in Current Issues

Regents approve middle level flexibility (with local control)

Overview

NYSED is proposing to provide districts with some flexibility to optimize current staff and/or hire qualified teachers (beyond Technology & Family and Consumer Science – FACS) to fulfill Career and Technical Education requirements in their district.  The requirement of 1 3/4 unit of Middle School Technology and FACS has remained the same, however the content has transitioned to a more robust CTE offering including; trade and technical subjects, business, agriculture or health sciences.  This change may provide better pathways for Middle School students to CTE, STEM, and CDOS at the high school level.

Proposed Changes 

The Department is proposing added flexibility to allow the CTE requirement at the middle level (grades 5-8) to be met in new and innovative ways in order to address the challenges above. The Department is proposing to:

1) provide students with a broad-based introduction to Career and Technical Education through the lens of the 6 CTE content areas; and

2) allow districts to meet the unit of study requirement utilizing any of the 6 CTE content areas as a vehicle; and

3) provide guidance to districts on how to utilize available certified teachers and resources to repurpose the CTE experience at the middle level to better prepare students for available pathways in CTE, STEM, and CDOS at the high school level.

Benefits 

Currently CTE certification allows assignments in K-12 or 7-12. Opening the middle level requirement to all six CTE disciplines would expand the pool of teachers eligible for recruitment into open positions. Teachers certified in trade and technical subjects, business, agriculture or health sciences would become viable candidates for middle level positions. • Districts will be better positioned to design meaningful articulated programs in any CTE discipline creating a link between middle and high school programs.

 

Options 

Opening the door to various CTE disciplines would allow districts that are struggling to meet the current middle level CTE requirement, to create a new approach to CTE. Districts that have effective FACS and Technology Education programs could continue to meet the unit of study requirement in the traditional manner. Districts that wish to explore new ways to deliver this instruction can do so by creating articulated programs that better align to available CTE, STEM or CDOS pathways at the high school level. Programs could be created to address the intermediate standards and, when available, could also provide accelerated instruction in CTE for students in grade 8 so such students could earn credit toward a pathway in CTE, STEM, or CDOS before entering high school. Attachment A illustrates some examples of the various ways districts could meet the intermediate requirements in CTE under the proposed flexibility. Should the Regents adopt the proposed regulatory amendment, districts that have vacancies in teaching positions in FACS and/or Technology Education may begin to use this flexibility during the 2017-18 school year. All other districts must use this option beginning in the 2018-19 school year.

Note

The regulation takes effect for the coming school year and, as explained in the Regents item, “…districts that have vacancies in teaching positions in FACS and/or Technology Education may begin to use this flexibility during the 2017-18 school year. All other districts must use this option beginning in the 2018-19 school year.”



 
490 Wheeler Road, Suite 280|Hauppauge, NY  11788
217 Montgomery Street, Suite 800| Syracuse, NY 13202 
888.88.ESSAA|www.essaa.org | info@essaa.org    
Share This Article

Other Recent Articles