Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials said at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting that the district is making progress in helping students earn industry credentials.
It’s part of the district’s overall goal to increase the percentage of students graduating on track to be enrolled, enlisted and employed.
CMS officials say 31% of students earned an industry credential last school year — a 4% increase over the prior year that helped the district meet its target. Meanwhile, 39% of graduating students completed concentrations in courses aligned with specific career pathways, exceeding the district’s target of 37%.
Superintendent Crystal Hill said she’s confident this year’s seniors are on track to meet the district’s post-grad goals because a high percentage are enrolled in courses that let them earn credentials or complete a concentration.
She said the district has been more aggressive about making students aware of their potential post-grad pathways.
“What our teams did was they looked at transcripts," Hill said. "So if students were one course away from concentrating, they talked to those students and said if you’re interested, you can concentrate and graduate with a concentration if you just do a minor schedule change.”
Hill said she's confident the district's strategies are working, and that the high number of seniors on track to achieve the goal is a good sign for younger students.
The school board set a goal last fall to increase the percentage of graduating students meeting indicators that the district says put them on track to be enrolled in higher education, enlisted or employed.
Completing CTE pathways and earning credentials are two of those indicators. Other indicators include SAT/ACT benchmarks and grade-level proficiency.
