1. (a) Implementation.

   1. (1) The provisions of this section shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
   2. (2) School districts shall implement the employability skills student expectations listed in §127.15(d)(1) of this chapter (relating to Career and Technical Education Employability Skills) as an integral part of this course.
2. (b) General requirements. This course is recommended for students in Grades 10-12. Prerequisite: Algebra I. Recommended prerequisites: Geometry and Introduction to Computer-Aided Design and Drafting. Students shall be awarded two credits for successful completion of this course.

3. (c) Introduction.

   1. (1) Career and technical education instruction provides content aligned with challenging academic standards, industry-relevant technical knowledge, and college and career readiness skills for students to further their education and succeed in current and emerging professions.
   2. (2) The Engineering Career Cluster focuses on planning, designing, testing, building, and maintaining machines, structures, materials, systems, and processes using empirical evidence and science, technology, and math principles. This career cluster includes occupations ranging from mechanical engineer and drafter to electrical engineer and mapping technician.
   3. (3) Students enrolled in Surveying and Geomatics are introduced to the principles and practices essential to the field of surveying. Throughout this course students investigate different tools, applications, and techniques used to capture and process geospatial data. They also use functional mathematics crucial to the profession. Additionally, the course emphasizes the importance of visual representations of data in multiple mediums, ethical considerations, and the legal or regulatory impact of surveying on the community and society.
   4. (4) Students are encouraged to participate in extended learning experiences such as career and technical student organizations and other organizations that foster leadership and career development in the profession such as student chapters of related professional associations.
   5. (5) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

4. (d) Knowledge and skills.

   1. (1) The student understands that there are different stages of the engineering design process and the importance of working through each stage as part of an iterative process. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) explain the importance of defining an engineering problem as an initial step in the engineering design process;
      2. (B) describe the research stage of the engineering design process;
      3. (C) define ideation and conceptualization and discuss the role these processes play in innovation and problem solving;
      4. (D) explain the processes of selecting an idea or concept for detailed prototype design, development, and testing;
      5. (E) describe the purpose of non-technical drawings, technical drawings, models, and prototypes in designing a solution to an engineering problem;
      6. (F) describe the process of relevant experimental design, conducting tests, collecting data, and analyzing data to evaluate potential solutions;
      7. (G) explain how the engineering design process is iterative and the role reflection plays in developing an optimized engineering solution; and
      8. (H) describe the purpose of effective communication of the engineering solution as obtained through the engineering design process to various audiences.

   2. (2) The student explores and develops skills to solve problems, make decisions, and manage a project. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) discuss strategies for managing time, setting deadlines, and prioritizing to accomplish goals;
      2. (B) identify constraints and describe the importance of planning around constraints, including budgets, resources, and materials;
      3. (C) define milestones and deliverables and explain the advantages of dividing a large project into smaller milestones and deliverables;
      4. (D) identify different types of communication and explain how different types of communication lead to successful teamwork on a shared project in a professional setting; and
      5. (E) identify strategies to solve problems and describe how problem solving is utilized to accomplish personal and team objectives.

   3. (3) The student understands the foundations of occupational safety and health. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) explain and discuss the responsibilities of workers and employers to promote safety and health in the workplace and the rights of workers to a secure workplace;
      2. (B) explain and discuss the importance of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and OSHA requirements for organizations, how OSHA inspections are conducted, and the role of national and state regulatory entities;
      3. (C) explain the role industrial hygiene plays in occupational safety and explain various types of industrial hygiene hazards, including physical, chemical, biological, and ergonomic;
      4. (D) identify and explain the appropriate use of types of personal protective equipment used in industry;
      5. (E) discuss the importance of safe walking and working surfaces in the workplace and best practices for preventing or reducing slips, trips, and falls in the workplace;
      6. (F) describe types of electrical hazards in the workplace and the risks associated with these hazards and describe control methods to prevent electrical hazards in the workplace;
      7. (G) analyze the hazards of handling, storing, using, and transporting hazardous materials and identify and discuss ways to reduce exposure to hazardous materials in the workplace;
      8. (H) identify workplace health and safety resources, including emergency plans and Safety Data Sheets, and discuss how these resources are used to make decisions in the workplace;
      9. (I) describe the elements of a safety and health program, including management leadership, worker participation, and education and training;
      10. (J) explain the purpose and importance of written emergency action plans and fire protection plans and describe key components of each such as evacuation plans and emergency exit routes, list of fire hazards, and identification of emergency personnel;
      11. (K) explain the components of a hazard communication program; and
      12. (L) explain and give examples of safety and health training requirements specified by standard setting organizations.

