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Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Career Standards and Assessment Services (CSAS) Menu

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Vision

All Kansas students are engaged in quality career pathways to prepare them for a lifetime of opportunities as productive and responsible citizens.

- Summer 2013

Purpose 

Support and empower schools in developing quality pathways that lead students to college and career readiness.

- Summer 2014

Long-term Goals

  1. Providing quality professional development.
  2. Developing and sustaining partnerships.
  3. Keeping pathway standards relevant, rigorous and reflective of current business/industry standards or practices.
  4. Provide valid, reliable CTE data to schools in a timely manner.

For several decades, CTE has been evolving. No longer offering only traditional vocational education, CTE now offers a diverse range of subjects and career fields, including a number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. In addition, the distinction between CTE and academic programs is slowly disintegrating as integrating academic content into CTE has become a national education priority. CTE has become an indispensable lever for improving students’ college and career readiness. CTE plays a powerful role in preventing students from dropping out and provides a variety of opportunities for postsecondary success and employment, including pathways to a bachelor’s degree. CTE also can help all students achieve the objectives of the Kansas College and Career Ready Standards (KCCRS) through authentic, applied learning experiences. In short, CTE is a crucial change agent for the success of improving outcomes for all students.

Kansas utilizes the National Career Clusters® Framework. Technological advances and global competition have transformed the nature of work. Tomorrows jobs will require additional knowledge, improved skills and highly flexible workers who continually update their knowledge and skills. Career Clusters link what students learn in school to the knowledge and skills they need for success in postsecondary education and careers.  In Kansas secondary schools, 36 Career Pathways are offered, spanning across all 16 Career Clusters.  For specific illustration check out the: Kansas Career Clusters & Pathways Model (PDF)

    CTE Table of Contents Page

Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Natalie D. Clark
Assistant Director
(785) 296-4351

KSDE Secondary-Level CTE Contacts

NEW Career and Technical Education Information!

Below are links to documents and resources in the Career and Technical Education field. Click on the title to view the details. Items will be available in this section for four months. Please download or bookmark the link for future references.
 TitleCategoryModified DateCreated DateDescription
2024 CTE Scholar GuideDoc12/11/202311/2/2023Guide on how to fill out the CTE Scholar application with the link to the application, checklist and Credits/GPA submission form.
2022 K-ACTE Summer Conference - CTE 101 for New CTE CoordinatorsPDF8/9/20228/9/2022Kansas Association of Career and Technical Education (July 2022)
Important Dates (March - June 2023)PDF3/3/20237/26/2022This is a list of important dates for Career and Technical Education Coordinators, Administrators, and Educators.
2023-2024 Summary of Pathway ChangesLink8/1/20227/22/2022Summary of Pathway Changes for 2023-2024
Creating a Quality Pathway Rubric IILink2/24/202212/1/2020 
Advisory Committee Guidance HandbookLink2/19/20249/15/2020An information guidebook developed to assist Local Education Agencies comply with Cluster/Pathway approval. Updated Feb. 19, 2024
CTSOs Fact Sheet 2022-2023Link9/1/20237/24/2020Basic information about each CTSO including membership numbers.
Kansas CTE FAQPDF4/22/20204/22/2020March 2020

COVID-19 Resources for CTE

 TitleCategoryDescription
ACTE Distance Learning ResourcesLinkDistance learning guidance for CTE instructors.
COVID-19s Impact on CTE: Defining the Challenge and the OpportunityLinkJune 2020. Addresses the challenges and opportunities in teaching CTE during current pandemic conditions.
High-quality CTE: Planning for a COVID-19-Impacted School YearLinkJune 2020. This resource is for implementing CTE during current pandemic conditions.

Deputy Commissioner
Division of Learning Services

Dr. Ben Proctor
(785) 296-2303
bproctor@ksde.org

Director
Career, Standards and Assessment

Beth Fultz
(785) 296-3142
bfultz@ksde.org

Assistant Director
Career and Technical Education

Natalie D. Clark
(785) 296-4351
​ndclark@ksde.org

Assistant Director
Curricular Standards

Dr. David Fernkopf
(785) 296-8447
dfernkopf@ksde.org

Assistant Director
Assessment

Julie Ewing
(785) 296-2325
jewing@ksde.org

Assistant Director
Kansas Volunteer Commission

Dr. Jessica Dorsey
(785) 296-3163
jdorsey@ksde.org

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