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Merit Preparatory Academy

Overview CTE Program Course Catalog Teacher Guide HS WPUs

CTE Teacher Guide

Welcome to our guide for Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers. This resource is designed to help you excel in your role by focusing on key areas that drive student success and professional growth. This guide covers essential topics such as teacher priorities and expectations, the integration of Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs), and the power of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). These elements are crucial for creating high-quality learning experiences and high-performance classrooms that motivate students to achieve rigorous technical, academic, and workplace standards. By embracing these practices, you'll be well-equipped to prepare your students for successful careers in high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupations.


Overview

Welcome to the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher Passport Initiative! This program is designed to empower CTE educators by providing a structured pathway to professional growth and development. Comprising 10 targeted tasks, the initiative offers activities tailored to enhance teaching skills, build professional networks, and keep educators informed on best practices.

What is it?

From completing specialized training programs to subscribing to essential listservs, each task is strategically chosen to support teachers in their journey to excellence. By participating in the CTE Teacher Passport Initiative, educators will not only enrich their knowledge and expertise but also contribute to a stronger, more connected CTE community.

UCSCC Teacher Passport Program

  1. Educator Licensing Lookup
  2. UCSCC Newsletter Subscription
  3. USBE CTE Directions Subscription
  4. USBE Listserv Subscription(s)
  5. UCSCC Safety Canvas Course
  6. USBE CTE Orientation Course
  7. CTSO Leadership Training
  8. YouScience Utah Certification 101 Course
  9. Summer Conference Attendance
  10. USBE CTE Director's Canvas Course 


Teacher Priorities

  • Provide high-quality programs and learning experiences for students.

  • Support students in completing pathways, culminating in a CTE internship or capstone experience.

  • Increase CTSO membership and attendance at conferences and/or competitions.

  • Advertise and recruit students for CTE programs. Advertising and recruiting should be inclusive of all students.

  • Participate in school and LEA collaboration and/or professional development opportunities, including CTE collaborative team meetings.

  • Prepare students to be successful on CTE Skills and Industry exams.

  • Participate in professional development opportunities to stay current on with industry trends and collaborate with industry partners.

Teacher Certification

  • Teachers must be aware of the status of their respective license, endorsements, and certifications. Teachers are responsible for achieving and maintaining appropriate license and endorsement requirements.

  • Teachers should retain copies of programs or participation verification for all professional development.

  • Teachers should attend yearly professional development opportunities, with emphasis on conferences provided by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE Summer Conferences in June and UACTE Winter Conference in February).

CTE Pathway Knowledge

  • Teachers should be familiar with the CTE Pathways offered in their program.

    • Information on pathways can be found on the Utah CTE Website. This UCSCC website shows each LEA's career clusters and pathways and links to strands and standards.

  • Teachers should know the pathway classification of their courses. Which course is an explorer course? Which course is a concentrator course? Which course is a completer course? What courses should students take to become a completer in the pathway(s) the program offers?

  • Teachers should have pathway information displayed in the classroom.

  • Be familiar with the school cluster's vertical alignment (junior high and high school) within each pathway.

Classroom

  • Teachers should plan high-quality instruction based on Utah Strands and Standards for respective courses, using approved curriculum, textbooks, and potential accompanying materials for the course(s). 

  • Teachers should have available the appropriate tools, equipment, and supplies needed for teaching. If not, they should work with their Principal and CTE Coordinator to secure what is needed.

  • Teachers should incorporate CTSO information and experiences into the classroom instruction. Visual displays promoting CTSOs should be in the classroom. 

  • Teachers should ensure the classroom is neat and uncluttered to provide an ideal and safe work environment.

  • Teachers should support school improvement and academic goals. For example, using academic and course specific vocabulary and providing reading and writing opportunities for students.

Safety Training

  • The UCSCC Teacher Safety Training course will be required every three to five years depending on the content area. 
  • The LEA will manage when teachers have completed the course and their rotation year after the initial course completion. This will be reviewed by each LEA CTE Coordinator.  
  • New teachers will be provided with the safety and equipment maintenance training within the first 30 days of employment. 
  • The LEA provides safety and equipment maintenance training to all new shop teachers.  
  • The Safety Inspection form is utilized to document the CTE Space inspection. 
  • An annual hazard review will be conducted by each school coordinator within the CTE classrooms in their school.

