AZCTECC Program Priority Ranking Formula Explained

Ever wonder what it means when the Arizona CTE Curriculum Consortium refers to programs as Tier I, Tier II, or Tier III?

Curious as to why some CTE programs have many resources published on the CTE Curriculum Connection while others have only minimal resources available?

With nearly 60 approved CTE Programs in Arizona, and limited resources, the AZ CTE Curriculum Consortium utilizes a Member District-approved Program Tier Ranking Formula to prioritize the development of curricular and instructional resources.

The formula, calculated annually, contains the following four elements:

Technical Skills Assessment (TSA) Program Data

The TSA Average Student Score for each program, along with the Program Pass Rate, combine to account for 35% of the total formula. This data is published annually by the Arizona Department of Education, Career and Technical Education Unit. See here for more information.

Statewide CTE Program Student Enrollment and Teacher Count

The statewide student enrollment for each CTE Program, along with an estimated teacher count (1 teacher = 50 students), accounts for 30% of the formula. This data is provided annually by the Arizona Department of Education, Career and Technical Education Unit.

ADE CTE Program Rank and OEO Regional In-Demand Programs

Annually, the Arizona Department of Education, Career and Technical Education Unit ranks each CTE Program utilizing Labor Market Data from the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO). This rank accounts for 20% of the formula. See here for more information.

Additionally, the OEO identifies programs on the Regional In-Demand list as guided by AZ State Statute 15-393. This data factors into the formula at 5%. See here for more information.

Rural Program Count

The Arizona Department of Administration provides school districts with a Rural or Urban Designation. CTE Programs offered by Member Districts identified as rural can earn up to 10%  of the formula points based on the number of rural programs offered. See here for more information.

Putting It Together

After compiling the data, CTE Programs are ranked in order to maximize the limited resources available for Instructional Resource  and Curriculum Development.

Tier I Programs (~ 20% of all CTE Programs) receive the highest priority for resource and curriculum development. The goal is for all Instructional Resources*, a Scope & Sequence and Task Analysis, and two years of standards-aligned curriculum to be published for each of the Tier I programs.

Tier II Programs (~ 20% of all CTE Programs) are considered for resource and curriculum development. The goal is for all Instructional Resources*, a Scope & Sequence and Task Analysis, and at least one year of standards-aligned curriculum to be published for each of the Tier II programs.

Tier III Programs (~ 60% of all CTE Programs) are considered for resource development. The goal is for all Instructional Resources, including a Scope & Sequence and Task Analysis be published for each of the Tier III programs.

*Instructional Resources include the Blueprint for Instruction and Assessment, Instructional Framework, Instructional Terminology, and Year One Benchmark Assessment. You can learn more about these resources here.