Every Graduate, College, Career, or Military Ready by Their Expected Graduation Date

Debra Harris

CTE Director Candidate Presentation for Donna ISD

Leadership VisionCareer & Technical Education

Link to Presentation

My Connection to Donna ISD

Proven Track Record in the Valley

As former Donna ISD CCMR Coordinator and current La Joya ISD Coordinator of Academic Advancement, I bring deep expertise in college and career readiness. My specializations include CCMR tracking systems, dual credit program management, standardized testing coordination (TSIA/SAT/ACT), Advanced Placement programs, and credit recovery pathways.

I know this community faithfully. I've served these students before and understand the unique challenges and opportunities facing Donna ISD. I'm ready to leverage that experience to elevate our CTE programs and ensure every student graduates truly prepared for their next step.

How CTE Contributes to CCMR & State Accountability

CTE serves as a powerful multiplier for college and career readiness, not an alternative to it. One strategically enrolled student can achieve multiple CCMR indicators through well-designed CTE programming, directly impacting our state accountability rating.

Multiple Pathways to Success

Career and Technical Education provides direct routes to CCMR accountability through industry-based certifications, which count immediately toward our metrics. When combined with dual credit coursework, students can earn Level 1 or 2 certificates that further boost our numbers.

Completing a coherent sequence of CTE courses paired with college prep coursework creates another pathway, while our Programs of Study can lead students toward associate degrees. Many CTE career fields also connect naturally to military enlistment opportunities, providing yet another avenue to CCMR designation.

District Goals — Our North Star

Strong CCMR, Career Readiness Needs Focus

Our CCMR performance tells a success story—we've exceeded our 2026 target of 79% by reaching 85%. This demonstrates that our overall college and career readiness systems are working effectively and producing results ahead of schedule.

However, career readiness through industry-based certifications presents our greatest opportunity for growth. At 49%, we're just six percentage points from our 55% target, but this gap represents hundreds of students who could benefit from earning credentials that lead directly to employment and higher wages.

Current State — Honest Assessment

Diverging Trends Demand Action

While our overall CCMR rate has recovered to 85% after dipping to 76%, our IBC attainment has declined steadily from 70% to just 49% over the past three years. This divergence tells us students are finding CCMR through alternative pathways—likely dual credit and TSI assessments—while we're missing opportunities in industry certifications.

More concerning, Donna ISD's 49% IBC rate falls 16 percentage points below the Hidalgo County average of 65%. This gap indicates we're not fully capitalizing on CTE's potential to prepare students for immediate employment with valuable credentials that employers recognize and reward.

49%

Donna ISD IBC Rate

Current performance

65%

Hidalgo County Average

Regional benchmark

16

Percentage Point Gap

Opportunity for growth

IBC Deep Dive — Wins & Opportunities

Programs Showing Major Improvement

AWS D9.1 Sheet Metal Welding

Pass rate skyrocketed from 12.5% to 98.5%

+86 percentage points

Entrepreneurship & Small Business

Jumped from 28.7% to 78.7%

+50 percentage points

Patient Care Technician

Improved from 31% to 68.9%

+38 percentage points

Programs Needing Intervention

Strategic Turnaround Approach

We've proven we can transform struggling programs—the welding program's 86-point improvement demonstrates our capacity for dramatic intervention success. Now we apply those same proven strategies to programs that need support.

Each program receives targeted interventions based on specific barriers: TDLR compliance issues, curriculum gaps, testing preparation needs, or partnership development. With 61 students enrolled, pharmacy technician represents our highest-volume opportunity for immediate impact.

Why Students Stop — The Persistence Problem

Root Causes of IBC Decline

Limited Program Seats

Not all interested students can enroll in CTE pathways

Student Persistence

Students begin but don't complete coherent sequences. Protecting the "flame"

Academic Competition

STAAR remediation competes for student time and focus

Curriculum Gaps

Some programs lack strong, aligned instructional materials

TDLR Policy Change

Students without SSN now excluded from certain certifications

Post-Graduation Reality Reveals Gaps

Data from recent graduate cohorts shows concerning trends in post-secondary outcomes. The Class of 2022 saw approximately 71% of economically disadvantaged students achieving positive outcomes one year after graduation, closely matching their non-economically disadvantaged peers at 70%.

However, the Class of 2023 experienced a sharp decline, with economically disadvantaged students dropping to just 50% positive outcomes while non-economically disadvantaged students maintained 65%. This suggests students are graduating with IBCs but not converting those credentials into Level 1/2 certificates or continuing to post-secondary education—a clear indicator that our support systems need strengthening.

