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Career and Technical Education

CTE Content Areas

Oversight and Guidance

FACS Learning Standards

This page provides an overview of the state and national standards that are used when developing family and consumer sciences education content. These standards should be reviewed when developing local curriculum, when preparing programs for NYSED approval or re-approval, or when establishing procedures for standards-based grading in family and consumer sciences coursework.

​Middle Level FACS

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 visit the middle level CTE webpage 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.

Commencement Level FACS

Commencement level family and consumer sciences education delivered through a variety of course offerings in the Human and Public Services career cluster that can be arranged in a variety of pathways including Human Services and Family Studies, Foods and Nutrition, and Textiles and Design.

High school courses in FACS are the vehicle through which the commencement level New York State Learning Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences are delivered. They also focus on the commencement level New York State Learning Standards in Career Development and Occupational Studies. FACS courses meet the needs of New York State’s diverse student population often serving mixed abilities and mixed grade levels in the same room at the same time. The common denominator for FACS students is their interest in the topics they study.

Schools have the responsibility of developing programs of study in FACS by selecting courses that are appropriate to their needs and resources, and that provide logical sequences for their students. In each FACS course, there are generally more topics than can be addressed in depth. Therefore, local FACS programs have the flexibility to design courses that fit within the state-wide course curriculum guides while meeting their local needs by selecting the degree to which they will emphasize each of the topics. This approach allows for local customization while still providing for common definitions and identity across the state. Students complete programs of study in family and consumer sciences education through courses delivered in LEAs, in BOCES, or in combinations of the two.

FACS courses are taught using a hands-on experiential approach. Learning occurs in the context of real-life situations and repeated practice is encouraged. It is recommended that FACS courses be delivered in laboratory settings and involve hands-on instruction. The use of real-life relevant tasks, laboratories, simulations, and community involvement is an integral part of these courses as is the use of research, class discussions, and group activities. Students are expected to be actively involved in learning in a participatory, supportive environment and to have the opportunity to practice and to develop skills related to the content topics.

Family and consumer sciences education is one of the disciplines covered by the career and technical education (CTE) umbrella. As such, Commissioner’s Regulations and NYSED policies developed for CTE programs and students apply to family and consumer sciences.