pathways Employability Skills experience, along with WBL Lvl 2 experiences and above. Only WBL Lvl 2 experiences and above will count for Perkins. The metric used by the CTE team for Perkins is a 75+ hour experience in a single placement, connected to a student’s CTE program of study. 

Enrolling Students in WBL Experiences: Enrolling students in the 0-credit courses described above was optional last year but is now required by IDOE for purposes of tracking WBL experiences for Box 2 of Graduation Pathways and Indiana GPS.   

Students must still enroll in any applicable associated CTE course to receive CTE funding and earn credits, no funding will be tied to the 0-credit courses. Examples include Cooperative Education, Career Exploratory Internship, the WBL Capstone course or a NLPS Capstone Course. Some example student scenarios were shared in the August newsletter linked above or again here.  

Online/Virtual CTE Course Policy 

The policy document for online/virtual CTE courses has been updated from the version shared last fall and can be found here. The updated document now reflects the additional programs added last spring (Agriscience, Biomedical, and Engineering) and also, Criminal Justice (which was announced in the August Newsletter). Other minor language updates were made throughout the document to ensure maximum clarity, including around the definition of a hybrid course offering.  

Schools and career centers are reminded the classroom instruction portion of any program of study, virtually approved or not, may be offered virtually if the in-person requirements are met through any one of a variety of options (Hybrid/Blended Model). These options include: 

• Lab time at the home high school; 
• Completing courses with in-person and/or lab requirements by attending sessions in-person at a career center, postsecondary institution or eligible training provider; or 
• An employer provided work-based learning program. 

2022-2023 Industry Certification Exams Reimbursement 

As previously shared, school corporations will receive in the coming weeks their funding allotment for industry certification exams taken during the 2022-2023 school year. Schools can find the amount they are slated to receive in this spreadsheet. These funds have been evenly allotted to all eligible entities based on data submitted prior to Friday, September 1. 

Funds will be distributed by IDOE. Schools who receive this funding will utilize Fund 3749 with the receipt account number of 3293. There are no specific restrictions on usage of the funds. Contact CTE@che.in.gov with any questions about the amount of funding or school/career center certification data.    

Course Titles and Descriptions 

The CTE team has been working to finalize the CTE section of the course titles and descriptions for the 2024-2025 school year. A reminder that all courses listed in “Part 2” of the 2023-2024 Course Titles and Descriptions will be phased out beginning with the 24-25 school year. The complete course titles and descriptions document will be released later this fall by the Indiana Department of Education. 

REMINDER - Dual Credit Guidance for CTE Courses 

In collaboration with postsecondary entities, a guidance document for schools and career centers on several important topics related to offering secondary NLPS courses for college credit has been developed and can be found here. 

Focus Ed Discussion Boards 

The FocusEd Discussion Platform allows administrators and teachers to ask questions and share resources with peers across the state. Counselors can also use the platform to ask administrators or directors questions they need to know about CTE. The FocusEd discussion boards will allow CTE to grow stronger by working together for the ultimate goal of giving our CTE students the absolute best quality of education and training. 

FocusEd is administered by the Indiana Association of Career and Technical Education (IACTE) with support from the state CTE team. Please go to this link to check out the site. Individuals do not have to be a member of IACTE to use the resource, but you will need to create an account. Have feedback or questions? Contact Shelley Rust. 

Indiana Work-Based Learning Conference 

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Workforce Excellence is currently accepting proposals and nominations for their annual Work-Based Learning Conference. The conference is a convening of Hoosier employers, educators and intermediaries regarding best practices and sharing of ideas toward growth and partnership within work-based learning. It also provides an opportunity to recognize WBL excellence through the nomination of employers, WBL supervisors, students, programs and others for the Chamber’s Impact Award.  

This year’s event will take place in February. Proposals are due by October 27 and nominations by November 10. Find more information here.