Inventory and Record Keeping

  • Teachers should have all supplies/materials/lab items secured and equipment inventoried. Inventory should be updated on a yearly basis and submitted to the LEA CTE Coordinator. The school CTE Coordinator will then submit them to the District CTE Office.

    • Items with a cost of $100 or more per unit should be inventoried.

    • Computers should have a barcode tag and listed in the school inventory.

  • For Bi-Annual Program review (odd years), teachers must complete State CTE Surveys provided on-line by the CTE Director.

Skills Testing/Industry Certifications

  • Skills Certification Tests are administered at the conclusion of most CTE courses.

    • All students should be given the opportunity to take the test and earn a certification.

    • Students who pass the test (cut scores are individual to each exam) and pass the performance objectives throughout the course earn a Skills Certificate.

  • Participate in annual CTE Skills Certification data dive, and create goals and modify instruction based on the results.

CTE Internships

  • CTE Teachers should be proactive in promoting the LEA Work-Based Learning CTE Internship program.
  • Find information about the program and who to contact from the LEA CTE Coordinator.

Teacher Responsibilities

  • High schools should have fully functioning CTSOs.
  • Chapters should have functioning presidencies.
  • Advisors must ensure they have a current Chapter affiliation.
  • Advisors should collect a signed CTSO disclosure from each student member.
  • Advisors must register each student as a state and national member and pay dues by the specified deadline.
  • Chapters should celebrate their respective CTSO week and participate in CTE month activities. 
  • Advisors and members will attend at least the state sponsored conferences and competitions (fall leadership, region competitions, and state conference).
  • National Policy and LEA Travel Policy must be followed by advisors and students.
  • USBE CTSO page


Professional Learning Communities

A Professional Learning Community (PLC) is a collaborative team of educators who work together to improve their teaching practices and enhance student learning. PLCs provide a structured framework for teachers to engage in ongoing professional development and support one another in their instructional growth.

PLC Guiding Framework

  1. What do we want students to learn? This question emphasizes the importance of clarifying learning goals and standards, ensuring all teachers have a shared understanding of what students should know and be able to do.

  2. How will we know if students are learning? This question focuses on the assessment and data analysis process. Teachers collaborate to design common formative assessments, collect data, and analyze the results to monitor student progress and identify areas of improvement.

  3. What will we do if students are not learning? This question centers around intervention strategies. Teachers collaboratively plan and implement targeted interventions and instructional strategies to support struggling students and ensure all students have opportunities to succeed.

  4. What will we do if students already know the content? This question addresses the needs of advanced or high-achieving students. Teachers explore differentiation strategies and extension activities to challenge and further engage these students.

Teacher Responsibilities

  1. Actively participate - Teachers are expected to actively engage in collaborative team meetings, discussions, and activities. They contribute their expertise, experiences, and knowledge to the collective efforts of the team.

  2. Share best practices - Teachers share successful instructional practices, strategies, and resources with their colleagues. They contribute to the collective knowledge and support the professional growth of the team members.

  3. Contribute to decision-making - Teachers provide input and participate in collaborative decision-making processes within the team. They contribute to setting goals, designing interventions, selecting instructional strategies, and evaluating their effectiveness.

  4. Collaborate in designing assessments - Teachers work together to design common formative assessments that align with learning goals and standards. They contribute to creating assessment tools, rubrics, and guidelines to ensure consistent and meaningful assessment practices.

  5. Analyze data - Teachers collaborate in analyzing assessment data to monitor student progress and identify areas for improvement. They contribute to data interpretation; identify trends, patterns, and student needs; and make informed instructional decisions based on data analysis.

  6. Design interventions - Teachers collaboratively plan and implement targeted interventions to support struggling students. They contribute to developing intervention strategies, differentiated instruction, and individualized support plans.

  7. Reflect on practice - Teachers engage in self-reflection and professional growth. They critically examine their instructional practices, seek feedback from colleagues, and continuously improve their teaching approaches based on evidence and feedback.

Remember the specific responsibilities may vary depending on the context, goals, and focus areas in the Professional Learning Community. 

Professional Development