Part 1: Key Facts Student & Teacher Information
According to the 2004-05 data from the U.S. Department of Education, Maryland has 310,292 CTE students including:
- 236,524 secondary students
- 73,768 postsecondary students
Delivery System/School Information
Maryland has 212 high schools, 231 middle schools, 56 combined schools, 14 public four-year universities and colleges, 16 public community colleges, 29 independent four-year universities and colleges, two independent two-year colleges, and eight Regional Higher Education Centers.
All 24 of Maryland’s school systems offer career and technical education programs, with the number of programs offered ranging from 10 to 48. High school students can take CTE classes in about 200 comprehensive high schools, nine career and technology high schools, and 16 CTE centers, which serve students from multiple “sending” schools. Postsecondary students can take CTE courses in all 16 of Maryland’s public community colleges or may decide to enroll in apprenticeship programs or pursue postsecondary CTE offerings at private career schools and colleges.
Funding/Financing for CTE
Federal: Maryland is estimated to receive $16,917,168 from the Perkins Basic State Grant and $1,541,700 from Tech Prep in FY 2007. Sixty-five percent of Basic State Grant funds are distributed to secondary CTE programs and 35 percent to postsecondary programs. Under their new Perkins IV state plan, Maryland is consolidating Basic Grant and Tech Prep funds.
State: Maryland does not allocate state funding for CTE to the local school systems.
Part 2: State Administration
Key State CTE Contacts
Secondary:
Katharine Oliver
Assistant State Superintendent
Immediate Office of the Assistant State Superintendent
Maryland State Department of Education
200 West Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: 410-767-0158
Postsecondary:
Dean Kendall
Associate Director of Workforce Development
Maryland Higher Education Commission
839 Bestgate Road, Suite 400
Annapolis, MD 21401
State Agencies
The Career and Technical Education Program office of the Career, Technology and Adult Learning Division (DCTAL) within the State Department of Education delivers programs and services in Maryland’s 24 local school systems, including high schools and career centers. The Office consists of three branches:
- The Instructional Branch, which is responsible for leadership, coordination and providing technical expertise to local CTE programs.
- The Student and Assessment Services Branch, which compiles, analyzes and reports results and outcomes on CTE programs and students.
- The Systems Branch, which is responsible for improving the systems for state and local planning, facility planning, performance standards and measures, and budgeting and reporting.
Within the Career, Technology and Adult Learning Division are also the Adult Education & Literacy Services Program and the Correctional Education Program.
The Maryland State Board of Education determines the elementary and secondary education policies of the state and adopts bylaws, rules, and regulations for the administration of the public schools. County boards of education control matters that affect local jurisdictions.
At the postsecondary level, the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) is in charge of establishing statewide policies for planning and coordination of Maryland public and private colleges and universities. It also oversees for-profit career schools and administers state financial aid programs that affect students on a statewide basis.
State Standards for CTE
In Maryland, a Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC) defines what students should know and be able to do in the core content areas as well as other required courses. The VSC was developed by hundreds of teachers and educators from across Maryland and included review and input from national experts. High School students must pass four High School Assessments in English, Government, Algebra/Data Analysis, and Biology to receive their diplomas. Local school systems are required to certify that their local programs of instruction meet the standards contained in the VSC. There are no current plans for a VSC for CTE. CTE programs of study are developed against industry standards for the technical content and appropriate academic VSC areas for the academic components of the program.
Program Approval/Quality Control
For secondary CTE programs, local school districts must follow the guidelines found in the Policies & Procedures for the Development & Continuous Improvement of Career and Technology Education Programs. Local school systems develop CTE programs using the state’s framework of industry established career clusters and pathways. Recently, the Maryland State Department of Education’s (MSDE) CTE Program has identified 48 CTE Programs of Study that are developed with industry and education partners. More than one-half of these programs of study have been finalized for school systems to adopt. Each includes industry certification or licensure and postsecondary articulation.
Using a system-wide perspective, state staff advise local school systems and community colleges as they establish five-year plans to develop new programs and revise existing ones. At the secondary level, the plan to improve CTE programs should become part of a local school system's Master Plan under the Bridge to Excellence in Education Act. Members of the CTE staff provide training and technical assistance to help local directors of CTE develop a rollout and implementation plan.
The Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act, signed into law in 2002, requires each school system to develop a comprehensive master plan that describes the goals, objectives, and strategies that will be used to improve student achievement for all students and to eliminate achievement gaps between subgroups of students. Specifically, the legislation requires the local school system to include in its master plan the goals, objectives, and strategies regarding the performance of students enrolled in career and technology courses and programs.
