Technology Education FAQ
The New York State Education Department is responsible for setting the learning standards for secondary school instruction. The standards define the knowledge and abilities expected of students. The NYSED does not determine or endorse the texts used in local districts. School districts have the flexibility and responsibility to identify appropriate content and resources to help students achieve the learning standards. Some educators find it helpful to contact the major educational publishers for catalogs and review copies of their texts. Colleagues at other school districts are good sources for recommendations also.
Another contact is the New York State Technology & Engineering Educators Association (NYSTEEA).
In New York, curriculum is developed at the local, not state level. Consequently, there is no uniform curriculum for technology education in New York. Local districts decide which resources and/or curricula are used in order to deliver various technology education courses.
The one exception to this rule is for the course entitled, Design and Drawing for Production (DDP). As this course can be used to fulfill the commencement level arts requirement, schools must follow the curricular framework that has been developed for this course to ensure that commencement requirements have been met. Additional information about the DDP framework can be found on the Design and Drawing for Production webpage.
Please contact the associate for technology education if you have any questions or would like additional guidance.
New York no longer specifies the course sequences that must be used to meet this requirement (100.5(b)(7)(v)(c )). Five units of CTE coursework in any CTE area taught by a certified CTE teacher (agriculture, business, FACS, health science, technology, and trade/technical education) may be used.
Please contact the associate for technology education with any school-specific questions.
No. Schools must provide opportunities to allow students to pursue a CTE program and/or sequence, but this may be done in any CTE area.
Yes. Option 1 requires that 216 hours (equivalent to two high school units) of career and technical education is required taught by a certified CTE teacher. At least 54 of those hours must be work-based learning.
Design and Drawing for Production (DDP)
Design and Drawing for Production (DDP) is a NYSED-approved, high school level interdisciplinary course that meets both Technology Education and Visual Arts Learning Standards, and “is intended to be implemented through a two-semester course as an introduction to a universal graphic language through which students can express their ideas with creativity, clarity and exactness.”
Design and Drawing for Production (DDP) is an approved course to meet the one unit of art/music requirement for graduation for all students. The DDP syllabus is aligned with Standard 5 of the Mathematics, Science and Technology Learning Standards and the Visual Arts Learning Standards. Only teachers certified in technology education or art education may provide instruction in DDP used to meet the art/music credit.
As a state-developed interdisciplinary course, the Design and Drawing for Production (DDP) syllabus may be used to provide instruction to any student to satisfy the commencement level art/music requirement. Either technology education or art education teachers can provide instruction. It may be used as part of the technology education curriculum or as part of the art education curriculum. To fulfill this requirement, the course of study must use the state-developed DDP syllabus in its entirety.
No. Regardless of whether the title given to the course includes “DDP” the course content must use the NYS-developed DDP syllabus in its entirety if art credit is being awarded.
- Locally developed versions of a course “something like DDP” may not be used to award art credit.
- Computer Aided Design (CAD), or similar courses, may not be used to award art credit.
- Introduction to Engineering Design (IED), or similar courses may not be used to award art credit.
- Vendor-provided curriculum – even if “DDP” is part of the title – may not be used to award art credit (except for instances in which the syllabus follows the NYS DDP Syllabus in its entirety, see above). The NYSED does not endorse any vendor-provided curriculum.
The state-developed syllabus was specifically designed to be an interdisciplinary approach to meeting the requirements of Part 100 of the Commissioner's Regulations for both visual arts and occupational education.
A syllabus provides guiding principles and goals, primary objectives for learning, suggested units, etc. aligned to learning standards. It is the framework around which local curriculum is planned.
The NYSED DDP syllabus was designed for longevity by not focusing on particular tools and techniques, but instead on a particular philosophy about how the design process informs the creation of functional objects, spaces, buildings, and systems that serve human needs, and the use of universal graphic language to communicate design ideas. These two core principles continue to be essential in the today’s design world.
Local curriculum can remain pertinent by following the goals, objectives, and driving philosophy of the DDP syllabus, while updating content (what problems will students solve?), methods of graphic delivery (which visual languages will be employed?), and methods of modeling (which “tools” will students use to create prototypes and models?). When well designed, local curriculum based on the DDP syllabus prepares students not only for advanced coursework but also rapidly expanding technologically-driven fields where design thinking is essential.
Design and Drawing for Production may be used by any student to satisfy the art/music credit requirement if it addresses aspects of both the Technology Education and Visual Arts Learning Standards and is
- commencement level in content and focus
- a full year course for use in this requirement
- taught by a certified technology education or art teacher or team taught
- focused on critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills using the design process
- available for use by students in a technology education or art sequence
- delivered through the use of the state-developed syllabus, Design and Drawing for Production as a framework for instructional approach and context
Design and Drawing for Production encourages visual problem-solving using a common graphic language to describe forms in the human-made environment. To enable the student to analyze, creatively design and critically evaluate these forms, DDP requires researching historical precedents, cultural references, environmental impact, and future vision. The syllabus emphasizes critical thinking, creative problem-solving and the decision-making processes by requiring the student to examine past solutions, learn technical drawing processes, experience design techniques and become critically active in evaluating both personal work and work by others.
