Overview
Rationale for Change
Today's students are the future leaders and members of tomorrow's families, workplaces, and communities. They need to be able to act responsibly and productively to synthesize knowledge from multiple sources, to work cooperatively, and to apply the highest standards in all aspects of their lives.
Family plays a very important role in our individual lives and in society and is widely recognized as the context in which its members learn about relation to and caring for others, acquire attitudes about learning and work, build communication and reasoning skills, learn right from wrong, and form patterns of responsible citizenship. Family members learn to work together within the family and with other families to improve conditions in the home, workplace, community, and world.
The process to develop standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education has occurred concurrently with the development of standards in several other areas of education. Goals 2000: Educate America Act initiated development of national educational standards as a means of encouraging and
evaluating student achievement and provided for voluntary skill standards related to Career Clusters to encourage youth and adults to be better prepared
with high-level skills and updated technological requirements. Standards development that has occurred since then has focused on higher standards for all
students, and has identified what learners should know and be able to do in discipline-specific content and in thinking and process arenas as well.
Vision and Mission - A Foundation for FACS Standards
The foundation for the development of the national standards was laid in March 1992, when vision and mission statements for Family and Consumer Sciences Education were developed by FACS administrators, educators and others during a strategic planning session in Washington, DC. In October 1993, leaders from the many segments of FACS profession convened in Scottsdale , Arizona , to explore and redefine future directions for the field. The definitions and directions developed inScottsdale were in harmony with the vision and mission statements that had been developed for Family and Consumer Sciences Education, and the work was merged. The modified vision and mission statements were officially adopted in December 1994. The Vision is: Family and Consumer Sciences emporwers individuals and families across the life span to manage the challenges of living and working in a diverse global society. Our unique focus is on families, work, and their interrelationships.
The mission of Family and Consumer Sciences Education is to prepare students for family life, work life, and careers in Family and Consumer Sciences by providing opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed for:
> Strengthening the well-being of individuals and families across the life span.
> Becoming responsible citizens and leaders in family, community, and work settings.
> Promoting optimal nutrition and wellness across the life span.
> Managing resources to meet the material needs of individuals and families.
> Balancing personal, home, family, and work lives.
> Using critical and creative thinking skills to address problems in diverse family, community, and work environments.
> Successful life management, employment, and careers development.
> Functioning effectively as providers and consumers of goods and services.
> Appreciating human worth and accepting responsibility for one's actions and success in family and work life.
The vision and mission statements have been widely publicized and utilized since that time, and have made significant impact on the directions taken by Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum and program development at the national, state, and local levels.
The Nature of the FACS National Standards
The National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education present a vision for the future and provide FACS educators with a structure for identifying what learners should know and be able to do. The FACS National Standards are based on knowledge and skills needed for home and
family life as well as those needed to succeed in related careers. The national standards provide an excellent system for meeting the needs of
individuals preparing for life in a global society while simultaneously preparing for careers. The national standards are comprehensive, designed to encompass the variety that exists among state philosophies and to accommodate various approaches to standards and educational delivery systems.
Viewed collectively, the national standards provide the structure for an integrated approach to Family and Consumer Sciences Education. Educational standards have been or are being developed in many of the individual career areas within Family and Consumer Sciences Education (for example: dietetics, early childhood, facilities maintenance, food service, hospitality, interior design, and so forth), so it is necessary to clarify the roles of these various sets of standards. The FACS National Standards address expectations for overall FACS programs and curriculum design, while the standards for individual FACS career areas provide focused and enhanced content detail and additional direction for specific career paths. Educators are encouraged to
first establish their overall FACS program frameworks using the FACS National Standards as a guide, and then to use standards for specific career areas to guide the development for specific career-related courses of study.
Adaptability and accessibility are important elements of the national standards. There is wide variation in what, how much, and when concepts in Family and Consumer Sciences Education are introduced to students and in the level of depth to which any particular standard or competency may be developed. The national standards apply to all students, regardless of age, gender, cultural or ethnic background, disabilities, aspirations, interests, or motivations. Different students will achieve understanding in different ways in different degrees of depth and breadth, depending on interest, ability, and context.
Overview of the FACS National Standards
The Family and Consumer Sciences Education National Standards form a comprehensive structure designed to accommodate varying state philosophies
(competency-based, conceptual and process perspectives) and multiple issues related to standards and delivery systems. FACS, like other disciplines, is concerned with the integration of academic knowledge and achievement in a contextual approach. The FACS National Standards allows for both competencies and processes to relate to standards in a deliberate effort to link the two philosophies.
The FACS National Standards components include Areas of Study, Comprehensive Standards, Content Standards, Competencies, and Process Questions, which are described on the Standards & Competencies portion of this website.
