The primary difference between Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) standards and Career Technical Education (CTE) standards is that the latter focuses more so on preparing students for college programs and careers within the VAPA domains (i.e., arts and music).

Artsugi curriculum is aligned with both the National Core Arts Standards (NCAS) for VAPA and the Common Career Technical Core (CCTC) standards for CTE(*). We accomplish this by first working with art and music teachers to plan the outlines of our curriculum in alignment with the NCAS standards. Then we work with industry artists and CTE instructors to revise the curriculum outlines to incorporate better career prepratory instruction in alignment with the CCTC standards. The resuting online arts and music courses align with both VAPA and CTE standards.

This means that teachers and schools can use Artsugi curriculum to start or support an ongoing CTE program for their students. Alternatively, if a school or teacher is disinterested in using Artsugi curriculum for CTE, then all our courses can instead be issued for VAPA or Elective credit.

*All Artsugi online courses align with both NCAS standards (for VAPA) and CCTC standards (for CTE) unless explicitly stated. Please review the documention on each course to make sure it fulfills the standards alignment required by your state.

It is important to note that while 42 states have adopted (i.e., recognize) the Common Career Technical Core (CCTC) standards, many of these states may still have variations of these standards to reflect variations in their "career clusters/sectors" or career pathways. For example, California recognizes 15 different CTE sectors, including offering a whole sector dedicated to Fashion & Interior Design and a pathway dedicated to the Culinary Arts (or "food service"). 

CCTC Standards State Variations - Example: California (Sectors)

• Arts, Media, & Entertainment (incl. Visual Arts, Performing Arts, & Music)
• Fashion & Interior Design
• Engineering & Architecture
  Manufacturing & Product Development (incl. Printmaking, Product Design, and Metalwork)
• Information & Communication Technologies (incl. Web Design & Game Design)
• Hospitality, Tourism, & Recreation (incl. Culinary Arts)
• Agriculture & Natural Resources (incl. Ornamental Gardening)
• Building & Construction (incl. Woodworking)
• Education, Child Development, & Family Services (incl. Art Education)
• Business & Finance (incl. Freelancing/Entrepreneurism)
• Marketing, Sales, & Services (incl. Freelancing/Entrepreneurism)

As you can imagine, there are numerous ways to combine these domains of study and their associated CTE standards with the Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools.

Artsugi is currently working on building an archive of VAPA x CTE standards matrixes for our courses for the various states. Please bare with us, as this is a timeconsuming process. However, if a VAPA-CTE standards matrix is something you need in order to issue a specific course within your specific state (and it is not currently available in our archive), please let us know via the contact form below and we will be happy to develop the necessary documentation for you.

*For more information, you can visit the California Department of Education's website on CTE, Visual Arts, and Music programs, or you can also visit the Advance CTE website on California.

All Artsugi online art and music courses are aligned with both the National Core Arts Standards (NCAS) and the Common Career Technical Core (CCTC) Standards for CTE (Career Technical Education). Please check the list of state adoptions for the CCTC and NCAS standards to see if your state has adopted (or recognizes) either of these sets of instructional standards.

If your state has not adopted either of these sets of standards, and you need the standards to be aligned with the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) or CTE Standards for your state, please feel free to contact us and we will work with you to get them aligned appropriately.