The Tennessee Department of Education announced 159 pathways in 94 high schools and 51 districts have earned the Tennessee Pathways Certification for creating regional postsecondary opportunities. This more than doubles the number of Certified Pathways in Tennessee, bringing the total to 281 Certified Pathways in 136 high schools and 69 districts.

Launched in 2019 in partnership with the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), the Tennessee Pathways Certification sets clear expectations for alignment, advisement, and partnerships that define strong education-to-career pathways. Beyond establishing standards for program quality and design, the certification elevates and celebrates innovative and exemplary pathways in the state.

“Tennessee is committed to building strong college and career pathways statewide,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “Students benefit from having exposure to high-quality career pathways, and these pathways will serve to enhance our state’s future success and outcomes. We are proud to have more than doubled the number of Certified Pathways and this tremendous growth speaks to our districts, communities, and partners’ shared values of strong education-to-career pathways. The department is proud to support every district across all regions working to further develop, enhance, and grow these opportunities.”

In preparation for the application cycle, the department made several key improvements based on district feedback and lessons learned from the initial application cycle in 2019 while making accommodations for COVID-19 disruptions.

All schools serving grades 9-12 in Tennessee were eligible to apply and each pathway was evaluated through a rigorous application process in which schools detailed their postsecondary and employer partnerships, early college and career experiences, and structures for providing students with impactful career advisement.

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, districts submitted 188 total applications for the Tennessee Pathways Certification, representing every region of the state, 108 high schools, and 57 districts during the 2019-20 application cycle.

“The growth in the number of certified Pathways and participating high schools and districts underscores the quality of the work being done by the Pathways team and our K-12 partners,” said Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Flora W. Tydings. “After the first year, they all worked together to improve the certification process – maintaining the rigorous standards while enhancing clarity, transparency and training to enable more schools to participate. But what’s really important is the impact on students across the state, who are using the Pathways to chart their individual course to college and postsecondary training needed for high-quality careers in their communities and anywhere in the state.”

Tennessee Pathways is structured around three key elements shown to increase seamless enrollment and success in postsecondary programs:

• High-quality college and career advisement throughout K-12
• Rigorous early postsecondary and work-based learning opportunities in high school
• Seamless vertical alignment between K-12, postsecondary programs, and career opportunities as a result of effective partnerships among school districts, higher education institutions, employers, and community organizations

In spring 2019, 81 Tennessee school districts—representing 162 high schools—submitted 415 pathways for the inaugural Certification cycle. Subsequently, 122 pathways representing 74 high schools in 39 districts earned the Certification in the first year of the program.

On Feb. 8-9, 2021, the new Tennessee Certified Pathways will be recognized at the CTE Director’s meeting. They include:

ANDERSON COUNTY SCHOOLS

• Anderson County Career and Technical Center | Early Childhood Education Careers (Pre-K-4)
• Anderson County High School | Early Childhood Education Careers (Pre-K-4)
• Clinton High School | Early Childhood Education Careers (Pre-K-4)
• Anderson County High School | Coding

LENOIR CITY SCHOOLS

• Lenoir City High School | Mechatronics

MCMINN COUNTY SCHOOLS

• McMinn Career and Technical Center | Therapeutic Services
• McMinn High School | Therapeutic Services

OVERTON COUNTY SCHOOLS

• Livingston Academy | Teaching as a Profession (K-12)

PUTNAM COUNTY SCHOOLS

• Cookeville High School | Coding

ROANE COUNTY SCHOOLS

• Midway High School | STEM Technology
• Midway High School | Welding
• Oliver Springs High School | Machining Technology
• Oliver Springs High School | STEM Technology
• Roane County High School | STEM Technology
• Roane County High School | STEM Welding
• Rockwood High School | STEM Technology

WHITE COUNTY SCHOOLS

• White County High School | Nursing Services