08/19/2026
DECAF Literacy-Infused Career & Technical Education Initiative
Strengthening Literacy, Career Readiness, and Workforce Preparation Through CTE
DECAF’s Literacy-Infused CTE Initiative is designed to help students strengthen reading, writing, communication, comprehension, vocabulary, problem-solving, and applied academic skills while simultaneously earning Career and Technical Education credit. Rather than separating literacy remediation from career preparation, DECAF embeds literacy development directly into approved CTE courses so students can improve academically while exploring careers, developing employability skills, and progressing toward graduation.
A Holistic Literacy Model
Students build literacy through authentic career and technical activities such as reading workplace documents, interpreting technical information, researching careers, writing professional emails and resumes, analyzing charts and data, following written procedures, developing presentations, evaluating sources, communicating ideas, and completing project-based assignments.
This approach supports students who may need:
* Literacy remediation or reinforcement
* Additional reading comprehension practice
* Academic vocabulary development
* Writing and communication support
* Career exploration and employability preparation
* Increased confidence with academic and technical texts
* Additional preparation for standardized assessments
ACT WorkKeys & Standardized Test Preparation
The same skills students practice in DECAF’s CTE classrooms can also strengthen the foundational abilities required for ACT WorkKeys and other standardized assessments.
Instead of relying only on isolated test-preparation drills, DECAF gives students repeated opportunities to apply literacy and problem-solving skills in meaningful contexts.
Students practice:
Workplace Documents & Reading Comprehension
Reading directions, policies, schedules, technical documents, workplace communications, informational texts, job descriptions, and procedural materials.
Applied Mathematics & Data Literacy
Interpreting tables, charts, measurements, costs, wages, percentages, budgets, production data, and other quantitative information encountered in career settings.
Vocabulary & Context
Developing academic, workplace, industry, and technical vocabulary while learning to determine meaning through context.
Information Analysis
Identifying main ideas, supporting details, purpose, sequence, cause and effect, evidence, and relevant information.
Writing & Communication
Producing professional emails, resumes, reflections, reports, project descriptions, presentations, proposals, and other authentic workplace communications.
Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking
Applying information to realistic scenarios, selecting appropriate responses, comparing options, and making evidence-based decisions.
The goal is to improve test readiness by strengthening the underlying skills the assessments measure while helping students understand why those skills matter beyond the test.
Recommended Literacy-Heavy Starter Courses
DECAF already has approved courses that can support this model, including:
Basic/Initial Career Readiness
Ideal for foundational literacy, workplace communication, career research, resumes, applications, interviewing, and employability skills.
Career Success Skills
Supports professional communication, reading workplace scenarios, goal setting, problem-solving, collaboration, and written reflection.
Quest for Success
Provides career exploration through research, self-assessment, goal setting, reading, writing, speaking, and project-based learning.
Career Readiness: Agriscience, Agribusiness & Natural Resources
Combines literacy development with exploration of agriculture, food systems, natural resources, environmental careers, agribusiness, and technical occupations.
Agricultural Education Elective I
Offers a flexible platform for literacy instruction through food, agriculture, wetlands, environmental science, aquaculture, plants, animals, technology, entrepreneurship, and Louisiana-based career topics.
Additional options include Principles of Business, Entrepreneurship, Principles of Hospitality & Tourism, Digital Media I, Cyber Literacy I, Financial Literacy, Environmental Science, Nutrition & Food, and Agriscience I.
From Remediation to Opportunity
A student should not have to choose between improving academically and preparing for a career.
Through DECAF, literacy support can become the starting point of a CTE pathway.
Literacy + CTE Credit + Career Exploration + WorkKeys Preparation + Workforce Skills
Students can strengthen foundational academic skills, earn high school credit, explore industries, prepare for ACT WorkKeys and other standardized assessments, transition into advanced CTE coursework, pursue industry credentials, and ultimately participate in work-based learning and postsecondary opportunities.
DECAF turns literacy intervention from an academic detour into a pathway toward graduation, career readiness, and future opportunity.
