LOCAL CTE DIRECTORS’ UPDATES
Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics
Hagerstown Branch Campus
14516 Pennsylvania Avenue
Hagerstown, MD 21742
December 4, 2013
Business, Management, and Finance
All BMF programs of study incorporate the use of related Career Technology Student Organizations (CTSO)
– DECA and FBLA. Please encourage all schools offering BMF programs of study to provide CTSO
opportunities for CTE students. While the primary focus of these CTSOs is business education, DECA
includes numerous opportunities for Consumer services, Hospitality and Tourism students and FBLA has
expanded to include opportunities for students in Interactive Media Production and Computer Science.
MSDE provides CTSO information to all business education supervisors and coordinates chapter
involvement in Regional, State and National-level competition. Regional competitions in FBLA will be held
throughout the month of February as follows:
FBLA Region
Regional Location
Regional Date
Snow Date
Region 1
Clear Spring High School
Tuesday,
February 18, 2014
Monday,
February 24, 2014
Region 2
Hereford High School
Tuesday,
February 11, 2014
Wednesday,
February 19, 2014
Region 3
North East High School
Wednesday,
February 5, 2014
Friday,
February 21, 2014
Region 4
Northern High School
Thursday,
February 13, 2014
Thursday,
February 20, 2014
Region 5
Atholton High School
Saturday,
February 1, 2014
Saturday,
February 15, 2014
 For further information, please contact: Bridgette Sloan, CTE Lead Specialist at (410) 767-0556 or
email at: bsloan@msde.state.md.us.
Construction and Development
The next Construction and Development (CD) Cluster state-wide professional development opportunity for
instructors is at Towson University (TU) in July 2014 and will include two training sections -- for
Construction Trades (NCCER) and another for the new Construction Design and Management (CDM)
programs of study. Please note, all Construction-related programs incorporate the use of the Career
Technology Student Organization (CTSO) – SkillsUSA. Please encourage all schools offering Construction
and Development programs of study to provide CTSO opportunities for CTE students.
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MSDE provides CTSO information to all school systems and encourages chapter involvement in Regional,
State and National-level competition. Regional competitions for SkillsUSA will be held throughout the
month of February as follows:
SkillsUSA Region
Local School Systems
Regional Date
Region 1
Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s,
Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, Worcester
February 25, 2014
Region 2
Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, Howard
tbd
Region 3
Anne Arundel, Baltimore City
February 8, 2014
Region 4
Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s
February 1, 2014
Region 5
Montgomery, Prince George’s
February 13, 2014
Region 6
Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, Washington
February 1, 2014
The new Construction, Design and Management (CDM) program of study was distributed in November
2013 and is available on the MSDE website. All schools implementing the new CDM program will be
expected to participate in statewide professional development and to access the Towson University
Blackboard site for CDM.
 For further information, please contact: Pat Mikos, Program Manager, Student and Assessment Services
Branch, at (410) 767-0186 or via email at: pmikos@msde.state.md.us, or Charles Wallace, CTE
Specialist at (410) 767-8872 or via email at: cwallace@msde.state.md.us
Environmental, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Systems Career Cluster
Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE)
The following are some exciting updates for the CASE program:
•
Professional Development for the Agriculture Research and Development capstone course will be
offered July 8, 9, and 10th, 2014. It will be offered at Kent County High School, 25301 Lambs
Meadow Road, Worton, MD. The actual fee for the professional development has not been
determined as yet, but it will be less than $300.00 per person. Additional details about registration
will be sent out in the spring.

Dan Jansen, the CASE Project Director, has written a letter of support for Maryland’s Capstone
course titled: Agriculture Research and Development. Until this time CASE has not developed a
Capstone course, which was a hardship for Maryland CASE students to be a completer. By the letter
of support CASE recognizes Maryland’s capstone as the final course in the sequence for Maryland
students to be a program completer.
