Part 1: Key Facts
Student & Teacher Information
According to 2004-2005 data from the U.S. Department of Education (the latest numbers publicly available), the total number of CTE students in Texas was 1,129,285. This included the following:
- Secondary: 785, 261
- Postsecondary: 344,024
Delivery System/School Information
Texas has over 4.5 million students in 1,222 school districts made up of 1,704 high schools, 379 junior high schools, 1,212 middle schools, 4,290 elementary schools and 476 K-12 schools. Each of these schools is represented and supported by one of 20 Regional Education Service Centers. Texas has four colleges in the Texas State Technical College (TSTC) system, 50 public community colleges, 31 public four-year universities and 39 independent four-year colleges and universities.
Texas has multiple systems set up for delivery of CTE to students and adults at the secondary and postsecondary level. Secondary level programs consist of the following:
- High school CTE courses, both individually and in sequence
- Integrated academic and CTE programs, such as magnet schools, stand alone career academies and career academies within larger schools.
- Tech Prep/2+2 Programs
Funding/Financing for CTE
Federal: Texas is estimated to receive $95,429,038 from the Perkins Basic State Grant and $8,397,736 from Tech Prep. Secondary programs receive 70 percent of Basic State Grant funds and postsecondary programs receive 30 percent. Tech Prep funds are allocated and administered entirely through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
State: Texas weights CTE students at 1.35 FTE. The full formula is FTE multiplied by the Adjusted Allotment (AA) OR Adjusted Basic Allotment (ABA) multiplied by 1.35.
Part 2: State Administration
Key State CTE Contacts
Ms. Karen Batchelor
State Director
Career Technical Education
Texas Education Agency
1701 N. Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 512-475-3491
Fax: 512-463-8057
Ms. Susan Hetzler
Director, Perkins Grant Administration
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
1200 East Anderson Lane
Austin, TX 78752-1743
Phone: 512-427-6220
State Agencies
The State Board of Education (SBOE) serves as the State Board for Career and Technical Education and is responsible for CTE and administration of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the designated agency for management and disbursement of CTE Perkins funding.
By agreement with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), funding is provided to support postsecondary career and technical education programs and Tech {rep education. The SBOE determines the Basic Grant funding split between the two agencies. Careful analysis of program data and other quantitative information are used to determine the funding split.
The P-16 Council advises the SBOE, THECB, and the Texas Workforce Investment Council (TWIC) on issues related to career and technical education and workforce preparation. The Council is composed of the commissioner of education, the commissioner of higher education, the executive director of the Texas Workforce Commission, the executive director of the State Board for Educator Certification, and the commissioner for the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, and other members as appointed, including representatives from business and industry.
The TWIC assists the Governor and the Legislature with strategic planning for and evaluation of the Texas workforce development system.
The Texas Workforce Commission works closely with the TEA to provide labor market information used by CTE programs and in the AchieveTexas publications.
The Texas Skills Standards Board (TSSB), an advisory body of the Governor and Legislature, is charged with the development of a statewide system of skill standards for sub-baccalaureate occupations with strong employment and earning opportunities. The TSSB has developed skill standards and a list of related industry certifications for many occupations which will be essential resources for identifying valid, reliable industry certifications for secondary and postsecondary technical skill attainment.
The Division of Curriculum is responsible for coordination of CTE secondary programs through the CTE Unit, which is responsible for management and leadership for CTE.
State Standards for CTE
The CTE Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the state standards for secondary education courses, are scheduled to be reviewed during the 2007-2008 school year. Newly passed legislation requires the TEKS for CTE to be revised on an accelerated timetable, beginning in November 2007 and completed by November 2009. State teams will revise CTE course standards, eliminate outdated courses, and recommend new courses based on their alignment with the 16 career clusters and programs of study. CTE TEKS are developed by teams of CTE and academic educators, representatives of business and industry, parents and representatives of other groups. All CTE TEKS integrate concepts from the academic curriculum, guide students in applying high-level academic concepts to real-world activities, and provide opportunities for students to explore all aspects of an industry.
All secondary CTE courses must be relevant, rigorous, support student attainment of academic standards, and effectively prepare students for college and career success. Ultimately, the SBOE approves all TEKS for foundation and enrichment courses, including CTE courses. The TEKS do not mandate specific curriculum, but the TEA has used Perkins leadership funds to develop CTE curriculum, aligned with the TEKS, that can be utilized by local districts. Given the developed curriculum is offered at no cost, it is well received by local districts.
As the CTE TEKS are revised, by summer of 2010, all CTE programs of study will be required to lead to high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupations.
