Administrative Procedure 6142.1 - Career and Technical Education

I. Purpose

To provide steps for students to enroll and the criteria and procedures for exiting Career and Technical Education Programs.

II. Policy

The Prince George’s County Board of Education firmly believes that the academic achievement of all students is paramount. Student academic achievement is supported by providing equitable access to high-quality education and resources to guarantee that every child graduating from the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) System is college and career ready. (Board Policy 0118)

III. Background

The Board of Education is dedicated to supporting programs of choice that offer a unique or specialized curriculum or instructional approach. These programs are designed to meet the needs of a diverse student population. Entry into Career and Technical Education programs is generally managed through a lottery system.

IV. Definitions

Blind Equity Lottery - Space limitations require that admission to the program be governed by a random placement lottery. This blind lottery placement provides the most equitable and efficient means of access to specialty programs. The procedure is created to ensure equal access and equity for admission into CTE Specialty Programs.
Boundary – A school that resides inside of the school system’s defined boundaries for a residential address.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) – Career Technical Education (CTE) provides students of all ages with the academic and technical skills, career-oriented exposure, and the knowledge and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners. Students may also gain work experience through internships, job shadowing, on-the-job training, and industry certification opportunities. Students in CTE programs may opt to enter the workforce upon graduating from high school or they may matriculate to a college or university.
Industry Recognized Credentials (IRC) - A formal validation of an individual’s skills and/or competencies that align with state or regional in-demand occupations and are recognized by industry and employers. An IRC may be a certification, license, or credential obtained through an assessment process, is portable, and may be stackable.
Out of Boundary – A school that resides outside of the school system’s defined boundaries for a residential address.
Professional School Counselor (PSC) – A staff member who delivers comprehensive school counseling services to address the academic, career, personal/social development of all students. The counseling programs are structured to be an integral part of a student's daily educational environment. The Professional School Counseling Office collaborates with other offices, teachers, administrators, and the overall community to benefit students and parents.
Reciprocity – Entrance granted upon a space-available basis when a student first enters PGCPS from outside the county after attending four consecutive quarters and/or two consecutive semesters at a public, charter, or private school CTE program.
Specialty Program – A program that provides options in addition to the broad spectrum of programs in each comprehensive school. Designed to address the needs and interests of students and parents/guardians, these programs allow for exploration and development of interests and needs, while following state and school system mandates.
Student Intervention Team (SIT) – SIT is a school-based, problem-solving team composed of faculty members (usually general educators) who meet to help teachers identify and implement appropriate interventions for students who need support so that they are ready and able to learn, as well as students who need academic acceleration. Most often, the team will discuss a student who is having academic or behavioral difficulties. Challenges with attendance/tardiness or emotional/health issues may also be addressed.
Student Support Team (SST) – SST is a multidisciplinary team with expertise in teaching and learning, problem-solving, and interventions. It is used when strategies and/or interventions for a student have proven unsuccessful. Additionally, the collaborative problem-solving processes followed by SST promote shared ownership for student, school, and system success, and help to reduce the disproportionate identification of certain student groups for special education services.
Technical Skills Assessment (TSA) - TSAs incorporate academic and technical skill attainment measurements and assessments that are designed to meet or exceed state-adjusted levels of performance. Assessments must meet the state criteria for external, valid, and reliable assessments that are recognized by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and lead to students earning college credit or industry-recognized license or certification.
Transfers – A permission to attend a school that is not within the defined boundaries for a residential address.

