New York State Middle Level CTE Requirement

In September 2017, the Board of Regents revised the CTE portion of Commissioner's Regulations 100.4(c). The main provisions are that:

• all middle-level students are entitled to 1 ¾ unit career and technical education,
• instruction can begin as early as grade 5, and
• instruction can be delivered by teachers certified in any title in any CTE content area, so long as it is through the lens of their content area. 

A curricular guidance framework has been developed in collaboration with CTE teachers statewide to assist schools in the implementation of the changed middle-level CTE regulation. The curricular guidance is comprised of theme modules and content modules. Please see below for additional information regarding how the modules are designed to work together, the theme and content modules (in PDF format), and sample project-based learning exemplars.

Middle Level CTE Resources

• Clarification on July 2018 Memo Regarding Who Can Teach Middle Level CTE Courses to Meet the Middle Level Unit of Study Requirement
• Middle Level FAQ

 

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About the Middle-Level CTE Instructional Modules

The curricular guidance framework for New York State middle-level CTE consists of two types of modules, theme modules and content modules. Theme and content modules are designed to work together. The goals of middle level CTE, built on this framework are to:

• connect middle level experiences to high school opportunities,
• expose students to all CTE content areas,
• allow for flexibility in delivery by using a module format, and
• foster acceleration into graduation pathways that capitalize on students’ interests in CTE content.

Schools will use this framework as they make decisions on how to personalize middle-level CTE instruction in their settings. The framework will assist schools in answering the question:

How can we design project-based learning experiences that will help our middle-school students gain foundational CTE knowledge and skills through the lens of the CTE content area(s) we have represented in our school?

 

CTE Theme Modules
CTE theme modules provide the basis for middle-level CTE. They are foundational, cross-content, and standards-based. They represent knowledge and skills that will benefit all students as they move to high school, regardless of the pathway they choose. The theme modules are designed for instruction by teachers certified in any title in any of the six CTE content areas (i.e., agriculture, business and marketing, family and consumer sciences, health science, technology, and trade and technical).
Career and Community Opportunities	Communication and Interpersonal Relationships	Financial and Consumer Literacy	Health, Safety, and Wellness	Problem-Solving, and Innovation	Sustainability

 

CTE Content Modules
CTE content modules provide the context to engage students in the themes. The content modules are specific to each CTE content area, standards-based, and connect middle-level to high school. CTE teachers will use the content modules aligned with their certification areas to develop meaningful learning experiences that help their students attain the theme module standards.
Agriculture	Introduction to Agriculture and Leadership Animals in the Agriculture Industry Plants in the Agriculture Industry Stewardship of the Land Agriculture Mechanics
Business and Marketing	Business Communication Business Career Portfolio Computer Literacy for the Workplace Entrepreneurship
Computer Science	Computational Thinking Data Collection and Management Digital Literacy and Citizenship The Computational World
Family and Consumer Sciences	Individual Growth and Life Readiness Human Development and Relationships Apparel and Textile Production and Design Environmental Design and Management Nutrition and Wellness Food Systems and Production
Health Science	Health Science Career Pathways Communication and Client Interaction Safety in Health Science Careers Client Care
Technology Education	The Nature of Technology Technology and Society Design Abilities for a Technological World The Designed World
Trade and Technical Education	Exploring Trade and Technical Careers Measurement in Trade and Technical Fields Safety in Trade and Technical Fields

 

NEW! Sample project-based learning exemplars have been posted in the chart below to show examples of how each CTE content area can address each of the six middle level themes. Schools may use these in whole or in part to help various content areas deliver the middle level CTE content.

CTE Project-Based Learning Exemplars
	Career and Community Opportunities	Communication and Interpersonal Relationships	Financial and Consumer Literacy	Health, Safety, and Wellness	Problem-Solving, and Innovation	Sustainability
Agriculture	Agriculture Career and Community	Agriculture Communication	Agriculture Financial Literacy	Agriculture Health Safety	Agriculture Problem Solving	Agriculture Sustainability
Business and Marketing		Business Communication   Example 2		Business Health Safety	Business Problem Solving
Family and Consumer Sciences			FACS Financial Literacy	FACS Health Safety   Example 2	FACS Problem Solving   Example 2	FACS Sustainability
Health Science	Health Science Career and Community	Health Science Communication		Health Science Health Safety   Example 2	Health Science Problem Solving
Technology Education	Tech Ed Career and Community   Example 2	Tech Ed Communication	Tech Ed Financial Literacy		Tech Ed Problem Solving	Tech Ed Sustainability
Trade and Technical Education	Trade/Tech Career and Community		Trade/Tech Financial Literacy		Trade/Tech Problem Solving	Trade/Tech Sustainability