CTE Curriculum
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CTE Success Story
Expanding CTE Opportunities to Unexpected Places in Florida Classrooms
In Florida, one district is redefining where industry certifications can happen, using iCEV to bring confidence and real-world success to students who need it most.
From Confidence to Credentials: Expanding CTE Opportunities in Florida Classrooms
In the Osceola County School District in Kissimmee, Florida, career and technical education (CTE) leaders are expanding access to industry certifications in an unexpected place: environmental science classrooms. By implementing the Ducks Unlimited Ecology Conservation & Management Certification, hosted on the iCEV Testing Platform, Timothy Burdette, Executive Director Secondary & Post-Secondary Career and Technical Education, and his team created new opportunities for students who might not otherwise pursue industry certifications.
The impact was immediate. After a pilot program at one high school resulted in 168 student certifications, the Osceola County School District scaled the program across all high schools, resulting in more than 1,600 certifications in its first year district-wide.
Many of these students are enrolled in remedial courses and traditionally lack access to credentialing opportunities. By embedding the certification into these classes, the district gave students an early win.
“It built confidence,” Burdette says. “These students got the opportunity to take these exams, and we had a great pass rate. And then students had confidence to move on into other CTE programs and explore those certifications, as well. It has been huge for our students.”
That confidence is driving broader outcomes. Increased certification attainment is boosting the district’s acceleration rate, which improves the district’s grade and its schools’ grades. Meanwhile, the Ducks Unlimited certification is sparking student interest in careers like conservation, wildlife management, and park services.
In the classroom, engagement has been key. iCEV’s curriculum provides a strong instructional foundation, while hands-on experiences, like incubating and hatching ducks, bring learning to life.
“Students have just wrapped themselves around the program because they've seen success that they haven't seen in the past,” Burdette says.
Publicly celebrating student and school success with certifications has further fueled excitement and participation across campuses. Teacher buy-in quickly followed. What began with some hesitation about embedding certifications in environmental science classes has grown into strong demand, as educators have seen the positive impact on both student motivation and achievement.
Osceola County School District’s success highlights a powerful takeaway: when schools provide early opportunities for success, they can build confidence, expand pathways, and set students on a trajectory for long-term achievement.
Osceola County School District
Kissimmee, FL
About iCEV
Since 1984, iCEV has specialized in providing quality CTE curriculum and educational resources. iCEV is the most comprehensive online resource for CTE educators and students, offering curriculum for several major subject areas, including agricultural science, trade & industrial education, business & marketing, career exploration, family & consumer science, trade & health science, law enforcement and STEM education. iCEV also acts as a certification testing platform for industry certifications. Recognized companies and organizations utilize iCEV as the testing platform for their certifications. Additionally, iCEV offers Eduthings, a CTE data management platform that simplifies reporting for industry certifications, work-based learning, CTSO participation, and more. For more information, visit www.icevonline.com.