Part 1: Key Facts
Student & Teacher Information
According to 2004-2005 data from the U.S. Department of Education (the latest numbers publicly available), the total number of CTE students in Tennessee was 229,254. This includes the following:
- Secondary: 175,121
- Postsecondary: 14,667
- Adult: 39,456
According to the Tennessee Department of Education Report Card, during the 2006-2007 school year, total secondary course enrollment was 362,973. This includes 298,551 secondary students in grades 9-12.
Delivery System/School Information
Tennessee’s CTE delivery system at the secondary level consists of 324 comprehensive high schools and 17 CTE high schools. At the postsecondary level, Tennessee has 27 technology centers, 13 community colleges and 11 public four-year colleges.
Funding/Financing for CTE
Federal: Tennessee is estimated to receive $23,392,150 from the Perkins Basic State Grant and $2,231,641 from Tech Prep in FY 2008.
State: Using average daily attendance, Tennessee funds salaries for one non-CTE teacher per 26 non-CTE students, and one CTE teacher per 20 CTE students. Supplies and equipment are funded separately. Supplies and equipment are funded at $27 and $20 per non-CTE student, and $101 and $62 per CTE student, respectively. School districts have local control over how the funds are spent.
Part 2: State Administration
Key State CTE Contacts
Ralph Barnett
Assistant Commissioner
Tennessee Department of Education
Division of Career and Technical Education
710 James Robertson Parkway, 4th Floor
Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0383
Phone: 615-532-2800
State Agencies
The Tennessee State Board of Education (TSBE) is the state agency authorized to oversee federal laws pertaining to CTE. By statute, the TSBE has the authority to accept federal funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.
The Governor of Tennessee appoints the Commissioner of Education, who the TSBE has given authority to manage and fund CTE programs. The Commissioner of Education manages the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) including the Division of Career and Technical Education.
The Division of Career and Technical Education is managed by an Assistant Commissioner appointed by the Commissioner of Education. There are seven secondary CTE program areas led by the Assistant Commissioner, central office support staff and nine CTE consultants who operate from the nine regional field service centers.
The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) is the designated agency of the state for administering postsecondary CTE programs through Tennessee’s community colleges and technology centers. TBR is allotted Perkins funding from the TDOE for postsecondary technology center and community college programs.
The Tennessee Career and Technical Education Council (TCTEC) serves as an advisory board to review and make recommendations on CTE to the Tennessee Legislature, TBR and TSBE. The 13-member council is comprised of six members representing CTE areas in secondary and postsecondary education, and seven members representing private business/industry and labor. The Governor appoints all the members.
State Standards for CTE
Tennessee has created a variety of standards for their CTE courses. Currently, these standards are aligned to Tennessee’s seven CTE program areas and are required if the CTE program is to receive Perkins funding. These standards include pathway content; general employability skills such as resume building and interviews; 21st century learning skills, especially leadership and teamwork; and safety and ethical issues associated with each course of study. The Division of Career and Technical Education is in the process of reviewing CTE standards to ensure the standards reflect current business and industry needs and processes as well as curriculum changes and will submit them to the Tennessee SBOE for approval.
Program Approval/Quality Control
Yearly, each school district is provided a Perkins Report Card with its levels of performance on core indicators as compared to statewide performance indicators. Within the Tennessee Comprehensive Systemwide Planning Process (TCSPP) approval guidelines, each district must analyze its own data and establish benchmarks for systematic improvements on each core indicator. Required levels of performance and actual levels of performance data are analyzed in terms of adequate yearly progress (continuous improvement), improving status and meeting federal benchmarks. Activities supported through Perkins funding must be targeted to improve deficient levels of performance or support programs that exceed proficient levels of performance.
Tennessee has a program approval process at the secondary level. Each district is on a four-year on-site monitoring cycle. Risk based monitoring is being implemented this year. Risk factors have been identified that will determine the degree of technical assistance or on-site visits to districts based on a point values system. The risk factors consist of areas in CTE director qualifications, local plan/addenda/TCSPP accomplishment of goals, fiscal monitoring findings, spending of funds as indicated in local plan, professional development for teachers and CTE director, quality program development, purchasing procedures, data reporting, physical inventory, draw-down of funds, volume of funds and other grants such as High Schools That Work, HSTW Aspiring Sites, Jobs for Tennessee Graduates, and Incentive and Reserve Grants. Using the risk factor point values received, additional technical assistance will be conducted in areas of need in addition to the four-year on-site visit.
Quality program indicators have been identified that support the quality program development section of the risk factors. To be eligible for Perkins funding, a program must meet all quality program indicators:
- A program of study must be of size to offer a sequence of three or more earned credits or two credits in a single CTE program area, but only in those programs where two credit sequences at the secondary level are recognized by the state and/or its local eligible recipients.
- A program must be of such scope that is aligned with a state approved program of study within career clusters.
- A program must have a certified and appropriately endorsed teacher (Note: A teacher who teaches a CTE course that substitutes for a core academic course must be highly qualified).
- A program must teach the state approved curriculum standards.
