The CTE Connect

Happy New Year!

Thank you for your dedication, flexibility, and passion throughout the fall semester. Because of your efforts, students are gaining valuable skills, earning industry certifications, and building confidence as they prepare for college, career, and military pathways.

As we look ahead to the new year, we are excited to reconnect on January 6 for our districtwide CTE professional development. This time together will allow us to reaffirm our shared goals, align our instructional practices, and continue strengthening systems that support student success across the district.

Please reference the COACHING section below in preparation for the PD session. We look forward to starting the new year together with energy, alignment, and a renewed focused on supporting our students.

#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.

FIELD TRIP:

We are looking for 100 students (20 from each traditional high school) with advisor to participate!

Location: Temple Memorial (BSWH Hospital Temple), 2401 S. 31st St., Temple; Building 26: Career Center

Time: 12:30p-2:30p

Total Students: 100

Grade level target: 9th or 10th graders only

If interested, please submit your student trip request to your campus principal/dean for approval by January 13, 2026. If you have any questions, reach out to the CTE office at 254-336-1757.

https://ctat.informz.net/informzdataservice/onlineversion/ind/bWFpbGluZ2luc3RhbmNlaWQ9NDU3NDg3NCZzdWJzY3JpYmVyaWQ9Mzc4MzE5ODIz

• Are you new to these CTE courses: Anatomy & Physiology or Forensic Science? Visit your CIS/CIS to receive your access information.

• TCMPC is an online curriculum management system aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the state standards for what students should know and be able to do. It includes curriculum frameworks, unit planning tools, assessments, scope and sequence guides, and other resources to help teachers and leaders plan instruction.

• https://go.tcmpc.org/

Our district has signed up with Intuit for Education to provide financial literacy resources for your students at no cost. Check out a few of the highlights:

• Free and interactive curriculum with real-world tools to help students become financially confident
• Both personal finance and entrepreneurial finance courses with a choice of lesson plans that are guided by educators or self-paced learning for students on their own
• Plus, there’s a Teacher Assist search function built in to help locate the lesson plans you want instantly. It really couldn’t be easier to get started!

Click here to create your free account in just a few moments and then selecting your school and following the steps listed in the ‘For those already approved’ section. Selecting your school is a critical step in the process!

This educator toolkit is a full collection of lessons, simulations, games, and other resources broken down by topic. You can find your state’s standards alignment on the site as well once you log in.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email stepan_mekhitarian@intuit.com to help any way possible with access to additional support and professional guidance.

You will find additional information in the CTE Schoology folder -- Resources -- Curriculum Resources -- BMF

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.

Howdy & Happy Holidays!

I am excited to announce that TX-31’s Congressional Career Technical Education (CTE) Awards for the 2025-2026 school year is officially accepting nominations! Please share the information with each of your high school campuses. We will be accepting student nomination applications through Thursday, January 8, 2025, via Congressman Carter’s website. Late entries will not be considered. Like last year, all components of the application this year will be completed online – nothing should be submitted in paper form. I strongly encourage anyone submitting a nomination to follow up with me to confirm that the application was successfully received.

More information regarding the CTE Awards Ceremony will be coming in the new year. If you or any of your campus principals/STEM teachers have any questions, please email me at Abbygayle.Brewington@mail.house.gov.

Respectfully,

Abby Brewington

Senior Legislative Assistant

Office of Congressman John Carter (TX-31)

(202) 225-3864

Empowering CTE Educators: Professional Development at the Career Center

• Click the link below to sign up for PD. See you there!!
• Middle School CCE and Teen Leadership will meet at the Killeen ISD Career Center from 8 AM - 11:30 PM in Room 409. https://killeen.schoolobjects.com//wshop/default.aspx?cid=26908 - Middle School PD.
• High School CTE will meet at the Killeen ISD Career Center from 1 PM - 4:30 PM in the Commons. https://killeen.schoolobjects.com//wshop/default.aspx?cid=26909 - High School PD

What to Bring?

• Fully charged, district-issued device (laptop)
• Access to your TEKS
• Writing utensil
• A printed copy of the first formative assessment you will teach/facilitate with students, including the answer key (from your adopted textbook or curriculum).

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. Our trainer will not be available on January 6, however, individual training can be requested at your available time. There is a series of training videos and support to help you begin. Below, you will find the teacher Onboarding Guide, Quick Start Guide, and webinar series with short training videos.

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.

• All Pacing Calendars with TEKS in Schoology
• Know and Show - supports PLCs & Unit Focus Document(s) for planning lessons
• Unit Focus Documents (UFD) in Schoology

• January is School Board Appreciation Month
• January 5 - Teacher Work Day
• January 6 - Professional Development - see separate document below for details.
• January 9 - Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
• January 14 - Killeen ISD Virtual Meet & Greet
• January 17 - BPA Regional Competition (Vanguard HS) / HOSA Area 5 Competition (at KCC)
• January 19 - Student/Teacher Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
• January 20 - School Board Meeting 5 PM
• January 27 -Paying for College - KISD High School Student Info Session - Presented by the Scholarship Lady at KISD Career Center 6 PM
• January 28 - Killeen ISD Virtual Interviews (must reserve your time slot)
• January 29 - Future Ready Expo - @ KCC from 5:30 PM - 7 PM

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 temporarily located at Dr. Jimmie Don Aycock in room 812.

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

October 2025 CTE Connect