The postsecondary Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM) is a web-based inventory of current workforce education courses available for use by public two-year colleges. The Lower-Division Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM) is the official list of courses approved for general academic transfer that may be offered by public community and technical colleges in Texas for state funding. In coming years, both WEGM and ACGM courses will also be reviewed, outdated courses eliminated, and new courses developed based on the alignment with the programs of study and provisions for bachelor degree extension.
Program Approval/Quality Control
School districts are encouraged to use area occupational projections and labor market information from the TWC when evaluating the relevance of their course offerings. When an emerging occupation shows promise or offers significant employment opportunities, school districts may develop TEKS for an innovative course that teaches the proficiencies required in the new and emerging occupation, and apply to TEA for approval to offer the course for state graduation credit.
School districts are required to teach the TEKS in CTE courses. Under the state’s Performance Based-Accountability System, key indicators such as academic attainment and high school graduation are monitored and districts are assigned to various levels of state intervention, depending on student outcomes. Districts with lowest student performance are rated as “Stage IV Intervention.” These districts receive in-depth onsite monitoring visits. During this monitoring process, CTE programs are closely inspected to determine if the CTE TEKS are being followed.
Postsecondary institutions must indicate the labor market demand for their program completers prior to the approval of new programs through the use of advisory committees, TWC labor market information, national labor market information, and other labor market information as appropriate.
The postsecondary Instructional Effectiveness Process requires all colleges to justify continuing programs that fall below state adjusted performance measures, especially licensure pass-rates and placements.
Part 3: CTE Initiatives & Related Policies
State Education & Workforce Agenda
There are two primary initiatives that are currently underway throughout the state to foster creating a college-going culture and well educated communities: Closing the Gaps by 2015 and House Bill 1 passed by the 79th Legislature. House Bill 1 requires the creation of College Readiness Standards.
Closing the Gaps by 2015 is the state plan for higher education in Texas. This plan outlines the goals of closing the gaps in higher education participation and success, in educational excellence, and in funded research by the year 2015. Two of the challenges, “Participation” and “Success,” can be addressed in part through high quality academic and technical education.
High School Redesign
College Readiness Standards: House Bill 1, passed by the 79th Texas Legislature in the summer 2006, contained a number of initiatives regarding high school success and college readiness and success, including calling for joint higher education and public education cooperation. In these activities, the Commissioner of Education and the Commissioner of Higher Education have established statewide discipline-based teams of faculty from public education and higher education in the subjects of English, mathematics, science, and social studies. These vertical teams were charged with developing “college readiness” standards and expectations for high school students. In early 2008, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the “college readiness standards.”
The content-specific expectations have some impact on academic integration in CTE, since academic standards are integrated in the CTE course standards, as appropriate. But the “college readiness standards” also include a variety of cross-disciplinary knowledge and skill statements. Cross-disciplinary standards include intellectual curiosity, reasoning, problem solving, academic behaviors, work habits, academic integrity, reading across the curriculum, writing across the curriculum, research across the curriculum, use of data and technology.
After approval by the Higher Education Coordinating Board, the SBOE will incorporate the standards into the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
The new “college readiness standards” require all students, including students served in CTE programs, to choose between two rigorous graduation programs: the Recommended Program or the Distinguished Achievement Program. A third plan, the Minimum Graduation Program, provides the minimum requirements for admission to most postsecondary institutions. However, students may only graduate under the Minimum Program if the student, the student’s parents and a school counselor agree that the student should graduate under the Minimum Program. Additionally, all CTE courses have state-adopted standards (TEKS) that reinforce and enhance the rigorous academic standards which are measured on the statewide assessment, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests.
Personal Graduation Plan: Texas mandates that a school principal designate a guidance counselor, teacher, or other appropriate individual to develop and implement a Personal Graduation Plan for each student in junior high, middle school, or high school who does not perform satisfactorily on the TAKS tests, or who is not likely to receive a high school diploma before the fifth school year following the student’s enrollment in grade nine (as determined by the district). The graduation plan is required for students who are academically struggling, but subsequent legislation, H.B. 3485, modified the Texas Education Code to so that school districts are “encouraged” to create a personal graduation plan for every student. According to H.B. 3485, the graduation plan should identify a course of study that promotes “college and workforce readiness,” “career placement and advancement,” and “facilitates the student's transition from secondary to postsecondary education.”
Communities in Schools (CIS): CIS is a stay-in-school program funded by the Texas Legislature. CIS uses a case-management model to prevent dropouts, help students stay in school and successfully learn. Texas is served by 27 CIS programs that received $15,788,865 in state funds and $4,842,342 in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding for the 2006-07 school year.
