In 2013, the Texas Legislature revamped Texas high school graduation requirements to the current Foundation High School Program. This new plan created multiple pathways to graduation and though it still emphasized college readiness, the new program also elevated career and technical education (CTE) as an equal pathway to postsecondary success. The FHSP allowed students to earn an endorsement across an array of career fields and since the fall of 2015, CTE has only grown in scope.
There are hundreds of middle and high school courses related to career and technical education. They range from agriculture to manufacturing, finance, information technology, and energy. Course content has been developed in partnership with business and industry experts and is aligned with academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current or emerging professions.
However, it’s not enough to have all these courses available; they have been organized into what is known as Programs of Study. These programs are designed by the state to comply with Perkins V, the federal legislation requiring states align CTE coursework to high-wage, in-demand, and high-skill occupations. They include coherent course sequences leading to industry-based certifications (IBCs) and/or work-based learning opportunities to ensure students are prepared for postsecondary studies or careers after high school.
Programs of study are a requirement for Texas to receive federal funding for CTE. The state provides additional programmatic funding to CTE to ensure these programs are accessible and supported throughout our districts.
Part of the governor’s emergency item on expanding career training included bills to “improve career advising and provide funding for career readiness assessments to ensure students are recommended courses best aligned with their career goals.” This topic will likely go before the newly minted House subcommittee on Academic and Career-Oriented Education.
We mention this, of course, to remind legislators as they deliberate on funding priorities for the next two years, that it is crucial to support robust, well-funded career training programs in our schools. But what will help most is hearing from you, their constituents, about the vital nature of existing career training opportunities in our public schools.
If you are a CTE educator, please consider sharing your story with Texas AFT, as well as your legislator. We’ve create a short online form to do so.