- A program must have a state approved articulation agreement for the program of study or an approved articulation agreement approved by the lead administrators of secondary and postsecondary institutions, where available.
- A program must be supported by current labor market data to support high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand jobs.
- A program must teach all aspects of an industry.
- A program must have an active advisory panel.
- A program must have a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) as an integral part of the instructional program.
- A program must promote CTE and academic curriculum integration.
Part 3: CTE Initiatives & Related Policies
State Education & Workforce Agenda
Governor Bredesen, in his 2008 State of the State address, proposed two education initiatives that would impact students transitioning to postsecondary education. The first was a change to the grade point average for retention of the Tennessee Hope scholarship from 3.0 to 2.75. This would reflect the increased difficulty of college studies and help address the fact that nearly 80 percent of the scholarship winners lose their scholarship during their time in college. Second, the governor wants to increase the number of students who receive money from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) by an additional 12,000 -15,000 per year. His plan would take about $200 million from the unallocated lottery reserves and use it to establish an endowment for the TSAC. The interest from this endowment would be used to fund more scholarships for Tennessee students.
High School Redesign
In January 2007, Tennessee joined the American Diploma Project (ADP) Network and formed the Tennessee Diploma Project. The Tennessee Diploma Project is led by the Tennessee Alignment Committee, a panel of state and local government officials, and business, postsecondary and K-12 leaders from across the state. The goal is to build public and stakeholder support for raising education standards in a manner that rises above politics and partisanship. Both higher education and the business community play key roles. CTE representatives served on the high school redesign committees, and have been an integral part of the process.
As part of its effort, the Alignment Committee asked the Tennessee Business Roundtable - a statewide organization of CEOs committed to sound public policy - to gather input from key business leaders across the state regarding their observations and expectations of high school graduates’ skills and knowledge. The four areas that the Tennessee Business Roundtable identified were:
- Tennessee schools should place more emphasis, or more repeated emphasis, on basic mathematics.
- Tennessee schools should place a greater focus on project-based instruction, including problem solving and teamwork
- Tennessee schools should place a renewed emphasis on verbal communication.
- Tennessee schools should explore approaches for helping instill professional or “soft skills.”
Tennessee has increased high school graduation requirements and upgraded standards, which has been heralded as raising the bar to adequately prepare Tennessee students with 21st century knowledge and skills. The TSBE, at its January 25, 2008, meeting, approved new graduation requirements dubbed, “The Ready Core” and increased the number of credits needed to graduate to 22 for all students. Students must now earn four credits in math, an additional health/P.E./wellness credit, an additional half credit in personal finance, and an additional three credits specific to a planned course of study, which may be a CTE focused program of study. These new diploma requirements go into effect for the graduating class of 2013.
In the High School End of Course Tests Policy, renamed the High School Examinations Policy in August 2002, the State Board stipulated that beginning with students entering the ninth grade in 2001-2002, students must successfully pass examinations in three subject areas - mathematics, science, and language arts - in order to earn a high school diploma. These examinations, called Gateway Tests, were intended to raise the academic bar for all high school students and add accountability for students' academic performance. In the 2001-2002 school year, the Department of Education began to administer the Gateway Tests three times annually to accommodate students completing work in the fall, spring and summer semesters.
Role of Career Clusters
While it maintains seven program area specialists providing support for curriculum and professional development, Tennessee’s secondary Career & Technical Education Division has adopted the National Career Clusters model of 16 career clusters to organize its programming and has developed programs of study within these clusters. The clusters are aligned with the state’s major economic areas that better prepare students for success after high school into postsecondary education and high-skill, high-wage or high-demand careers. The clusters focus on student performance relative to helping districts meet or exceed negotiated levels of performance on Perkins accountability measures.
Academic & CTE Integration
The Division of Career and Technical Education partnered with the Division of Teaching and Learning and the Division of Special Education to provide Career Academic Technical Gateway Institutes to teams of teachers from high schools. The teams will consist of academic, CTE and special education teachers. The purpose of the institutes is for teachers to collaborate and incorporate common academic, CTE and Gateway skills. Each team will develop lesson plans based on the identified skills from the three areas. Once developed, the lesson plans will be posted on the department website with already existing academic integration curriculum as a resource for all teachers in Tennessee.
The Tennessee Technology Centers will continue the successful integration of academic competencies into each program curriculum. Applied mathematics, science and language art concepts are core competencies in all occupational programs. Reading standards will also be incorporated into each CTE course and reading lists will be developed for all program areas using technical context to stimulate interest in reading.
Curriculum development is a statewide collaboration between faculty and occupational advisory committees who ensure the relevancy of academic and technical skill competencies to the occupational area or career cluster. In addition, the curriculum is reviewed by curriculum specialists and approved by the governing board.
Currently there are 29 CTE courses that count for credit as core academic courses. For example, “International Business and Marketing” meets the graduation requirement of a half credit in economics. A course offered as a substitute for a core academic course must be taught by a highly qualified teacher endorsed in the core subject area. In addition, there are contextual courses in language arts, math and science. Contextual courses are taught by academic teachers that have had additional training in application methods.