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The University of Maryland and MSDE are in the process of signing a three-credit agreement for
students that successfully complete the Maryland CASE program of study. This agreement will be
emailed to all CTE Directors once it has been signed by all appropriate parties.

Registration for all CASE summer professional development will open on December 1, 2013.
Please have your instructors go to the CASE website to view the locations and dates of the summer
professional development being offered. The CASE website is: www.CASE4learning.org. Please
note the University of Maryland via Winters Mill High School in Carroll County will offer the
Principles of Agricultural Science-Animal July 14-24th.
Please note if a CASE trained instructor leaves a school system, the curriculum is the property of the school
system, not the instructor. The curriculum is to be left at the school, but the instructor may take their notes.
If the new hire is not certified to teach the CASE courses offered at the school, the school that paid for the
CASE Professional Development may continue to offer the CASE courses, that the previous instructor was
certified to teach, for one year. After that the new instructor must attend the CASE Institutes to become
certified to teach the CASE courses offered at the school. A memo from CASE stating this policy was
previously been emailed.
Environmental Studies/Natural Resources
Towson University is developing the curriculum for the new Environmental Studies/Natural Resources
Program of Study (POS). This POS is a four course sequence which includes the following courses:
• Human Ecology and Environmental Problem Solving,
• Natural Resources Management,
• Environmental Technologies and Techniques, and
• Environmental and Natural Resources Research and Ethics.
The curriculum for the first course, Human Ecology and Environmental Problem Solving, will be developed
during the 2013-2014 school year and ready for schools to pilot the course during the 2014-2015 school-year.
The curriculum for all four courses will be complete within three years. Included will be
articulation/transcripted credits with Towson University for program completers.
•
Professional development on the first course will be held July 21-25, 2014 at Towson University
for the first course.
•
MSDE is looking three to five (5) pilot sites. There will be start-up funds available to pilot sites.
If you have a site where the POS could be piloted or are interested in learning more about the
POS, please contact Kathy or Matt.
 For further information, please contact: Kathy McNerney, Lead Coordinator, CTE Systems Branch at
(410) 767-0185, or via email at kmcnerney@msde.state.md.us or Matt Koerner, CTE Accountability
Specialist, at 410-767-0172 or email at mkoerner@msde.state.md.us.
Health and Biosciences Career Cluster
The Academy of Health Professions (AHP) Program of Study is being revised to include a new Medical
Specialty Course that will prepare students to become Certified Clinical Medical Assistants (CCMA). The
Health and Bioscience Cluster Team is working with the National Healthcareers Association (NHA) to
implement the instructional resources needed to implement this new credential. FY 2014 Grant funds will be
available to support the implementation of this new content.
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Please note that in order to participate in any future AHP professional development; the CTE Leadership of
the school system must submit the AHP Career and Technology Education (CTE) Program of Study (POS)
to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) for approval no later than January of
2014. Beginning in January, only teachers in schools with an approved AHP program will be given
passwords to access Stevenson University's website for curriculum and instructional resources.
Several school systems are eligible to participate in Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Biomedical Sciences
College Certification visits during the 2013-2014 SY. Nina Roa has been in contact with many of the CTE
Directors to schedule dates, however if you think there is a school in your system that is eligible for a visit
this school year, please contact Nina.
 For further information, please contact: Lynne Gilli, Program Manager at (410) 767-0518 or
lgilli@msde.state.md.us or Nina Roa, Specialist, Career and Technology Education at (410) 767-1904 or
via email at nroa@msde.state.md.us or Chuck Wallace, Specialist, Career and Technology Education at
(410) 767-8872 cwallace@msde.state.md.us.
