Career Education at LRSD

The Career and Alternative Education Department is designed to help students prepare for a career through training in a wide variety of career focus areas. Students enrolled in career and technical education programs will be prepared for post-high school opportunities by ensuring they are equipped with a solid foundation of academic skills and the ability to apply those skills in advanced education training and employment; workplace skills, including work ethic, employability skills and higher-order thinking skills; and technical competencies, including computer proficiency. Career and technical student organizations are an integral part of the career and technical education programs that are offered in each school.

CTE Completers are recognized with a high school diploma seal:

Career and Alternative Education Department

The Career and Alternative Education Department has five components:

1. All career programs at LRSD comprehensive high schools and middle schools
2. Metropolitan Career-Tech Center 
3. EXCEL Center for Advanced Professional Studies
4. Accelerated Learning Center
5. Adult Education Center 

The Career and Alternative Education Department equips traditional and non-traditional students with career preparation and college preparation skills. We equip tomorrow's workforce.  We support the Mission and Vision of the Little Rock School District.

Academies of Central Arkansas

LRSD has partnered with the Little Rock Regional Chamber and the three Pulaski County school districts to transform the high school experience through career and interest-themed academies. LRSD is committed to helping students discover their unique talents, grow in knowledge, and develop skills and dispositions needed for success in academics and in life. 

Ford NGL provides a model for the academies and is a collaborative community-driven approach that infuses high expectations and academic rigor with real-world relevance and Career and Technical Education (CTE). 

LRSD will be phasing in Academies over the next few years as we transition from our current high school structure to the Academies structure. LRSD academies will offer multiple pathways so that every student can choose a program that fits a personal interest. In addition to the academy pathways offered at each LRSD high school, students can select from +12 pathways, twelve additional career pathways offered through Metro and EXCEL. 

Early College

Many of the courses offered through career pathways at Metropolitan Career Center and EXCEL are concurrent credit courses through UA-PTC and UALR, allowing students to earn both college credit and high school credit for courses they take at Metro or EXCEL. The college credit is transcripted by the college, and the high school credit is transcripted by the high school. Upon completion of a concurrent credit course, students may request a transcript from the college. Students should consult the Arkansas Course Transfer System to verify if credits earned are transferable to other colleges.

Additionally, many CTE courses have articulated credit agreements with UA-Pulaski Tech. Articulated Credit allows students to take a high school class on their high school campus or at Metropolitan Career Technical Center and receive credit for the course once they enroll in college. For example, a student takes a welding course in high school, and once the student enrolls in the welding program at UA-Pulaski Tech, the student receives college credit for the high school welding class. The business education courses at all high schools are eligible for articulated credit at UA-Pulaski Tech.

To receive articulated credit, a student must meet the following requirements:

1. Complete the class with a minimum of a "B" grade
2. Enroll at UA-Pulaski Tech within two years of high school graduation
3. Meet with UA-Pulaski Tech registrar's office to add the credit to the student's college transcript

To request articulated credit, complete the UA-PTC Articulated Credit Request Form.

Consult LRSD Approved Articulated Courses to learn which CTE courses have articulated credit.