Artifacts, Certificates, and Elective Credits
- Build Your Future with CTA: Credits, Credentials & Career Evidence
Career and Trades Academy (CTA) provides students with flexible, career-focused learning opportunities that can support both graduation planning and post-secondary goals.
With school approval, CTA coursework may be considered by a school as an elective, supplemental course, or other locally approved learning experience for credit toward graduation. The school determines whether and how CTA coursework, assignments, projects, or credentials apply toward its local graduation requirements.
Students Can Build More Than a Grade
Depending on the CTA course and the student's goals, students may have opportunities to develop:
- Career-focused course credit that may be eligible for elective credit when approved by the school
- Industry-related certifications or certificates of completion, when offered with a particular CTA program
- Career portfolios and student artifacts, demonstrating meaningful learning and career exploration
- Research projects, presentations, reflections, and career-focused projects
- Evidence of career awareness, preparation, readiness, and entrepreneurship
- Knowledge and skills that support college, technical training, apprenticeships, employment, and other post-secondary pathways
Pennsylvania PDE recognizes student artifacts/evidence such as career plans, portfolios, research reports, interviews, career inventories, presentations, projects, and certain certificates as potential evidence of meaningful engagement in Career Education and Work standards when they meet the applicable criteria.
A Flexible Addition to Your Student's Graduation Plan
CTA's online, asynchronous format allows students to pursue career-oriented learning while remaining enrolled in their school. Students can work independently and access additional support through office hours or optional live Zoom instruction.
CTA can be particularly valuable for students who want to:
Explore a career → Complete career-focused coursework → Create meaningful artifacts → Earn eligible elective credit → Build a stronger post-secondary plan
Schools maintain responsibility for determining whether a particular CTA course, credential, artifact, or experience satisfies local graduation requirements or a specific Pennsylvania graduation pathway.
Pennsylvania's graduation framework allows locally established requirements and, in applicable circumstances, student artifacts and performance within another program, course, or assessment to contribute to a pathway.
Pennsylvania's graduation framework allows locally established requirements and, in applicable circumstances, student artifacts and performance within another program, course, or assessment to contribute to a pathway.
Give Students More Ways to Prepare for What's Next
Whether a student is planning for college, trade school, an apprenticeship, industry certification, entrepreneurship, or direct entry into the workforce, CTA can give students an opportunity to begin building relevant knowledge and evidence today.
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CTA does not guarantee that a particular course, certification, artifact, or program will qualify for graduation credit or satisfy an Act 158 pathway requirement. Credit, pathway applicability, and documentation are determined by the student's school in accordance with applicable Pennsylvania requirements and the school's approved policies.
Structured courses for real progress
Continue scrolling to learn what students can do with a CTA course or program enrollment...
Step-by-step lessons
Learn in a clear sequence
Follow short lessons that build step by step, with checks so they know what to review next.
Practice and examples
Practice with real tasks
Using optional kits for some of the courses, students can practice hands-on what they learned online.
Helpful feedback
Get feedback they can use
Students can see where they are doing well and what to fix, so they can align to industry standards and workplace readiness.
You can receive the grades and add to their portfolios.
You can receive the grades and add to their portfolios.
