2026 CACTE CareerTech Summit

This pre-conference session requires that all session attendees also register for the CACTE CareerTech Summit with a separate ticket purchase. This is necessary to fulfill the additional assignments and clock hours to be eligible to apply for the Secondary CTE Credential in Colorado. Please bring a laptop with WiFi connectivity to complete tasks while at the conference.

Building strong community partnerships doesn’t have to feel overwhelming—it can be as fun and strategic as going fishing! In this session, we’ll show you how to cast your line with confidence—cold calling, connecting, and marketing your school or program’s needs to attract the right collaborators. Using a “catch and release” approach, you’ll see examples, learn best practices, and explore proven strategies for establishing authentic connections, then have a moment to try out your ideas in real time. You’ll leave with a toolkit packed with cold call/email scripts, a partnership prospecting “fishing map,” tips for establishing relationships, and curated resources to keep your network growing. This session is perfect for educators, work-based learning coordinators, and administrators ready to hook meaningful partnerships that expand student career exploration and skill development. This session is ideal for educators, work-based learning coordinators, and administrators who are new to WBL or looking to refresh their skills, and who want to expand their social capital, build meaningful connections, and establish and cultivate new partnerships. 

This session focuses on building stronger connections between CTE teachers, administrators, and district leaders to better support students and strengthen programs. We’ll explore simple, practical ways to improve communication, build a shared vision, and make collaboration more intentional across all levels of CTE.
Designed for teachers, coordinators, and administrators, participants will walk away with easy-to-use strategies for staying aligned on goals like industry credentials, work-based learning, and postsecondary opportunities.
The session includes interactive discussion, quick reflection activities, and real-world examples you can relate to and use right away. Attendees will also receive ready-to-use tools like communication templates and planning resources to help strengthen relationships and improve CTE program success back home.

This session explores the gap between classroom learning and clinical practice in health science education, examining its causes and impact on student readiness and patient safety. Health science educators, program coordinators, and clinical instructors will gain actionable strategies to align standards-based curriculum with hands-on learning, bridging this divide. Attendees will learn to conduct gap analyses, prioritize competency-based content, and implement teaching methods that foster clinical competence and patient-centered care. The session features interactive discussions and insights from a local school partner guest speaker, providing real-world examples of successful integration. Participants will receive practical deliverables, including handouts, slide decks, gap analysis tools, and resource links to support curriculum refinement and immersive learning. Join us to enhance your program’s effectiveness and better prepare confident, competent healthcare professionals ready to excel in clinical settings.

All CDOC attendees should attend. CDOC staff will host this meet-up. Please plan on approximately an hour.

AFTERNOON SCHEDULE: 

1:30-2:00-Annual Business Meeting
2:00-3:00-Collaboration & Care (ACE/CCD/PACE)
3:00-3:10-Grab Snack & Travel Time to Pueblo Community College Tour
900 W Orman Ave, Pueblo, CO 81004
3:15-4:45-Campus Tour OR Team Talk
5:00-Depart for Social Activity at Gold Dust Saloon

What happens when career exploration is designed for your most complex learners first? This session introduces Opening Doors, a structured career exploration model built for students who need the most support — and powerful enough for every student in the room. CTE educators, special education co-teachers, and ACE instructors will leave with a practical, classroom-ready differentiation framework grounded in what educators observe every day — and aligned with the accommodations already required by your students' IEPs, 504s, and ELL designations. Grounded in live implementation at Cherry Creek School District and the equity-first design principles behind CTEsoft, this session is equal parts philosophy and ready-to-use practice. Attendees will engage through guided discussion, a live framework walkthrough, and small-group application to their own context. Deliverables include the Opening Doors companion whitepaper, sample scaffolded activity structures, and a live demo of CTEsoft's differentiated curriculum generation.

This breakout session will focus on the CACTE Legislative Fellowship and how valuable participation can be to support the landscape and future of CTE. The session will provide an overview of the Fellowship itself and how it plays a role in advocating for state legislation impacting CTE programs, funding priorities, accountability measures, and emerging workforce initiatives.
 
Participants will gain insight into why participation can influence program design, as well as industry partnerships, and student opportunities. Other key points covered include; an overview of the 2-year fellowship commitment, the application process, tasks to expect, goals and outcomes to be attained and a broad understanding of practical strategies for advocacy, relationship-building with lawmakers, and effectively communicating the value of CTE in today’s economy.
 
Attendees will leave with a better understanding of why the Fellowship was created, who can benefit from participation and why this role is critical to the sustainability and function of CTE in Colorado.