Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs offer a sequence of courses that provide students with coherent and rigorous content. CTE content is aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current or emerging professions.

Link to high school CTE courses

• Program Goal 1: The district will support the purchase of resources, production of curriculum/assessments, and provide content-specific professional learning to support teacher implementation and meet individual student needs. 
• Program Goal 2: Teachers will implement district adopted curriculum, resources, and assessments with fidelity. 
• Program Goal 3: Through participation in CTE education programs, students will be college, career, and life ready.
• Program Goal 4: CTE teachers will focus on growth and updated content through various professional learning opportunities, curriculum work, and community connections.

Additional opportunities within CTE programs:

• Graduating seniors who have earned three or more credits in a CTE pathway along with additional criteria may earn the DESE CTE Certificate. Link to the CTE Certificate criteria.
• Various Career and Technical Education courses have dual credit and/or articulated credit opportunities.
• Membership within aligned Career and Technical Student Organizations, such as: DECA, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA, and TSA.
• Several OTC Career Center programs align to the SPS CTE courses. Juniors and Seniors may consider enhancing education experience through OTC Career Center enrollment. Link to  OTC Career Center Programming 

Agricultural Education  (grades 9-12)

Agricultural education prepares students for successful careers and a lifetime of informed choices in the global agriculture, food, fiber and natural resources systems. Through agricultural education, students are provided opportunities for leadership development, personal growth and career success. Agricultural education instruction is delivered through three major components: classroom and lab instruction, supervised agricultural experiences, and student leadership through FFA.

Business and Marketing Education (grades 9-12)

A study of business and marketing education courses provides an opportunity to acquire skills necessary for immediate employment in the business world as well as background for additional training in many areas. Students also acquire knowledge which will be of value to them in their personal lives as they learn how to manage their own business affairs more efficiently.  Business and marketing  skills are useful in any career because they involve understanding business functions on a day-to-day basis, as well as relating and communicating effectively. Business and marketing competencies are also learned through on-the-job training as well as participation in DECA, an international association of marketing students, and FBLA, a national organization of business students.

Link to Business and Marketing pathways

Family and Consumer Sciences Education (grades 6-12)

The complex demands of contemporary society require knowing how to make decisions and take constructive action. The Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) instructional program directly addresses the practical problems of people by identifying and responding to the needs of students and communities. This program prepares individuals for the complex and multiple roles of parent, family member, worker, citizen and leader. Students may join Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).

Link to Family and Consumer Sciences pathways

Project Lead The Way (grades 6-12)

Project Lead The Way (PLTW) students engage in hands-on activities, projects, and problems that are reflective of real-world challenges. This compelling, real-world approach empowers students to learn essential, in-demand skills validated by the world’s leading companies, while also providing an invaluable connection between what students are learning in the classroom today and how it applies to the paths they’ll take in the future. Students may join HOSA and/or TSA.

Link to high school Project Lead The Way pathways

Technology Education  (grades 9-12)

The variety of classes and activities offered within Technology Education will help students become more creative and self-directed, and will provide broad experiences to better prepare them for a career or college. If students are planning to take Career and Technical Education courses at OTC Career Center in grades 11 and 12, Technology Education courses can help them get a head start in your selected field. 

Link to Technology Education pathways

• 2023-2024 SPS HS Education Planning Guide
• 2024-2025 SPS HS Education Planning Guide