2026 K-ACTE Career Tech Summit

Artificial intelligence is already embedded in the industries our students are entering. CTE educators do not need to become AI developers, but they do need to understand how AI tools can enhance instruction, improve efficiency, and better prepare students for modern workplaces.


This interactive session focuses on practical, hands on applications of AI tools that educators across all CTE pathways can implement immediately. Participants will explore how AI can support lesson planning, rubric creation, technical documentation, troubleshooting simulations, formative assessment, and student skill development. Rather than emphasizing coding or technical AI development, the session centers on what AI can realistically do, where it adds value, and how to guide students in using it professionally and ethically.


Through structured peer collaboration, attendees will design one AI integrated classroom activity tailored to their own program area. By the end of the session, participants will leave with a drafted implementation plan, example prompts aligned to their field, and a clear framework for integrating AI as a productivity and learning tool within existing coursework.

Come and receive guidance from KSDE CTE staff as you complete your Student Data Management reporting. They will provide step by step instructions on how to assign students to pathways, and update their current status, followed by individual work time. Please come prepared with all KIDS reporting complete, and additional local files indicating the tracking of students CTE credit history.

Please note: No food or drink can be taken into this meeting space.

This presentation highlights how KSDE, the Kansas Department of Commerce, Workforce One, Washburn University, and TCALC collaborated to design and launch a youth teaching apprenticeship program. Attendees will learn how cross-agency alignment made it possible to create a sustainable pathway that connects high school students to postsecondary education and the teaching profession.

This session explores how electronic portfolios can transform the Individual Plan of Study into a dynamic, student-driven showcase of growth, achievement, and future readiness.


Discover how electronic portfolios help students document skills, reflect on progress, connect academic learning to career goals, and take ownership of their educational journey. Learn practical strategies for implementation, assessment alignment, and meaningful reflection that moves beyond compliance to true engagement.

Advisory boards are required for most CTE programs—but too often they function as compliance checkboxes rather than strategic workforce partners. This session will explore how secondary and postsecondary CTE leaders can transform advisory boards from routine meetings into meaningful collaborations that drive program innovation, strengthen workforce alignment, and create direct student opportunities.
 
Drawing from practical experience in rural community college CTE leadership and high school level CTE programs, participants will learn how to recruit the right members, structure high-impact meetings, leverage labor market data, and turn advisory conversations into actionable outcomes. The session will provide ready-to-use strategies, templates, and implementation ideas that can be adapted to both high school and community college programs.
 
If your advisory board feels stagnant—or if you're ready to elevate it to the next level—this session will provide practical, replicable tools to make it happen.
 

Are you drowning in all things digital…resources, files, images, emails? Come to a hands-on workshop to create a starting point for digital organization. This will most likely be a beginner level workshop which will include ideas such as bookmarks, folders, email settings, or finding ideas for your organization challenges.