Texas High SchoolProject: The Texas High School Project (THSP) is a $261 million public-private initiative, funded through major contributions from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Dell Foundation. The project is committed to increasing graduation and college enrollment rates in every Texas community and includes investments of more than $30 million to redesign existing high schools and help large schools break up into small, rigorous and personalized learning communities. Under this initiative, the Dallas Independent School District has recently announced plans to reorganize all its high schools under a career academy model.
Role of Career Clusters
In 2005, Texas began the process of reorganizing its CTE system from traditional CTE program areas to the national model of sixteen career clusters. AchieveTexas is the result of that process. Two of AchieveTexas’ main goals are to have vertical alignment so the career clusters span all grades (P–16+) and for students to flow seamlessly from secondary to postsecondary programs. This vertical alignment will allow Texas institutions to provide high quality programs of study which include rigorous courses that are based on relevant and challenging academic and technical standards.
The postsecondary vertical alignment process began with three clusters identified by the Governor as priority areas for economic development. These include: Advanced Manufacturing, Informational Technology, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). This alignment will provide the model for all future alignment activities. Texas’ goal is to vertically align all 16 Career Clusters and provide model programs of study by 2009.
Academic & CTE Integration
In Texas, reading and math assessments are administered in 9th, 10th and 11th grades. As soon as a CTE student enrolls in a CTE course that is part of a sequence of courses, the accountability system identifies the student as a CTE student. Thus, CTE teachers share responsibility for the academic achievement of CTE students, and take responsibility to strengthen academic integration activities, based on performance data generated by the accountability system. School districts are required to analyze performance data, research effective integration strategies, and develop a plan to improve the academic performance of its CTE students.
Secondary/Postsecondary Linkages
Programs of Study Implementation: In developing Texas’s programs of study, a statewide workgroup composed of representatives from TEA, THECB, secondary education, postsecondary education, Educations Service Center (ESC) CTE Specialists, Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC), and the Governor’s office participated in a statewide research and visioning project. Hundreds of stakeholders were interviewed prior to the development of the programs of study. The CTE State Leadership Council comprised of representatives from postsecondary institutions provided content experts to review the programs of study. In addition, CTE stakeholders were given the opportunity to validate or recommend changes to the programs of study. All recommendations were taken into consideration before disseminating the new programs of study.
Perkins State Leadership funds are being utilized to develop model programs of study with postsecondary instructional teams within the 16 career clusters, utilizing the League of Innovation’s CCTI program of study models, which will be further aligned with AchieveTexas. This is an essential process in identifying out-dated courses, aligning with college readiness standards, and insuring that all CTE programs prepare students for career success and/or baccalaureate options. Postsecondary programs in Texas currently are “job” focused and this process will establish program of study models that are “career” focused.
Currently, there are 114 state-recognized programs of study aligned with the 16 career clusters. At least one program of study has been developed for each of the 81 cluster sub-groups. Secondary schools are required to offer a minimum of three CTE programs of study from three different clusters.
Secondary CTE programs of study are based on the Recommended High School Graduation Program or Distinguished Achievement Program in order to effectively prepare students for college and career success. Each program of study includes a rigorous 4x4 core academic foundation (4-English language arts, 4-mathematics, 4-science, and 4-social studies) that is enhanced with relevant CTE career-related courses.
The AchieveTexas Implementation Guide was developed and distributed to superintendents, counselors, Tech Prep consortia, postsecondary and workforce stakeholders, and secondary academic and CTE teachers. Extensive training and technical assistance is being provided by Education Service Center CTE Specialists to assist communities and schools in implementing career clusters and programs of study. Ongoing professional development for postsecondary faculty and administrators is provided during technical assistance workshops that are offered statewide.
Tech Prep/Consortia: Texas statute has codified TechPrep as a recognized educational preparation that includes the program parameters required within Title II of the Perkins Act and also extends those requirements by requiring that all Tech Prep programs be based on the Recommended High School Graduation Program.
26 Tech Prep Consortia Directors and CTE Specialists from the twenty ESC provide direct technical assistance to secondary and postsecondary institutions to develop and effectively implement local articulation agreements, including the development of successful Tech Prep programs. All new Tech Prep plans are being aligned to the 16 career clusters and programs of study.
Sixty-five percent of Tech Prep funds for consortia are distributed equally among all 26 consortia as a base operating fund. Depending on expected levels of federal funding, this averages approximately $200,000 per consortium. Remaining consortium funds are distributed among the consortia, based upon the grades 9-12 student population served by each consortium region. Using these funding factors, consortium funds will vary from as little as $218,000 to $880,000.
