ESC Region 14 CTE Newsletter

⏩PLEASE FORWARD NEWSLETTER TO OTHERS WHO MAY NEED THIS INFORMATION

📅 January 27 Register

📅 March 24 Register

📅 February 25 Register

📅 April 7 Register

📅 May 5 Register

Designed for new and experienced secondary administrators and counselors, providing a wealth of knowledge, up-to-date information, and best practices. Included are the latest insights regarding legislation, resources, and labor market needs. TEALearn Website. All the TEALearn professional development courses are good through August 31, 2026.

• Math or science credit, or

• Career Preparation or Practicum course

...are required to participate in the Texas Education Agency-approved training prior to teaching the course. TEALearn Website

📅 January 22 - Register

📅 March 3 - Register

The Texas Education Agency posted the updated program of study frameworks on the CTE webpage. Updated frameworks also include approved Industry-Based Certifications (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 school staff the opportunity to customize their individual offerings.

Updated - 📚CTE Course Catalog With Texas Student Data System PEIMS Code and Descriptions: Change Document, Updated Fall 2025

• This catalog provides TSDS PEIMS Codes and descriptions and much more! This is an excellent resource for counselors, CTE directors, administrators and PEIMS staff.
• CTE courses revised from innovative courses to TEKS-based courses
• Newly developed and revised courses that were approved through SBOE

Updated -🚶Programs of Study Change Crosswalk, September 2025

Updated -🔖CTE Course Catalog, September 2025

• Provides CTE course information in one location.
• Organizes courses by programs of study and includes course descriptions, course codes, course credits, prerequisites, and corequisites.

As part of House Bill 2 (HB 2) – Article 6, passed during the 89th Legislative Session, Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) will be recognized as a CTE program of study in the Law and Public Service career cluster beginning with the 2025-26 school year. This change is designed to enhance college, career, and military readiness across Texas.

Specifically, the bill states:

(5) a course of study offered under a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program established under 10 U.S.C. Section 2031 is considered a career and technology education program.

Section 2031 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code outlines the federal requirements for establishing and maintaining a JROTC program. These include standards for student eligibility, curriculum, and program oversight. It is important to note that while the Naval National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) offers a similar experience, NNDCC programs are not included under the CTE designation. This distinction took effect when HB 2 – Article 6 became law on September 1, 2025. Local education agencies that previously used course codes PES00004 (PE Substitution JROTC), 03160100 (JROTC 1), 03160200 (JROTC 2), 03160300 (JROTC 3), or 03160400 (JROTC 4) for NNDCC programs will transition to local course codes beginning with the 2025–26 school year.

Industry-Based Certifications -TEC §39.053 requires the TEA to account for high school students who earn an industry-based certification as one indicator within the student achievement domain of the state's public school accountability system. The purpose of the IBC list is to identify certifications that prepare students for success in the workforce, military, or postsecondary education. The final 2025-30 list of industry-based certifications (IBCs) for accountability is now available on the Industry-Based Certifications page of the TEA website. The new list of IBCs takes effect in the 2025-26 school year and will apply to accountability ratings issued in August 2027.

In 2027, the 2022–2025 list will be subject to the sunsetting cap as the 2025–2030 list is implemented. As outlined in the Accountability Rating System Manual for 2026 Ratings, a campus can count no more than five graduates or 20% of its graduates (whichever is greater) toward CCMR credit, if those graduates meet CCMR criteria solely by earning a sunsetting IBC. See Appendix J - IBCs.

There are 523 IBCs on the final 2025-30 list, up from 309 on the 2022-25 list. Each IBC has been assigned a tier intended to signify its potential value to students and to serve as guidance for school system staff when selecting IBCs to align with the programs of study offered in their local school systems. The assigned tiers of the 2025-30 IBC list will not be used in accountability ratings until 2028 (pending the 2028 rulemaking process).

​For more information, please reference the TAA on IBC List for Public School Accountability.

Updated-🏫2025-2030 Industry-Based Certification (IBC) List for Public School

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Overview of key updates to the list
• TAA (Industry-Based Certifications) November 6, 2025
• TAA (Industry Based Certifications) July 24th, 2025
• Previous List - 2022-2025 IBC list for public school accountability
• IBCs to Program of Study Crosswalk 2025-2030, October 31, 2025

Additional IBC Information

• Educational Aide I FAQ
• Comprehensive 2025 IBC Evaluation Results

Learn More-🧑🏻‍🎓TEA's IBC Website

Review- 🚸ESC 14 Accountability + School Improvement SMORE: November | October

Great news for districts! The 2025-2026 Summer CTE Grant is designed to support the expansion of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Work-Based Learning (WBL) opportunities during the summer. This funding helps remove common barriers, ensuring more students can access meaningful career pathways. The 2025-2026 Summer Career and Technical Education Grant is available on the TEA Grant Opportunities webpage.

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

📅Grant Period: June 30, 2026 through September 30, 2026 (if funded)

🎯 Grant Purpose: Breaking Down Barriers

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. The funding is specifically intended to remove potential needs or gaps in providing summer CTE and WBL opportunities. These needs often include:

• Transportation

• Student scheduling constraints

• Certified teacher availability

• Addressing local industry needs

The Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) Grant Program provides approximately $15 million to Texas school districts and charter schools to purchase equipment for new or expanded Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.

Key Details:

• Purpose: Fund equipment for CTE courses leading to a license, certificate, or degree in local high-demand occupations.

• Funding: Approx. $15 million is available.

• Eligibility: ISDs, Charter Schools, and the Windham School District.

• Mandatory Requirement: ISDs and Charter Schools must partner with an eligible public junior, state, or technical college.

• Application Window:

  • 📆 Opens: October 31, 2025

  • 📆 Closes: January 13, 2026

The full RFA packet can be downloaded from the TWC Procurement Portal.

Your HS girls are invited to participate in the 2026 Women in Industry Conference on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center in Galveston, Texas. This event is designed to advance the 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.

❓Why This Matters for CTE? You are supporting:

• Increased awareness of high-demand workforce needs across Texas.
• More students, especially young women, are pursuing high-wage technical career pathways
• More substantial alignment between education and the state’s workforce needs
• Expanded opportunities for exposure to employers, role models, and industry-based certifications

• 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.

📍Details

Women In Industry Conference 2026

Cost: $25 per student ticket price includes breakfast and lunch.

Overnight accommodations: Available on-site at Moody Gardens 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.

📹Inspiring professionals from STEM, the arts, skilled trades, entrepreneurship, public service, and more share 25-minute virtual sessions that give students a firsthand look at the skills shaping the future. Teachers can choose videos from Elementary, Middle School, and High School tracks.Click here

The TEA CTE Team has launched monthly office hours to provide direct support and answer questions for school administrators, counselors, and CTE teachers regarding Career and Technical Education programming.

📅 Monthly Office Hours Details

The main purpose of these office hours is to support LEAs with their CTE programmatic questions and provide targeted assistance. Topics for support include:

• Seeking clarification on specific TEA CTE initiatives.

• Needing support with implementation of CTE programs.

• Opportunities to connect directly with the TEA CTE Team.

ESC Region 17 has been gracious to allow us to share their resources with Region 14. We love a good resource and wanted to share with you. Let us know what else you would like to see and we will work on it.

📁CCMR Livebinder

📁Life After High School (Post-Secondary Resources) Padlet

• ESC Region 14 Fall Newsletter 2025
• TEA CTE Newsletter, October 2025