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Seeking CTE Alignment in Washington State

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 A current project seeks to align K12 CTE with post-secondary CTE and it’s proven to be an intricate journey, akin to an Odyssey. While the allure of dual credit is strong, many students encounter challenges in applying their hard-earned credits, revealing a gap between promise and reality.

Does dual credit truly deliver on its promise of providing free college credit and motivating non-traditional students to pursue higher education? My inquiries with 10 CTCs and numerous K12 districts in WA have revealed a lack of quantitative evidence to support assumption.

Upon closer examination, three significant fault lines emerge:

  1. K12 personnel express frustration with the implementation of CTC-granted credit articulations.
  2. Some K12 students are unaware of how to apply their earned credits, with some not even realizing they have credits to apply.
  3. Many students find that their dual credits do not function as expected when it comes time to apply them, raising questions about potential misinformation.

The disjointed nature between K12 CTE and CTC CTE reveals an opportunity for intentional design, leadership, and coordination. Previous Futures Research projects have identified a similar gap in many workforce districts throughout Washington State, often attributed to bureaucratic partitioning.

Recently, I've endeavored to map Washington State’s K12 CTE ecosystem alongside CTE at the CTC level. The challenge of alignment is evident: K12 offers 16 distinct "CTE Clusters," while CTC pathways lack similar explicitness, with CTE primarily revolving around Dual Credit. Furthermore, CTC programs resembling CTE are often labeled as "Prof-Tech" and/or "Workforce Education."

It's clear that there's an opportunity to foster clarity and coherence between these two interdependent systems. As Futures Research continues to understand this complex terrain, we are on the lookout for ideas and insights that can simplify and strengthen the alignment, collaboration, and effectiveness of CTE across Washington State. 

#CTE #EducationAlignment #DualCredit #WorkforceDevelopment #K12 #CTC