Program Policies

CTE Program Policy

Approved by the Everett School Committee on October 2, 2023

The program policy explained in this document ONLY applies to the following Career Technical Education (CTE) / state approved Chapter 74 Programs at Everett High School:

Carpentry
Culinary Arts
Health Assisting
Hospitality Management
Machine Tool / Advanced Manufacturing
Marketing
Medical Assisting
Programming and Web Development

1. Introduction

Massachusetts state regulations (603 CMR 4.00) require all state-funded career/vocational technical education (CVTE) schools and CVTE programs at public high schools to develop and implement admissions policies that comply with state and federal law, as well as relevant guidelines issued by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the U.S. Department of Education.

A program selection process is necessary for any students who desire to enroll in one of the Chapter 74 approved Career Technical Education programs where there are more students seeking to participate than there are seats available. Vocational-technical programs are designed and equipped to serve a specific maximum number of students safely. Consequently, a complex of such classrooms and laboratories lacks both the space and flexibility to accommodate the possible needs and/or interests of all applicants. Therefore, a selection process is necessary to determine which applicants will be enrolled in the Chapter 74 CTE programs.

2. Admissions

When Everett High School receives more applications than it has available seats, Everett High School applies a selection criteria (pass Exploratory and score at least a 70 in the rotation of the program of choice for 10th Grade / Year 1) to be able to participate in a lottery process to determine which students it will admit. Everett High School’s program policy is on file at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

3. Equal Educational Opportunity

Everett High School admits students and makes available to them its programs, privileges, and courses of study without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.

If a student’s primary home language is not English, Everett High School will provide them with an application form in their home language.
Everett High School is committed to providing educational opportunities to students experiencing homelessness.
Students with disabilities may voluntarily identify themselves to Everett High School to request reasonable accommodations during the application and admission process.

Neither a student’s disability nor the primary language of their home will have any effect on their admission to Everett High School CTE/Chapter 74 Programs.

Consistent with Massachusetts regulations, Everett High School has created a plan with “deliberate, specific strategies to promote equal educational opportunities and attract, enroll, and retain a student population that, when compared to students in similar grades in sending districts, has a comparable academic and demographic profile.”

Program Selection Process^[1]

Everett High School will take the following steps in order to select students for their CTE/Chapter 74 programs:

8th Grade

K-12 students and staff, parents, community, counselors, etc. will receive information^[2] on CTE and non CTE pathways (mechanics, differences, etc.) through:

Prospective student night if possible
Classroom presentations with student ambassadors and non-traditional industry partners to increase representation if available
Parent meetings if needed
One day in CTE for students and parents if possible
Materials, etc.
If possible/funds available, one week of summer programs in a CTE program.

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9th Grade: Exploratory
Students from EPS K-8 Schools who received the information in 8th grade/see above	9th graders will be given the opportunity to do Exploratory. Students who want to do the SEED pathway do not have to do Exploratory as it is a 4-year pathway. See 8th grade / above for outreach initiatives that will take place in 8th grade to make sure incoming 9th graders know their options.
Students from another MA School + out of state / out of the country joining EHS as 9th graders	Meeting with the Director and counselor to inform and share resources about CTE and non CTE pathways (mechanics, curriculum, etc.) If interested in any CTE pathway and if school is open ○ Check in with the CTE instructor ○ Visit CTE classrooms ○ Check with a student ambassador.
Students and families who are part of exploratory will sign this CTE Program Policy document acknowledging they understand and accept how students will be selected for Year 1 of the program(s) of choice.