V. Procedures

Application
1. The online window for students to apply typically opens during the fall and closes in the winter of the same academic year.
2. During this time, eligible students have the option of applying to all interested programs. Please see the distinction between boundary and out-of-boundary students to determine eligibility for various programs. This distinction helps to determine which three-year and four-year program students are eligible to attend.
3. The updated applications can be found on the PGCPS Career and Technical Education Program website (“CTE”).
Eligibility
1. Eligibility Requirements – To participate in CTE programs, students must be enrolled in PGCPS, including PGCPS Charter Schools, or live in Prince George’s County and meet the following criteria:
  1. Have a class status of rising 9th, rising 10th, or rising 11th grader.
  2. Have at least an 89% attendance rate.
  3. Meet all additional eligibility requirements for the program into which they are applying.
2. Any student who is not enrolled in a PGCPS school, but lives in Prince George’s County can apply to these programs via the following steps:
  1. Complete the enrollment process at your neighborhood school to get a student ID number.
  2. Once a student ID number is received, students can follow the normal CTE application process.
Selection and Lottery Procedures
1. Eligible students for the various programs are selected as follows:
  1. Two-Year Programs - Rising 11th-grade students who apply to the two-year programs will be selected via a blind equity lottery conducted by CTE staff. Enrollment into your selected program is subject to current enrollment numbers and seat availability.
  2. Three-Year Programs - Rising 10th-grade students who are applying to the three-year programs must attend or be eligible to attend the boundary school that houses the program for which they are interested. A blind equity lottery will be conducted by CTE staff. Enrollment into your selected program is subject to current enrollment numbers and seat availability.
  3. Four-Year Programs - Rising 9th-grade students who are applying to the four-year programs must attend or be eligible to attend the boundary school that houses the program for which they are interested. A blind equity lottery will be conducted by CTE staff. Enrollment into your selected program is subject to current enrollment numbers and seat availability.
2. Students who are accepted into their first-choice program must complete one of the following steps:
  1. Students who wish to accept placement - Accept placement via the link contained with the congratulatory letter and a PGCPS web-based platform sent by the CTE Department. Students who accept placement should follow all directives listed in the congratulatory letter and web-based platform. Failure to follow all directives may result in the inability to participate in selected CTE programming.
    1. ) Students and parents will be notified of their acceptance via a congratulatory letter and web-based platform for students to complete.
    2. ) Students should make a selection on the web-based platform within the designated time limit listed on the form.
    3. ) If students accept placement into a program outside of their boundary zone, they must complete a Transfer Request.
  2. Students who wish to decline placement - Decline placement via the link contained in the congratulatory letter and web-based platform sent by the CTE Department. Students who decline placement will have no further actions on their part.
3. Students who are not accepted into their first-choice program have the following option:
  1. Waitlist - If the program is at capacity, then students who meet all eligibility requirements, may be placed on the waitlist for their selected program(s). If this is the case, then students will be assigned a waitlist number.
  2. If students who were selected via the blind equity lottery decline their offer of acceptance, then students from the waitlist will be offered placement based on capacity and their assigned waitlist number.
  3. Waitlisted students will be offered acceptance in consecutive order.
    1. ) Students and parents will be notified of their waitlist options via a waitlist letter and web-based platform for students to complete.
    2. ) Students should make a selection on the waitlist form and web-based platform within the designated time limit listed on the form.
    3. ) Students who are selected from the waitlist will be notified of their acceptance from the CTE Department.
    4. ) Students who accept placement should follow all directives listed in the congratulatory letter and web-based platform. Failure to follow all directives may result in the inability to participate in selected CTE programming.
    5. ) If students accept placement into a program outside of their boundary zone, then they must complete a Transfer Request.
Change of Address after Eligibility Notification/Placement
1. If the change in principal residence for a student occurs after eligibility notification has been provided and/or less than one full year of attendance in a specialty program and the new residence is served by a different program location, the parent/guardian must obtain permission from the appropriate program Supervisor to continue participating in the specialty program at the newly assigned program location. There is no assurance that permission will be given. The decision to grant permission will be based on program capacity and a student’s score for selected programs. Additionally, transportation is not guaranteed.
Enrollment
1. Parents and/or guardians should consult the assigned CTE school for the registration procedures. Parents and/or guardians must register students using the current registration process.
2. The CTE Department will send the list of accepted students to the Departments of Pupil Accounting and Transportation.
