2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In recent years, many states in the United States (U.S.) have made efforts to include engineering content and practices within their P-12 technology education and/or science academic standards. However, the depth and breadth of engineering concepts added in state standards has been questioned. The release of the Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy: The Role of Technology and Engineering in STEM Education (STEL) [1] in 2020 provided a clear rationale for the importance of high-quality technology and engineering (T&E) learning opportunities for all P-12 students. These standards and accompanying curricular and instructional resources provided guidance for states to examine how engineering content and practices are being taught in their P-12 school systems. Numerous states have opted to adopt the STEL as published; however, some states used the STEL as the foundation for developing standards that fit the localized needs of their students and teachers. This paper will examine the process that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania engaged in to develop academic standards that will guide T&E curricular and instructional efforts for 500 K-12 school districts.

From 2020-2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) led a rigorous T&E education standards development process. National and state level standards and frameworks from P-12 T&E and science education were reviewed to aid in the conceptualization of the standards for Pennsylvania. Through multiple rounds of reviews, input from various stakeholders across Pennsylvania informed the development of standards that will serve the diverse needs of approximately 1.7 million K-12 students. This process was a collaborative effort among T&E, science, and environmental literacy and sustainability educators. This paper will describe the valuable conversations that occurred among the committees as they contemplated the focus and direction of T&E education in Pennsylvania as well as the structure and content of the standards. Modifications made to the STEL in developing standards for T&E education in Pennsylvania included condensing some of the standards, aligning with the Pennsylvania Career Readiness standards, providing connections to content and practices from other standards (e.g., PA Core Standards: Reading and Writing in Science and Technical Areas, PA Core Standards and Practices: Math), providing clarification statements for each standard similar to the format used in the Next Generation Science Standards [2], and providing exemplars of Pennsylvania specific contexts in which the standards could be applied. This paper will provide an overview of the approved T&E standards that school districts in Pennsylvania must align instruction with by the 2025-2026 academic year. These standards have resulted in T&E questions being added to the fifth and eighth-grade state assessments which will also be discussed in this paper. Additionally, examples of supplemental resources created to assist educators and school districts in aligning with these standards will be presented. This paper may assist other states with updating or developing P-12 T&E education standards.