Texas CTE  is designed to help students (and their parents) make wise education choices. It is based on the belief that the curricula of the 21st century should combine rigorous academics with relevant career education. When schools integrate academic and technical education, students can see the “usefulness” of what they are learning. The system also facilitates a seamless transition from secondary to postsecondary opportunities by serving as a foundation for restructuring how schools arrange their instructional programs. A Career Cluster is a grouping of occupations and broad industries based on commonalities. The sixteen Career Clusters provide an organizing tool for schools. Career programs of study (POS) have been developed for each of the Career Clusters. The POS represent a recommended sequence of coursework based on a student’s interest or career goal. Ball High School has incorporated the Career Clusters into the Career and Technical Education department course structure and uses 14 of the clusters offering a wide range of career exploration and some of the sequences of courses lead toward the opportunity for a professional certification.