|
CTE Newsletter
September 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.
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). Reimbursement will occur for any certifications on the 2023-2024 Graduation Pathways Eligible Industry Certification List reported in InTERS. As shared in prior newsletters, the data submission deadline was September 1.
The line item for certification reimbursement was increased from $200,000 to $2,000,000 in the most recent state budget. The upcoming reimbursement for the 23-24 school year will mark the first year with the higher amount available. Information shared previously and additional clarification regarding the upcoming reimbursement process has been summarized in this memo.
The memo includes a list of eligible certifications and the amount they will be reimbursed at, plus instructions on how schools and CTE districts can run a report to see a summary of their reported data. Questions regarding the certification reimbursement process can be sent to CTE@che.in.gov.
The CTE Data team has begun holding trainings focused on completing the Form 30A (CTE funding) this fall. The in-person trainings are being held throughout September and early October at different career centers around the state. Upcoming training dates and locations are as follows:
- September 18: Columbus Area Career Center
- September 25: Anthis Career Center (Ft. Wayne)
- October 2: Kokomo Area Career Center
- October 9: Central Nine Career Center (Greenwood)
- October 16: Blue River Career Programs (Shelbyville)
Register for the training date/location you wish to attend by emailing Jedd Vance, InTERS specialist. Space is limited and some locations are nearing capacity. A kickoff webinar was held in late August providing an overview of items to be covered at the fall trainings. A recording is available here.
InTERS data is used for a variety of other important purposes beyond CTE funding, including validating CTE concentrator status for Graduation Pathways, tracking work-based learning participation, and tracking attainment of industry certifications, credentials, and dual credits. The trainings will cover several important changes regarding fall reporting this year and schools/career centers are highly encouraged to have a relevant staff member attend the trainings.
College Application Week will take place from September 23 to September 27. During this week, colleges and universities across the state will waive their application fees, allowing all students to submit applications. This week marks a great opportunity to meet with seniors and have college representatives come in to discuss the application process.
Secondary CTE programs are aligned to postsecondary programs and provide students the opportunity to earn dual credits and work towards valuable postsecondary credentials while in high school. College Application Week provides a great chance for CTE students to learn more about the college-going process and explore postsecondary options. Find resources and additional information on the Learn More Indiana website here.
NLPS Review Document: The NLPS Review Document has been updated and the latest version can be found here. The CTE team does not plan to release another version of the review document throughout the 24-25 school year.
Updates from the last version released in late July are listed on Page 1. Updates include:
- Priority competencies denoted for NLPS Capstone Courses (more information shared in Capstone section below)
- Finalized standards for Computing Foundations for a Digital Age (4565)
- A set of career exploration standards released in July have been added to all Principles courses
2024-2025 CTE Dual Credit Crosswalk: The 2024-2025 CTE Dual Credit Crosswalk is available here. A few small updates have been made from the version initially released 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 is also reflected in the NLPS Review Document. If a discrepancy is found, refer to the Crosswalk.
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.
REMINDER: 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 within each Principles course in the NLPS Review Document or directly linked here.
REMINDER: NLPS FAQ: An updated version of the NLPS FAQ was released in July and can be found here. This resource includes many of the most common questions our team receives regarding CTE programming.
REMINDER: 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.
REMINDER: 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.
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 and a second document with several specific examples of how a Capstone course could be offered are shared again here.
Additionally, all Priority Competencies for NLPS Capstones have been noted in the review document. These are the competencies required to be covered for the first two credits of the Capstone course and are aimed in most cases at helping a student achieve a certificate (CT). Further information is shared in the Capstone Course Guidance Document linked directly above.
Computer Science Requirement
Updated CS Requirement Memo: 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 was released in May and an updated version of the memo was released in late August. The updated version can be accessed here.
Foundational CS Course Finalized Standards: As the guidance memo states, the 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 have been finalized over the summer and can be found beginning on Page 452 of the review document or directly accessed here. A crosswalk comparing the draft standards released in May with the finalized standards can be found here.
Additional Items: 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 beginning on Page 866.
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.
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.
Pre-Conference Workshop (September 12): The Commission’s CTE team is once again partnering with IACTE to put on the New and Newer session. This session is designed for 1st and 2nd year CTE instructors. Work-Based Learning Breakout Session (September 13): The CTE team will be leading a breakout session focused on WBL as part of the main IACTE conference on Friday, September 13. The session begins at 2:45 and is aimed at work-based learning coordinators or other individuals who work closely with students participating in WBL experiences. Registration for the conference is required to attend.
The session will cover important state policies and discuss strategies for improving the WBL experiences at a school. Time will be spent discussing the quality components of WBL, including the development of training plans. Attendees will also be given information on existing and upcoming resources to assist with implementing WBL programs.
High School Diploma Redesign
The Indiana Department of Education is working to redesign the Indiana diploma. A second draft proposal was released at the August State Board of Education meeting. The second draft incorporates significant updates and a summary can be found here. Additional information regarding the second draft and future updates from IDOE can be found here.
|
