1. Creating Dynamic Possibilities for Every Student
CTE: Connecting Middle School to High School and Beyond
7th Annual Collaborative CTE Conference
Creating Dynamic Possibilities for Every Student
Friday, November 17, 2017
Constance H. Spohn, Ph.D.
Assistant Director
CTE TAC
Intro Self
Background
Role on EESTW Leadership Team
Next slide-Presentation Topics

2. Presentation Plan This session will
detail specifics of the regulation change;
share development of curricular guidance; and
offer time for questions and answers.
According to our conference program, there are 3 goals for this block of time. To:
detail specifics of the regulation change;
share development of curricular guidance; and
offer time for questions and answers.
So, let’s start with a little basics refresher and some background that led to this regulation change
Next Slide – What is CTE?

3. What is CTE? Definition:
“Career and technical education is a kindergarten through adult area of study that includes rigorous academic content closely aligned with career and technical subjects …The CDOS Learning Standards serve as the framework for CTE”
CR (l)
Career and Technical Subjects
Agricultural Education
Business and Marketing Education
Family and Consumer Sciences Education
Health Sciences Education
Technology Education
Trade and Technical Education
What is CTE?
The definition of CTE is found in CR 100.1
Notice the definition includes the idea that CTE instruction is meant to be a continuum, beginning in elementary school and continuing through to post-secondary education. The regulation change we will study today is a step toward strengthening the middle-level piece of the CTE continuum
Notice the definition refers to the career and technical subjects. In NYS, CTE is officially organized around 6 CTE content or subject areas
The CTE content areas are: agricultural education, business and marketing education, family and consumer sciences education, health sciences education, technology education, and trade and technical education
Next Slide –Background (Challenges)

4. Background Statewide School Leaders Advocating for Regulation Change
1 unit Technology Education
¾ unit Home and Career Skills
Challenges
Teachers
Time
Relevance
Proposal- Elementary Model
Alternate Proposal- “Introduction to CTE”
At the end of March, a statewide telephone conference with representatives of the superintendents and middle-level principals was held. Initially, school leaders wanted to eliminate the middle level mandate.
Many were struggling with three major challenges: the FACS and Technology teacher shortage; scheduling the discrete 1 ¾ units; and seeing the relevance of coursework that exposed students to only 2 of the 6 CTE content areas.
They proposed an elementary model whereby individual schools would determine how to include CTE instruction for their middle-level students. There would be no formal time or teacher requirements.
A CTE leaders group presented the NYSAFCSE draft framework of the “Introduction to CTE” model. School leaders on the conference call could “see” the potential of this model to address their challenges. The call to eliminate the mandate for middle-level CTE was quieted and the 1 ¾ unit was preserved.
This led to the May Regents item

5. May Regents Item Board of Regents Emergency Action
Unit of Study Requirements for Career and Technical Education in Grades 7 and 8 
Emergency Action
Timeframe
Limited Implementation
Revisited
The item, “Unit of Study Requirements for Career and Technical Education in Grades 7 and 8” was presented to the Board of Regents in May. It is available in the archived section of the Regents webpage.
This Regents item was originally scheduled for July (retreat item) or for September.
This item was moved to the May Regents meeting in response to widespread advocacy by school superintendents. They were asking for a regulation change for the school year.
It became an “emergency action item.” What does it mean when the Board considers an item for emergency action?
Responding to a timeframe - There wasn’t enough calendar time between the May Regents meeting and the start of the school year to follow normal protocol and have the regulation change for as promised.
Emergency actions generally allow only limited implementation
The Board is required to revisit an emergency action; an affirmative vote continues the regulation change and generally allows for implementation by all. Contractual issues govern staffing in individual districts.
The Board of Regents revisited this action at their September 11, 2017 meeting, and adopted the regulation change as a permanent rule effective on September 27, 2017.
Next Slide –Current regulation

6. Current Regulation CR 100.4 (c)
1 ¾ unit “Career and Technical Education”
Instruction can begin as early as grade 5
Teachers certified in any CTE content area
Transition Year
Limited Implementation
Curricular Guidance Development
Prior to this vote, CTE was represented in CR through 1 unit of technology education and ¾ unit of Home and Career Skills (intermediate Family and Consumer Sciences [FACS]).
CR represents CTE in the middle level through “1 ¾ unit career and technical education.”
Language allowing middle-level instruction to begin as early as grade 5 is extended to this regulation. Instruction in grades 5 and 6 must follow the time and certification requirements
This instruction is for all students
Only schools with openings for middle-level Tech or FACS for can use the flexibility allowed in this item to hire from the broad CTE pool
We have anecdotal evidence that this option has been used in a few schools. Most are learning about the reg change and waiting for this project before making any decisions
So, let’s take a quick look at the certification requirement for this instruction
Next Slide – Teacher Certification