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10th Grade: Year 1.
Students who went through Exploratory	Students will be selected for Year 1 of any CTE/Chapter 74 program by doing the following: Pass Exploratory Pass the rotation of the CTE program of choice with a minimum of 75^[3] with the following requirements for the teacher (if lottery) Rubric Students will receive a score per day of rotation. Complete an application in which they have to: ○ Choose 2 CTE programs ○ Write an essay explaining why they want to be part of the specific CTE program(s). Essay will be reviewed by the CTE Committee. Essays can be written in the first language of the student.^[4]. ○ Sign the CTE Program Policy acknowledgement form as evidence they understand the commitment to hours and requirements of CTE programs. If more applicants to a CTE program than seats available, there will be a lottery for students who have requirements 1-3 above. ■ A list of non-selected students will be created and used for following lotteries if there is any new seat available.
Students from another MA school who is already part of a CTE Program	The student will be placed in the same CTE program at EHS.
Students from out of state/out of the country joining EHS as 10th graders	Exploratory waived. Meeting with the Director and counselor to inform and share resources about CTE and non CTE pathways (mechanics, curriculum, etc.). If the school is open, we will visit the classroom and talk to the teacher and ambassador. If interested in any CTE pathway: ○ If the student registers before the lottery takes place, student will participate do step #3 above / application. ○ If the student registers after the lottery has taken place: i. If there are seats available in the program of choice, the student will be placed in it. ii. If there are no more seats available in the CTE program of choice, the student’s name will be placed in the list of non-selected students and if there is a new lottery because of a new seat available, they will have an opportunity to access the program.
Students who did not pass Year 1	Case by case. If a student failed Year 1 for causes out of their control (medical/personal), then the student will be able to retake the course.
If during the year there is any seat available	We will do a new lottery using the list of non-selected students created during the lottery process for Year 1 to fill in the seat and after: ● Meeting with the students and families ● Signing CTE Program Policy

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11th Grade: Year 2
Student who did not pass Year 2	Case by case. If a student failed Year 2 for causes out of their control (medical/personal), then the student will be able to retake the course.
Students from another MA school who are already part of a CTE Program	The student will be placed in the same CTE program at EHS.
Students from out of state/out of the country joining EHS as 11th graders	The student’s transcript will be reviewed to see if they were doing a similar program to the one of interest at EHS. If the student has some proven experience in a CTE program EHS offers, exploratory will be waived. Student will be placed in Year 2 of the program after: ○ Meeting with the Director and counselor to inform and share resources about CTE and non CTE pathways (mechanics, curriculum, etc.…). If the school is open, we will visit the classroom and talk to the teacher and ambassador. ○ If finally interested in any CTE pathway we will add the student's name to the list created in Year 1 with non-selected students after the lottery process for year 1. If there is any seat available in year 2, this student will have an opportunity to have access to the CTE program of interest.
If there is any seat available in Year 2	We will do a new lottery using the list of non-selected students created during the lottery process for Year 1 to fill in the seat and after: ● Meeting with the students and families ● Signing CTE Program Policy

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12th Grade: Year 3
For students who passed Year 2
If there is any seat available in Year 3	Because of the number of hours a new student has missed, we will not be able to fill the seat with a student who has not gone at least through Year 2. The only exception will be if the program has low enrollment. Then, new students will be placed.
Students from another MA school who is already part of a CTE Program	The student will be placed in the same CTE program at EHS.
Students from out of state/out of the country joining EHS as 12th graders	No CTE program unless there is evidence in his transcript that he has taken courses in the pathway of interest out of state/in his country. If this is the case, the student will be placed in year 3 of the program of choice in which they have previous experience.

5. Review and Appeals Process

All applicants to CTE/Chapter 74 programs will receive an email notifying them of their selection status.

Non-selected students may request a review of the decision by emailing and/or meeting with the Director of Career Technical Programs within thirty calendar days of the receipt of the email.

Within 15 days, the Director of Career Technical Programs will respond to these requests for review in writing via email and after meeting with the parent/guardian and the student if needed and indicate whether the decision to deny admission to the student or place the student on a list for the next lottery, will stand or be overturned. In making this determination, the Director of Career Technical Programs will always review the requirements outlined in section 4.

^[1] Policies for transfers, out of the state and out of the country students are included in this Program Selection Process.

^[2] Information and materials will be provided in the first language of the student/family member.

Information and materials will be delivered in different formats (writing, orally, small group, 1-1, etc.…).

^[3] If a program does not have enough students, the requirements will be waived.

^[4] CTE Committee: CTE Director, 1 Admin, 1 counselor, English Learners representative, Special Education representative.

Director of Career & Technical Education

Siobhan Araya

Download the
Program Policy