Districts can certainly create their own crosswalk to see how well their current DDP curriculum aligns with the 2017 New York State Learning Standards for the Visual Arts. (Please note: updated curriculum must meet the goals and objectives of the 1989/2000 DDP syllabus.)
Districts should use the High School 1 (HSI)/ Proficient Level of the Visual Arts Standards for the foundation version of DDP. The DDP curriculum must meet all 11 arts standards and their performance indicators. The (HSI)/ Proficient Level in the 2017 arts standards replaces the Commencement General Education Level in the 1996 standards.
The 2017 Visual Arts Standards place an emphasis on design as an important strand of visual arts, so teachers will find great compatibility between DDP and the new Arts Standards.
Visit the NYSED Arts Learning Standards webpage to view and download a copy of the 2017 NYS Learning Standards for Visual Arts and to view and download a Glossary of Visual Arts Standards terms, including those related to Design and Design Thinking.
CTE Program Approval
As of 2018, the process for approving CTE programs and assessments have been merged into one process. As such, there is no longer a state-approved list of technical assessments for technology programs. Assessments are reviewed and approved individually with each application or amendment received. A sample of common assessments used in technology education, trade, and technical programs of study is found on our webpage.
Additional information about technical assessments for NYSED-approved CTE programs including a video tutorial can be found on the technical assessment webpage.
Having a NYSED-approved CTE program allows students to obtain a technical endorsement on their diploma which recognizes achievement beyond attainment of a Regents diploma. A NYSED-approved CTE program also offers students a 4+1 pathway option for graduation. Students who complete a NYSED-approved CTE program help their school earn a higher score in the ESSA college, career, and civic readiness index.
A NYSED-approved CTE program needs to have at least one-half unit of Career and Financial Management content and three units of program specific CTE content. Programs must also offer students the opportunity to participate in work-based learning and take the program’s technical assessment. It is recommended that students have the option to take up to five units so that the requirements for an advanced Regents diploma (replacing the LOTE requirement) can be met (100.5(7)(v)(c )).
Additional information about program content for NYSED-approved CTE programs including a video tutorial can be found on the program content webpage.
In an integrated course, a student must know the commencement level academic content in order to learn the CTE content. In a specialized course, the academic content is not inherently there but is bolstered so that 108 hours of academics can be provided in the program.
Additional information about integrated and specialized credit for NYSED-approved CTE programs including a video tutorial can be found on the program content webpage.
No, integrated and specialized credits are not a required part of a NYSED-approved CTE program. Very few school districts (which we refer to as local education agencies or LEAs) offer integrated or specialized credits. Most instances where integrated and specialized credit is requested are within programs that are provided by a BOCES. This is because offering integrated and specialized credit at BOCES provides students with increased opportunities to participate in CTE programs while also fulfilling academic requirements they would traditionally receive at the component district.
Please visit the Office of Teaching Initiatives webpage for the most up to date information regarding certification requirements and pathways.
Additional information about teacher certification requirements for NYSED-approved CTE programs including a video tutorial can be found on the program faculty webpage.
Individuals seeking technology education certification with a degree or courses in another subject may have their college transcripts reviewed by the Office of Teaching Initiatives. Details of this process can be found on the Office of Teaching Initiatives webpage.
The "Classroom Teacher" certification area contains the titles valid for classroom teaching positions. Certifications identified as “classroom teacher” enable the certificate holder to teach the broad range of content that is identified within the certification area. For instance, an educator certified in technology education is appropriately certified to teach content in automotive, materials processing, manufacturing, STEM, etc.
The "Career and Technical" certification area contains the titles valid for teaching vocational or technical education subjects. Certifications identified as, “career and technical”, enable the certificate holder to teach content specific to their certification title. For instance, an educator certified in vehicle mechanical repair is appropriately certified to teach content relating to the repair of vehicles. This educator is not appropriately certified to deliver instruction in courses other than vehicle repair.
For more information about faculty certification for a NYSED-approved CTE program, please visit the program faculty webpage.
For a list of career and technical teacher certificate titles and their descriptions, please visit the Office of Teaching Initiatives webpage.
A technology education teacher may only coordinate the four registered work-based learning programs (CEIP, Co-op, GEWEP, and WECEP) if they hold the extension of work-based learning coordinator. Technology education certification alone does not allow someone to coordinate registered work-based learning programs. Two courses must be taken to obtain the extension. They are offered through Oswego State, Buffalo State, and Hofstra University among other locations. In order to coordinate CEIP and Co-op, you must hold the extension of Coordinator of Work-Based Learning for Career Development. There is also an extension for Career Awareness that is designed for general education teachers and does not allow for coordination of CEIP or Co-op programs. Non-registered experiences such as job shadowing, school-based projects, community service/volunteering, and school-based enterprises do not need to be supervised by a certified coordinator, but it is recommended. More information can be found on the work-based learning webpage.