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Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) are an integral part of curricular learning for CTE students. They serve as extensions to the CTE classroom and play an important role in preparing young people to become productive citizens. CTSO activities give students the opportunity to acquire and hone critical occupational skills, such as public speaking and leadership. They also provide motivation for students and ultimately assist members in career preparation, leadership development and personal growth.

CTSOs are student-led organizations, but they are not "clubs" for career and technical students. Rather, a CTSO is a powerful instructional tool that works best when integrated into the classroom by a dedicated, student-oriented CTE instructor.

The Texas Education Agency and the U.S. Department of Education recognize the following nine Texas CTSOs. Click the icons below to view each CTSO's state website:

Links to all CTSOs can be found on the Teacher page of the Texas CTE Resource Center website.

CTE programs with supportive administrators, knowledgeable counselors, dedicated teachers and active CTSOs can change lives! Click the play icon below to hear what students are saying about CTSOs.

Click here to watch video on CTSOs.

Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) provide a wide range of activities and opportunities for members, including meetings, conferences, workshops, scholarships, publications, competitions, and community service projects. CTSOs connect students with other students with similar career interests at the local, state, and national levels. And, they also allow students to interact with business and industry leaders in their field of interest.

CTSOs are a great way to engage students. CTSOs will:

Answer the question: "When will I use this?" by showing students how classroom topics relate to them in the "real world."

Make learning personal by allowing students to apply classroom content to personal projects and activities.

Create a sense of belonging. An effective CTSO creates a sense of community among members and teaches them to work cooperatively to achieve common goals.

Stimulate individual drive to succeed by giving students opportunities to test their skills and learn from successful and not-so-successful results in a supportive environment.

Provide tangible incentives such as scholarships, recognitions, and prizes for student successes.

Actively involve students in decision-making. Effective CTSOs are student-led, not instructor-led. Members learn fiscal management, parliamentary procedure, consensus building, project management and other critical workplace skills through active CTSO involvement.

For assistance with starting a new CTSO chapter or recruiting students for an existing one, contact the national or state CTSO office. Click on the links for the national CTSO Reference Guide and a directory of Texas CTSOs.

Although CTSOs are student-led, their effectiveness greatly depends on the work and vision of the local chapter advisor. The best advisor is a committed CTE instructor who understands the role CTSOs have in positively impacting the lives of students. He or she should be able to guide and assist student leaders as they carry out their responsibilities, without taking over the process. The advisor also should be a CTE teacher who is able to integrate CTSO activities into CTE course curriculum.

Teachers can develop integrated CTSO activities for their own courses by following these steps:

• Review the activities offered by the CTSO.
• Review the CTE TEKS and Scope and Sequence for the course.
• Identify links between CTSO activities and student learning objectives.
• Select a unit of study where students can use a CTSO activity to apply the knowledge and skills they are learning.
• Develop the lesson plan.

Remember, CTSO activities should complement, not duplicate, what students are learning in the CTE classroom. Also, a teacher does not need to be the CTSO chapter adviser to tie classroom learning to CTSO activities. Just be sure to coordinate your plans with the CTSO advisor and officers first.

Academic Standards

CTSO members are subject to the same academic standards as students participating in UIL, athletics, band, cheerleading, and other extracurricular activities. The academic eligibility rule in Texas is commonly referred to as the "No Pass No Play" rule. Guidelines for rules and regulations related to extracurricular activities sponsored or sanctioned by the school district can be found in the TEA-UIL Side-by-Side Eligibility of Extracurricular Activities guide. 

 

No Pass No Play Rule

The "No Pass No Play" rule allows all students to participate in contests during the first six weeks of school provided they meet acceptable academic standards as outlined in the TEA-UIL Side-by-Side. After the first six weeks, students must achieve a passing grade of 70 percent or higher in all classes for each grading period to be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities. All activity coaches and directors are responsible for obtaining official grade reports from the individual the principal designates as the keeper of official grades before a student represents the school at an extracurricular event, such as a competition or conference.

 

Restricted Activities

Academically ineligible students are restricted from participating in shows, competitions, conferences, or other extracurricular events. However, ineligible students are permitted to practice or rehearse. For CTSO students, this means that academically ineligible students can continue to care for their animals and plants, or work on other CTSO projects.

 

Commissioner of Education regulations also place limits on the number and lengths of student practices and performances. These rules are found in 19 TAC §76, Extracurricular Activities. A summary of the limits can be found in the TEA & UIL Side-by-Side.

Regaining Eligibility

A student regains eligibility after a seven-calendar-day waiting period has ended following a grading period, or following the three-school-week evaluation period when the principal and teacher determine that he or she has earned a passing grade (70 or above) in all classes, other than those that are exempted.