For postsecondary CTE programs, the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) has a series of guidelines for the creation of new degree programs and new certificate programs under these three categories: certificates within existing degree programs; stand alone certificate programs; and for directed technology certificate programs. A Memorandum of Understanding between MHEC and MSDE describes the process by which community college programs are recognized as CTE under Perkins.
Part 3: CTE Initiatives & Related Policies
State Education & Workforce Agenda
Maryland CTE visibility and credibility is at a pinnacle, according to Kathy Oliver, Maryland’s Assistant State Superintendent for Career Technology and Adult Learning. There is great interest in CTE from Governor Martin O’Malley and from the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board.
The Base Alignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) created opportunities in Maryland in secondary, postsecondary and adult education due to the expansion of two large defense facilities in Maryland within the next ten years. The facilities, which are being closed in other states and transferred to Maryland, will only bring along about 30 percent of the needed workforce with them through transfers. Maryland sees this need for a trained workforce as an opportunity to create and expand CTE programs.
Members of the BRAC have been especially vocal and supportive of the STEM initiatives and are working to build public knowledge that CTE is a vital aspect of STEM. Public image and awareness of CTE have been raised and benefited from the BRAC statements.
High School Redesign
Maryland and the State Department of Education see CTE reform as an integral part of high school reform. This can be seen in the Maryland State Plan for Perkins IV, and in new graduation requirements that have been changed to reflect the significance of CTE. In order to graduate from a Maryland public high school a student must complete one of the following options:
(1) meet the required credits according to the by-law and follow a sequence of courses designated to meet admission requirements for the University System of Maryland. This includes two credits in Foreign Language in addition; or
(2) complete the required credits according to the by-law and select two credits in Advanced Technology Education; or
(3) complete the required credits according to the by-law and complete a State approved career and technology program. The program includes a sequence of technical courses with a minimum of four credits that are obtained through school-based and work-based experiences. In addition, all aspects of the industry are explored, as well as the related academic and workplace skills, including the Skills for Success, are identified and included as an integral part of the program.
Maryland has recently re-affirmed its graduation requirements for end-of-course exams. Students beginning high school in 2005 must pass the Maryland High School Assessment (HSA) is order to graduate from a Maryland high school. The HSA will include the subjects English 2, algebra/data analysis, biology, and government.
CTE-Related Graduation Requirements Summary: According to the Education Commission of the States, Maryland students must choose between CTE and another course option to meet graduation requirements.
Role of Career Clusters
Maryland has adapted the State’s Career Cluster Initiative into ten clusters that more accurately represent key economic sectors of Maryland’s economy. Maryland’s Career Clusters are:
- Arts, Media and Communication
- Business, Management and Finance
- Consumer Services, Hospitality and Tourism
- Construction and Development
- Environmental, Agricultural and Natural Resource Systems
- Health and Biosciences
- Human Resource Services
- Information Technology
- Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology
- Transportation Technologies
Maryland Career Clusters encompass general career and education skills such as teamwork and leadership skills as well as industry and career specific skills needed for further education and careers in the 21st-century global economy. Maryland’s workforce development system is currently using career clusters to make systemic changes to meet workforce demands within industry sectors. Administrators, counselors, and teachers are using the Maryland’s Career Clusters to develop programs that articulate and extend from high school to two-and four-year colleges/universities, graduate schools, apprenticeship programs and the workplace.
STEM Initiatives
Maryland implemented the Project Lead the Way pre-engineering program in 2002, and in 2005, led the collaboration with six other states to develop the biomedical sciences strand. Forty-seven high schools have pre-engineering programs, seven high schools have biomedical sciences programs, and eleven middle schools have Gateway to Technology programs. Over the last five years, Maryland has invested almost 3.8 million dollars in these CTE programs. Twenty-three high schools have applied for and received college certification for the pre-engineering program, which allows students to participate in a process in which they can receive transcripted and/or articulated credit at a number of PLTW affiliated colleges and universities.
Governor O’Malley also included $1.9 million in the FY 2008 budget for a second round of STEM grants.
