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Carroll County Public Schools outlines CTE expansion, middle‑school career coaching under Blueprint plan
Summary
Board heard an overview of Career and Technical Education pathways, middle‑school career coaching, apprenticeship efforts and funding tied to Maryland’s Blueprint; board members pressed for metrics and continuity of funding.
Carroll County Public Schools on Oct. 8 presented an expanded plan for career and technical education designed to align with Maryland’s Blueprint for Education, including earlier career counseling in middle schools, new pathways at the Career and Technology Center and a countywide push to grow apprenticeships and industry credentials.
The presentation opened with Superintendent-designate William Wernick introducing the district’s CTE leadership and goals. “The CTE pathway is a sequence of courses that prepares students for a specific career,” said Ted McNatt, assistant supervisor of CTE, describing course sequences that can lead to industry-recognized credentials or college credit. “About half of the CTE pathways are available at the comprehensive high schools and half at the Career and Tech Center.”
The nut of the presentation was how CTE ties to the Blueprint law’s career-development requirement. Leslie Chesley, career development and program specialist, said the district is implementing a three‑stage middle‑school model: “Explore” in sixth grade, “Connect” in seventh grade and “Empower” in eighth grade, with career portfolios and a field trip to the Career and Technology Center to help eighth graders choose high‑school pathways.
Board members pressed for specifics on employer partners and apprenticeships. Bill Echols, a CTE leader, said the district works with local farms, veterinarians and the Agribusiness Council on internships and has seen “increased student interest” that prompted growth of programs. Echols said the district has had “a lot of success with what we call youth apprenticeships, much less success with registered apprenticeships,” and that the district is “working very closely with the Department of Labor” to expand opportunities.
The presentation described new and expanded offerings the district is planning: a veterinary science unit in animal science, ProStart (restaurant management) and hospitality programs at selected high schools, and entrepreneurship and natural resources programs at the Tech Center. Echols said state expectations and initiatives — including a goal cited by MSDE for 45% of graduates to earn an industry credential — require the district to update and expand roughly 45 pathways.
Leslie Chesley described digital supports and partnerships. Middle‑school students have access to career‑exploration software (Pathful) through Carroll County Workforce Development; the district’s middle‑school career coaches work with every student to develop six‑year plans that feed into high‑school scheduling. Chesley also described RISE, a mentor program that trains seniors to deliver resume and interview coaching to underclassmen; a pilot last year served 12 students and the district is expanding to additional schools.
Board members asked about measures of program success. Superintendent McCabe and staff said the district performs exit surveys of graduating students and collects anecdotal reports of alumni returning to present to students; staff said longer‑term outcome tracking remains limited. Board member Robert Whistler asked for stronger metrics to evaluate whether students use CTE skills after graduation; administrators said they plan to continue refining post‑graduation follow‑up and reporting to the board.
Why this matters: CTE is a central component of the Blueprint law and a focus of state funding and accountability. Carroll County officials said they are using a roughly $1.6 million Blueprint allocation (per‑pupil funding determined by the Accountability and Implementation Board) to support middle‑school career coaching and partnerships with Carroll Community College and local workforce development. Board members noted the program’s dependence on state funding streams and discussed local budget tradeoffs if state funds wane.
Board members and presenters framed CTE expansion as a long‑term investment in workforce readiness. “These programs are constantly reassessing opportunities and programs to meet current and future needs of both the students and the workforce demands,” McNatt said. The district will return to the board with more detail on credential targets, apprenticeship registration efforts and metrics this fall.
