School districts will face slightly stricter requirements in the coming years for their career and technical education classes. 

Patty Cantu, director of the Office of Career and Technical Education told the State Board of Education Tuesday that under the reauthorization of the federal Perkins Program, CTE programs will have a stronger aim toward preparing students for higher education.  But she said Michigan should do well with more than 70 percent of Michigan CTE students going on to higher education, and 48 percent of those going on to a four-year university.

Districts will also have to have more focus for the programs they offer.

“They want us to focus on those areas that are high skill, high wage, high demand career areas,” Ms. Cantu said of federal officials.

Though students would still be able to take individual classes within the programs as electives, Ms. Cantu said the goal of the federal program now is to have more coordinated course offerings within career areas.