The tale of two graduates: The reality is our Economically Disadvantaged students don't continue to college and less have an IBCs

My Leadership Approach — Three Pillars

1

START EARLIER

Middle School CTE

Offer Entrepreneurship I in 7th/8th grade for high school credit, feeding into 32 Programs of Study in the state as a level 2. This generates CTE funding at middle school level and creates scheduling flexibility for STAAR recovery.


2

FINISH STRONGER

Persistence & Completion

Track coherent sequence progress from Course 1 through IBC attainment. Trigger interventions when students fall off pathway. Conduct curriculum audits for programs below 60% pass rate. Establish IBC testing calendars with retake protocols and develop alternative pathways for TDLR-impacted students who face certification barriers.

3

CONNECT BEYOND

Post-Secondary Pathways

Leverage Level 1/2 certificates as the natural next step after high school IBCs. Partner with South Texas College and UTRGV for articulation agreements. Integrate apprenticeships and robust work-based learning. Track all students one year post-graduation to measure real-world impact and adjust programs accordingly.

Alignment with Regional Workforce Needs

Matching Programs to Market Demand

The Rio Grande Valley's 2025 target occupations reveal clear opportunities for program expansion and improvement. High-wage, high-demand careers like heavy truck drivers (568 annual openings, $21.60/hour) and electricians (83 openings, $21.17/hour) represent gaps in our current offerings.


Critical gaps exist in HVAC technician preparation and software development—all offering median wages above $20/hour with consistent employer demand throughout Hidalgo County.

Our strongest alignment exists in healthcare, with our Patient Care Technician program producing certified medical assistants for 461 annual regional openings. However, our pharmacy technician program needs strengthening to better serve 135 annual openings at $17.17/hour median wage.

Tracking & Monitoring System — Dashboard Demo

Real-Time Visibility Drives Results

Effective CTE leadership requires knowing exactly where we stand at all times—not just for board reporting, but to intervene before students fall through cracks. My tracking philosophy separates leading indicators (enrollment, course completion, test registrations) from lagging indicators (pass rates, CCMR counts, graduation data).

Dashboard Governance Structure

Ownership: CTE Director with campus liaisons updating weekly

Review Frequency: Teachers weekly, campus bi-weekly, district monthly

Intervention Triggers: Failed first attempt, dropped course, no test scheduled

Campus Accountability: Dashboard reviews at principal meetings, targets in Campus Improvement Plans

Student Progress Tracking

Each student's journey from CTE enrollment through certification is monitored with color-coded status indicators. Teachers see their students weekly, campus administrators review bi-weekly during leadership meetings, and district-level analysis happens monthly.

When a student misses a milestone—whether failing a first certification attempt, dropping a course mid-sequence, or reaching testing eligibility without scheduling an exam—the system triggers an automatic intervention protocol involving teachers, counselors, and campus CTE liaisons.


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Partnerships & Resource Development

Leveraging Community Assets

Strategic partnerships transform CTE programs from classroom exercises into authentic career preparation. Noble Builders currently supports our welding and construction programs with equipment and mentorship—we can expand this relationship to include electrical apprenticeships aligned with regional workforce demand.

Healthcare partnerships with OK Pharmacy and Richards provide critical clinical hours for our pharmacy technician students, while Head Start opens pathways for education and training careers. Texas A&M and Santa Ana partnerships support 18+ agricultural programs, and RGV Focus leader Rebecca Lopez provides systems alignment expertise for Level 1/2 certificate advancement.

Grant Funding Strategy

Bonfire Construction Grant

$250,000 opportunity for electrical program equipment plus adult education evening component—dual-generation model where students use equipment during day, parents access training at night

Perkins V Federal Funds

Strengthen existing programs through equipment upgrades, professional development for teachers, and curriculum enhancement for programs needing support

Strategic Grant Calendar

Align grant application cycles with program development timelines to ensure sustainable, long-term funding rather than reactive, opportunistic applications

Closing — My Commitment

By 2026, Under My Leadership

85%

CCMR Rate

Maintain through multiple pathways

55%

Career Readiness Target

Reverse IBC decline through persistence

65%

IBC Rate Goal

Match county average, address struggling programs

My 90-Day Priorities

Meet every CTE teacher one-on-one; conduct comprehensive curriculum audit for all programs

Launch tracking dashboard with trained campus CTE liaisons at each school

Identify all TDLR-impacted students; create alternative certification pathways immediately

Secure three new employer partnerships in gap areas: electricians, HVAC, IT/software

Draft middle school CTE pilot proposal for Principles of Entrepreneurship 7th/8th grade implementation

Questions?

Thank you for your time and consideration. I'm excited about the opportunity to serve Donna ISD students and lead our CTE programs to new levels of excellence.

I'm ready to discuss any aspect of this vision, address your questions, and explore how we can work together to ensure every graduate is truly college, career, or military ready by their expected graduation date.

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