Career & Technical Education
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CTE in High School - Does it Improve Student Outcomes?
Charlotte County Public Schools embraces the concept of career and technical education for all students and provides counseling, highly-qualified teachers, technology-rich labs, an expansive curriculum, and many support services for students in K-12.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) prepares Charlotte County students for a wide range of careers, from nurses to computer technicians, and hundreds of careers in between! When community visioning sessions were conducted several years ago, it became apparent that parents, students, and community business partners wanted to enhance the CTE programs in all schools. CTE was seen as a direct link to careers, post secondary training, or the military and helped to give the students clear goals for their future. And, research from 1950 to the present clearly indicates that 70% of jobs do not require a four-year degree. A one-to two-year career/technical certification opens the door in many career fields and may serve as a stepping stone to higher level careers or further education.
This long-range vision has now become a reality. Every school in the district has CTE programs in place. These programs are based on the 17 career clusters that the state of Florida uses to plan course offerings:
- Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
- Architecture & Construction
- Arts, A/V Technology & Communications
- Business, Management & Administration
- Education & Training
- Energy
- Finance
- Government & Public Administration
- Health Science
- Hospitality & Tourism
- Human Services
- Information Technology
- Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security
- Manufacturing
- Marketing, Sales & Service
- Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM)
As early as Kindergarten, students begin work in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math labs (Elementary STEM). The curriculum in these labs leads to the Middle School STEM lab modules. In 8th grade students study all the career clusters and then develop a four-year plan based on the clusters and their Major Area of Interest. An invaluable web site for parents and students to use is www.facts.org.
This site will guide the student through the process of creating his/her own ePEP (Electronic Personal Education Plan) for high school.
Each of the high schools has Career Clusters that feature a wide array of course selections and career paths. Counselors meet with students each year of high school to modify the plan as student's career interest changes.
There is also an opportunity for students to attend Charlotte Technical Center during their junior and senior year as a dual enrollment student. The Center specializes in CTC courses, licensure and certificate programs, and job placement for students upon program completion. Students may articulate certifications into any of the Florida Community Colleges. (see a counselor for details)
CTE students also have an opportunity to earn the Florida Gold Seal Scholar Award to assist with college/post secondary school tuition.
This CTE site will lead you to several resources that will assist with planning for your future.
Programs of Study
Economic Security Report
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Section 1002.20(24), Florida Statutes, requires each middle school and high school student or the student's parent be provided a two-page summary of the Department of Economic Opportunity's economic security report of employment and earning outcomes. This must be done annually prior to registration and electronic access to the full report must also accompany the summary.
The following links are to the summary and full economic security report for you to distribute to your schools and parents as required by law.
Return on Investment-Parent Notification
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A provision within Chapter 2014-184, Laws of Florida, requires district school boards to notify the parent of a student earning industry certifications providing postsecondary credit of estimated cost savings associated with tuition and fees for those postsecondary credits. The student and the parent must be informed of any additional industry certifications available to the student.
To assist school boards with this requirement, the attached spreadsheet indicates the Return on Investment (ROI) for each certification with a statewide articulation agreement and identified postsecondary credit.