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CTE Newsletter
August 1, 2024
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 shared with CTE@che.IN.gov.
A Note from State CTE Director Anthony Harl: With the calendar turning to August, the 2024-2025 school year has officially begun or is starting soon for districts across the state. I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer and our team is excited to partner with all of you for another great year in CTE.
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This school year marks a milestone for secondary CTE as we complete the transition to Next Level Programs of Study. Beginning this year, only NLPS courses are available for CTE pathways, and a student must utilize an NLPS sequence to reach concentrator status. On behalf of our team, thanks for your patience, flexibility, and engagement in this transition process the last few years.
Our focus now turns even more fully to quality implementation of NLPS and ensuring we are giving students the best opportunities to achieve dual credit, earn credentials, and participate in WBL.
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Items you will see this year from our team to support NLPS implementation include:
- A focus on helping turn our success with dual credit attainment into more credentials for students. Check out the Capstone Course Guidance in this newsletter as one resource to help move from credits to credentials.
- Guidance on building career coaching and advising into CTE programs. A set of shared standards for all Principles courses is included in this newsletter as a strategy to support these efforts.
- More resources on incorporating quality work-based learning experiences into CTE programs, including several workshops this fall.
- A focus on providing districts and other stakeholders more actionable CTE data through the launch of a CTE Data Explorer.
Later this fall, you will hear more about the Commission’s Strategic Plan for CTE. This Plan will outline the Commission’s vision for CTE over the next 5 years and lay out a variety of strategies, particularly around employer engagement, career coaching, and CTE accessibility. The Plan will build off the recently approved Perkins State Plan which provides a framework of how Indiana will conduct our required work as a Perkins grant recipient.
I often tell people that CTE has never been more at the forefront of conversations in education than it is now, and I remain excited to continue advancing student outcomes with all our key partners who make this work possible. Let’s make it a great year!
NLPS Resources
New: Principles Course Standards: Career coaching is a key element for students to be successful in their career pathway journey. To better support these efforts, a set of shared standards has been added to all Principles courses. The standards center around career navigation and readiness, leadership, etc. and are largely intended to formally incorporate college and career goals into coursework that is often already taking place. Find the standards here, they are being added into the Review Document this month.
NLPS Review Document: The NLPS Review Document has been updated and the latest version can be found here. Updates from the last version released in late April are listed on Page 1.
NLPS FAQ: The NLPS FAQ has been updated and can be found here. This resource includes many of the most common questions our team receives regarding CTE programming.
Online/Virtual Policy: The fall 2023 guidance document on online/virtual CTE courses has been updated and can be found here. The primary change is the addition of the Social and Community Services pathway as eligible for virtual delivery.
Middle School Course Guidance: Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, additional CTE courses are available for funding at the 8th grade level. Find additional details here.
2024-2025 CTE Dual Credit Crosswalk: The 2024-2025 CTE Dual Credit Crosswalk was finalized in June. The Crosswalk details which postsecondary courses are available for dual credit with related secondary courses. All information from the CTE Dual Credit Crosswalk has also now been updated in the NLPS Review Document. If a discrepancy is found, refer to the Crosswalk.
Increasing the availability and accessibility of attaining college credit and credentials is one of the primary goals of NLPS. A guidance document for schools and career centers on several important topics related to offering secondary NLPS courses for college credit can be found here.
NLPS Capstone Course Guidance
The CTE team continues to provide clarification and examples for offering NLPS Capstone courses as more schools offer these courses. NLPS Capstone courses are always available for 2-6 credits.
A Guidance Document was shared in June and has been updated over the summer to provide additional clarification and information. Additionally, a second document is linked below with several specific examples of how a Capstone course could be offered.
Industry Certification Reimbursement
Industry Certification State Reimbursement: Indiana will once again be distributing funding to high schools later this fall to reimburse the cost of industry certification exams students took during the past school year (2023-2024). All certifications on the Graduation Pathways Eligible Industry Certification List can be reported and receive reimbursement.
Schools and career centers should enter into InTERS any eligible certification exams (passed or failed) completed by students during the 23-24 SY by September 1. Following collection of this data, the funding will be distributed to high schools. Please reach out to JVance@che.in.gov with any data reporting questions.
The line item for certification reimbursement has been increased from $200,000 to $2,000,000 beginning this fiscal year. With this increase, it is anticipated schools will now receive full reimbursement for certifications this fall (i.e. a certification that costs $50 will now receive $50 in reimbursement rather than a prorated amount that was distributed the prior two years.) The likely reimbursement cost for eligible certifications can be found in the “Assessment Cost” tab on the Graduation Pathways list. This column is undergoing review and will be finalized prior to Sept. 1.