7. Teacher Certification
Which certification titles qualify for instruction of Introduction to CTE?
Any teacher certified in any of the CTE content areas is included under the broad CTE umbrella.
In the NYSED certification system, CTE titles are found under 2 different categories: Classroom Teacher, and CTE Teacher (unfortunately named!)
Go to Search Certification Requirements using link in slide show
You will find that:
Technology Education
K-12 Classroom titles
Agriculture, Business, FACS
K-12 Classroom Titles and CTE titles
Trade/Technical, Health Sciences
CTE titles
CTE category titles are qualified for grades 7-12 only, so not able to provide grade 5 or 6 instruction
So it is up to the individual school/district to decide which teacher best meets the needs of the school/district
And…Once the best teacher is in place, what will he or she do with this CTE time?
NYSED senior leadership promised curricular guidance materials in time for the school year.
How is that happening?
Next Slide: Introduction to CTE Project Goals

8. Introduction to CTE Project Goals
To produce a new curricular framework that will:
Bridge middle level CTE to high school CTE
Expose students to all CTE content areas
Allow districts flexibility in delivery
Foster acceleration into graduation pathways in CTE, CDOS, and STEM
So what are the basic tenants for the development of this curricular guidance document?
To develop the state curricular guidance that will:
Bridge middle level CTE to high school CTE
Expose students to all CTE content areas
Allow districts flexibility in delivery
Foster acceleration into graduation pathways in CTE, CDOS, and STEM
The design for this curricular guidance has been approved by the senior management at NYSED. That approval is important because it is the promise from our leaders that this guidance will be posted as an NYSED document meant to steer decisions made by local districts about their middle-level CTE instruction. The work we do must conform to the SED expectations. Professional organizations can go beyond this guidance when providing pd for their teachers.
So, what is the design for this new curricular guidance?
Next Slide – Curricular Guidance Design

9. Introduction to CTE Partnership
NYSED
Regulation
Posting
CTE TAC
Coordination
Development
Outreach
Professional Organizations
Writing
Vetting PD
This project is a partnership between NYSED (regulation and posting; strong working relationship with MBC and with CTE team), CTE TAC (coordination , development, outreach), and the CTE professional organizations (writing, vetting, and PD).
Outreach includes asking for feedback from the broader educational community.
Will be asking middle-level leaders for comments on theme modules and for suggestions of teachers to work with going forward.
Next Slide- Curricular Guidance Design

10. Curricular Guidance Design
CTE Content
Proposed CTE Theme Modules
Content Modules
Representing Each
CTE Content Area
Career…
Financial…
Health…
Communication
Sustain-
ability
Research…
Agriculture
Business
Family and Consumer Sciences
Health Sciences
Technology Education
Trade and Technical
Meaningful Middle-level CTE Learning Experiences
The curricular guidance design has been approved by the senior management at NYSED. That approval is important because it is the promise from our leaders that this guidance will be posted as an NYSED document meant to steer decisions made by local districts about their middle-level CTE instruction. The work we do must conform to the SED expectations. Professional organizations can go beyond this guidance when providing pd for their teachers.
So…. This project will create the framework for the Theme Modules and the Content Modules. This is the “what and the why” of Introduction to CTE. Local districts will determine the “how”. This is the difference between curricular guidance and actual curriculum. In NYS, curriculum is the right and responsibility of each of the 700 school districts. Strong curricular guidance is the state’s way of steering the curriculum decisions made by those 700 districts.
Let’s start with a look at the themes
Next Slide – Draft Framework: Themes

11. Draft Framework Model: Themes
Proposed Introduction to CTE Themes
Career and Community
Opportunities
Financial and Consumer Literacy
Health,
Safety, and Wellness
Communication
Sustainability
Research, Design, and Innovation
Characteristics of Theme Modules
Foundational
Cross-content
Standards-based
Module Format
Supported by Content Modules
This slide shows the Introduction to CTE Themes: Career and Community Opportunities; Financial and Consumer Literacy; Health, Safety, and Wellness; Communication; Sustainability; and Research, Design, and Innovation
The characteristics of theme models are:
Each theme will be foundational and standards-based
Meaningful instruction provided by teachers certified in any CTE content area
A cross-content Theme Team met on October 11, 2017 at the CTE TAC in Rexford. Tim joined us for the morning; Rie and I facilitated the meeting.
They worked through a discussion that helped them come to a common understanding of the goals for the new Introduction to CTE curricular guidance.
They are drafting the theme modules building on the FACS drafts and following the CFM format.
They are creating foundational CTE standards-based curricular framework for middle-level that has CTE themes as the base. It will be developed in a flexible modular format that will allow schools to customize the delivery to meet their school goals and the needs of their students and their communities.
Next Slide-Draft Framework: Content Modules

