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Laurel board reviews CTE expansion plan, aims to add two high-school certifications
Summary
District leaders told trustees they are building a K–12 career and technical education (CTE) pathway, using MCIS data and Perkins funding to prioritize pathways and targeting at least two additional high-school certifications for next year.
District leaders updated trustees on the high-school CTE program and the district’s work to craft a graduate profile and align K–12 pathways.
A presenter described a consensus-building process with staff and students to define a graduate profile — attributes such as communication, leadership, responsibility and adaptability — and said the district’s leadership team formed subgroups to turn those traits into actionable pathways. The district’s secondary leadership is mapping which classes feed which pathways so the board can identify where to invest.
Dr. Byington (speaker 10) and other staff noted the district will use the state MCIS career-interest inventory to collect student interest data and compare that with regional labor-market data to prioritize “high-wage, high-demand, high-skilled” pathways. “We want to be able to take those interest inventories to see what are the highest ranking interests of our student body and compare it with the data that shows us what our high wage, high demand, high skilled jobs are in the area,” Dr. Byington said.
The district said it would target adding a minimum of two certifications at Laurel High School next year and that Perkins funding (federal CTE funding) supports concentrator metrics: students who complete three courses in a pathway count as concentrators and help secure Perkins program eligibility and data needed for future grants.
Students and trustees asked how pathways begin earlier than high school; staff said CTE-themed discussions and exposures should start in elementary grades and that the district intends to build a K–12 pipeline so middle-school programs feed high-school pathways.
Board members encouraged a cautious, sustainable approach: staff said they will “slow down” to ensure programs are funded, staffed and coded correctly for licensure and funding. The district plans further updates as the survey and pathway-mapping work continue.