Human Resource Services Career Cluster
Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
The Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (HSEP) Program of Study was one of the STEM CTE
Programs of Study featured at the CTE/PLTW Counselors Conference on November 21, 2013. All three
strands of the HSEP were shared with the participants and students currently enrolled in the program spoke
to those in attendance. The employer panel had two HSEP partners/employers who spoke about what they
look for in hiring HSEP graduates and the postsecondary/affiliate panel was well represented by Frederick
Community College, the HSEP Postsecondary Affiliate and University of Maryland, University College,
who holds a statewide articulation with the program.
HSEP Summer Professional Development is scheduled for the week of July 28, 2014 at Frederick
Community College. Please be sure your Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness teachers hold the
dates. More information will be shared as the institute agenda is finalized.
 For further information, please contact, Mike Beck, CTE Program Analyst, at (410) 767-0180, or via
email at: mbeck@msde.state.md.us or Jeanne-Marie S. Holly, Program Manager, CTE Systems at (410)
767-0182 or via email at: jmholly@msde.state.md.us
Information Technology Career Cluster
Computer Science – Dec 8-13, 2013 is National Computer Science Education Week. More than 100 schools
in Maryland will be participating in the Code.org event to host an Hour of Code. A list of participating
schools and organizations were distributed in November. Also in partnership with Code.org, Montgomery
and Charles County public schools will receive additional professional development and resources for
teachers implementing the first two courses in the CTE Computer Science program:
 Foundations of Computer Science, and
 Computer Science Principles (AP).
Also, as part of the National Computer Science Education Week, Microsoft will be hosting an event at the
Chevy Chase office on Tuesday, December, 10, 2014 from 8:30 – 10:00. To register for the Microsoft
event, Cracking the Code: Improving Computer Science Education Outcomes in the State of Maryland,
please go to www.iplanevents.com/ComputerScienceEducation
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IT Networking (Cisco) – Cisco Academies have expanded to 58 active academies in Maryland. New
resources and updates to the Cisco courses (IT Essentials and CCNA Discovery) will be reviewed as part of
the Cisco Professional Development sessions coordinated in partnership with Towson University.
IT/CS Resources – Additional resources and student competitive events are sponsored throughout the year
to increase participation in IT/CS programs and to encourage non-traditional participation. Announcements
regarding Cybersecurity events, CODE.org, and the Microsoft Academy will be included in all IT/CS
professional development and sent to current Business Education Supervisors and CTE Directors. Please
notify pat Mikos if you have additional contacts for IT/CS programs.
 For further information, please contact: Pat Mikos, Program Manager, Student and Assessment Services
Branch, at (410) 767-0186 or via email at: pmikos@msde.state.md.us or Matthew Koerner, CTE
Accountability Specialist at (410) 767-0172 or via email: mkoerner@msde.state.md.us
Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology Career Cluster
Several school systems are eligible to participate in Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Pre-Engineering College
Certification visits during the 2013-2014 SY. Luke Rhine has been in contact with many of the CTE
Directors and will be finalizing the certification visit schedule within the next month. However if you think
there is a school in your system that is eligible for a visit this school year, please contact Luke.
 For further information, please contact: Lynne Gilli, Career and Technology Education Program
Manager, at (410) 767-0518 or via email at lgilli@msde.state.md.us, or Luke Rhine at (410) 767-0177 or
via email at lrhine@msde.state.md.us.
Transportation Technology Career Cluster
Automotive Technology
Maryland is moving forward with updates to the Automotive Technology (AT) Program of Study (POS).
The updates will align Maryland’s POS align with the 2013 NATEF accreditation model. Maryland’s
updated program will be called Maintenance Light Repair Plus (MLR – Plus). It includes MLR standards
from five of NATEF’s eight AT areas as well as the Automotive Service Technology (AST) standards for
three areas: Brakes, Electrical & Electronic Systems, and Suspension & Steering. The curriculums for
Brakes, Electrical & Electronic Systems, Suspension & Steering, and HVAC have been completed. The final
courses will be completed during the 2013-2014 school year. Professional Development for the Auto Tech
Curriculum is tentatively planned for the second week of July. Registration information will be sent later
this spring. To find out more about NATEF’s new accreditation standards and process go to
http://www.natef.org/Achieving-Accreditation/Program-Standards.aspx.
