Director's Note

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Ohio ACTE Innovation and Impact Conference this week. I wanted to a highlight a few key points from my presentation at the conference.

I shared a video showing the work that the Office of Career-Technical Education (CTE), along with Singleton & Partners, have put into the career-tech marketing campaign. Attendees also had the opportunity to review example marketing materials at our vendor table. As you may know, the agency will transition to the Department of Education and Workforce in the near future. Once that rebranding is completed, we will be able to share these resources with everyone. I am very excited for what is to come!

I highlighted three in-demand areas – broadband and 5G, electric vehicle and Intel. The Office of Workforce Transformation has released a workforce strategy for both electric vehicles and broadband and 5G. Both strategies discuss the growing industries and the lack of career awareness and education and training programs that currently exist.

Associate Director, Matt Winkle, presented updates on standards and assessment. In school year 2024, Business and Administrative Services and Logistics, Marketing and Finance standards will be implemented, and the courses will be in field testing. Agriculture and Environmental Systems will be in item writing. Arts and Communication and Information Technology will draft content standards. Three manufacturing courses (Vacuum Systems, Introduction to Semiconductors and Cleanroom Processing and Introduction to Manufacturing) are in research and development for alignment.

There are a few new resources available for you as well.

• Technical Skill Attainment Report in Secure Data Center
• Non-Traditional Program Enrollment Report in Secure Data Center
• Statewide Equity Report
• In-demand Jobs and CTE Pathways GIS Map

These resources should be helpful as you prepare for the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment.

Finally, I covered new updates from the budget bill.

• Reorganization of Department – The agency will become the Department of Education and Workforce in the first week of October.
• CTE at Ohio Technical Centers – Schools can contract with an OTC to serve students in a CTE program.
• CTE funding for Dropout Prevention and Recovery (DOPR) Schools – Students in credential-only programs will count as a full-time student.
• CTE Equipment Grant – Our office has named this grant as Expanding Opportunities for Workforce Readiness Grant. Priority will be given to new or expanding programs and applicants with low number of CTE concentrators. More information will be forthcoming. 
• Competency-based diploma pilot program – Requires department to implement a pilot program for 18–21-year-olds.
• Adult Diploma Program – Lowers minimum age for participation to 18.

My presentation covered many topics in a short period of time. As always, we will do our best to communicate updates as they become available. Should you have any questions please reach out to any of our staff or our general inbox at cte@education.ohio.gov. Hope you enjoy the last bit of summer and are geared up for another amazing school year!

Leah Amstutz

Director, Office of Career-Technical Education

Office for Exceptional Children, Career-Technical Education Memo

The Ohio Department of Education’s Office for Exceptional Children and the Office of CTE thank you for making career-technical education an inclusive experience for all students. The Serving Students with Disabilities in CTE memo serves as a reminder of key rules and regulations related to special education and related services for students with disabilities who participate in CTE. This guidance applies to all educational agencies including Joint Vocational School Districts (JVSDs) and associate school districts serving as the District of Residence (DOR), Traditional School Districts, Community Schools, Educational Service Centers and County Boards of Developmental Disabilities.

As stated in the memo, if you have questions or would like to request support from our offices, please contact us at exceptionalchildren@education.ohio.gov or cte@education.ohio.gov. 

New CTAG Promotional Resources

Ohio Department of Higher Education has developed several new resources to address some of the issues noted by project participants throughout the year. Please share these resources with relevant stakeholders. 

• For high school students and families: This flyer (designed by our Communications team) compares CTAGs, CCP, and AP as three of the most common opportunities for college credit for high school students. Please feel free to copy and distribute this flyer widely at any promotional or recruitment events. Additionally, this online version on the Credit Transfer Ohio website provides the same information in a slightly different format, as well as a section featuring more opportunities for credit. 
• For high school faculty and staff: This FAQ page on the Transfer Credit Ohio website outlines the most important CTAG policies and provides tips for high school faculty and staff to help their students access credit. It also outlines best practices districts should follow to ensure their students will be eligible for college credit. 
• For college faculty: This submission guidance document outlines tips for preparing CTAG submissions to the review panel. The document also links to this new submission guidance FAQ page for college faculty, which includes the same tips for preparing successful submissions, but also includes much more detail on the CTAG initiative and review process as a whole. It is recommended to send the PDF version of this resource to faculty when requesting course submission; and if faculty reach out with broader questions about the initiative, direct them to the online version. 

Equity for Each Grant Awards for School Year 2024

The Ohio Department of Education and Ohio Department of Higher Education are pleased to announce that the 2024 Equity for Each grant will be awarded to the following recipients:

Thank you to all of the schools and districts who applied for this grant. There were 52 applications submitted this year so, there was a lot of competition.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Becky Crance at Rebecca.Crance@education.ohio.gov.

Ohio In-Demand Jobs and CTE Pathways Alignment Map

Becky Crance will host four webinars for learning how to navigate the new Ohio In-Demand Jobs and CTE Pathways Alignment GIS map. The webinars will take place August 4 – 25, 2023, every Friday from 11am – 12pm.

Register here for a GIS workshops on Eventbrite.

If you have any questions, please contact Becky Crance at Rebecca.Crance@education.ohio.gov.

Career-technical education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age for participation in any program or activity. Lack of English language proficiency will not be a barrier to admission and participation in career-technical education programs.