3. The list of accepted and waitlisted students is sent by the CTE Department to the assigned CTE schools, including the professional school counselor, school administrators, and CTE teachers. The waitlist will be used to fill any outstanding vacant seats.
4. School administration, the PSC, or designee, will inform the Departments of Pupil Accounting, Transportation, and CTE of any changes or updates within 48 hours so that available seats can be assessed.
5. CTE Department designees collaborate with school teams to organize and plan orientation in the spring for the following school year, notify parents and/or guardians and students of orientation and invite parents and/or guardians and students to attend orientation.
Reciprocity – When a student first enters PGCPS from outside the county after attending four consecutive quarters and/or two consecutive semesters at a public, charter, or private school CTE program in the jurisdiction where the parent/guardian was a resident, the student may receive reciprocity placement in a PGCPS CTE program. The student must have current CTE enrollment before seeking reciprocity. No lapse in CTE instruction will be accepted. Placement via reciprocity is made on a space basis only and does not offer guaranteed placement.
1. In order to request reciprocity, the parent/guardian must submit a written request to the Department of Pupil Accounting within thirty days of establishing residency in the county. The written request must include the following:
  1. current written program description from the school that the student previously attended;
  2. most recent report card and/or transcript for the student;
  3. contact information and website for the school previously attended; and
  4. documentation validating the recent establishment of a Prince George’s County residence.
2. The Department of Pupil Accounting will send a request to the Division of Academics to determine if a student meets eligibility requirements. A determination that eligibility criteria have been met does not guarantee placement.
3. If the Division of Academics determines that programs are not comparable, no offer of reciprocity will be extended.
4. The decision to offer reciprocity will be made on a case-by-case basis jointly by the Department of Pupil Accounting and Division of Academics considering pending requests and relevant factors. There is no assurance that reciprocity will be made available.
Continuous Enrollment
1. Academic Expectations
  1. While enrolled in a CTE program, students must remain in good academic standing and complete the requisite coursework in preparation for the Technical Skills Assessments (TSA) and/or Industry Recognized Credential (IRC). Technical Skills Assessments (TSA) and/or Industry Recognized Credential (IRC).
    1. ) All CTE students must take the appropriate TSA and/or IRC.
    2. ) Failure to adhere to these requirements may be grounds for removal from the program.
2. Those students who fail to remain in good academic standing in their CTE program course(s), in any marking period, will be given academic support.
3. If a student fails to maintain a passing grade in their CTE program course(s), in any marking period in a program of study (i.e., pass a course and/or TSA/certification requirements) needed as a prerequisite to continue to the next course, the student may be removed from the program at the end of the course/school year.
Academic Difficulties
1. The classroom teacher or school-based specialty program coordinator will refer the student needing academic support to the Student Intervention Team (SIT) per Administrative Procedure 5124 (SIT and SST).
2. The academic support plan will be discussed and created by the SIT to include classroom-level interventions and other supports as needed. The program coordinator will provide written notification of the finalized academic support plan to the parent/legal guardian.
3. Students who have received academic interventions or support for the identified time period and have not consistently improved their academic achievement will be referred to the Student Support Team (SST) for further strategies and/or interventions. The Program Coordinator/SST Chair or Principal’s designee will notify the parent/legal guardian in writing that the student has been referred to SST. Additionally, the parent/legal guardian will be invited to the SST meeting.
4. Once the student is referred to SST, the academic support plan developed will be implemented and monitored as determined by the team. If the student does not progress academically after the established timeframe, by way of passing grades, the SST should determine if a referral to the Section 504 team or Individualized Education Program (IEP) team is necessary. If the student is ineligible for a 504 plan or IEP, the Principal, in consultation with the school-based program coordinator, will decide whether the student can remain in the program or the student must return back to the comprehensive school program and notify the parent/legal guardian, Instructional Director, and the Office of Pupil Accounting and School Boundaries of the decision, as needed.
5. At any time, parent/legal guardian, teachers, counselors, and/or administrators/coordinators may review the student’s grades in the student information system.
6. Students with IEPs/504 plans
  1. Whenever it is determined that a student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 plan is experiencing academic difficulties, the school-based program coordinator will provide written notification of that action to the parent/legal guardian, teachers of record, and the student’s IEP/504 case manager. The school-based program coordinator, the student’s parent/legal guardian, and/or the IEP/504 case manager will determine whether the IEP/504 team should convene to address the student’s need for academic support.
