Career and Technical Education Scholar Award Program (CTE SAP)

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) is pleased to announce the upcoming opportunity for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with approved CTE programs of study to participate in the CTE Scholar Award Program (CTE SAP) to recognize outstanding CTE students throughout New Jersey. This recently approved legislation P.L. 2023,c.47, establishes an annual recognition of student achievements to highlight the importance of CTE to meet the needs of business and industry for high-skill and trained workers. Four criteria are outlined in the legislation for recognition.

Demonstrate a high level of achievement in a CTE program of study as exemplified by course grades, industry-recognized technical assessments, and teacher recommendations.
Demonstrate a high level of achievement in at least three academic classes, as exemplified by course grades, end-of-course assessments, and teacher recommendations.
Successfully complete a college-level course or a work-based learning (WBL) experience including, but not limited to, employment under a cooperative education agreement, an internship, or a work-based structured learning experience.
Participate in a career and technical student organization (CTSO) or a community service project that demonstrates the application of career and technical skills.

Criteria

Purpose:

The criteria listed below is intended to be utilized by the local education agency (LEA) as a checklist for determining student eligibility for nomination of the CTE SAP. For examples of acceptable evidence within criteria categories, please refer to the drop down sections below as well as the 2023-2024 Submission Guidance found below.

Student eligibility and selection process:

The LEA must be operating an approved CTE program of study.
The LEA participating in this award program will identify, based on the LEA criteria, the top 5% of their senior class as an initial pool of candidates to determine outstanding CTE students for recognition.
From this pool of candidates, the LEA will nominate individual students based on meeting all four criteria outlined in the legislation and further defined by the NJDOE. In the chart below is a breakdown of each criterion, categories for the criteria and acceptable evidence.
The LEA will maintain on file all documentation of acceptable evidence used to evaluate student eligibility and nomination. This documentation is not required to be submitted to the NJDOE. The NJDOE may request access to this documentation at any time for the purposes of internal review and verification of eligibility.

CTE Scholar Award Program (CTE SAP) Submission Guide

This guide has been created to support LEAs in the submission process of the CTE Scholar Award Program. The following sections outline criteria students must meet to be nominated for recognition, as well as the acceptable evidence to be evaluated by district staff, showing students have met all criteria. Refer to this guide to determine the process for identifying recipients and award submission. Please remember districts will identify representatives to gather and review the acceptable evidence to determine if a student is eligible for the award. All documentation must be kept on file and available to the NJDOE, Office of Career Readiness staff upon request for internal review and verification of eligibility. Additional questions can be emailed to CTE Scholar Award Program (CTE SAP).


	Question	Answer
1.	Do all student criteria need to be satisfied by the submission deadline?	Yes. All student criteria outlined in the legislation (further detailed in the submission guidance) must be completed by the submission deadline to be eligible for the CTE Scholar Award.
2.	What if there is no Industry Recognized Technical Assessment for a particular CTE program of study?	An Industry Recognized Technical Assessment is a written and/or performance assessment that may result in licensure, an industry certification or a credential related to a specific career. This is one of the criteria outlined in the legislation (further detailed in the submission guidance) that must be completed to be eligible for the CTE Scholar Award.
3.	Can a Tier 1 Industry Valued Credential (IVC) be used to meet the criteria for attaining an Industry Recognized Technical Assessment?	Yes. Both Tier 1 and 2 IVC are eligible to meet this criterion.
4.	Is there a monetary award for this program?	No. The CTE Scholar Award is to recognize the achievements of CTE students throughout New Jersey, highlighting the importance of CTE in addressing the demands of business and industry for highly skilled and trained workers.
5.	If an 11th grade student completed a CTE program of study, is that student eligible to apply for the CTE Scholar Award?	Only 12th grade students can be nominated for the CTE Scholar Award. If, as underclassmen, students completed an approved CTE program of study and met all criteria outlined in the legislation (further detailed in the submission guidance), they would be eligible for nomination when they are enrolled as a 12th grade student.
6.	Are students eligible to be nominated if they have not yet completed a CTE work-based learning (WBL) experience but have completed all other criteria to be nominated?	Per legislation, the student must complete a WBL experience (career preparation or training) to be eligible for the CTE Scholar Award. More information about the types of WBL experiences can be found in the WBL Handbook.
7.	Is there a limit to the number of students that can be nominated per school?	The LEA will nominate individual students who are identified as being in the top 5% of the initial pool of CTE 12th grade students and who meet criteria outlined in the legislation (further detailed in the submission guidance). The number of students will vary depending on the 5% that the district identifies.
8.	Who do I contact if I am having trouble accessing the CTE SAP application in NJ Homeroom?	Please contact DOEPT Tech Support for all issues regarding NJ Homeroom.
9.	Can students be nominated if enrolled in CTE courses or programs not approved by the NJDOE?	To be eligible for the CTE Scholar Award Program, the LEA must be operating an approved CTE program of study. To learn more about how to become an approved CTE program of study, visit the Office of Career Readiness website.
10.	Are CTE students enrolled in a shared-time program of study at a County Vocational School eligible to be nominated for the CTE Scholar Award Program?	Approved shared-time CTE programs of study are eligible for the CTE Scholar Award. It is recommended to work with the sending district regarding student demonstration of a high-level of achievement in at least three academic courses and other criteria that may be relevant for student eligibility.
11.	If 5% of students that are eligible for the CTE Scholar Award fall within a decimal, can the LEA round up the number of students?	The district may round up when determining the top 5% of students.
12.	Who is responsible for nominating and submitting the application for the CTE Scholar Award?	Only district staff can nominate students and apply for the CTE Scholar Award Program. Students and members of the public do not have access to the CTE SAP application as it is in NJDOE Homeroom. More information can be found on the CTE SAP webpage.

Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Career Readiness