News

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Career Technical Education

Santa Barbara High School District recently updated the Career Technical Education (CTE) plan. The district’s CTE has five well-developed, industry sector pathways: arts, media, and entertainment; engineering and design, finance and business; health science and medical technology; and transportation.

Students in these pathways take a CTE course and/or an academic course specifically designed to incorporate CTE skills each semester of their high school careers. Emphasis in these sequential pathways is on academic and technical skills that are purposefully integrated so that students can learn skills and concepts in context. Students in these programs earn college units, career certifications, or special diplomas that indicate mastery of CTE framework standards, all aspects of the industry concepts, and workplace skills. The 2008-2012 plan reflects a strong, longstanding partnership between the Santa Barbara School Districts, Santa Barbara City College, and the Santa Barbara County Education Office, Regional Occupation Program (ROP).

The Santa Barbara High School District presently offers 74 CTE courses, 49 sections of Santa Barbara City College Dual Enrollment Program, and 23 sections of ROP.

For the past two years, the district’s CTE Advisory Committee has met monthly to develop long-range goals as well as analyze, evaluate, and coordinate program offerings. The advisory committee continues seek input from teachers as to how the district can further integrate academics in CTE pathways.