Career and Technical Education Standards

New CCRS Center State Map Features—Identify How States Are Measuring and Supporting College and Career Readiness

States are implementing a variety of initiatives and policies to assess and support students’ college and career readiness. To help state leaders and policymakers identify trends and learn about innovative approaches to this work, the College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center has updated the CCRS Center interactive state map with new and streamlined content. The map provides an easy-to-navigate snapshot of state college and career readiness policies, metrics, and initiatives across all states.

Does Career and Technical Education Affect Student Engagement?

Does career and technical education (CTE) keep students engaged and enrolled who might not otherwise graduate from high school? With a persistent achievement gap and relatively stagnant student achievement levels, this is a particularly crucial question to ask right now. Many have opinions on this subject, but what does the research say? Essentially that the effects of CTE on high school graduation are not clear.

"Badging 101: The What, The Why & The How" Webinar Recap

Last week, the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) and NOCTI co-hosted a webinar, “Badging 101: The What, The Why & The How.” This webinar examined the concept of open badges and their potential in demonstrating – and validating – students’ skills, knowledge, and competencies. The presentation focused on the basics of badging and potential uses at the national, state, and local level.

A Common Framework for Employability Skills

On May 22, 2014, the Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) hosted a Webinar, “OCTAE Presents a Common Framework for Employability Skills” in order to unveil The Employability Skills Framework. The framework is an online collection of tools and resources designed to share strategies for integrating core employability skills into high-quality Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at both the state and federal level.

The State of Career Technical Education: (Different) Standards for All

The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) recently undertook a large-scale research project to address the not-so-simple question of: how do states approach Career Technical Education (CTE) standards? With the increased attention given to CTE as a necessary strategy for engaging students, preparing our future workforce, and remaining competitive in a global economy, NASDCTEc believes it is important that stakeholders have a solid understanding of the system they are supporting.

Support for States Employability Standards in CTE and Adult Education

Employability skills, such as critical thinking, technology use, and communication, are critical for success in the labor market. Many of these skills have been integrated into the Common Core State Standards and the Common Career Technical Core. Realizing the importance of developing employability skills across all sectors and levels of employment, the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) at the U.S.

Newly Formed Council Focuses on Career Readiness

The Career Readiness Partner Council is a coalition of nearly 30 education, business, policy, and philanthropic organizations, formed in 2012 and led by the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. The group is charged with developing and articulating a clear vision of what it means to be career ready and leading efforts to help bridge the gap between education and workforce preparation.

Career and Technical Education and the College and Career Readiness Agenda

This month, the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), in collaboration with 43 states and the District of Columbia, released a set of common standards for career and technical education (CTE).  The standards, known as the “Common Career Technical Core,” are designed to provide “a common benchmark for what students should know and be able to do after completing a [CTE] program of study.”  NASDCTEc hopes to universalize the standards through voluntary st

The Principal’s Role in Implementing the Common Core State Standards: Ten Keys to Success

This blog is the fourth in a series of blogs by Mel Riddile, Associate Director for High School Services at the National Association of Secondary School Principals, on the principal’s role in implementing the Common Core State Standards.

School leaders should consider 10 keys to successful implementation of the Common Core State Standards: