Announcements

Upcoming Deadlines

November 1 Collection Window Opens- December 31 CTE Fall Data Collection is DUE

This data is utilized to understand how Montana's CTE programs are impacting the participating students by understanding what outcomes those students have after graduating. This data is also used for determining funding and in state and federally mandated reporting. Enter data for students identified as Concentrators at the end of the 24-25 school year who are no longer enrolled in school (graduate or dropout). User Guide and upload template

Perkins Grant Cash Draw Downs should be started districts need to submit requests by 25th of each month for next month’s payments this should be done a minimum of quarterly.

Perkins Final Allocation Budget Amendments DUE December 19, 2025

Upcoming Technical Assistance Zoom Calls
  • December 3, 2025, 7 am - 4 pm
  • December 10, 2025, 7 am - 11:00 am & 12:00 - 4 pm
  • December 17. 2025, 7 am - 4 pm
  • December 31, 2025, 7am - 4pm

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/92362366295?pwd=NDjK5RsDn6AKvcrGfVjVLygpYjoBl6.1     

Meeting ID: 923 6236 6295      Passcode: 264197

Career, Technical, and Adult Education (CTAE) Content Pages

CTE Licensure Information

Class 4 Renewal Requirements 

Teacher Endorsement Codes & K-12 Course Codes

Class 4 Educator License Options

A Work-Based Learning (WBL) Coordinator plays a crucial role in connecting students' classroom education with real-world work experiences. They serve as a bridge between educational institutions, students, and employers, facilitating meaningful learning opportunities that prepare students for future careers and post-secondary education. A WBL endorsement is a specialized credential that allows an educator OR a Qualified Workforce applicant to lead and manage work-based learning programs within a school or district. 

 

Financial Literacy

Montana Financial Literacy & Econ Graduation Requirement Fact Sheet 

Graduation Requirements - ARM 10.55.904

Financial Literacy Course Codes

  • Montana financial literacy and economics courses are a subset of NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) standard codes. Along with the course code, a content description for each course is provided where financial literacy or economics is embedded within the course:

  • Professional Development Optional Opportunities 

 

CTE Funding & Data Reporting

Data Collection 

Montana Career Pathways

CTAE Standards, Guidelines & Resources

Professional Development

  • January 7 FCS Lunch and Learn- Fashion, Textiles, and Interiors Pathway email Gayla.Randel@mt.gov for more information
  • January 8 FCS Lunch and Learn- Culinary & Food Services/Travel & Event Management Pathways email Gayla.Randel@mt.gov for more information
  • January 14 FCS Lunch and Learn- FCS Cross Cutting Courses and Human & Community Services Pathways email Gayla.Randel@mt.gov for more information
  • January 15 FCS Lunch and Learn- Early Childcare & Education/Teaching & Training email Gayla.Randel@mt.gov for more information
  • January 11-12 CASE Curriculum Training email Eric.Tilleman@mt.gov for more information email Gayla.Randel@mt.gov for more information
  • Starting January 21 Class 4 WBL Cohort- for those interested in applying for the credential this cohort will work through the online courses required to earn this endorsement.  Dates they will be meeting January 21, January 28, February 4, February 18, March 3, and March 17. All meetings will be 3:45- 5:00.  Registration link will be open soon.
  • January 23 FCS Unconference Virtual Meeting from 9:00-3:00 email Gayla.Randel@mt.gov for more information
 
 

Montana Approved Pathways

Montana CTE is Revolutionizing Career Education! 

The future of career and technical education in Montana is officially set, following a landmark presentation at the Montana ACTE Fall Institute!

Early Adopter Cohort

Montana has been selected as one of just eight states in the Early Adopter Cohort for the new Advanced CTE Career Clusters initiative. This designation solidifies Montana's position as a national leader in modernizing career pathways.

Updated Pathways: Launching 2026-2027

Our team, in a collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE), has successfully established and developed the updated Montana Career Pathways, which will be formally implemented in the 2026-2027 school year.

 

These pathways were strategically designed to be a trifecta of excellence:

  • Student-Centric: Meeting the evolving needs of Montana students.
  • Industry-Driven: Directly addressing current and future industry demands across the state.
  • Opportunity-Rich: Maximizing the impact of CTSO (Career and Technical Student Organization) engagement.
Comprehensive Institute Presentation

The Fall Institute served as the official unveiling, providing attendees with a comprehensive resource on: Visit the Resource here!

  • The foundational ACTE Career Cluster Framework.
  • The specifics of the new Montana Career Pathways.
  • The critical Implementation Timeline leading up to the 2026-2027 launch.

Regional breakouts provided a valuable opportunity for attendees to engage directly with the new pathways and prepare for this transformative change.

Next Steps for Stakeholders

For any detailed inquiries regarding the specific new pathways, we encourage you to contact the specialists tied to that pathway area. Your engagement is key to ensuring a seamless and successful transition!

Perkins Reserve Grant FY26 Application Now Open!

LEAs who have been in good standing with their local application funds for two years prior to the current application year. This includes adhering to grant application and reporting deadlines, submitting accurate data reports, appropriate fiscal supporting documents, adherence to all Perkins V and Civil Rights monitoring. 


Districts are only eligible for a total of $5,000 in awards, must have completed the Perkins Grant Application for Fiscal year 26 and receive an allocation of less than $15,000. 

Vision for Perkins Reserve Funding:

  • Foster innovation through the identification and promotion of promising and proven career and technical education programs, practices, and strategies, which may include programs, practices, and strategies that prepare individuals for nontraditional fields; or 
  • To create career awareness, recruit students to a CTE Secondary Program of Study or promote the development, implementation, and adoption of programs of study or career pathways aligned with state-identified high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations or industries in the middle grades. 

Schools could use the funds to help:

  • establish foundational elements for work-based learning
  • improve transitions from middle grades into secondary CTE programs of study. 
  • establish innovative delivery methods for career exploration
  • expose students to employability skills earlier 

Resources

CLNA Resources

Along with our partners at the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, we have hosted regional meetings to prepare for the FY 27 Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment for the 2026-2027 Perkins Grant cycle.

The meeting was required for those schools receiving Perkins in 2025-2026 or want to receive in 2026-2027 but all districts with CTE programs were invited. It was great to work with schools across the state in the process of starting their CLNA. Below are the resources provided for the regional meetings. 

A few notes to help in this completing the CLNA process:

  • Please review past CLNA information to help inform this year's process. You can access your previous CLNAs in EGrants.
  • Use advisory committee meeting notes from the past year, use information you can easily find online (like the MT Labor Market Information site), use emails, conversations, and other meetings you have been to over the past year. 

Montana Regional CLNA Guide

Resource Document - Helpful Links - Regional Meetings

Upcoming CTE Webinars This Spring

 

Virtual Photonics Training Series

  • Date: February 17th, 2026 Time: 4:30–6:00 p.m. (MT)  Credit: 1.5 OPI Renewal Unit
  • Date: March 3rd, 2026 Time: 4:30–6:00 p.m. (MT)  Credit: 1.5 OPI Renewal Unit

Keep an eye out for two upcoming virtual training sessions focused on the exciting and fast-growing field of photonics—the science of light and its applications in technologies like lasers, fiber optics, imaging, and communications. Photonics is an emerging industry in Montana, creating new opportunities for students to connect science, technology, and industry innovation. 

Each 1.5-hour webinar will feature ready-to-use lesson plans to help educators introduce photonics concepts in their classrooms and will include guest speakers from the photonics industry. Educators who attend both sessions will earn 3 OPI renewal units.

Register Here!

 

High School District Liaisons for CTE

The CTE Specialists have been assigned regionally to schools. The regions are Eastern, Northcentral, Northwest, Southcentral, and Southwest. These assignments will be used to review the 2025- 2026 Perkins Grant application and any remaining 2024-2025 amendments. If you have any questions or need assistance, our team of specialists is available to support you.

Shannon Boswell (Purple)

  • Career Technical and Adult Education Director
  • Email: Shannon.Boswell@mt.gov 

Gayla Randel- South West (Orange)

  • Family and Consumer Sciences Specialist
  • Email: gayla.randel@mt.gov 

Eric Tilleman - North Central (Green)

  • Agricultural Education Specialist
  • Email: eric.tilleman@mt.gov

Vacant Until Filed - Shannon Covering - South Central (Gray)

  • Health Science Specialist
  • Email: Shannon.Boswell@mt.gov 

Kaitlin Trutzel - North West (Blue)

  • Industrial Technology Education Specialist
  • Email: Kaitlin.Trutzel@mt.gov

Ethan Igo - Eastern (Magenta)

  • Business Education Specialist
  • Email: ethan.igo@mt.gov

Montana Colleges & Universities (Gold Stars)


Montana has been selected as one of eight states in the early adopter cohort for the new Career Clusters initiative. Our team is collaborating with the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE) to establish and develop updated pathways that align with the new Career Clusters created by Advanced CTE.

We aim to utilize these clusters to provide meaningful opportunities and resources for schools to engage in Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways.

All learners deserve to participate in meaningful career exploration and preparation experiences through Career Technical Education (CTE) that prepare them for the changing and interconnected world of work.

This requires systems and structures that are accessible, responsive to evolving industry needs, and flexible for the needs of each state and community. Since 2002, The National Career Clusters® Framework has provided a shared structure and language for CTE program design across the United States. Advance CTE serves as the steward of the Framework.

Check out the new Career Clusters here! 

 

Montana Career and Technical Education

Guidance Documents 

Below you can find information related to CTE Funding, Montana Career Pathways, Carl Perkins Grant and Data, State CTE Data, Work Based Learning and related topics. If you would like all of this information in one document you can reference that here. The below documents are broken into three different categories; CTE Funding Guidance, CTE Montana Career Pathways, Montana Work Based Learning.

 

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Career and Technical Student Organization State Directors

Lisa Parker, BPA State Director (406) 579-3697

John Stiles, DECA State Director (406) 209-4490

Tracey Eatherton, FCCLA State Director (406) 229-2017

Jim Rose, FFA State Director (406) 994-7050

Katie Meier, HOSA State Director (406) 868-9445

Roberta Tilleman, SkillsUSA State Director (406) 868-3489

Jesse Gray, TSA State Directors (406) 676-3390 ext. 7553