This blog series provides readers with insight on the valuable content that is being shared at the NASDCTEc Fall Meeting. Guest bloggers are partner organizations, supporters and other experts that will be present at the national gathering in the Baltimore, MD area in October.

About this time last year we touted the resources contained in “The Career Pathways Effect”, a joint publication between NASDCTEc and CORD that offered many practical applications for CTE stakeholders.  The publication deserves to be mentioned again because it provides not only a context for policy conversations, but also a roadmap of sorts for program implementation at the local level.  This article still believes that it is the credibility and applicability of program assessment that will drive improvements to all phases of CTE. These assessments provide reliable, valid, and actionable data for continuous improvement.

NOCTI, a not-for-profit entity  governed by an unpaid board elected by the state directors of CTE in all 50 states, works solely for the CTE community to provide the data and support that schools and students need.  NOCTI works closely with ACTE, NRCCTE, NASDCTEc, and the Institute for Educational Sciences (IES), just to name a few.  New collaborations and initiatives are underway. Here are just a few worth mentioning:

• Additional Certification credentials have been added to the NOCTI line-up including the American Medical Certification Association (AMCA), Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Green Education Foundation (GEF).
• Discussions continue with the International Baccalaureate regarding the Career-Related certificate (IBCC) and with College Board.
• College credit is now available to CTE students for over 50 assessment titles, with the remainder slated for the 2014-15 school year.
• A new Student Growth Measures package is being implemented as a tool to assist with the new teacher evaluation requirements.
• Reports aligning common core standards to all NOCTI technical assessments will be available in 2014.
• Free modules to assist with training new CTE teachers regarding assessment and the use of data have been completed and are available for use.
• A strategy for digital badges in CTE assessments will be beta tested this spring.

Contact us at [email protected] to see how we can help you.  NOCTI is also a gold sponsor of the NASDCTEc fall meeting; stop by and say hello!

The NASDCTEc Fall Meeting will be held October 21-23, 2013 at the BWI Airport Marriott Hotel in Linthicum, MD. More information

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

Have you made your hotel reservations for the Fall Meeting yet? Today is the last day to get the group rate!

The reduced group RESERVATION rate will end today, September 20. After that date, special rates and room availability are not longer guaranteed.

The Fall Meeting will be held at the Marriott BWI Airport Hotel and is geared toward professional development, sharing of best practices, state policy updates and other topical sessions. An important topic covered at this meeting will be the release of “The State of Career Technical Education: An Analysis of State CTE Standards.” It is a national report examining how states organize and implement CTE standards, using the Common Career Technical Core as the benchmark.

The agenda includes confirmed presenters and will provide the professional development and content you need to stay on top of all the latest Career Technical Education happenings.

• Access the robust Fall Meeting AGENDA to see confirmed presenters!
• Early bird REGISTRATION rate is available until September 23; main registration available September 24 through time of meeting
• Meeting location: Marriott BWI Airport Hotel, 1743 Nursery Road, Linthicum, MD 21090 (near BWI airport – Baltimore area)
• Meeting dates: October 21-23, 2013

Make your plans to attend the Fall Meeting in Baltimore, MD.