To address the skills gap and reward achievement, technical assessment publisher, NOCTI, began an initiative to define technical excellence in career technical education (CTE) programs and to recognize the nation's top CTE students through a digital Technical Badge of Excellence (TBOE). Analysis of standard setting methods and NOCTI student test data from U.S. high schools determined the excellence criteria. NOCTI has assessments in over 100 different technical areas and, because difficulty varies, normative standard-setting methods were most appropriate, as they account for test difficulty and locate students at a high position relative to the tested group. Additional criteria were implemented to assure the validity of the selection and subsequent awarding of the digital badge. Thus, top CTE students nationally can be located using normative standard setting methods, which will provide a source of skilled workers for global employers and help to close the skills gap.