College CTE Credit for High School Students: In Texas, a system of statewide articulation for Advanced Technical Credit (ATC) courses has been implemented. In addition, there are numerous articulation agreements between independent school districts and community and technical colleges that are not through Tech Prep consortia.
The ATC statewide articulation program was initiated to reduce duplication of course work and provide a seamless transition from secondary to postsecondary education, overcome problems associated with the mobility of student populations, and reduce the paperwork for schools and colleges. When used with a six-year Tech Prep program of study, the statewide articulation program enables students to complete an associate degree in as few as three semesters, or less if students also take dual credit or Advanced Placement academic courses while in high school. As of 2007, ATC was approved for over 100 courses and offered by over 800 Texas school districts. More than 8,000 teachers have received ATC training and have been certified to teach ATC courses.
Both local and statewide articulation opportunities are promoted through state professional development. Opportunities for secondary teachers and postsecondary faculty to collaborate on course design, curriculum, and valid, reliable assessments are ongoing.
House Bill 3485, passed in 2007, requires the SBOE to begin a review of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for CTE. This will include the ATC statewide articulation process. This review process will facilitate the vertical alignment of CTE programs of study. The CTE vertical alignment strategy will bring together secondary teachers and postsecondary faculty to align rigorous academic and technical courses in the career cluster areas.
The programs of study developed through this collaborative process will be updated and evaluated throughout the five year implementation of the State Plan. The CTE vertical teams will develop model programs of study, consisting of rigorous academic and CTE courses which meet college readiness standards, and will recommend appropriate technical skill attainment measures at all exit points.
Beginning in fall of 2008, each secondary school district must implement a program under which students may earn the equivalent of at least 12 semester credit hours of college credit in high school. On request, a public institution of higher education in this state shall assist a school district in developing and implementing the program. The opportunities for college credit may include AP, IB and dual credit, including local and statewide articulated credit.
Recently, Texas universities have begun accepting the complete associate degree (AAS) into BA and BS programs either as a BA or BS in Interdisciplinary Studies or into traditional BA or BS programs. A good example of this collaboration are the Texas TWO STEP (Technology Working Opportunities through Seamless Transitions and Educational Partnerships) programs at the University of Texas at Arlington, Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas A&M University – Commerce, the University of Texas at Brownsville, and Midwestern State University. Aligning AAS degree programs at Texas two-year public colleges has enabled these universities to award college credit with minimal loss of course credits to the student.
Career Guidance & Advisement
The AchieveTexas Web site provides information and resources about career clusters and programs of study. Sixteen printed cluster guides were also developed to help students, parents, academic and guidance counselors, secondary teachers and postsecondary faculty, and business and industry partners to implement effectively the career clusters and programs of study. Extensive technical assistance will be provided to inform stakeholders about high-skill, high-wage or high-demand occupations in each of the 16 career clusters.
Texas has also updated and upgraded the Digital Occupational Career Video Show. The DVD/CD ROM based package organizes occupational videos by cluster and provides regional narratives that address the educational preparation and job opportunities of the various occupations. The new version will be both in English and Spanish, complete with Spanish language video narration.
In cooperation with TEA, the Labor Market Career Information service (LMCI), a division of the Texas Workforce Commission, operates a toll-free career information hotline. This outreach service offers a hotline with a bilingual operator who provides college and occupational information through a low-tech, but high volume service. LMCI also provides and supports Texas CARES, a state career information delivery system. Formerly available on CD ROM, the new Texas CARES will be available in both CD/DVD format and online. The system offers comprehensive Texas occupational data, college programs and employer data, and integrates all of the items through an interconnected “World of Work” and “World of Learning” structure.
In addition, LMCI provides Career Orientation Training, which is required for CTE secondary teachers who will teach Career Investigation or Career Connections courses. After participating in the training, teachers receive the curriculum with daily lesson plans linked to appropriate career information resources. Each school receives a classroom set of student materials, including Texas CARES and the Digital Career Video show.
Counselors play a key role in recruiting students to participate in Tech Prep programs. Texas supports 36 Counselor Networks where counselors at all levels of education as well as community human resource counselors gather for professional development and the sharing of one-stop information. Counselors are provided information so they understand the benefits of Tech Prep programs, college credit opportunities for enhanced high school courses, articulation agreements, career information, state reporting requirements, current employment needs, and the academic and technical skills needed by business and industry.
Technical Skills Assessments
The growing number of certification and licensing programs in high-skill, high-wage or high-demand occupations reflect the extent to which CTE courses prepare students for advanced technical skills. Over 16,000 secondary CTE students annually earn rigorous industry-recognized licensures or certifications. The top three licensure or certification areas are Information Technology, Health Services and Cosmetology.