Utilizing Perkins for Certification Expenses: CTE districts have received separate communication regarding limitations on utilizing federal Perkins funding to cover certification costs given that Indiana is now fully reimbursing these costs with state funding. Schools are encouraged to collaborate with area career centers to develop local agreements in cases where the career center is incurring the exam costs. Given the reimbursement funding is provided to schools, consideration should be given to utilizing this annual funding to cover the upfront costs for certifications during the 2024-2025 SY and in future years.
Course Requirements – PCC, Computer Science, and Financial Literacy
Computer Science Requirement: Legislation (HEA 1243) was passed during the 2024 legislative session instituting a computer science (CS) graduation requirement beginning with the 2029 cohort. CTE staff collaborated with IDOE staff to provide guidance related to this new requirement. An initial guidance memo released in May by IDOE can be found here.
As the guidance memo states, the preferred recommended option to meet the requirement is a new course, Computing Foundations for a Digital Age (4565), that is categorized as a foundational level CTE course. Standards for this course are still being finalized but the current version can be found in the Review Document (Page 431).
The IDOE memo outlines additional course options for students to meet the requirement, including utilizing Principles of Computing (7183) in combination with a concentrator course in an IT or CS pathway. This option requires two full-year courses (4 credits total) and is only recommended for students pursuing CTE concentrator status in an IT or CS pathway.
Additionally, Introduction to Computer Science (4803) has been redesigned as a career exploratory course and will not meet the CS requirement. Updated standards for this course have been added to the Review Document and can be found on Pages 829-832.
As the original memo states, schools/districts have broad flexibility in determining how to staff this newly required coursework. While the subject matter of the course is computer science-focused, utilizing computer science/IT licensed instructors for this foundational course may limit the ability for schools to offer CS/IT pathways. Schools may explore options such as additional training, shared planning time, PLCs, etc. to support teachers who may be otherwise licensed in teaching these newly required standards.
Reminder - Career Awareness Course: The standards for Preparing for College and Careers (PCC) were updated in December 2023 to meet the requirements for the Career Awareness Course requirement included in HEA 1002-2023. A few additional clarifications:
- The 2034 cohort is the first that must complete PCC before the end of 9th grade.
- PCC can still be taken in 8th grade and meet the requirement. The course also qualifies for CTE funding when offered in the 8th grade.
- PCC must be offered beginning this upcoming school year (2024-2025) if a school corporation is not already doing so.
Reminder - Financial Literacy Requirement: Pursuant to Indiana Code (IC) 20-30-5-19 (2023), each school corporation, charter school, and state-accredited non-public school must include instruction concerning personal financial responsibility in its high school curriculum. This requirement begins with the 2028 cohort. The CTE team collaborated with IDOE staff to provide guidance in support of implementing this requirement. The memo released in February by IDOE is available here.
The Indiana Association of Career and Technical Education (IACTE) Fall Conference will take place September 12-14. This annual event allows attendees to attend workshops around critical topics surrounding CTE, make connections with colleagues around the state, and network with organizations offering the latest collection of CTE products and services. Registration is available at this link.
Three Pre-Conference Workshops (September 12): For new CTE educators or those interested in furthering their CTE knowledge, the Commission’s CTE team is once again partnering with IACTE to provide three pre-conference workshops. The three sessions are:
- New and Newer CTE Instructors (designed for 1st and 2nd year instructors)
- Expanding Access to WBL (designed for WBL coordinators)
- Empowering Students through CTE (designed for counselors and administrators)
Career Scholarship Account Program
Indiana launched the Career Scholarship Account (CSA) program in the fall of 2023 as part of HEA 1002-2023. The CSA program provides $5,000 annually for tenth- through twelfth-grade students enrolled in eligible Work-Based Learning programs.
CSAs are intended to expand the number of career preparation opportunities for students. An FAQ regarding CTE focused questions related to the CSA program can be found here.
Student CSA applications for the 2024-2025 school year are open until October 1 and can be found here. Questions regarding student applications can be directed to CSA@tos.in.gov.
Provider applications for the 2024-2025 school year also remain open, and information can be found here. Entities eligible to apply as a CSA provider include employers, intermediaries, labor organizations, and schools. Questions can be shared with CSA@che.in.gov.
High School Diploma Redesign
The Indiana Department of Education is working to redesign the Indiana diploma. The first public comment period on the draft diploma rule closed earlier this week. Future updates on High School Redesign and key information shared previously can be found on IDOE’s website at this link.
Indiana’s Perkins State Plan was approved by the U.S. Department of Education in July. The plan has officially gone into effect and will cover the next four fiscal years. The full State Plan can be found here:
An Executive Summary highlights key changes within the State Plan. A webinar providing additional details regarding the State Plan can be found here.
CONTACT US:
CTE@che.in.gov
CTE Resources
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