What are articulated courses?
High School Articulation is a process in which High School CTE courses are deemed equivalent to College CTE courses through a formal agreement. College credit will be awarded to students that successfully pass the course according to the terms of the agreement.
What are CTE courses?
The California Department of Education defines Career Technical Education (CTE) as “a program of study that involves a multiyear sequence of courses that integrates core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge to provide students with a pathway to postsecondary education and careers.” Programs of study include coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant career and technical content in a coordinated, unduplicated progression of courses that aligns secondary with postsecondary education.
Students who complete a career pathway take introduction, concentrator, and capstone courses in a single, defined field of study. Students are encouraged to complete an internship in their chosen industry prior to completing their senior year.
A CTE program of study may also lead to articulated community college credit, an industry-recognized credential, a certificate at the postsecondary level, an associate degree, or a baccalaureate degree. More than 100 CTE courses currently meet the University of California’s subject-area admission requirements (the UC a–g requirements). In addition, CTE courses are central to career-themed pathways in the district’s small learning communities, small high schools, and California Partnership Academy programs.
Career Technical Education in California is organized around 15 industry sectors, or groupings of related occupations. San Diego Unified currently offers programs in the following state-identified industry
Arts, Media, and Entertainment
Building and Construction Trades
Business and Finance
Education, Child Development, and Family
Engineering and Architecture
Health Science and Medical Technology
• Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation • Information and Communication
• Manufacturing and Product Development • Marketing, Sales, and Services
• Public Services
Each industry sector offers career pathways. A career pathway is a coherent sequence of rigorous academic and technical courses that allows students to apply academics, develop technical skills, and make industry connections. Course sequences in each pathway prepare students for successful completion of Common Core State Standards, technical standards, and more advanced postsecondary coursework related to the career in which they might be interested.
Each industry sector the district offers, and its corresponding career pathways, is discussed in more detail on the pages that follow.
The California Department of Education’s CTE standards and framework are available at:
Resources for information about postsecondary options linked to industry sector career pathways may be found at:
San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar Community Colleges: studentweb.sdccd.edu/index.cfm
San Diego State University (SDSU): arweb.sdsu.edu/es/catalog/quickref.html
University of California, San Diego (UCSD): www.ucsd.edu/catalog/front/courses.html