The CTE Connect

Celebrating early successes, sharing important updates, and looking ahead to what’s next for our programs. With three weeks in, we are beginning to see the fruits of your labor with intentional planning (pacing and UFDs) during PLC. The Know and Show documents guide the lesson planning process.

#KISDSTRONG

#ExcellenceByDesign

Dr. Maggie Landes, an esteemed member of of the Harker Heights Health Science team, will continue her service on the Board of Directors for the Texas Health Occupations Association, Inc. (THOA) for the 2025-2026 school year. Dr. Landes will serve as the Area 5 Director, beginning her two-year term on the board. Her leadership plays a vital role in strengthening Health Science education throughout the region and state.

• Middle & High School CTE FALL pre-assessment date (Youscience) is September 9 - 10; make up is September 15.
• Middle & High School post assessment is December 16-17 and make up Dec. 19 (for semester long courses)
• Middle & High School CTE Spring pre- assessment January 27-28, 2026
• Post assessment is May 12-13 and make up is May 15 (for full year and Spring courses).

Important information - CTE has been beta testing for over two years with Youscience and the Human Resources TIA team is onboard with courses that have shown proof of 90% pre/post assessment testing data with students. These are the courses they identified as the next possible cohort:

• Advertising
• Career and College Exploration
• Sports and Entertainment Marketing
• Video Game Design I
• Video Game Design II
• Medical Terminology

Things to keep in mind, when we continue with our first CTE cohort for TIA, teachers in the cohort must be:

New CTE Employability TEKS

The State Board of Education approved two sets of universal employability skills Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for all CTE courses in a program of study; one set for Level 1 and 2 courses and one set for Level 3 and 4 courses. Cross references to the new employability skills TEKS will be added to the TEKS for each CTE course, as applicable. Employability skills standards are required to be taught as a part of each course in a CTE program of study.

New §127.15, Career and Technical Education Employability Skills, will be available in 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 127, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Career Development and Career and Technical Education, Subchapter B, High School.

Relocation of CTE TEKS:

All TEKS are now found in Chapter 127 (they relocated from Chapter 130). CTE TEKS to 19 TAC, Chapter 127, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Career Development and Career and Technical Education. The move ensures that all CTE TEKS are in the same chapter in administrative rule and will be effective on August 1, 2025.

Newly Adopted CTE TEKS for the 2025-2026 School Year

The SBOE has adopted several new sets of CTE TEKS to complete programs of study that will be implemented in classrooms beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

Engineering TEKS

The SBOE approved new TEKS for 20 CTE engineering courses that are available for implementation beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. The new CTE engineering TEKS will be effective in 19 TAC, Chapter 127, on August 1, 2025. In the interim, the new TEKS can be accessed on the CTE Engineering TEKS Review web page.

For a complete list of CTE courses scheduled for implementation beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, visit the TEKS Implementation web page.

• Know the curriculum adoption resource (High Quality Instructional Materials) for your course(s)
• Join the CTE Schoology group for your grade level (Middle or High - see photo).
• The Texas Workforce Commission would like to share information about grant opportunities available on TWC’s website. Two current grants are listed below: https://www.twc.texas.gov/agency/funding-opportunities/grant-opportunities
• 3202500217 Career Exploration Assessments Services
• 32026-00019 Workforce Readiness Training for Career and Technical Education Students

We want to continue highlighting the amazing things happening across our district.

Each week, use the form to share your good news and feel free to upload a photo or two. We’ll showcase these celebrations on our Killeen ISD CTE webpage, monthly webpage, and/or social media to keep our CTE community inspired and connected.

Thank you for sharing your "good things" with our district-wide CTE team! ✨

When: September 16, 2024 @ 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Where: Virtually anywhere

Deadline: Sign up by September 11, 2025

In this virtual session, teachers will learn how to utilize Intuit for Education’s free curriculum and resources to teach students about personal and entrepreneurial finance. The session will include a brief demo of the Intuit for Education program, including how to use both teacher-guided and self-paced curriculum to support student learning. We’ll also explore real-world applications through our simulations, calculators, and financial literacy games. This is the perfect bite sized PD for teachers that focus on business, financial literacy and personal finance TEKS.

BLS Instructor Essentials Course. This hands-on training session is Monday, October 20, 2025, from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM at the Burnet Fire & EMS Training Facility, 2002 South Water, Burnet, TX. Transportation will be provided.

This training is a critical requirement for all Killeen ISD Health Science teachers instructing Health Science Theory.

As part of preparing our students to be program of study completers, this training ensures they remain eligible to participate in clinical rotations and successfully complete their course studies. Detailed information was provided during the week of August 25th.

Industry Based Certification Training. The courses below will be IBC testing during the spring semester. To ensure that teachers are trained to provide the preparation materials to students, they will be trained. Anyone that has been trained, may begin preparing students. New teachers will be trained October 20 during the PD day. Time and location details will be forthcoming.

College and Career Exploration teachers meet monthly to review district documents (pacing, Know and Show, UFDs, Exemplars, plan lessons, review data (this year pre/post assessment assessments for inclusion & preparation for the next cohort application in the spring), engage in training, receive important updates, and prepare for course planning for fall and spring.

Essentially, these meetings serve as a districtwide PLC that mirrors the valuable work done on campuses. This is a very valuable opportunity to ensure continuity as students move throughout the district and they remain successful.

• Aug 6 - Year-at-a-Glance Calendar was due (HS)
• Aug 29 - Sponsor Agreement was due (HS)
• Sept. 2 - Happy Birthday, Charlotte Heinze
• Sept 2 - 6 Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week
• Sept 7 - Grandparents Day
• Sept 9 & 10 - CTE Pre-assessment (YouScience)
• Sept 15 - CTSO Charter and Bylaws / Membership Rosters due (HS)
• Sept 15 - Oct 15 Hispanic Heritage Month
• Sept 15 - CCE PLC at Pratt Learning Services 4:15 PM
• Sept 16 - IT Professionals Appreciation Day
• Sept 17 - High School Open House all HS Campuses to include KCC / PAC 5:30 - 7:00 PM
• Sept 18 - National Teach AG Day
• Sept 30 - KISD High School Student Info Sessions: College Admission Presented by the Scholarship Lady at KISD Career Center 6 PM
• October is Advisory Board Month, begin sending calendar invitations this week (dates are provided in the CTE Schoology group). Share invitations with CTE district & campus leaders.

You will find the finalized schedule for 7th graders to visit the KISD Career Center.

A few important reminders:

• Tours are scheduled from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

• Bus requests must be submitted by the middle school POC (email was sent by Alisia Smith, KCC CTE Program Advisor to principals and counselors).

• Please use the following budget code when submitting this transportation request: 163-11-6494-00-003-22-00

We are excited to welcome students to explore the programs at the Career Center and begin considering their future pathways. More detailed logistics will be shared as each tour date approaches.

Thank you again for your support in making this opportunity possible for our students.

We are excited to begin the school year with you!

We are located at Frank and Emily Pratt Learning Center in room 810.

CTE/Advanced Academics Secretary, judith.roldan@killeenisd.org, 336-1740

CTE Coordinator, charlotte.heinze@killeenisd.org, 336-0272

CTE Director, patrice.robinson@killeenisd.org, 254-336-1757

We hope this newsletter inspires and informs you as we continue to be a model of excellence in Career and Technical Education as a District of Distinction. Together, we are shaping the future of our students and industries.

August 2025 CTE Connect