Frequently Asked Questions

Open enrollment begins in mid-February. Phase 1 lasts from mid-February through mid-March. Phase 2 opens in May and runs through June. The final phase of enrollment starts in July and ends the the second week of school.

Yes, they can. Program visits are offered through late April.

We recommend having the student complete an internal enrollment form at the LEA immediately following a program visit. Program visit feedback for students is available under the Reports tab on the online site through which program visits are requested.

No, there is no limit to the amount of enrollment requests a school can make, however, there is no guarantee that all enrollment requests will be fulfilled.

KCTC does give greater consideration to students who have completed a program visit when placing students during Phase I enrollment. While other factors are also considered (equitable distribution of seats between sending schools), we strongly encourage students to visit to be certain the program is a good fit in addition to being prioritized over non-visiting students.

The student may be placed into a second or third choice program. Students will automatically be placed on the waitlist for their first-choice program and session. They may also request to be put on as many other program waitlists as they desire. As seats become available, the registrar will contact LEA counselors to see if students on the waitlist are still interested in the program.

As the counselor, you have the ability to adjust enrollment during the swapping period (a 10-day period in April), otherwise, the student is placed on a waitlist and if a seat becomes available, we will contact you to see if the student is still interested. Students who don't get enrolled in Phase 1 are placed on a wait list and will be notified if and when there is an opening in the course of their choice.

Most classes at Kent Career Tech Center  can accommodate 25 students per instructor, however, based on lab space, some of our programs cap their class sizes at 20 per instructor.

Securing enrollment begins with a student's local high school. Having a conversation with a school counselor is the first step. Discussing graduation requirements to be sure a student is on track is critical, especially with the new foreign language requirements that began with the class of 2016. Examining Kent Career Tech Center's Credit Equivalency is important (what core courses can be granted through a Kent Career Tech Center Program), and signing up for a program visit is also vital for success (through a visit on our campus, students are able to experience our programs first hand to see if we are a solid fit). Attending our Open Houses with a parent is also important as they provide an overall glimpse of our unique "hands on" learning environment. Once enrollment is confirmed, participating in New Student Orientation in August is highly recommended as new students and their parents are introduced to administration and their expectations for a successful school year. Also, the more exposure to the Tech Center before the first day, the better prepared and motivated each student will be. Lastly, confirming transportation schedules to and from the Tech Center can potentially eliminate anxiety for the student.

For current students returning to Kent Career Tech Center, counselors will be notified of whether a student would like to return and to what session. In mid-April, you will be notified of new students who are enrolled, as well as those who are placed on a waitlist. As seats become available, students on the waitlist are placed into programs and you will be notified by the registrar. If a student enrolls during Phase 2 of enrollment, based on open seats, within a reasonable time, the enrollment will be confirmed via e-mail. All LEAs will have continuous access to a Google Sheet with their school’s enrollment.

In early August, Kent Career Tech Center holds a New Student Welcome Day. In 2023, that day is scheduled for August 9. The day is intended for students and parents.  We strongly recommend that students attend this orientation. It's also highly recommended for parents as well, so they can establish their parent account in PowerSchool.

At this time, we only enroll students at the beginning of the year, unless a student is transferring in from another tech center.

The Kent Career Tech Center provides students with academic and technical training and career awareness activities leading to world-class employment or advanced education. Frequent absences hinder a student from learning the skills required to become a word-class employee. Therefore, a good attendance record is essential.

Students attending the Kent Career Tech Center are subject to the attendance policy that is outlined in the Student Handbook.

Good attendance results in opportunities for job placement, internships, clinical and many other special work-based learning opportunities. Students who wish to participate with job placement, paid cooperative education or apprenticeship experiences must have a 90% attendance record for six weeks prior to job placement (subject to administrative review).

As a part of our enrollment criteria, approved by our Board of Education, students are required to be in the 11th grade and 16 years of age by Dec. 1st of the year they are to attend KCTC. Due to the nature of the type of equipment our students operate, the opportunity for dual enrollment programs, and some age requirements for certain certification exams we have maintained this enrollment restriction.

Kent Career Tech Center  stops taking students after two weeks at the beginning of the school year because of the safety training component required in most every class. Due to the nature of some of the dangerous equipment that students use, safety training is a required component of EVERY CTE course. In some cases, MIOSHA training experts are scheduled to be a part of this training. This occurs at the beginning of the year for students before they can enter the CTE labs. 

Students at MySchool@Kent should sign up for a program visit just as a student in the local district would. MySchool@Kent students will work through their MySchool@Kent counselor and make their enrollment requests during Phase 1 of enrollment.

