It’s that time of year again—a time of reviewing curriculum, preparing lesson plans, gathering classroom supplies, and analyzing last year’s data to assist with planning the upcoming year. Over our 55-year history, NOCTI has curated and developed comprehensive resources to help CTE teachers make the most of their preparation time and provide the best possible instruction for their students.
Preparing for Credentialing
Instructor Prep Packs
Instructor Prep Packs help prepare teachers for their role in the credentialing process and are available for all NOCTI skill-based credentials. Because of the nature of hands-on instruction, CTE credentialing benefits from a hands-on test like NOCTI that requires materials or equipment specific to an occupational area. Instructor Prep Packs include a list of supplies needed for skill-based administration, information on how to set up the shop or lab for administration, and guidelines for both the knowledge-based and skill-based credentialing components.
Instructor Prep Packs are available through NOCTI’s Teacher Resource Center (access is granted by your NOCTI Site Coordinator).
Study Guides
Used individually or in a small group, Study Guides enable teachers and students to work together to build confidence and knowledge while preparing for testing. Key features include an overview of credential content, a breakdown of the skills-based component, a study checklist, and sample questions. Teachers also have access to a companion guide to assist with administration.
Digital versions of NOCTI Study Guides are available and are accessible 24/7 from any device. Students can engage with interactive content, and teachers can more closely monitor student progress along the way. Recent improvements to NOCTI’s Digital Study Guides include:
- Improved navigation
- Additional fields for student input
- Printable student summary report
- Enhanced teacher reports to view student-entered data
Pre-Testing
Administered at the start of a course or at a key point of time during a program, pre-tests offer a way to determine a student’s baseline technical knowledge and identify any knowledge loss that may have occurred during summer vacation. Detailed reporting includes competency-level subscores that may be used to pinpoint areas needing additional instruction. When study guides are used with students who pre-test, students can review the pre-test score report and make notes on the corresponding areas in which they felt confident in their knowledge and those where improvement may be needed.
Pre-test data combined with post-test data is a powerful tool to measure individual student improvement and overall program effectiveness. Contact your NOCTI Site Coordinator to discuss the best pre-testing option for your students.
Micro-Credentials
Micro-Credentials provide short bursts of learning by breaking competencies into targeted skills, each with associated learning content. NOCTI’s micro-credentials were built by teachers for teachers and are tied directly to industry standards. Use micro-credentials as a learning aid, knowledge check, formative assessment, validation of competence, or as a means of exploring a particular occupation.
A key benefit of micro-credentials for students is the opportunity to earn recognition for learning a targeted set of skills within their occupational program or career path. Earning digital badges can help earners feel successful and serve as validation of knowledge, which can then be shared through social media or electronic resumes. Micro-credentials were designed for mobile delivery. Teachers can monitor learner progress through the Teacher Resource Center and NOCTI’s Learning Management System (LMS). When students are ready, teachers proctor the credentialing assessments which are delivered through NOCTI’s online testing system. Because micro-credentials can serve as a resource for asynchronous, hybrid, or synchronous learning within traditional CTE, training programs, or many other educational programs, they have a wide variety of uses and are not necessarily tied to a typical classroom day.
Resume Builder
A critical component of CTE is equipping learners with industry-specific skills and preparing them to enter the workforce or continue their education. NOCTI recently launched a Resume Builder to help communicate (and validate) students’ earned skills and knowledge to employers. Hosted by the EHired platform, the Resume Builder incorporates NOCTI’s industry-based occupational competencies and can help students highlight the skills they are learning in their CTE programs.
The Resume Builder is a great classroom tool that teachers can incorporate into lesson plans or use as a stand-alone classroom activity. Students can share their resumes for review by an educational professional for feedback. The result is a well-organized and professional resume that follows the student after graduation.
Other Resources of Interest
NOCTI offers a host of other resources designed to help CTE teachers succeed.
- Watch on-demand webinars on topics like “10 More Things to Know” and “Teaching Beyond Your First Year in CTE.”
- The CTE Teacher Book series contains tips and strategies to guide teachers through their first years of teaching.
- Our previous posts, More Resources for CTE Teachers and Resources for CTE Administrators, offer additional resources for analyzing data and connecting with local employers.
NOCTI is also developing new credentials for CTE teachers, CTE administrators, and CTE data professionals. Each credential will consist of two levels and measure student management, teaching strategies, instructional improvement, data fundamentals and much more.
NOCTI is currently seeking pilot test takers for these newly developed credentials. Pilot testing will occur through a remote-proctored online environment. Each pilot test taker will be provided with a voucher to take the final certification (level 1 or 2) once the credential has been finalized and the cut score has been established. This opportunity is on a first come, first serve basis, so please reach out soon if you are interested!
Watch for more information over the coming months. In the meantime, let us know if you have any questions about our services or if there are specific resources we can help you find.