Please check with instructors to ensure they are using the new AT curriculum. The curriculum is aligned
with national standards for science, the Common Core, and NATEF. (If you would like to review the
curriculum, please contact the Cluster Team to receive a Blackboard password and log in.)
 For further information, please contact: Kathy McNerney, Lead Coordinator at (410) 767-0185, or via
email at kmcnerney@msde.state.md.us, Mike Beck, CTE Program Analyst at mbeck@msde.state.md.us
or (410) 767-0180, or Nancy Hauswald CTE Regional Coordinator at nhauswald@msde.state.md.us or
410-767-0175.
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Career Research and Development (CRD)
Stevenson University, the Affiliate University for the Career Research and Development (CRD) program of
study will be hosting a three-day Summer Professional Development Institute for CRD teachers the week
of August 11, 2014 (specific dates TBD). On the first day of the Institute, training on the Dependable
Strengths Articulation Process will take place. This process is an intervention, which increases a person’s
self-esteem, motivation to achieve and responsible behavior. The next two days will feature CRD Master
Teachers demonstrating four project-based curriculum modules. Local school systems may wish to include
this professional development in their Reserve Fund Grant submission under Priority #4. The cost for
attending the Institute is $200.00 per teacher and includes the Dependable Strengths Articulation Process
Curriculum for High School, and breakfast and lunch for all three days.
 For further information, please contact: Susan Oskin, CTE Specialist at (410)767-0635, or via email at
soskin@msde.state.md.us or Marquita Friday at (410) 767-0183 or via email at
mfriday@msde.state.md.us or Lynne Gilli, Instructional Branch Program Manager at (410)767-0518 or
via email at lgilli@msde.state.md.us .
Other Items of Interest
CTE Monitoring Schedule for the remainder of the 2013 – 2014 school year
Postsecondary CTE Contacts and Local School System CTE Directors are invited to participate in the CTE
Monitoring visits for the school systems and community colleges listed below. Please email Kathy
McNerney at kmcnerney@msde.state.md.us if you would like to participate on a monitoring team. The
following dates are scheduled for monitoring visits:
DATE
TIME
LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
December 16, 2013
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Carroll County Public Schools
March 7, 2014
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Harford County Public Schools
Harford Community College
April 9, 2014
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Cecil County Public Schools
Cecil College
Monitoring visits are scheduled to visit a local school system and its corresponding community college on
the same day. It does not matter which entity is in the morning or which is in the afternoon.
Note: if your school system or community college is scheduled for a monitoring visit in 2014 – 2015, it is
recommended that you participate on a monitoring team visit in 2013-2014 so that you are familiar with the
process.
Monitoring for School Year 2014-2015
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


Caroline County Public Schools
Dorchester County Public Schools
Talbot County Public Schools
Chesapeake College
Garrett County Public Schools
Kent County Public Schools
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
Prince George’s County Public Schools and Prince George’s Community College
Dates for the CTE Local Directors Meetings for 2013 – 2014 School Year
Please note the following dates for the CTE Local Directors Meetings for the 2013 – 2014 School Year. You
have already received these dates so please be sure your calendar is marked.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Queen Anne’s County Board of Education
202 Chesterfield Avenue
Centerville, MD 21617
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Maryland State Department of Education*
200 West Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
* The CTE Awards of Excellence will immediately follow the CTE Directors Meeting.
Locally Developed Program of Study Submission Dates
The following date is the last submission date of this school year for locally developed Programs of Study
that are forwarded to the CTE Program Review panel for program year 2013-2014.
