The CTE Connect

Yay, great job on completing the first nine weeks. October is a month of awareness, action, and achievement! As we honor Breast Cancer Awareness & Principals Month, let’s also remember the importance of planning for the future—whether that path leads to college, career, or the military.

Our CTE programs play a vital role in helping students become CCMR-ready by earning industry-based certifications, college credits, and hands-on experience that open doors to lifelong success. Every student deserves the opportunity to explore their passion and prepare with purpose.

Let’s “think pink” this month and keep pushing forward toward readiness and resilience as a team!

As we celebrate Principals Month, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our principals and campus leaders for their unwavering commitment to student success. Your leadership, guidance, and dedication empower both staff and students to reach new heights.

Thank you for championing College, Career, and Military Readiness and for creating environments where every learner can thrive. Your impact makes all the difference - this month and every month!

#KISDSTRONG

#ExcellenceByDesign

The goal of the Expo is to retain current students and recruit new students across the district. What will you be demonstrating or showcasing at your booth or in your classroom to highlight your program’s strengths and engage students through demonstrations? We are excited to support this event as we invite students across the district with a strong focus on recruiting 8th graders to support their course selection for high school.

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.

1. Clarify expectations for learning and mastery ("Know" and "Show"):

• The "Know" side lays out the essential conceptual understandings students must grasp.

• The "Show" side specifies how students should demonstrate that understanding—through actions, responses, or evidence of learning.
  For example, in weekly data meetings, educators use a know/show chart to unpack a target standard—defining what students need to know and how they’ll show mastery. This then guides lesson focus and assessment.

2. Anchor collaborative instructional planning and analysis:

• Teachers and administrators use know/show charts as shared reference points during planning cycles and data meetings. Together, they dissect standards, align exemplars to expectations, surface conceptual or procedural gaps, and design reteach lessons tailored to the identified needs.

3. Identify and address learning gaps through focused reteaching:

• After marking areas where students struggle (evidenced by student work or exit tickets), instructional teams revisit the know/show chart to determine whether the issue is conceptual ("know") or procedural ("show"). Then, they craft reteach plans that explicitly target the gap—whether through modeling, questioning, or guided discourse.

4. Build consistency and clarity across teachers and lessons:

• By defining exactly what counts as "knowing" and how to "show" it, know/show charts help ensure that lessons, exemplars, and assessments are all aligned and consistently rigorous across classrooms

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! ✨

• Be consistent with ensuring that pacing calendar, know and show charts and unit focus documents are being used and internalized. These documents support lesson delivery, TEKS implementation and certification preparation.

Due to legislative updates, as of September 1, all student activity clubs must require parent written consent before students may participate in any student club authorized or sponsored by the school. All students in Student Activity Clubs and Student Led Clubs must have parent consent to participate, this includes CTSOs.

Student activities designee will provide & require sponsors to distribute to students to take home and return. Please keep these slips with the club rosters you have on file and to CTE department will work directly with campuses to get this information. The sponsor should make sure that everyone on the club roster has a permission slip. This should be completed as soon as possible.

• Click the link below to sign up for PD. See you there!!
• Middle School CTE & Teen Leadership will meet at the Killeen ISD Career Center from 8 AM - 11 PM in Room 409.
• High School CTE will meet at the Killeen ISD Career Center from 1 PM - 4 PM in the Commons.

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 from 1:30-2:30 in the Lecture Hall.

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.

• October is Advisory Board Month
• October 20 - Professional Development - see separate document below for details.
• October 21 - 22 - IBC testing - see timeline for courses.
• October 23 - Future Ready Expo - @ KCC from 5:30 PM - 7 PM
• October 28 - FASFA Night - KISD High School Student Info Session - Presented by the Scholarship Lady at KISD Career Center 6 PM
• October 27 - November Middle School course planning (8th graders are 4 year planning)

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 (for Middle Schools): 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 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

September 2025 CTE Connect