January 2024 | Volume 1, Issue 1

This SMORE is relaunching with a new focus. Each couple of weeks, this newsletter will be sent out to the public for the parents and community to read and witness. If you are an educator within LEISD, please feel free to share it with your parents via Social Media or email.

Each month, we will take a look at a commonly unknown fact related to CTE, a sneak peak at what is happening in our CTSOs, news posted via our Social Media accounts, and a link to the National Experiential Learning Podcasts.

If there is something else you would like to see, please reach out to Dr. Ayers (contact info below) to make a suggestion.

Most of us have heard about the A-F Accountability that the state of Texas has for public school districts and campuses. Did you know that 40% of that accountability comes from something called CCMR?

CCMR is short for College, Career, and Military Readiness. The TEA (Texas Education Agency) mandates that all students who graduate from a Texas Public High School be College, Career, or Military ready. Those students who do not demonstrate that readiness do not receive a CCMR point at graduation. This averages into the overall letter grade assigned by the TEA to districts/campuses. While a missed point does not prevent a student from graduating, it does bring down the district/campus rating.

So how do students earn these CCMR points? Students can earn a point with one of the following:

• Meets Texas Success Initiative (TSI) criteria; or
• Earns dual course credits; or
• Meets criteria on AP/IB exams; or
• Earns an associate degree; or
• Qualifies for OnRamps course credits; or
• Earns an industry-based certification (IBC); or
• Graduates with completed IEP and workforce readiness; or
• Graduates with an advanced diploma plan and received special education services; or
• Earns a level I or level II certificate; or
• Enlists in the U.S. Armed Forces / Texas national Guard.

In an effort to help students be better prepared and qualify as College, Career, or Military ready, the high school prevents seniors from enrolling in early release or late start unless they have already received this point. In the realm of CTE, we offer many different types of certifications for students. If you have a question on whether a certain certification counts towards that CCMR point, please reach out to your student's teacher or counselor for more details.

So many times, we hear about what students are learning in the classroom. However, we all know a person or two who is "book smart" but "street dumb." This comes from students learning out of a book instead from experience. That is where CTE classes come into play.

In every CTE classroom you will still find students learning from a book or a computer screen. Sometimes that is the only way to get the foundational building blocks of a subject (vocabulary, safety, conceptual understanding of skills, etc.). The thing is, they don't stop there. Our CTE students take that information and are expected to put it into use. Sometimes, they practice their skills. In other times, they are using them when interacting with the real-world outside the classroom through work-based learning.

When you talk to a student ask them about what they are learning in their CTE classrooms. 80% (and growing) of the students at LEHS take CTE courses. They range from Audio/Video classes (see picture) to Welding. Students either are working towards practical application in the workforce or practicing their skills through CTSOs in competitions.

CTE Coordinator

Email: jayers2@littleelmisd.net
Website: littleelmisd.net
Location: 400 Lobo Lane, Little Elm, TX, USA
Phone: (972) 947-9340 10614

Little Elm ISD offers career and technical education programs in Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security; Engineering; Business Education; Marketing; Education & Training; Health Science Occupations; Trade & Industry; Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources; and Media Technology. Admission to these programs is based on open enrollment.

It is the policy of Little Elm ISD not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap in its vocational programs, services or activities as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

It is the policy of Little Elm ISD not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap, or age in its employment practices as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Little Elm ISD will take steps to assure that lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in all educational and vocational programs. For more information about these programs, please contact Dr. JJ Ayers; Coordinator for Career & Technical Education at P.O. Box 6000 – 300 Lobo Lane, Little Elm, Texas 75068, 972-947-9340.

For information about your rights or grievance procedures, contact the Title IX Coordinator, P.O. Box 6000 – 400 Lobo Lane, Little Elm, Texas, 75068, 972-947-9340 ext 10105, and/or the Section 504 Coordinator, at P.O. Box 6000 – 300 Lobo Lane, Little Elm, Texas, 75068, 972-947-9340 ext. 10103.

Agencia Educativa de Texas

División de Educación Técnica y Profesional

Notificación Pública de No Discriminación en Programas de Educación Técnica y Profesional

Little Elm ISD ofrece programas de Educación Técnica y Profesional en Leyes, Seguridad Pública, Seguridad y Correccional, Ingeniería, Educación en Negocios, Mercadotecnia, Educación y Entrenamiento, Ciencias de Educación, Industria y Comercio, Información Tecnológica. La admisión a estos programas es con base en inscripción abierta.

Es política de Little Elm ISD no discriminar con base en raza, nacionalidad, etnia, sexo o incapacidad, en estos programas, servicios o actividades como lo exige el Título IV de los Derechos Civiles en el acuerdo 1964, con enmienda; Título IX de las Enmiendas Educativas de 1972; y sección 504 de Acta de Rehabilitación de 1973, con enmienda.

Little Elm ISD realizará lo necesario para asegurarse que la limitación en el idioma Inglés no sea una barrera de admisión y participación en los programas educativos y vocacionales. Para más información referente a estos programas, favor de comunicarse con Dr. JJ Ayers; Coordinator de Preparación Profesional y Educación Técnica y Profesional, con dirección – 300 Lobo Lane, Little Elm, Texas 75068, 972-947-9340 o al Código Postal- P.O. Box 6000

Para más información acerca de sus derechos y procedimientos de quejas, favor de comunicarse con el Coordinador del Título IX, P.O. Box 6000-300 Lobo Lane, Little Elm, Texas 75068, 972-947-9340 ext. 10105 y/o con la Coordinadora de Sección 504, P.O. Box 6000- 400 Lobo Lane, Texas, 75068, 972-947-9340 ext. 10103.