Career Track 2013… The 5 Year Strategic Plan for Secondary and Postsecondary

Career & Technical Education in Broward County

Career Track 2013… The 5 Year Strategic Plan for Secondary and Postsecondary Career & Technical Education in Broward County (hereafter referred to as the CTE 5 Year Plan) is an integral part of, and specifically correlates with, the District Strategic Plan Goal Areas and the High School Reform Initiative. The chart below shows the components of the CTE 5 Year Plan, the District Strategic Plan Goal Areas, and the High School Reform Initiative.

The CTE 5 Year Plan is congruent with federal and state legislation including, but not limited to, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, and the Florida Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Act.  The CTE 5 Year Plan, along with the District Strategic Plan and legislative requirements, is leading to substantial changes in the delivery of instruction and intended outcomes for our students. 

Career and Technical Education in our high schools is clearly positioned as a cornerstone of true educational reform. The CTE 5 Year Plan seeks to ensure that all students graduate academically and technologically prepared for higher education and to enter the workforce, including apprenticeship-training programs.

The implementation of the CTE 5 Year Plan will provide high school students in our District the opportunity to work towards:

• A College-Ready Diploma that includes high rigor academics and a career and technical education (CTE) program of study,
• The award of a technical program certificate,
• Articulated postsecondary/college credits at recognized institutions of  higher learning,
• One or more certifications/licenses recognized by business and industry, and
• The Florida Bright Futures/Gold Seal Scholarship

CTE 5 Year Plan Strategies

1. Communicating a clear message to all stakeholders explaining the vision, goals, objectives, and desired outcomes of the CTE 5 Year Plan, which include:

• Increased student academic achievement and increased graduation rates,
• High school graduates prepared for postsecondary education and employment,
• Career focused, rigorous academic and technical instruction leading to industry certifications/licenses,
• Increased use of acceleration mechanisms that include college/technical dual enrollment and articulated college/technical credits, and
• Creating a cadre of skilled employees to meet the needs of employers.

2. Aligning funding streams to support the strategic plan, including, but not limited to, capital resources, Carl Perkins Grant funds, and performance improvement incentive funds provided by the CAPE Act

3. Assisting middle schools in the effective implementation of CTE courses and the middle grades requirement for career education, and completion of the e-PEP

4. Expanding partnerships with business & industry, WorkForce One, postsecondary institutions, and departments/schools within the District to assure the involvement of all critical stakeholders

5. Conducting programmatic and facility/equipment assessments of current CTE programs, in order to ensure that CTE programs are academically rigorous, relevant to the workplace, and that they meet the current and future needs of the workforce

6. Expanding the implementation of Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Academies, technical dual enrollment, and on-line/distance learning through e-Learning Broward

7. Assuring that all high schools implement CTE programs that include the offering of all sequential courses in the program that will lead to honors/quality points, industry recognized certifications, articulated college credits, and a college ready diploma

8. Strategically placing specialized CTE programs in high schools throughout the District and increasing the number of results-driven professional development opportunities

9. Providing all career and technical education teachers with the opportunity to receive a Content Area Reading Professional Development (CAR-PD) endorsement for giving level two students the ability to complete CTE programs without the need for remediation beyond the CTE curriculum

10. Collecting data relative to CTE student enrollments, CTE concentrators, CAPE Academies, Technical Dual Enrollment, grant deliverables, and student achievement for data-driven decision-making.

Implementation of this plan is positioning Broward County Public Schools as a nationally recognized leader in the field of high school reform/redesign and career & technical/workforce education.