Career & Technical Education (CTE)

News & Announcements

Public Comment for the Strengthening Career and Technical Education For the 21st Century (Perkins V) Four-Year State Plan

In accordance with the provisions of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act for the 21st Century (Perkins V), not less than 60 days prior to submission of the State plan, the state eligible agency shall provide such stakeholders with the opportunity to provide written comments to the eligible agency, which shall be included in the State plan, regarding how the levels of performance described under Section 113 (b)(3)(A): (I) meet the requirements of the law; (II) support the improvement of performance of all CTE concentrators, including subgroups of students, as described in section 1111(h)(1)(C)(ii) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and special populations, as described in Section 3(48); and (III) support the needs of the local education and business community. Each eligible agency shall provide, in the State plan, a written response to the comments provided by stakeholders.

Additionally, the eligible agency shall make the State plan publicly available for public comment for a period of not less than 30 days, by electronic means and in an easily accessible format, prior to submission to the Secretary for approval under Section 122 (a)(4). In the plan the eligible agency files under Section 122 (a)(4), the eligible agency shall provide an assurance that public comments were taken into account in the development of the State plan.

Public comments regarding the Perkins V  Four-Year State Plan-This is a Word document. (Word) will be received at cte@doe.virginia.gov from February 13, 2020 – April 12, 2020.

Creating Excellence Awards

VDOE, in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System is pleased to announce the Career and Technical Education Creating Excellence Awards for 2019-2020.  The secondary and postsecondary awards recognize excellence in the following categories: CTE exemplary programs, advisory committees, and business and industry partnerships.  See Superintendent’s Memo 002-20-This is a Word document. (Word) for the application and details.

Working in Support of Education (W!se) Announces the W!se Blue Star Schools for the 2018-2019 School Year 

Congratulations to the 247 schools nationwide who were announced in October 2019 as earning the designation of W!se Blue Star Schools for the 2018-2019 school year.  To be designated a Blue Star School, a school must have achieved an 80% or above passing rate on the W!se Financial Literacy Test and have EITHER a majority of students on a given grade level take the test OR achieve a minimum average score of 85%. Of the 247 schools listed-This is a PDF document. (PDF), 155 or 63% of them were Virginia schools.  These schools will be honored at W!se’s annual MoneyPOWER Conference for Financial Educators in New York City and presented with Blue Star banners.  Congratulations to this year’s Blue Star Schools for an outstanding achievement and sincere thanks for the tremendous hard work in helping to improve the financial literacy of our nation’s young people.  

Virginia Economics and Personal Finance Students Again Lead the Nation in Success On the Working in Support of Education (W!SE) Financial Literacy Credential

At a recent ceremony held in New York City, the Best 100 W!SE high schools teaching financial literacy were announced.  First published in 2013, the 100 Best W!se High Schools national ranking recognizes the top 100 performing high schools in W!se’s national network, showcases excellence in financial education and motivates schools to “race to the top” in personal finance instruction.   Among the top 100 schools nationwide, 46 of those award-winning schools were Virginia high schools.  A complete listing of the 100 Best W!se High Schools is available.

Virginia’s Workplace Readiness Skills:  Framework for the Future

In collaboration with the Demographics Research Group of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia, the research report Virginia's Workplace Readiness Skills: Framework for the Future-This is a PDF document. (PDF) is being shared with school divisions.  The purpose of this research was to evaluate Virginia's current 21 Workplace Readiness Skills and to make certain they are up-to-date and aligned with the needs of employers. For more than 30 years, in each decade since the 1980s, hundreds of employers throughout the Commonwealth have been interviewed or surveyed to determine the most essential workplace skills for entry-level workers.