  2. If the student is not making sufficient progress toward achievement of their annual IEP/504 goals at the end of any marking period, the IEP/504 team, including the parent/legal guardian, shall convene an IEP/504 meeting to determine the academic support and services that will be provided to the student, as appropriate (refer to the PGCPS Special Education Process Guide).
Attendance Difficulties
1. Refer to AP 5113 (Student Attendance, Absence, and Truancy) as well as the specific Specialty Program contract regarding attendance policies.
2. Additionally, the program coordinator should provide email notification to the parent/legal guardian regarding consecutive or chronic absences if the student has three (3) or more unlawful absences in a quarter. School administrators, coordinators, and teachers may request a review of a student’s attendance in PGCPS courses by the SIT if a student is in jeopardy of exceeding unlawful absences, as explained in AP 5113.
3. Attendance interventions initiated by administrators, specialty program coordinators, or school counselors will include a parent/legal guardian conference(s) and strategic intervention(s) provided by the School Intervention Team (SIT). Whenever it is determined that a student’s attendance requires intervention, the SIT will provide written notification to the parent/legal guardian.
4. If a student with a disability that has an IEP is experiencing attendance difficulties (i.e. school avoidance, medical issues) which are impeding their ability to access the general education curriculum, the IEP team including the parent(s), shall convene to consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies, to address the attendance concerns.
5. Students with chronic absences, both lawful and unlawful, will be referred to the Student Intervention Team (SIT) to address the underlying problems that lead to the absenteeism. This is inclusive of students with 504 accommodations and students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). A SIT or IEP meeting will be convened to discuss the attendance issues.
6. If the student’s attendance does not improve after the established intervention has been implemented, the withdrawal process from the program will be initiated.
Behavioral Difficulties
1. A student is considered to be experiencing behavioral difficulty when:
  1. exhibiting disciplinary conduct that significantly and/or persistently disrupts the educational environment,
  2. causes actual or potential harm to other students, staff, or self, or
  3. is out of compliance with the Code of Student Conduct in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, as documented in the student information system.
2. For students who are suspended ten (10) days or more in a school year, if the student has an IEP or the behavior may be related to any disability of the student, the disciplinary procedures for special education must be followed.
3. Behavioral support initiated by administrators, coordinators, and or school counselors will include a parent/legal guardian conference, strategic intervention provided by the SIT, and a written behavior support plan in accordance with AP 5124.
4. Depending on the intervention, the behavior support plan should be reviewed and monitored by the SIT/SST for the identified time period. However, the parent/legal guardian, teachers, counselors, administrators/coordinators may request a behavioral review of a student's conduct by the SIT at any time.
5. Due to the unique settings in which students are taught, certain behaviors may be grounds for a student forfeiting their placement in the program. The SIT and the Principal will weigh the specific circumstances of each case and the range of interventions, management strategies, and responses needed in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook and state and federal law.
6. The SIT will reconvene as appropriate to discuss the student’s progress.
7. In the case of a student with an IEP who is experiencing behavioral difficulties, the IEP team will convene as appropriate to consider the use of positive behavioral interventions, supports and other strategies to address the student’s behavior. This may include but is not limited to, developing behavior goals, conducting a Functional Behavioral Assessment, and/or the need to implement a Behavioral Intervention Plan to address the student’s interfering behavior. The student’s IEP team will reconvene as appropriate to discuss the student’s progress.
Academic, Behavior and Attendance Withdrawal
1. If a student is not making progress after going through the SIT and/or SST process, including interventions and support plans, the school may begin discussing withdrawal from the program.
2. If the team determines that withdrawal is the next step and a transfer back to the boundary school is recommended, the Principal will:
  1. Create an official withdrawal letter to include information on the appeal process.
  2. Communicate with the Central Office Program Supervisor who will provide a form for the documentation to be uploaded. The Central Office Program Supervisor will work with the school-based coordinator to review all documentation and provide a recommendation to move on to the Instructional Director.
  3. Communicate in an email the recommendation along with the documentation to the Instructional Director, Associate Superintendent, Chief of School Support and Leadership and copy the appropriate Central Office Program Supervisor.
  4. Upon approval of feedback and agreement from the Instructional Director and Central Office Program Supervisor, Associate Superintendent, Chief of School Support and Leadership, and the appropriate program Supervisor, the school counselor/registrar will advise the parent/legal guardian on the withdrawal and registration processes (see AP 5111 Registration and Withdrawal of Students) and will send a copy of the withdrawal letter to the parent/legal guardian via the confirmed email address on file in the student information system.