To report on Technical Skill Attainment, as required under the new Perkins law, TEA will use valid, reliable industry-recognized licensures and certifications data as reported by eligible recipients. Texas had previously been reporting the total number of licensures and certifications earned by CTE students as an additional measure under the old Perkins law. The state will begin collecting 2006-2007 data using the new Perkins law performance measure definition for Technical Skill Attainment, so this reporting year will the first opportunity for Texas to accurately report the data. Although all programs of study do not have valid, reliable industry certifications and licensures, the goal is to evaluate programs during the CTE vertical alignment process and identify or develop additional assessments so that by 2013, all secondary CTE concentrators have a means to validate technical skill attainment.
The THECB currently collects data for all licensure programs and began development of a process to identify the various skill assessments that can be used for technical skill attainment. Through collaboration with other state workforce organizations and industry boards a statewide system is being developed to collect accurate data for assessing technical skill attainment. Many technical programs have embedded industry-recognized credentials within the certificates and degrees. The THECB works with the colleges to develop and update the system to validate the awarding of these credentials.
The Texas Skills Standards Board (TSSB), an advisory body of the Governor, is charged with the development of a statewide system of skill standards for sub-baccalaureate occupations with strong employment and earning opportunities. The TSSB collaborates with THECB to collect data on Technical Skill Attainment and Credential, Certificate or Diploma performance indicators. The TSSB currently has 36 recognized skill standards listed. Colleges that integrate TSSB-recognized skill standards into their curriculum may have their program recognized by the TSSB. As part of TSSB Program Recognition, colleges must develop assessments that measure students’ attainment of the skill standards content. Such assessments, which are aligned with industry-recognized standards, directly address the technical skill attainment performance indicator.
For areas in which there are no TSSB-recognized skill standards, the TSSB maintains a list of over 450 industry certifications which are organized in 15 industry categories and are updated annually on a continuous basis. The industry categories cover most significant work (NAICS) and worker (SOC) codes. To attain these certifications, which are aligned with de facto industry-recognized standards, individuals are required to take an assessment that measures technical skills. Many of these assessments address the technical skill attainment performance indicator.
Business & Industry Involvement
To strengthen its program offerings in relation to workforce needs, each community college has access to Strategic Advantage (formerly known as Community College Strategic Planner) software customized for its service area that forecasts and projects educational and economic trends. In accordance with guidelines established by the THECB for approval of new postsecondary CTE programs, each community and technical college must provide assurance that an advisory committee composed of representatives from business and industry has been directly involved in the development of the program.
At the postsecondary level, every program is required to have an advisory committee. Small and medium-sized businesses are the major employers in all college areas, particularly in rural areas. Advisory committee members not only help establish the need for new programs but provide worksite learning experiences and job for graduates.
Educator Development
Secondary Perkins Educational Excellence leadership funds have been awarded to several Texas universities for CTE professional development. A statewide professional development project was awarded to provide professional development related for the recruitment and retention of secondary CTE teachers.
Annually, statewide conferences are held for career and technical administrators and guidance counselors. The conferences include training for new administrators and guidance personnel. Conferences are also conducted by most of the teacher professional associations, providing essential opportunities for networking and content-specific professional development. In addition, ESC CTE specialists provide direct technical assistance and professional development to school district personnel in their regions. The TEA CTE Web site provides up-to-date information on opportunities for professional development.
The Texas Network for Teaching Excellence in Career and Technical Education, a postsecondary leadership project, coordinates, and implements a statewide career and technical education professional development system that connects people to people, institutions, resources and ideas. To accomplish this, a system of partnerships is being created between professional organizations and colleges. This project establishes a central network and repository for past and future professional development projects and modules similar to the North Carolina Model.
CTE teacher certifications have been aligned to the state standards and identify what new teachers must know and be able to do to successfully teach rigorous CTE courses. New teachers are required to complete a teacher certification program, either a traditional teacher preparation program or an alternative certification program approved by the state, and pass both a test for Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) and a content examination to demonstrate content proficiency prior to becoming certified to teach CTE. Teachers are required to complete a minimum of 150 hours of professional development every five years in order to stay current in their field.
A new statewide CTE Recruitment and Retention Conference is being conducted the fall of 2007 in an effort to support the recruitment and retention of CTE teachers, faculty, career guidance and academic counselors, including individuals in groups underrepresented in the teaching profession. Activities are being planned to support the transition to teaching from business and industry, including small business.
Part 4: Results
Coming Soon!
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 3/13/08
