Center Point ISD

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is the practice of teaching specific career skills to students in middle school, high school, and post-secondary institutions. Students in Center Point’s CTE programs spend much of their time learning through a hands-on approach which will prepare students for further studies as they advanace through the program and an ultimate occupation in the future. Students interested in a particular field can look at the coherent sequence of courses to see the courses that will help them prepare for their chosen careers. Students may also wish to choose an academy or magnet school designed to prepare students for careers.

At Center Point ISD the CTE courses offered are for 4 high-demand careers which graduates of CTE can apply in after graduation:

1. Applied Agricultural Engineering
2. Culinary Arts
3. Health Care Diagnostics
4. Plant Science
5. Teaching and Training
6. Web Development

CTE is Focused on Developing Skills. CTE is focused on developing skills. This differs from traditional and university-based education, which is based on theory. CTE includes some theory, but that’s typically only seen in introductory materials.

Practice, hands-on experience, and application tests make up the bulk of CTE. This is important because CTE careers require workers to have experience in their field before starting a career.

After all, many CTE pathways take students to careers that can save lives. Health science, government, law, agriculture, and construction especially relate to maintaining the health and safety of others. For this reason, CTE instructors often focus more on practice and improvement instead of textbook memorization.

CTE is Widely Applicable. CTE is applicable to almost every educational age range. This is possible because students can understand fundamentals of any career as early as sixth grade, and they can build essential skills well into adulthood.

For this reason, you’ll find CTE clusters and pathways offered in middle schools, high schools, and post-secondary institutions. After completing a program, students can earn the certifications they need to start their careers, many of which are currently in high demand. At the same time, CTE clusters don’t limit students to single careers. In fact, many students use these courses as preparation before moving onto community college or university.

The focus and applicability of CTE results in two advantages that you can’t find in many other education fields:

1. CTE is highly specialized.
2. CTE is incredibly versatile.

Typically, these qualities are at opposite ends of the education spectrum. A teaching method is either general and versatile or specific and inflexible. With CTE, students can develop a specific set of skills that are still applicable to a broad range of real-world contexts, making them employable in a variety of fields. 

 It is the policy of Center Point ISD not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap in its vocational programs, services or activities as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. 

 It is the policy of Center Point ISD not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap, or age in its employment practices as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.