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In 2013, the 83rd Texas Legislature established the new Foundation High School Program as the default graduation program for all students entering high school beginning in 2014-2015. It made substantial changes to the state's curriculum and graduation requirements, assessment program, and accountability system.

HB5 restructured  the state's graduation requirements, moving from the "4x4" graduation plan to a 22-credit Foundation High School Program that allows students to earn endorsements in specific areas of study by completing four additional credits. The endorsements include STEM, business & industry, public service, arts & humanities, and multidisciplinary studies.  Each student entering the ninth grade must indicate an endorsement choice in writing.

The Foundation High School Program is a more flexible high school program that allows students to pursue their interests. A Graduation Toolkit was developed to provide essential information to students, parents, and counselors about the new Foundation High School Program. It can be downloaded here.  

Programs of Study (POS) are helpful guides to develop local CTE programs that lead to students ready to enter the workforce and continue their education in college.  They are written, customizable plans that serve as guides for pursuing college and career goals. They have become an integral part of the Texas public education system.  They outline sequences of academic, career, and technical training that will lead to success in high-skilled positions within a specific industry or occupational sector.

The goal is to have every student prepare a personalized graduation plan (PGP) in middle school for grades 9-12. The student chooses a Career Cluster and Program of Study to guide his or her learning in the context of personal career interests. More than 120 state-recognized POS models are available on the Texas CTE Resource website to download and customize. The templates include suggested academic courses, career electives, extended learning opportunities, and post-secondary options. Local schools can modify the POS templates to reflect their offerings.

All students should include a postsecondary goal in their plan - whether it is attending college, joining the military, taking additional training, or starting employment. For students who want to pursue college credit while they are still in high school, the POS templates include space to enter college credit opportunities such as Advanced Technical Credit, dual credit, and Advanced Placement.

A Program of Study should serve as a menu of options students can use to create an individual graduation plan. It should provide each student with a flexible, comprehensive college and career education plan related to their personal career objectives.

Studies have shown that students who take a "coherent sequence" of CTE courses are more likely to complete high school successfully. In Texas, a CTE coherent sequence is defined as two or more CTE courses that count for three or more credits toward graduation.

The coherent sequence of courses should be structured in a way that makes logical sense and meets the educational/career goals of the individual student.  Naturally the sequence must be determined based on the available courses that the local school is able to offer or that might be available through the Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN).  A sequence of courses should normally concentrate on specific skills required to master one pathway within a Career Cluster, but could include courses from other Career Clusters in order to meet the needs of students.  The determination of a coherent sequence is a decision made at the local level. 

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Public schools in Texas are required to teach the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). TEKS are the curriculum standards for state-approved courses for elementary and secondary schools. They can be found in the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Title 19, Part II.

New TEKS were implemented for Career and Technical Education beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. The TEKS for career development courses for middle school and high school are found in Chapter 127, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Career Development. The TEKS for high school Career and Technical Education courses by cluster are found in Chapter 130, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Career and Technical Education.

The CTE TEKS were revised in response to a bill passed by the 80th Texas Legislature instructing educators to update Career and Technical Education to better reflect current industry skill standards and the rigorous academics relevant to various career fields. The bill also mandated Texas educators to identify CTE courses to satisfy the fourth-year math or science requirements and increase the number of high school students earning college credit while in high school.

Nine new CTE courses were developed that integrate rigorous academics with advanced career and technical content:

• Advanced Animal Science
• Advanced Biotechnology
• Advanced Plant and Soil Science
• Engineering Design and Problem Solving
• Engineering Mathematics
• Forensic Science
• Food Science
• Mathematical Applications in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
• Statistics and Risk Management

These and several other CTE courses can be taken to meet high school graduation credit requirements. Visit TEA's State Graduation Requirements website for the most current information. 

The CTE TEKS reflect the collective wisdom of individuals within each respective field. TEKS tell course planners what students should know and be able to do upon completion of a course.

Career and Technical Education courses are designed to help students learn both the "why?" and the "how?" of a subject. Most CTE courses include hands-on learning opportunities such as field experiences, laboratory investigations, or supervised experience programs. Curriculum and instructional resources for all of these experiences are available on the Texas CTE Resource Center website. On that site, teachers will find all of the following resources:

CTE TEKS for all CTE courses are available from the Helpful Links section on the Teacher page.  

Lesson Plans are available for all CTE courses from the main Teacher page.  Lesson plans include objectives, materials needed, direct instruction information, guided practice and many additional resources. Choose a Career Cluster and under Material Type, choose Lesson Plans.

Scopes and Sequences have been developed for all CTE courses. Each document includes the course description, course requirements, and recommended units of study based on the TEKS.  From the Search screen, choose a Career Cluster and under Material Type, choose Scope and Sequence.

Many additional resources are also available on the Texas CTE Resource Center website including:

• Student Organizations
• Teaching strategies
• Assessments
• Workforce Data
• Texas Gateway courses
• Graduation requirements
• Programs of Study
• Teacher certification

State and federal laws require public education agencies to ensure access to CTE programs for special populations who face unique challenges. Six groups currently are identified as special populations:

• Individuals with disabilities
• Individuals from economically disadvantaged families, including foster children
• Individuals preparing for non-traditional fields
• Single parents, including single pregnant women
• Displaced homemakers
• Individuals with limited English proficiency