Maple Heights board hears CTE update showing high graduation and credential rates
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Summary
CTE leaders told the Maple Heights Board of Education that career-technical programs are boosting graduation and state-readiness metrics, reporting high pass rates on technical exams, college-credit gains and substantial work-based learning participation.
Maple Heights Board of Education members heard a detailed update on Career Technical Education (CTE) programs during their Feb. 24 meeting, with presenters saying CTE participation contributed to substantially higher graduation and College-Career-Workforce-Military Readiness (CCWMR) measures.
Matthew Bennett, the district'identified CTE lead and assistant principal, told the board Maple students earned articulated college credit and industry credentials that translate directly into state-readiness metrics. "Our graduation rate last school year was 98.8 percent," Bennett said, and he showed district modeling that the rate would fall markedly without CTE credential points and work-based learning components.
Katrina Myers, CTE coordinator, outlined program scale and access. She said Maple offers seven programs for juniors and seniors, career-based intervention (CBI) in high school and the ECAC program, and reported current CTE enrollment of 104 students (about 53% of the class of 2026) and 154 juniors (77%). Myers described admissions via an online portal (EnrollTrack), seat limits for each program and waiting lists when seats fill.
Presenters described credit pathways: some students earn articulated college credits through Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) and the University of Akron; seven CTE students in dual enrollment have earned 176 college credits to date. The district reported 228 CTAG/ITAG credential points or similar in 2025 and said 38 students met the state'required 250 hours of work-based learning last year (46% of graduates), the new measure that states will use to evaluate CTE performance.
Board members pressed presenters on marketing, program capacity (media arts and teaching professions were flagged as underfilled) and employer partnerships. Bennett and Myers said the consortium hosts a October CTE fair at the district athletic center, maintains a shared website, and partners with organizations including Youth Opportunities Unlimited for pre-apprenticeship monitoring and the Greater Cleveland Partnership for employer connections.
District staff noted CTE outcomes include CTSO competitive qualifiers, state champions, and national qualifiers; they also highlighted that several top academic graduates participate in CTE pathways. The board thanked presenters and asked staff to publicize individual student achievements.
The presentation was informational; no formal board action on CTE programs was taken during the meeting. The board moved on to the treasurer's report and subsequent agenda items.