Secondary/Postsecondary Linkages
Maryland has combined Perkins Basic Grant funds and Tech Prep funds in its Transition Perkins State Plan because the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) believes that every CTE program must be a Tech Prep program. Previously, Tech Prep was awarded on a competitive basis with some consortiums getting a disproportionately large share due more to their grant writing ability than their effectiveness as a CTE program. Since the funding has been merged, the distribution will become more equitable. More importantly, Maryland has always regarded Tech Prep has an integral part of CTE. An analysis of funding and outcomes revealed that program improvement activities would be enhanced if school systems and community colleges were able to combine the two funding streams.
The MSDE wants to move beyond articulated credit to transcripted credits so that student are assured the credits they have earned. Maryland has had success with select statewide articulation agreements such as the one for Transportation-Auto Technology, and the MSDE thinks that due to Maryland’s geographic size, statewide agreements should be achievable.
Career Guidance & Advisement
The Maryland Career Development Framework identifies six content standards for student engagement in the processes of career development: self-awareness, career awareness, career exploration, career preparation, job-seeking and advancement, and career satisfaction and transition. The standards break out into indicators and objectives and build knowledge and skills across grade spans: PreK-Grade 2; Grades 3-5; Grades 6-8; Grades 9-12; and Postsecondary/Adult. This systematic instructional approach aligns with that of the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC) for the academic content areas and incorporates Maryland Career Clusters and CTE Pathway Programs. In addition, students in grades eight through 12 will develop and update an individual career plan as called for in the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR). The plan will include the CTE Pathway program sequence they will follow through postsecondary education, certification and assessment results, and earned college credit.
Instructional materials were developed to support implementation of the Career Development Framework using a systemic approach across education levels. For grades seven through twelve, counseling/advisory resources are grade-specific materials that are structured around four components: Counseling, School-Based Activities, Career-Based Activities and Postsecondary Planning.
Counseling and advisement will be integrated into the overall fabric of the school through a continued professional development series. Maryland will provide professional development for school staff, postsecondary faculty, and parents on a regular basis. The Maryland Career Cluster Frameworks, which include nontraditional career options as well as the full range of career opportunities at all education levels, have been distributed widely across the state.
Technical Skills Assessments
Maryland’s Programs of Study include industry-based technical assessments where available. Discussion of industry based technical assessments for every CTE program at both secondary and postsecondary levels is ongoing.
Business & Industry Involvement
Maryland statute requires all jurisdictions to have CTE Local Advisory Councils (LACs). When a jurisdiction includes a community college in addition to the local school system, the LAC is to serve both learning levels. The LAC is instrumental in helping the jurisdiction determine what CTE programs to offer and in the evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the CTE offerings. Additionally, every local CTE program is required to have a Program Advisory Committee to guide the development, implementation, and evaluation of the instructional program.
Maryland has active industry partnerships in all ten clusters and program areas. These partners have assisted with the redesign of the CTE system. Industry partners give input on how to develop, implement, and grow the CTE programs of study. They make various kinds of investments, acting as industry sponsors, and committing their people to reviewing the programs and the laboratories. Some of the most active partners are from the aerospace industry, which is involved in engineering programs, the automotive technology industry, and the gaming industry, among many others.
Educator Development
Professional development is a major state strategy. There are new professional development standards that emphasize “embedded professional development” and move away from the one-time, workshop approach. This new policy is guiding the state’s investment of Perkins funding in professional development.
The programs of study have begun to give more focus to professional development and industry partners have been very helpful in providing industry-skill training and up-skilling experiences to teachers in areas such as automotive technology. The Maryland State Department of Education also coordinates statewide training activities with industry partners. By offering industry-based training on a statewide level, the economies of scale are more workable, especially for small districts that would not be able to organize industry training for just one or two teachers in a cluster at a time.
One significant reform in Maryland is that teacher certification renewal now requires all teachers to receive professional development in reading theory and practice. This requirement affects CTE teachers, and as such is developing the skill among CTE teachers to better integrate reading comprehension activities into the CTE context, thus improving technical literacy of students.
Part 4: Results
The Perkins Act allows states to identify additional indicators. As one of the academic performance indicators, Maryland chose to focus on the percentage of CTE concentrators who also took academic courses in high school that qualified them to meet the University of Maryland system entrance requirements. Over the course of several years, the percentage of “dual completers” – students who completed the University of Maryland system entrance requirements and completed a CTE pathway - has increased from 14 to 51 percent.
This state profile was developed by the Association of Career and Technical Education with the assistance of the Meeder Consulting Group, LLC. If you need further information or more specific details, please contact ACTE. Customized reports can be developed on specific topics or entities.
Last Updated 7/18/08
