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High-Quality CTE

To help CTE educators and administrators develop and improve the quality of their CTE programs, ACTE embarked on a multi-step project to synthesize different voices in the high-quality CTE conversation, identify a high-quality CTE framework, test the framework and integrate it into our efforts to recognize and disseminate best practices within CTE. The result of these efforts is the evidence-based ACTE Quality CTE Program of Study Framework and a companion self-evaluation instrument.

The framework includes 12 elements and more than 90 criteria that address quality across the various components of a CTE program of study, as well as an additional set of criteria on the system supports that create the conditions for quality on the program level. It is designed to apply to individual, local CTE programs of study spanning secondary and postsecondary education, although it may be adapted to other units of analysis. This voluntary tool can be used for program self-evaluation and improvement and to encourage secondary-postsecondary collaboration.

The HQ course series on CTE Learn discuss the framework criteria and provide practical strategies in applying the criteria. Each course focuses on a specific element of the framework and includes success stories and curated resources to help CTE practitioners enhance the quality of their CTE programs.

HQ101 is the first course in the series. Stay tuned for additional courses coming soon!