February 28, 2014 for panel review on April 11, 2014
For program year 2014 – 2015, the following dates apply:


August 1, 2014 for panel review on September12, 2014
October 31, 2014 for review on December 12, 2014
When submitting a locally developed program of study that is going to the review panel, please upload the
document in DocuShare and send an email to Jeanne-Marie S. Holly, Program Manager, CTE Systems
Branch at jmholly@msde.state.md.us This will ensure that the document is officially recorded and the
process for the review panel followed.
Note: Maryland Programs of Study may be submitted at any time.
DocuShare Procedures
Please follow the DocuShare procedures, listed below, for proper submission:
When uploading information to DocuShare, please follow these instructions.
1. Place the document in the appropriately named folder, i.e. Perkins Grant, Reserve Fund, Maryland
Programs of Study.
2. Please send an email to Jeanne-Marie S. Holly at jmholly@msde.state.md.us and copy your regional
coordinator, indicating which document has been uploaded.
MSDE cannot be responsible for retrieving information that has been submitted in the incorrect folder.
MSDE does not know the document has been uploaded unless notified. We have designated
Jeanne-Marie S. Holly as the central point of contact for all items uploaded to DocuShare. Following
this process will help to process your documents in a timely fashion. Thank you.
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CTE Forms
When submitting documents to MSDE/DCCR, please be sure that you are using the current CTE forms. The
Assurances page changed a few years ago, as well as the Budget Form (C-125), Grant Change Request and
Amended Grant Form. In addition, the Proposal Cover Page has been updated several years ago to reflect
the new name of the Division – Career and College Readiness. We have noticed that several old forms are
still being used with funding sources that no longer exist. Please visit the following link to be sure you are
using the most current forms. Please inform your staff of this as well. Thank you.
http://www.msde.maryland.gov/MSDE/divisions/careertech/career_technology/funding_reporting/perkins_I
V_secondary.html
FY 2015 Career and Technology Education Reserve Fund and State Biomedical
Sciences Request for Proposals (RFP)
The following Maryland CTE programs of Study will be in Priority 1 (Supporting the implementation of
Maryland’s STEM Related CTE Programs of Study at the secondary level). The fiscal years (FY) noted after
each program indicates how long the program will remain as a priority in the CTE Reserve Fund Grants.
 Academy of Health Professions (FY 2015, 2016, 2017)
 CASE (FY 2015, 2016)
 Computer Science (FY 2015, 2016)
 Construction Design and Management (FY 2015, 2016, 2017)
 Homeland Security (FY 2015, 2016)
 PLTW Pre-Engineering – programs in year 2 and 3, only
 PLTW Biomedical Sciences – as long as state funds remain available
The FY 2015 Request for Proposal (RFP) will also include in Priority 3 (Preparing high school and college
students for further education and careers) opportunities to request funds to support specific program
accreditation or certification processes such as NIMS certification and NATEF accreditation.
Questions regarding the FY 2015 CTE Reserve Fund Grants should be directed to Nina Roa at 410-767-1904
or via email at nroa@msde.state.md.us.
Financial Literacy
MSDE will be sponsoring a financial literacy symposium on March 12, 2014. Please mark your calendars.
The location has yet to be determined, and there will be a fee to cover the cost of a continental breakfast and
lunch. As details are finalized more information will be forthcoming.
Service Reduction Days for the 2013 – 2014 School Year
The State of Maryland reduces routine State operations for non-24/7 employees in accordance with
Executive Order 01.01.2011.08. The following service reduction day remains during the 2013 – 2014 school
year:



December 24, 2013
December 31, 2013
May 23, 2014
The Maryland State Department of Education, as with all state agencies, will be closed. Please note that
CTE staff will not be available on these days.
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CTE Local Directors Meeting Available via Conference Call
MSDE is making its meetings available as a conference call as well as face-to-face. If you are not able to be
present for the CTE Local Directors Meeting and wish to participate through a conference call, please let
Jeanne-Marie Holly know. Her e-mail is: jmholly@msde.state.md.us. She will then provide you with the
call in information.
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