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Prince Edward schools reorganize CTE program-of-studies; VDOE removes some work‑based learning categories
Summary
Division staff proposed reorganizing career pathways into broader career clusters and told the board that the Virginia Department of Education no longer recognizes certain work‑based learning placements (job shadowing, service learning, mentorship, youth registered apprenticeship) for credit.
Prince Edward County Public Schools presented a revision to the division’s program of studies that restructures how career and technical education (CTE) offerings are described and aligns course codes with Virginia Department of Education standards.
The presenter said the revision replaces narrowly named “pathways” with broader “career clusters” so counselors and students can read course sequences more clearly. Staff emphasized that they did not remove classes but reorganized how courses are grouped and updated the State Course Codes (SCED) to match VDOE coding.
A major change staff highlighted is that several work‑based learning placements — job shadowing, service learning, mentorship and youth registered apprenticeship — have been removed from the list that the division will offer for credit because the Virginia Department of Education no longer accepts those activities for verified credit. The division said it will focus instead on externships and other workplace learning the state still recognizes, and it replaced references to the former “college, career and civic readiness index (CCCRI)” with a new framing of “employment, enrollment and enlistment (the 3 E’s).”
Board members asked whether credentials and sequential course requirements remain intact; staff replied that students still can earn career credentials by completing two sequential classes in a cluster. Staff also said the VDOE may publish further changes and the division will update the program accordingly.
The presentation ended with questions about whether mentorship or service learning could be integrated into other courses for non‑credit experiences. Staff said those elements could be incorporated into course curricula but would not generate state‑recognized credit unless VDOE changed its rules.
No board vote to adopt the changes was recorded at the meeting; the item appeared as a report and discussion during the program-of-studies section.
