Career and Technical Education (CTE) is a planned program of course work containing hands-on, career-connected learning that prepares students to be college, career, and future ready! CTE courses integrate 21st century skills, professional and technical skills, and core academic knowledge.  Some CTE courses provide the opportunity to earn college credit or industry certification. 

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Classes 

Two semesters of CTE classes are required for graduation. Many CTE classes allow students to earn college credit through CTE Dual College Credit or Advanced Placement (AP). 

CTE Dual College Credit 

Through a partnership with community and technical colleges in the state, certain CTE courses provide students with the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit for the course if students earn a grade of “B” or better. If a course qualifies for CTE Dual Credit, it will be noted in the course catalog and teachers will provide students with information regarding how to register for CTE Dual Credit. 

Note: To be awarded college credit, students must register and pay a $50 fee which covers all CTE Dual Credit Courses for that year. For information, please contact the Pacific Northwest College Credit Consortium (PNWCC) at: https://www.pnwcollegecredit.org/

CTE High School Credit Equivalency (“Two-for-One”) Courses 

Some CTE classes meet core academic graduation requirements. If a CTE class is determined to be equivalent with the academic standards of the core required class (math, science, social studies, world language, or English), it can be recorded on a student’s transcript as meeting both the academic high school requirement and the CTE graduation requirement. The CTE Equivalency “Two-for-One” policy does not change the total number of credits the student needs to earn for graduation. 

Worksite Learning 

Students who are taking or have successfully completed a CTE course are eligible to earn credit for learning on the job. Students will be registered in a school class but the actual time for this course will be the hours the students spend working at their jobs before/after school. Students must be employed in an approved, supervised job during the time they are registered for this course. Students must complete a minimum of 180 hours of work for each .5 credit awarded. In addition, students will have to sign a training agreement, turn in work hours on a monthly basis, and participate in a formal evaluation process before credit can be awarded. For more information and registration for this course, contact your College & Career Guidance Specialist. 

Washington Network for Innovative Careers (WANIC) Skill Center Programs

WANIC Skill Center offers high quality tuition-free Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes for high school juniors and seniors. These year-long, advanced-level CTE programs are based on rigorous academic and industry standards preparing students for career and college readiness. WANIC programs offer dual credit opportunities (high school and college credit) and/or lead to industry certifications. Programs are designed in three period blocks which allows extended learning time and authentic hands-on lab experience. For more information, please see the WANIC page in this catalog or https://wanic.lwsd.org/. 

CTE Graduation Pathway

A graduation requirement is completion of a Graduation Pathway which is chosen by a student and must be aligned with their HSBP. One of those Pathways is the CTE Graduation Pathway in which students complete a sequence of 2.0 or more CTE credits in a CTE Pathway that either includes a dual college credit course or leads to an industry recognized credential. Below is a list of the CTE Graduation Pathways along with information about Dual College Credit and High School Equivalency Credit for each class. OSPI Graduation Pathway information.