How Michigan CTE programs can turn Section 61v funding into stronger documentation

Imagine a culinary arts program that buys new commercial ovens with a Section 61v award. Six months later, students are making dishes they couldn’t prepare with the old equipment. A program coordinator is getting ready for a state review. They have enrollment numbers and an equipment list, but little evidence of how students used those ovens to learn.

What’s missing is the story behind the finished plate. What went wrong on the first try? How did the student change their technique? Can they explain why the next attempt worked?

For career and technical education (CTE) programs, new equipment is only part of the investment. Programs also need a way to show what students learn as they use it.

What Section 61v is funding

Michigan’s Section 61v CTE Expansion Grant supports new and expanded CTE programs. Awards help fund equipment and program setup in fields such as manufacturing, construction, health sciences, culinary arts, and agriculture.

The grant focuses on districts with limited access to CTE and regions with documented opportunity gaps. Funding covers a three-year period. For details and eligibility, see the Michigan Department of Education’s CTE Expansion Grant page.

As districts build these programs, they also need to plan how to record student learning. Enrollment numbers show how many students took part. Equipment lists show what the district bought. Neither tells the full story of what students can do.

That evidence can support program reviews, advisory board meetings, and discussions about student credentials.

Why new CTE programs need a record of learning

In the first year, teachers have plenty to manage. They need to set up safety routines, introduce equipment, and guide students through their first projects. Recording each step can feel like another task.

But waiting until a review is due makes that work harder. Photos may be missing. Students may not remember why they changed their approach. A finished project may show the result without explaining how they reached it.

A useful record captures both the process and the outcome. It shows the student’s plan, the problem they faced, and the change they made.

Building this habit into projects from the start can be easier than trying to gather evidence months later.

Book Creator: turn projects into a record of progress

Book Creator gives students a way to show their work as a project develops. They can combine text, images, audio, and video in one digital book.

For example, a culinary student could photograph their plan for a dish. They could add a short voice note about a sauce that didn’t turn out as expected. A final page could show the finished plate and explain what they changed.

Students can write their reflections or record them aloud. This gives students who find writing difficult another way to explain their thinking.

Over a semester, these project books can form a portfolio of student progress. A coordinator can use the portfolio during a program review or a district meeting. It helps show what students are learning, not only what the grant purchased.

Book Creator holds an ESSA Level III (Promising Evidence) rating and the ISTE Seal of Alignment. Students worldwide have created more than 250 million books with it.

It also holds a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Product Certification from CAST. In addition, 97% of special education teachers report a positive impact on student progress. These proof points are relevant to CTE programs serving students with varied learning needs.

Kami App: work directly on CTE documents

Hands-on projects come with paperwork. Teachers and students use safety checklists, equipment manuals, lab guides, and certification worksheets.

Kami App lets them work directly on these materials in a digital format. Students can add notes to a safety procedure, mark up a technical diagram, or complete a worksheet. Teachers can keep using familiar materials without relying only on printed copies.

Kami App has active users in 92% of US K-12 public schools. Among teachers who use it, 94% report improved student engagement. It also carries the ISTE Seal of Alignment and UDL Certification.

Kami Companion: help students access technical material

Before students can use equipment, they need to understand its instructions. A safety manual or equipment guide can be difficult to read, especially when it contains unfamiliar technical terms.

Multilingual learners and students who need reading support may face added barriers. Access to the material matters before the hands-on work begins.

Kami Companion provides reading, language, and voice supports across web-based content. These tools help students work with the same material as their peers, with less need for separate tools or constant teacher support.

Since 2025, Companion has supported more than 1.8 million learning moments. It has also delivered more than 200,000 language translations and captured more than 40,000 ideas by voice. These figures show how students use reading, language, and expression supports when they’re available.

Build the documentation habit from the start

You can begin with the projects students already do. Ask them to capture four parts of their work:

• The plan: What are they trying to do?
• The problem: What didn’t work as expected?
• The change: What did they try next, and why?
• The result: What happened, and what did they learn?

A few photos, notes, or short recordings can help tell that story. For a new or expanding program, starting early makes it easier to build a useful record before the first report is due.

For more on using project records to support CTE credentials, see documenting project-based learning for CTE credentials.

Preparing for an advisory board meeting? See what to bring to your next CTE advisory board meeting for a free kit to help you share student work and program progress.

To explore digital books and student portfolios, see the Book Creator product page.

Talk to Kami about your Section 61v program

Is your district starting or expanding a CTE program with Section 61v funding? The Kami team can help you explore ways to record student learning and support access to course materials.

Contact our sales team to discuss how Book Creator, Kami App, and Kami Companion could fit your program.