THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF
STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, SECONDARY AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
ALBANY, NY 12234
Technology education is a distinct discipline that provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to function in a technological society. Instructional or educational technology is a strategy for using different forms of technology (such as computers) to aid or enhance educational instruction. It is not a discipline.
Technology education courses are courses that contain the unique aspects of designing, constructing, using and evaluating products and services to satisfy human and environmental needs. Courses used in a standards-based technology education curriculum follow established criteria to be considered appropriate.
The existing State-developed courses can be used as a starting point for program design. Because many of these courses are dated, districts need to commit to a plan for program improvement to focus these courses on the State learning standards. Dated curriculum cannot provide students with relevant information or rigorous content that will help them achieve the learning standards.
No. All students must take the one unit of study in technology education by the end of grade 8. In providing academic intervention services, some students may have their unit of study in technology education reduced, but not eliminated. Students receiving approval to have their unit of study reduced must be given the opportunity to meet the technology learning standard and take the assessment at this level.
All of these terms are used when describing course content. Interdisciplinary is a general term to describe a more specialized part of a subject area that may include content from more than one discipline. Integrated or integrated learning is an instructional strategy that draws unique elements from separate disciplines to form a more complete perspective, yet maintains context. Infused content is when one discipline's content is covered within the context of another without distinction.
The specific reference to technology education learning standards alert some districts that may confuse technology in the Mathematics/Science/Technology (MST) learning standards to mean computer use in the classroom. To achieve the technology education learning standards, students need technology education courses that cover broader aspects of technology, not just computer technology.
Technology education provides students with an opportunity to explore a wide range of technology related areas without a focus on specific employment skills. As a bridge between general education and career and technical education, technology education provides students with transferable skills and opportunities to pursue technology areas that may be linked to career and technical education areas. Technology education courses provide students with an awareness of technology in their lives in general and opportunities to pursue a technology related area they may choose as a future career. Career and technical education provides students with specific job skills leading to entry level employment.
When the existing courses in technology education were developed, they focused on career awareness and skills that are now associated with the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) report. If programs use these courses as a starting point for program development towards implementing the learning standards, they will be incorporating the CDOS learning standards into their courses.
Because of the integrative nature of technology, many activities can be introduced that will enhance existing programming and address the standard. Districts can facilitate these enhancements by enlisting the aid of middle or high school technology teachers to work with elementary teachers to develop activities. These activities will assist elementary teachers by reinforcing concepts and at the same time not add to their workload. An ideal situation would have technology education teachers providing instruction.
The definition in CR 100.4 refers to the specific technology education course, Introduction to Technology, because it is a mandated unit of study. At the commencement level, this definition is not sufficient in that districts provide technology instruction in a variety of areas and methods.
A State assessment of the intermediate level technology program and learning standards was disseminated and administered to the field in the spring of 2001 and 2002. This middle level technology education program evaluation test was made voluntary for school use starting in the 2002-2003 school year. Guidance will be provided by SED for using the test data to analyze and improve technology education programs. Research is continuing to identify essential aspects of technology at the commencement level. Any assessment at the commencement level would need to measure a student's level of technological literacy and capability to gauge a student's achievement of the learning standards.
Districts will be given flexibility regarding what technology education course can be used for the third option of math or science. Course criteria have been established by the State for districts to use in determining an appropriate course. They are:
- The technology education course must address one or more of the key ideas from Standard #5 of the MST learning standards.
- Content must be commencement level and standards-based.
- Courses that use computers as tools for increased productivity or knowledge building are appropriate. Courses that instruct and assess students on specific software use would not be acceptable.
- The instructor must be certified in the subject; instructional time must equal at least three hours per week for a year (or the equivalent) for a one-year course.
- A systems approach must be used requiring data analysis, mathematical modeling and application of scientific principles and laws of nature.
- Instructional strategies should include hands-on design and problem solving, case studies, experimentation, extended tasks.
- Courses should extend the depth and/or breadth of a studentís understanding for the math and science State assessments.
- Assessment is based on performance with schools maintaining records of student work completed in the course. Students would be required to pass course and locally administered examinations in order to demonstrate achievement of the State learning standards.
- Courses that meet the criteria should be approved by the local board of education. They do not require a variance from the Education Department.
Yes. Section 100.2(h)(3) of the Commissionerís Regulations indicates that all students entering grade 9 in the year 2001 and thereafter must be given the opportunity to complete a three- or five-unit sequence in a career and technical education area. Although districts will be given flexibility in the courses making up a sequence, a framework with criteria will be provided to districts designing programs.
Yes. Students pursuing an approved technology education sequence will receive technology education credit while also satisfying the commencement level art/music requirement. All students not pursuing an approved technology education sequence will earn credit in art education while also satisfying the commencement level art/music requirement. To fulfill this requirement, the course of study must utilize the State developed DDP syllabus. Courses of study such as Computer Aided Design (CAD) or Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) may not be substituted for DDP and do not fulfill the art/music unit requirement.
Districts are encouraged to develop a course of study in technology at the commencement level if one does not currently exist. Society has been transformed to a point where technological literacy has become an essential skill for survival. The integrative nature of technology justifies providing additional avenues for students in achieving the State learning standards. Valuable transferable skills are developed in dedicated technology education courses, while integrated courses in math/science/technology provide another way for students to experience the unique aspects of technology in the context of a math or science class. Elective courses addressing the established criteria would be another way of addressing the commencement level standard in technology.
With the flexibility given districts in course design and taking into account the established criteria for specific courses and sequences in technology education, specialized courses are acceptable as part of a sequence as long as they meet the established criteria:
- The career and technical education course must meet commencement level learning standards of the core area;
- The course must be taught by a teacher certified in at least one of the subject areas involved; and
- The superintendent or his/her designee must approve the use of the specialized course.