Region 9 CTE Insights

Marcette Kilgore, the State Director of the CTE department at TEA, came to visit Region 9 on December 5! While in the region, she had the opportunity to tour the CTE facilities at Prairie Valley ISD and City View ISD. It was a great day of collaboration! Thank you to both districts for offering valuable input about the CTE needs and celebrations of Region 9! Check out the pictures below that showcase various City View and Prairie Valley CTE programs.

Remember that YOU can share information and photos about the great things that are happening in the CTE world at your campus or district. I look forward to highlighting your students and school!

The Texas Education Agency posted the updated program of study frameworks on the CTE webpage, including the new Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) framework in the Law and Public Service career cluster. Updated frameworks also include approved IBCs from the final 2025-30 Industry-Based Certification List for Public School Accountability, which may be found on the Industry-Based Certification webpage. Each framework is available as a PDF for reference and in an editable PowerPoint format, allowing for customized district offerings.

House Bill 2, Article 6 requires TEA to allow school systems to request reimbursement for up to two industry-based certification (IBC) examinations reported as passed or earned per high school student, an increase from one reimbursement per student under the previous law. The process for reporting IBCs will remain the same as previous reporting. Beginning this school year (2025-2026), TEA will now review for reimbursement:

• The first two IBCs with a cost greater than zero dollars reported in PEIMS for each student in grades 9-12; and
• The cost of fingerprinting or background checks required to attain a certification, as noted on the 2025-2030 IBC List for Public School Accountability

Eligible fingerprinting and background checks may be entered as a separate reimbursement request for passed/earned IBCs. Additional costs, such as curriculum or materials, are not reimbursable.

School systems will continue to report passed and earned IBCs taken between September 1 and May 31 with the PEIMS summer submission. Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, school systems will report passed and earned IBCs taken between June 1 and August 31 with the PEIMS extended year submission.

As with all self-reported data submitted through PEIMS, school systems should keep records supporting the information submitted through the system for a minimum of five years. For additional information, please see the To the Administrator Addressed Correspondence on Industry-Based Certification Reimbursements and Clarification of Career Readiness Assessment.

At the November 2025 meeting, the State Board of Education (SBOE) approved for first reading and filing authorization proposed new Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for a set of courses in fire science and an occupational safety and compliance lab that can be paired with occupation-specific CTE courses. The SBOE is scheduled to consider the proposed new CTE TEKS for second reading and final adoption at the January 2026 meeting.

The official public comment period for the proposed new CTE TEKS will be open from December 19, 2025 - January 20, 2026. The proposed new CTE TEKS will be posted on the Proposed State Board of Education Rules webpage with a link to submit comments when the official comment period opens on December 19, 2025.

Courses included in the public comment period:

Subchapter B, High School

• Occupational Safety and Compliance Lab

Subchapter N, Law and Public Service

• Foundations of Fire Protection
• Crisis Care
• Disaster Response
• Emergency Medical Technician-Basic

Public comments are shared with SBOE members throughout the public comment period. Providing feedback early in the process is the best way to ensure that your feedback may impact final drafts. Specific, actionable feedback submitted early in the 30-day timeframe provides SBOE members with information and time to consider comments.

For the first time in Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) history, career and technical education materials will undergo a comprehensive state review. The State Board of Education and Texas Education Agency are seeking CTE educators with industry expertise and classroom experience in the following career clusters:

• Agriculture, food, and natural resources
• Business, marketing, and finance
• Engineering
• Health science
• Hospitality and tourism
• Information and technology
• Transportation, distribution, and logistics

The specific list of CTE courses is available in the Request for Instructional Materials (RFIM) IMRA Cycle 2026, beginning on page 39.

Compensation: Quality reviewers earn a base rate of $4,500* and approximately 100 CPE professional development credit hours. Suitability reviewers earn a base rate of $3,500* and approximately 40 CPE hours.

Qualifications: Quality and suitability reviewers must have Texas residency. In addition, quality reviewers must have at least three years of teaching experience or equivalent education experience.

*Final compensation varies based on content area, number of assigned programs, training completion, additional responsibilities, and rounds of appeals. The rates represent the minimum compensation for reviewers. TEA will provide an update with pay ranges at a later date.

Apply by Friday, January 9, 2026, on the SBOE IMRA Cycle 2026 Reviewer webpage.

Your perspective ensures materials reflect industry standards and real-world applications. If you have questions, please visit the IMRA Help Desk, submit a help request,* or sign up to attend IMRA Application Office Hours.

*To ensure requests are routed to the appropriate team for support, please select IMRA Reviewer or Reviewer Applicant as your Role.

