Course of Study: Career Technical Education

Students may be educated in a variety of public and private settings with supportive curricula in each setting. In Ohio, students have multiple options of educational environments as they enter the high school years . Students can attend a traditional high school, which offers all required classes for graduation while also gaining some instruction in career technical education (CTE) through CTE-focused courses. Students may also take advantage of programs offered at a career center in their home or neighboring school district. These programs target the development of employment skills for a variety of highly skilled community-based careers.

Career Technical Education in Ohio

In Ohio career technical education is primarily provided in one of three ways:

Comprehensive high school - A large school district that offers a complete array of career technical education within the district's course of study.
Joint Vocational School (JVS) - JVS districts (JVSD) are considered public school districts in Ohio. They provide career-technical education and workforce development for students from member high schools, which are usually located within a designated geographic area. Often referred to as career centers.
Compact of school districts - A group of several school districts that share career technical training curriculum and programs. Students from any of these districts may attend a career technical program in any of the school districts in the compact.

In all settings students have the legal right to access all the accommodations or modifications in their IEP to gain access and understanding to the curriculum.

With an array of curriculum paths a student can take, the outcomes for students can look distinctly different but still meet the requirements for Ohio graduation paths. In all outcomes, students can access in high school to meet the requirements for graduation, the end results is the same to go on, whether that be work, postsecondary education, adult education, or enlisting in public duties. The purpose of the identified course of study is to reasonably prepare the student to pursue these identified post-school goals. Identification of the appropriate course(s) of study for each postsecondary goal requires careful consideration by the IEP team.