12. Draft Framework Model: Content
Introduction to CTE Content
Agriculture
Business
FACS
Health Sciences
Technology
Trade and Technical
Global Food Access and Security
Interior Design
Human Development
Characteristics of Content Modules
Standards-based
Specific to each CTE content area
Developed by teachers representing each content area
Supply context for instruction in the themes
Connect middle-level to high school
Instruction by teachers certified for that content
Content modules will be designed to address the themes, using state and national standards as the base
Content modules are specific to each CTE subject area
Example- FACS has 3 main learning strands (Foods and Nutrition, Textiles and Design, and Human Services and Family Studies), so 2 content modules models were developed for each strand; 6 in all (3 examples included on this slide). All 6 draft models are in the dropbox.
Content module instruction requires a teacher certified for that content
So how will themes and content work together?
Next Slide-Curriculum Decisions

13. Curriculum Decisions How can schools design
project-based learning experiences
that will help middle-school students gain foundational CTE knowledge and skills
through the lens of the CTE content area(s) they have represented?
Career and Community Opportunities
Financial and Consumer Literacy
Health, Safety, and Wellness
Sustainability
Development of curriculum is a school-by-school right/responsibility – early in process for this
How can schools design project-based learning experiences that will help their middle-school students gain foundational CTE knowledge and skills through the lens of the CTE content area(s) they have represented in their system?
Resources:
Exemplars included in each theme and content module
Professional Organizations Best/model practices
Professional development meetings
School conference days
Next slide – Delivery Options
Research, Design, and Innovation
Communication

14. Sample Delivery Options
This is a screen shot from the slide deck and Attachment A presented to the Board of regents on May 9, 2017.
It shows 4 of the possible delivery models for an Introduction to CTE: current model; middle-level only; with CFM; with focused High school CTE coursework
Notice that the first column shows the Current Delivery Model. The item was explicit in saying that the current model ( I unit technology education and ¾ unit Home and Career Skills) is within the new regulation language
Second column shows students addressing intermediate-level learning standards only. This represents a strong foundation in CTE preparing students for any program they might choose in high school, CTE or otherwise
Third column shows an opportunity for acceleration in CTE. Acceleration in CTE is already in CR 100.4, so no regulation change was needed for this option. Grade 8 students showing readiness could accelerate, perhaps into CFM, which is required in all CTE approved programs; the basis for the CTE graduation pathway
Final column shows acceleration into a focused CTE course. Examples already in our state—DDP– in grade 8 to prepare students for pre-engineering pathways
Consider to be a transition year
Next Slide – How can you help?

15. How can you help? Next Steps Complete Drafts of Theme Modules
Develop Content Modules for all CTE content areas
Plan for Professional Development
Joint CTE Conference – June 2018, 2017
Syracuse , NY
Outreach to the broad educational community
Ways to Participate
Volunteer as a content editor for theme and content module drafts
Encourage teachers to prepare learning experience models showing how themes “come to life” through their content
Participate in the Joint CTE conference
Share information with your education colleagues
We are facing an aggressive timeline, and we can do this! On the left side of the slide is a list of the “Next Steps” for this project. On the right side, some suggestions about how you can help in the development of Introduction to CTE
Timeline:
Fall – a writing teams representing all CTE content areas will work to create the draft theme modules; separate teams from each content area will work on content modules
Winter – editing and revising
Spring – outreach and release of materials
Summer – professional development
Sharing via professional organization meetings
ACTEA Board – October 19
NYS Middle Level Association – Oct 20
Technology Association – Oct 26
FACS Association - Oct 27
Middle-level Liaisons- Dec 7
Joint CTE Conf – June 2018
Content Module Team is next big part of this project
Next slide –Your Questions

16. Your Questions
Contact Information:
Constance Spohn, Assistant Director
CTE TAC
Dawn Mastroianni
Senior Consultant
Marybeth Casey
Middle-level Associate
NYSED