TEA offers additional information on industry based certifications and further clarity on PEIMS submittion windows for 2026-2027 in a new resource titled, Academic Accountability Data Sources Guide. This resource outlines the 2025-26 and 2026-27 Texas Student Data Systems (TSDS) Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) data sources and accepted values for College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) indicators used in A-F Accountability, along with special considerations for Industry Based Certifications. As additional information becomes available for 2026-27, this document will be revised. The Academic Accountability Data Sources Guide is posted on the Performance Reporting Resource webpage.

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has published a Request for Applications (RFA) for the Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) Grant Program for Public Junior, State, and Technical Colleges, Texas Independent School Districts, Open-Enrollment Charter Schools and the Windham School District. The JET program was allocated approximately $15 million to provide grants to these applicants in FY 2026.

The complete RFA packet, which includes eligibility, requirements and submission documents can be downloaded from the TWC Procurement Portal web page at: https://twc-texas-gov.bonfirehub.com/opportunities/208959.

• Application Window Opens: Friday, October 31, 2025
• Application Window Closes: Tuesday, January 13, 2026

All questions regarding this RFA should be e-mailed to RFAGrants@twc.texas.gov.

Visit the JET webpage to learn more about JET and access the JET Tool Kit. Use this resource to answer questions, utilize the flowchart, watch videos, and read the RFA carefully to ensure you are preparing more effective applications.

The 2025-2026 Summer Career and Technical Education Grant is available on the TEA Grant Opportunities webpage.

This grant provides support to local education agencies (LEAs) to offer students access to career preparation through summer CTE programs and work-based learning experiences. The grant is designed to promote the implementation of high-quality programs of study and work-based learning opportunities aligned to labor market demands.

Application Window: November 17, 2025 - January 13, 2026

Additional details can be found in the Program Guidelines.

When: TBD

Where: Region 9 Education Service Center

The 2026 Women in Industry Conference is scheduled for Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center in Galveston, Texas.

This event is designed to advance our shared mission to increase awareness among high school girls of high-demand, high-wage career pathways in Texas. Your help in distributing this information through your networks will ensure more students gain access to life-changing career exploration opportunities.

The Women in Industry Conference introduces high school girls to high-skill, high-growth industries through:

• Career Awareness: Exploration of career fields such as electrical, instrumentation, process operations, welding, logistics, lab technology, manufacturing, and analyzer technology.
• Industry Leadership: Sessions led by women and leaders from companies like ExxonMobil and Worley, highlighting pathways to strong, sustainable wages.
• Interactive Engagement: Networking with industry professionals, Q&A sessions, and industry exhibits showing the training and credentials needed for these in-demand jobs.
• Inspiration: Real stories from women who have built successful careers in traditionally male-dominated fields.

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026
• Location: Moody Gardens Hotel & Convention Center, 1 Hope Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77554
• Cost: $25 per student ticket price includes breakfast and lunch.
• Overnight accommodations: Available on-site at Moody Gardens
• For lodging options, please visit: Click to Book Reservations
• Registration Options
• Individual Tickets available through Eventbrite
• 2026 Women in Industry Conference ticket portal: Click to Register Individuals
• Group Registration or Purchase Orders contact Brooke Kearby Saner to arrange.
• § Districts bringing large groups are encouraged to share bus needs and chaperone ratios by February 5, 2026, to support planning.
• Registration & Event Contact:
• Brooke Kearby-Saner
• 409-944-1404
• bkearby-saner@gc.edu

The January session of CTE Crossroads will focus on technology upgrades and time-saving systems for CTE teachers. If you are a CTE teacher who would like to integrate more technology and time saving strategies into your classroom, make plans to join us for this session!

January 8 from 9:00 AM - Noon

Session #769334

Click below to register!

Conference Details:

• February 9-11, 2026
• Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk

Join us in February for the CTE Administrator trainings to learn more about developing CTE partnerships and to obtain some great CTE resources!

The TEA Work-Based Learning course is back up and running! Click below if you need to access it!

• Register for CTAT Winter Leadership Conference 2026
• Renew new semester course offering
• Renew career prep and practicum training plans
• Review activities for CTE Month

• 2026 Accountability Manual Webpage
• CTAT Resources
• CTAT Model Program of Study Framework
• CTE Course Catalog
• 2025-2030 IBC List for Public School Accountability
• Region 9 CTE Connection Board
• Region 9 CTE Curriculum Padlet
• 2025-2026 Student Attendance Accounting Handbook
• TEA CTE Office Hours Link