Secondary/Postsecondary Linkages
Programs of Study: The state has developed over 70 programs of study within the 16 National Career Clusters. They have been introduced statewide through Career Clusters Regional Training for the 2007-2008 school year. The cluster and programs of study planning meetings were held with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD), teacher educators, CTE and academic teachers, Tech Prep directors, college and university deans, school counselors, academic and CTE consultants, Tennessee Board of Regents, CTE directors, and business and industry representatives to align the course standards with the 16 career clusters.
Each program of study will require approval by the TSBE and must offer three or more earned credits (or two credits in a single CTE program area in those programs where two credit sequences at the secondary level are recognized by the state). They additionally must be approved by the postsecondary institution as meeting the requirements of that institution for transfer credit.
Tech Prep: Tennessee will be merging their Tech Prep fund with their Basic State Grant. Best practices and proven Tech Prep models will continue to receive support.
College CTE Credit for High School Students: Many Tennessee CTE programs in local school districts have articulation agreements with nearby postsecondary institutions. In addition to individual school agreements, Tennessee currently has 46 secondary to postsecondary statewide articulation agreements. The Tennessee Technology Centers (TTC) have collaborated with high schools to develop articulated programs of study.
The Tennessee Board of Regents has a policy that allows TTC graduates to articulate clock hour coursework to the Associate of Applied Sciences General Technology degree at any public community college.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that promotes transition activities between secondary and postsecondary CTE has been developed. As a result of this MOU, twenty percent of reserve funds will be set aside for eligible postsecondary recipients for transition activities in partnership with LEAs.
Since it is the intent of the state to merge Tech Prep into the basic grant beginning July 1, 2007, a guide to new articulation procedures will be developed. This will include sections for teachers and counselors on how to develop an articulation agreement and recommendations to maintain successful agreements.
Career Guidance & Advisement
Tennessee provides two free-of-charge tools and Web sites for all students in Tennessee to help them with their education and career options. The Tennessee Career Information Delivery System provides career information and services to middle school, high school and college students in preparation for a 21st century career. There are various resources available for career planning, assistance with resume development, mock interview sessions, and personality and skills assessments. The Tennessee College and Career Planning System, also known as “Planning Your Dream,” can be used to assess a student's interests, skills and work values. The state is in the process of linking these tools together to avoid duplication. The American Careers planner is also used as a career guidance tool and a nontraditional recruitment tool.
Tennessee has a full time staff person that provides training across the state on these tools. It also implemented a counselor’s conference in 2006 to bring school counselors from across the state together to train on those tools and in other key areas.
An eighth-grade plan has been required for all students since 1992. With these electronic tools, plans can be done electronically, be accessed by postsecondary institutions, and are much more usable.
Business & Industry Involvement
The Tennessee Council on Career & Technical Education (TCCTE) is a private-sector-led citizen's advisory council. Members are appointed by the Governor and represent business, industry, organized labor, agriculture and education. The primary responsibility of the Council is to advise the Governor, the Tennessee General Assembly, the State Board of Education, the State Board of Regents and the business community on policies and initiatives that should be undertaken to strengthen and improve CTE.
The TCCTE consists of thirteen members. Seven individuals are representatives of the private sector in the state and constitute a majority of the membership. Six individuals are representatives of secondary and postsecondary career and technical institutions, career guidance and counseling organizations within the state, and/or individuals who have special knowledge and qualifications with respect to the educational and career development needs of special populations.
To assure appropriateness of programs to the state workforce and economic development each CTE program is required to maintain an active business and industry advisory committee. While the committee has no administrative authority, the committee is intended to assist the CTE program to be as efficient and effective as possible in order that the occupational area and students are served to the greatest advantage. Local programs are required to submit information about their advisory councils with their Perkins applications.
Technical Skills Assessments
Tennessee plans to use a student competency system to measure technical skill attainment. Students will have to achieve a 75 percent mastery level to be considered proficient. Teachers will assess the competencies using a variety of assessments, including authentic and written, and will record attainment for each student electronically. The assessment system will be fully developed after Tennessee completes the development of standards for its CTE courses. Tennessee has proposed setting up rubrics, enhancing professional development in use of the system, and implementing a monitoring process.
Educator Development
Tennessee will be focusing its professional development on revised standards that will be used in fall 2008 for the first time in science, language arts and mathematics. CTE will be specifically focused on developing and aligning curriculum with the new standards in these subjects, and then on implementation of the new standards and curriculum. Academic integration, contextual teaching and secondary-postsecondary connections are professional development priorities.
Middle Tennessee State University holds the professional development contract for the division. The state contracts with the university to arrange meetings on priority topics.
In the areas of occupational licensure, such as health care and some trades, all teachers in Tennessee have to be industry certified to teach. The state has provided funding and professional development to assist teachers. As these teachers become industry licensed, the state is expanding its efforts to other subjects.
Part 4: Results
Coming Soon!
This state profile was developed by the Association of Career and Technical Education with the assistance of the Meeder Consulting Group, LLC. If you need further information or more specific details, please contact ACTE. Customized reports can be developed on specific topics or entities.
Last Updated 7/21/08