Today's students are the future leaders and members of tomorrow's families, workplaces, and communities. They need to be able to act responsibly and productively to synthesize knowledge from multiple sources, to work cooperatively, and to apply the highest standards in all aspects of their lives.
Family plays a very important role in our individual lives and in society and is widely recognized as the context in which its members learn about relation to and caring for others, acquire attitudes about learning and work, build communication and reasoning skills, learn right from wrong, and form patterns of responsible citizenship. Family members learn to work together within the family and with other families to improve conditions in the home, workplace, community, and world.
The process to develop standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education has occurred concurrently with the development of standards in several other areas of education. Goals 2000: Educate America Act initiated development of national educational standards as a means of encouraging and
evaluating student achievement and provided for voluntary skill standards related to Career Clusters to encourage youth and adults to be better prepared
with high-level skills and updated technological requirements. Standards development that has occurred since then has focused on higher standards for all
students, and has identified what learners should know and be able to do in discipline-specific content and in thinking and process arenas as well.
Vision and Mission - A Foundation for FACS Standards
The foundation for the development of the national standards was laid in March 1992, when vision and mission statements for Family and Consumer Sciences Education were developed by FACS administrators, educators and others during a strategic planning session in Washington, DC. In October 1993, leaders from the many segments of FACS profession convened in Scottsdale , Arizona , to explore and redefine future directions for the field. The definitions and directions developed inScottsdale were in harmony with the vision and mission statements that had been developed for Family and Consumer Sciences Education, and the work was merged. The modified vision and mission statements were officially adopted in December 1994. The Vision is: Family and Consumer Sciences emporwers individuals and families across the life span to manage the challenges of living and working in a diverse global society. Our unique focus is on families, work, and their interrelationships.
The mission of Family and Consumer Sciences Education is to prepare students for family life, work life, and careers in Family and Consumer Sciences by providing opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed for:
> Strengthening the well-being of individuals and families across the life span.
> Becoming responsible citizens and leaders in family, community, and work settings.
> Promoting optimal nutrition and wellness across the life span.
> Managing resources to meet the material needs of individuals and families.
> Balancing personal, home, family, and work lives.
> Using critical and creative thinking skills to address problems in diverse family, community, and work environments.
> Successful life management, employment, and careers development.
> Functioning effectively as providers and consumers of goods and services.
> Appreciating human worth and accepting responsibility for one's actions and success in family and work life.
The vision and mission statements have been widely publicized and utilized since that time, and have made significant impact on the directions taken by Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum and program development at the national, state, and local levels.
The Nature of the FACS National Standards
The National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education present a vision for the future and provide FACS educators with a structure for identifying what learners should know and be able to do. The FACS National Standards are based on knowledge and skills needed for home and
family life as well as those needed to succeed in related careers. The national standards provide an excellent system for meeting the needs of
individuals preparing for life in a global society while simultaneously preparing for careers. The national standards are comprehensive, designed to encompass the variety that exists among state philosophies and to accommodate various approaches to standards and educational delivery systems.
Viewed collectively, the national standards provide the structure for an integrated approach to Family and Consumer Sciences Education. Educational standards have been or are being developed in many of the individual career areas within Family and Consumer Sciences Education (for example: dietetics, early childhood, facilities maintenance, food service, hospitality, interior design, and so forth), so it is necessary to clarify the roles of these various sets of standards. The FACS National Standards address expectations for overall FACS programs and curriculum design, while the standards for individual FACS career areas provide focused and enhanced content detail and additional direction for specific career paths. Educators are encouraged to
first establish their overall FACS program frameworks using the FACS National Standards as a guide, and then to use standards for specific career areas to guide the development for specific career-related courses of study.
Adaptability and accessibility are important elements of the national standards. There is wide variation in what, how much, and when concepts in Family and Consumer Sciences Education are introduced to students and in the level of depth to which any particular standard or competency may be developed. The national standards apply to all students, regardless of age, gender, cultural or ethnic background, disabilities, aspirations, interests, or motivations. Different students will achieve understanding in different ways in different degrees of depth and breadth, depending on interest, ability, and context.
Overview of the FACS National Standards
The Family and Consumer Sciences Education National Standards form a comprehensive structure designed to accommodate varying state philosophies
(competency-based, conceptual and process perspectives) and multiple issues related to standards and delivery systems. FACS, like other disciplines, is concerned with the integration of academic knowledge and achievement in a contextual approach. The FACS National Standards allows for both competencies and processes to relate to standards in a deliberate effort to link the two philosophies.
The FACS National Standards components include Areas of Study, Comprehensive Standards, Content Standards, Competencies, and Process Questions, which are described on the Standards & Competencies portion of this website.