The NOCTI exam should be mostly, if not completely, aligned to your program's task list. The alignment of the NOCTI exam to the task list is intended to ensure that the program students are learning what is on the task list. The task list usually spells out the duty and tasks of a particular occupation or occupational field.

In order to properly decode the relationship between the NOCTI exam and your program, you will need to access your task list and then determine which NOCTI exam that your program is tied to.

How to Determine your NOCTI Exam

1. All CTE programs in the School District of Philadelphia CIP codes and locations -->

2. NOCTI crosswalk to align program CIP with NOCTI test code -->

3. CTE teacher resources page catalogues all NOCTI blueprints -->

Decoding the NOCTI Blueprint

The NOCTI blueprint is a document that explains what type of test it is, what content and/or topics are covered in the written portion of the NOCTI. The blueprint also details what specific performance jobs or tasks will be covered as well. It is vital that teachers use the blueprint as a guide for preparing students for the NOCTI.

For the example below we will be looking at the Commercial & Advertising Art NOCTI & Task List (PAL).

Commercial & Advertising Art Task list ->

Commercial & Advertising Art NOCTI Blueprint ->

Weighted Areas

From the example below, the Areas/Duty Areas are weighted. It's important that the program's instruction and preparation is designed to address weights that are assigned to the topics in the NOCTI blueprint.

For example, 'Digital Imaging' is 22% of the exam. It would be appropriate to ensure that Digital Imaging is covered over multiple years and classes of the CTE program. And, it might be better to spend less time on 'Digital Photography.'

Specific Standards & Descriptions

Further down in the NOCTI blueprint, there are more detailed descriptions of what is covered in the duty areas. The descriptions should align with your task list (PAL) individual tasks. See the example below.

*Note - Not all NOCTIs will be so closely aligned. If they aren't you may need to further adjust your curriculum to accommodate for discrepancies.

Industry-Specific Vocabulary

In the example above, it is clear that the industry-specific vocabulary is linking the NOCTI blueprint to the CTE program task list. As a way to prepare students for NOCTI, you should adopt various strategies to ensure that students can accurately identify, define, and apply the industry-specific terms listed in the NOCTI blueprint and PAL.

Strategies to use:

1. Frayer Model Graphic Organizer -->

2. Prediction Model Graphic Organizer ->

3. Quizlet.com - Develop study sets for vocabulary (can incorporate images) ->

4. Socrative.com - Quiz students on vocabulary words and keep records on what terms students know and don't know. ->

5. Cornell Note taking system ->

It is important to also determine what other industry-vocabulary terms may be associated with those stated terms.

Performance Exam Details

The NOCTI blueprint also provides a breakdown of the performance tasks that are included in the exam.

Performance Exam Strategies

You will want your students comfortable with this part of the NOCTI exam. It is best to develop several lessons, exercises, and projects that run the students through the jobs of the performance exam. The topics for the performance exam should be covered over multiple years of the program.

A best practice is to develop several exercises or mini-projects that follow the time constraints of the NOCTI performance. Give these exercises to the students several months before the exam and use them as breaks between units or lessons. Consistent Practice will be the key of getting the students ready for the exam.