As more students pursue career and technical education (CTE) pathways, districts need clear ways to see how well CTE programs are working for students. What does a high-quality CTE program look like? Which indicators reflect local priorities? What can a district realistically measure with its existing data and staff capacity? How can teams use those findings to improve programs?
A practical way to define CTE program quality
REL Northwest’s Career and Technical Education Program Quality Indicator Guide gives district leaders, CTE coordinators, and program evaluators a clear way to answer these questions and use data to define, measure, and improve CTE program quality. The guide is especially useful for teams seeking a manageable set of indicators that reflect local priorities and can be measured with existing data and capacity.
The guide organizes CTE quality indicators across five dimensions:
- Alignment to industry.
- Resource allocation.
- Student engagement.
- Implementation quality.
- Student outcomes.
Each quality indicator includes a guiding prompt and an example metric. For instance, a district might examine whether a program aligns with high-demand or high-wage occupations, whether students can access work-based learning, or whether participants complete the full course sequence.
Rather than prescribing a single definition of quality, the guide helps districts select indicators that are meaningful in their local context and practical to measure. The resource helps teams move from broad statements about quality to a defined set of indicators they can discuss, track, and act on. Working through the steps encourages teams to consider whether each indicator is valid, feasible, and usable. In other words, each indicator should measure the right thing, rely on data that are realistic to collect, and support decisions that improve programs.
"High-quality CTE is about building coherent pathways that connect student aptitudes and interests, rigorous learning, industry expectations, and meaningful next steps after high school. For us, quality indicators are most useful in helping us ask better questions: Are students able to access and complete programs of study? Are those programs connected to real opportunities in the regional economy? Where do we need to invest, redesign, or strengthen partnerships so every student can benefit? These indicators will give us a practical way to look at access, engagement, program completion, industry alignment, and outcomes so we can make better decisions in support of students." –Chris Brida, Director of Career and Technical Education & Advanced Coursework (AP/IB) at Portland Public Schools
Why CTE program quality matters
CTE can play a role in student success. Completing a CTE program of study has been associated with higher four- and five-year high school graduation rates (Arneson et al., 2020; Brodersen et al., 2021). Integrating CTE and core academics is associated with stronger high school student attendance and higher rates of high school completion (Warner et al., 2016).
Developed with districts, designed for action
Through a partnership with Portland Public Schools, REL Northwest worked with district leaders to explore how CTE program quality could be defined and measured in ways that aligned with local priorities and already available data. Together, the partners identified indicators that could help the district better understand CTE program implementation, monitor progress, and support continuous improvement efforts. The insights from that work formed the foundation for this guide.
The guide comes at a moment when CTE is in the national spotlight, with sustained federal policy support through Perkins V, which emphasizes career pathways, programs of study, and credentials of value (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). In addition, student interest appears to be increasing, with 2025 enrollment in public two-year institutions classified as high vocational rising 20 percent higher than spring 2020 levels (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2025).
Whether districts are expanding work-based learning opportunities, strengthening alignment with workforce needs, or improving access to career pathways, meaningful quality indicators can help turn data into action. Download the Career and Technical Education Program Quality Indicator Guide to identify the indicators that matter most for your district and make better use of the data already available.
References
Arneson, A., Hodara, M., & Klein, S. (2020). Career and technical education in Oregon: Exploring who participates in high school and the outcomes they achieve. Education Northwest, Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED607349
Brodersen, R. M., Gagnon, D., Liu, J., & Tedeschi, S. (2021). The impact of career and technical education on postsecondary outcomes in Nebraska and South Dakota (REL 2021–087). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Central. https://ies.ed.gov/use-work/resource-library/report/impact-study/impact-career-and-technical-education-postsecondary-outcomes-nebraska-and-south-dakota
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. (2025, May 22). Current term enrollment estimates: Spring 2025. Retrieved May 28, 2026, from https://nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/
U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Perkins V. Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. Retrieved May 28, 2026, from https://cte.ed.gov/legislation/perkins-v
Warner, M., Caspary, K., Arshan, N., Stites, R., Padilla, C., Patel, D., McCracken, M., Harless, E., Park, C., Fahimuddin, L., & Adelman, N. (2016). Taking stock of the California Linked Learning District Initiative: Seventh-year evaluation report. SRI International. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED664230