  5. The Principal will also send a copy of the withdrawal letter to the Office of Pupil Accounting and School Boundaries. Once this is completed, the student will be removed from the program file.
3. If a student with an IEP/504 plan is being recommended for withdrawal after the IEP team has also reviewed it, the IEP/504 team must also determine the appropriate placement for which the student’s IEP/504 plan can be implemented, as written. The Principal will then follow the steps in the previous bullet.
4. Documentation must be maintained for easy access so that it may be provided to the Office of Appeals in case there is an appeal. The withdrawal supporting documentation must include:
  1. the student’s withdrawal letter;
  2. the student’s appropriate support plan that the school implemented; and
  3. any other documentation pertaining to the student’s withdrawal (e.g., report card, attendance record, emails related to support, etc.).
5. This packet should be filed in the cumulative folder behind the withdrawal letter.
6. For behavior withdrawals, it should be noted that a student may be subject to immediate removal from the specialty program for documented behavioral violations that include, but are not limited to: arson, assault, bullying, sexual harassment, theft, threat, use/distribution of controlled substances, and use/possession of weapons or instruments used as such.
7. Withdrawal should only take place at the end of the first semester or the end of the year and after grades have been published.
8. A parent/legal guardian may appeal a recommendation for removal as described in the letter sent and in the Appeal Process below.
Appeal Process
1. A parent/legal guardian who wishes to appeal a withdrawal decision must submit a written appeal to the Chief Academic Officer within ten (10) business days of the timestamp on the email containing the letter of withdrawal. The student is enrolled at their boundary school pending the decision of the appeal.
2. The parent/legal guardian should indicate in their written appeal the reason for seeking a review of the decision and may include additional information for consideration.
3. The Chief Academic Officer will determine if there was a material departure from the policies and procedures by the program coordinator, Principal, or Instructional Director which adversely impacted the appellant.
4. The Chief Academic Officer will render a decision based on the information provided by the school and the parent/legal guardian in alignment with this administrative procedure. Notification of this decision will be sent electronically via the confirmed email address on file in the student information system.
5. An appeal of the decision of the Chief Academic Officer to the Office of Appeals be made in writing and received by the Appeals Office within ten (10) business days of the date on the decision letter by the Chief Academic Officer.
6. The parent/legal guardian should indicate in their written appeal the reason for seeking a review of the decision and may include additional information for consideration.
7. The Office of Appeals will determine if there was a material departure from the policies and procedures by the school Program Coordinator, Principal, or Instructional Director that adversely impacted the appellant.
8. The Office of Appeals will render a decision based on the information provided by the school, parent/legal guardian, and Chief Academic Officer in alignment with this administrative procedure.
9. An appeal from the decision by the Office of Appeals to the Board of Education must be made in writing and received by the Board Office within 30 calendar days of the date on the decision letter by the Office of Appeals, acting as the Superintendent’s designee.
10. The Board of Education will determine if there was a material departure from the policies and procedures by the school Program Coordinator or Principal that adversely impacted the appellant.
11. If additional information is included in the appeal to the Board of Education, the Office of Appeals will be allowed to respond in writing and shall provide a copy of its response to the appellant before the Board of Education considers the appeal.
12. The Board of Education’s decision shall be rendered in writing.
13. If the decision to withdraw the student is overturned by an appeal at any level, and the parent/legal guardian re-enrolls the student at the specialty program school, the school counselor will add the student to the SIT agenda regarding classroom-level interventions and other supports as needed for reacclimatization.

VI. Monitoring and Compliance

In an effort to ensure that the enrollment and appeals processes are implemented, the following monitoring tools and processes will be utilized annually.

The school administrator, CTE Assistant Principal, or designee will review the enrollment file and appeals process by September 30 of each school year. A record containing the staff signature to signify completion of this task will be kept on file in the principal’s office for four years and made available for review.
Grades and attendance reports for all CTE students will be pulled quarterly for review by the assigned assistant principal or principal’s designee to inform the CTE Department of their standing for monitoring purposes. At the beginning of each quarter, the designee shall provide the reports, summaries, and plans of action to the CTE Department.

VII. Related Procedures

VIII. Maintenance and Update of These Procedures

This Administrative Procedure originates with the Division of Academics and will be updated as needed.

IX. Cancellations and Supersedures

This Administrative Procedure cancels and supersedes Administrative Procedure 6142.1, dated September 7, 2021.

X. Effective Date

January 22, 2025.

Documents

Administrative Procedure 6142.1 - Career and Technical Education.pdf