Kent Career Tech Center  wants to maximize the available seats based on our allocated staffing to allow for as many students as possible to attend the programs, therefore we extend enrollment over 3 phases. We try very hard to be accommodating to the needs of LEA's as they all have unique timelines and needs when it comes to enrollment. In addition, we are a regional program. Phase 1 is intended to gather countywide enrollment requests and equitably divide seats in programs that have an excess of demand. Phase 1 is also for programs that have special admittance criteria, including some external deadlines that must be met in Phase 1. Phase 2 exists to continue to offer the opportunity to students who have gained an interest in Kent Career Tech Center  later in the year, or who have had schedule changes. This is typically when waitlisted students are accommodated. Regular communication is important regarding enrollment changes from the LEA counselor to the registrar at the Tech Center. Phase 3 is intended to accommodate scheduling circumstances that have evolved over the summer, for example, a new student enrolling at the high school, or if a student has a change of heart.

Students who have an IEP are enrolled with the same priority as those without an IEP. All reasonable accommodations listed on the IEP are made. Traits seen in successful students with IEPs include willingness to work, capacity for maturity and self-direction, self-advocacy and previous success in a general education class.

Our partnership with local high schools is of utmost importance to us. We strive to build strong, supportive and professional relationships with our sending agencies. Through the use of confidential communication (phone conversations, meetings and e-mails), we encourage teachers, administrators, counselors and support staff to share concerns regarding their students. At Kent Career Tech Center, we can support students with academic, social and emotional needs. There is strength in serving our students with a team of professionals. Our goal is to educate the whole child: Career/employability skills, college/career planning, and emotional/social skills are top priorities.

If a student has special needs related to language barriers, the ELL team will do everything necessary to develop/implement ways to help the student with his/her particular needs. If the student has the need for other services, in addition to language barriers, the ELL team will seek the help of other professionals at Kent Career Tech Center that will support the students' needs. The support and knowledge of the home school counselor is important to determine if the help being offered the student is appropriate. The home school counselor will be contacted as the need arises for proper advice. Multi-lingual students coded as ELPA or ELL, or who demonstrate limited English skills, or who state that differences between their native language and English sometimes present obstacles for them in understanding lesson materials or tests, may receive specialized attention. Assistance can include sitting with the student in class to interpret the teacher's instructions or lecture, reading tests aloud or translating difficult vocabulary, pull-out or extra time for testing, etc. Our ELL Career Tech Specialists also may advocate/intervene on behalf of the student experiencing difficulties with other students or even the instructor due to cultural differences or taboos.

Students who feel they are misplaced have the opportunity to share their thoughts with one of our student service personnel (Counselor, Teacher Consultant, ELL Specialist or Career Facilitator). A conversation that includes the following will occur: Did you complete a program visit last year? What are your career goals? Have you taken Career Cruising Inventories? If not, the student will spend some time on Career Cruising, which guides students to appropriate career paths. Then, an appointment will follow: the student service representative will explain "good fit" programs that are still available for enrollment. If a student chooses to change their program, or leave Kent Career Tech Center, their home school counselor will be notified of this request. Students who are successful at the Tech Center, enroll in programs that truly fit their future goals and core values systems. It is very important that each student be placed in their true career path to enhance success.

There is nothing like "trying on" or "test driving" a product before opting to purchase it! Program Visits provide students with the option of seeing, experiencing, observing and interacting with current Kent Career Tech Center students and staff. Program visits assist students in making an informed decision and significantly increase an accurate student placement, also resulting in a reduced number of drops. Program Visits highlight programs and provide career/personality assessments (True Colors) in order to heighten students' awareness of themselves as learners and producers in society. True Colors helps steer students into career areas that match who they are as a person: analytical, organizational, "big picture" thinkers, outgoing, relational, etc. We have a higher success rate with retention with those students who complete a Program Visit. Students receive detailed information and see for themselves what we are all about: Real Life, Real Learning.

No. All enrollment requests must go through the online enrollment site for accuracy and fairness.

Yes! The registrar at Kent Career Tech Center works through the summer on enrollment, and is available to answer questions via phone or e-mail.

Kent Career Tech Center requests the cumulative GPA of students at the time of enrollment to best leverage direct credit college opportunities for students. Several of our programs offer either direct or concurrent enrollment in an FSU, GRCC GVSU course related to the content in the Kent Career Tech Center program. The Tech Center pays the tuition and fees for these courses. They are taught by college faculty or by our faculty who possess the equivalent post-secondary credentials. These colleges require a certain GPA for students to be enrolled in these courses. Other than the HSECA program, the Tech Center does NOT have a GPA requirement for students to be enrolled in any program. However, students should be on track to graduate on time. This means that they should have earned at least nine credits if they begin at KCTC as a junior and 14 credits if they begin as a senior.

To complete an enrollment request in the online enrollment system, you will need a student's UIC number, OR their First and Last name, as well as their birthdate. You will also be prompted to enter the student's Ethnicity, GPA, 504, IEP or ELL/ELPA information (if pertinent), parent/guardian name(s) and contact information, and possibly a home address and phone number if that information is not already in the database.