WA-ACTE 2026 Summer Conference

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9:00am PDT

Beyond Points: Implementing Competency-Based Grading and Employability Skills Across Career Pathways

Tuesday August 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am PDT

How do we ensure grades in Career and Technical Education truly reflect skill mastery, workplace readiness, and student growth? This session highlights how Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center and New Market Skills Center are transitioning from traditional grading to competency-based grading (CBG) systems designed to improve clarity, consistency, and equity across programs. Partnering with SREB, both centers defined shared employability skills, performance levels, and descriptors applicable across pathways while preserving flexibility for program-specific competencies. Through teacher leadership teams and full-staff collaboration, each center developed its own employability rubric, building shared ownership, stronger expectations, and alignment with industry standards. Participants will engage in an interactive learning experience that includes analyzing sample rubrics, participating in calibration conversations, and applying guiding questions to their own schools or districts. Attendees will leave with practical tools, implementation strategies, and a professional learning framework to support the transition to competency-based grading in their own CTE programs.

Speakers

Danielle Morton

CTE Leadership Coach, Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)

Danielle Morton, with over 30 years in education, is a champion for CTE and empowering school improvement. Danielle serves as a School Improvement Leadership Coach at the Southern Regional Education Board, guiding schools towards excellence. But her heart beats loudest for Career... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am PDT
Birch Ballroom

WACTA

11:00am PDT

Using Data to Improve Your District's CTE Course Catalog

Tuesday August 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am PDT

Meeting Room # 3

CSTA Washington has launched public dashboards and reports to help districts analyze their CTE enrollments by career cluster, gender, race, income, ELL, and disability status. Attendees will learn to interpret this data to understand local enrollment trends and compare their performance against statewide, ESD, and peer district averages. Attendees will also learn to use these data dashboards and reports to identify participation gaps and drive data-informed program improvements to CTE course catalogs.

Speakers

Lawrence Tanimoto

VP Communications, CSTA Washington

VP Communications, CSTA Washington. Although now retired, Lawrence taught Computer Science as a CTE Teacher at Ingraham High School in north Seattle from 2014-2021. Prior to teaching, Lawrence worked for 28 years in the international computer industry - the last 18 with Microsoft... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am PDT
Meeting Room # 3

WACTA

2:00pm PDT

Beyond the Classroom: The Power of the Simulated Workplace Model

Tuesday August 4, 2026 2:00pm - 2:45pm PDT

Birch Ballroom

Bring your classroom to life through the Simulated Workplace Model. In this engaging session, learn how CTE programs are transforming instruction by embedding authentic workplace expectations, student leadership, and industry-aligned practices into everyday learning. Participants will explore practical implementation strategies, hear real classroom examples, and leave with tools to strengthen student engagement, expand equitable access to work-based learning experiences, and improve career readiness outcomes across programs.

Speakers

Dr. Linda Floyd

Director of State and District Partnerships/Technology Centers That Work, Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)

Dr. Linda Floyd has many years of experience with continuous school improvement. She has been a director with SREB since 2017. Prior to joining SREB, Dr. Floyd worked for the Kentucky Department of Education, providing leadership and supervision of principals for 27 state-operated... Read More →