   4. (4) The student examines the functional mathematics of surveying. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) calculate central tendencies of a given data set, including mean, median, and mode;
      2. (B) calculate standard deviation of a given data set;
      3. (C) identify parts of a normal distribution curve;
      4. (D) define the Empirical Rule and analyze the distribution of a data set using the Empirical Rule;
      5. (E) define systematic and random error;
      6. (F) identify and describe the relationship between accuracy and precision;
      7. (G) identify the types and properties of various polygons;
      8. (H) solve for the parts of a triangle, including Pythagorean theorem, sine, cosine, tangent, arcsine, arccosine, and arctangent;
      9. (I) identify the properties of circles;
      10. (J) solve for the parts of a unit circle, including diameter, radius, circumference, area, chord, arclength, delta, and tangent;
      11. (K) identify and solve for linear functions, including standard form, slope-intercept form, point-slope form, and the distance between two points, on a Cartesian Coordinate System; and
      12. (L) identify and solve for volumetric calculations of three-dimensional shapes, including a cylinder, sphere, rectangular prisms, trapezoidal prisms, and triangular prisms.

   5. (5) The student researches and understands global positioning systems (GPS) used in surveying. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) identify and explain data terminology related to GPS such as latitude, longitude, datum, ellipsoid, geoid, orthometric height, World Geodetic System 1984, Earth Centered Earth Fixed (ECEF), 3D coordinate geometry, and state plane coordinate system;
      2. (B) explain the different types and applications of GPS surveying, including static, differential, and real-time kinematic (RTK);
      3. (C) tie down a point and derive a geographic latitude and longitude coordinate using GPS;
      4. (D) identify and explain GPS components, including the space segment, control segment, and the user segment;
      5. (E) describe the functions of a GPS satellite;
      6. (F) describe the functions of GPS ground stations;
      7. (G) describe the functions of GPS receivers; and
      8. (H) generate a map using geodetic coordinates.

   6. (6) The student researches and understands the industry standard methods and means of collecting various topographical data used in the civil engineering and construction professions. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) research and explain the components of optomechanical equipment, including vertical and horizontal plates and optics;
      2. (B) explain the types of optomechanical equipment, including theodolite, level, and total station, and their application;
      3. (C) explain methods of remote sensing, including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), light detection and ranging (LiDAR), sonar, ground penetrating radar, underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV), photogrammetry, and gravity satellite;
      4. (D) identify the tools used to make distance measurements, including steel tape, electric distance meter, pacing, odometer, stadia, and estimating;
      5. (E) explain the various methods to measure the distance between two points on the surface of the Earth;
      6. (F) measure the distance between two points on the surface of the Earth using different methods and tools;
      7. (G) compare the data collected from different methods used to measure the distance between two points on the surface of the Earth for accuracy;
      8. (H) identify the tools used to make angular measurements, including protractor, compass, theodolite, total station, and estimating;
      9. (I) explain the various methods to measure the angle between two vectors;
      10. (J) measure the angle between two vectors using different methods and tools;
      11. (K) compare the data collected from different methods used to measure the angles between two vectors for accuracy;
      12. (L) describe the use of control points and National Geodetic Survey (NGS) monuments;
      13. (M) identify the tools used to measure elevation, including level, theodolite, total station, barometer, and estimating;
      14. (N) measure and calculate the height of an object using a theodolite;
      15. (O) establish the elevation of a point assuming the elevation of a relative point is zero using various methods and tools;
      16. (P) compare the data collected from different methods used to measure elevation between two points for accuracy;
      17. (Q) identify and adhere to regulations of UAV piloting and control specified by the Federal Aviation Administration Small UAS Rule (Part A107); and
      18. (R) explain the purposes of specialized surveys used in engineering, including engineering topographic, control, construction, boundary, hydrographic, optical tooling, American Land Title Association (ALTA), photogrammetric, and as-built survey.

   7. (7) The student records meta-data associated with surveying measurements and data collection. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) create and maintain field notes within a comprehensive field book that includes a cover page and field data;
      2. (B) describe the necessary components of a field book cover page, including weather data, project site data, personnel data, equipment data, and type of survey conducted; and
      3. (C) record surveying information in a field book, including differential level notes, collected horizontal and vertical angles, site sketches, and topographic data.

   8. (8) The student researches and understands the industry standard methods and means of analyzing various topographical data used in the civil engineering and construction professions. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) explain the process to generate a control survey;
      2. (B) identify and explain symbols found on survey drawings; and
      3. (C) identify and describe software used to create drawings and analyze survey data.

   9. (9) The student develops and communicates visual representations of topographical data used in civil engineering and construction documentation and presentations. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) explain the process of drafting a construction document to scale;
      2. (B) determine and demonstrate which scale best fits a standard size drawing sheet;
      3. (C) explain the relationship between a construction document's specifications, plans, legend, and scale;
      4. (D) explain the difference between grid and surface distances;
      5. (E) identify the local scale factor that transforms collected grid distances to surface distances for a given survey;
      6. (F) generate a scaled topography map using collected field data;
      7. (G) create a surface profile from a baseline drawn on a topographic map; and
      8. (H) stake out points from design files, maps, or real-property descriptions.

   10. (10) The student explores how a practicing surveyor follows in the footsteps of the original surveyor. The student is expected to:

       1. (A) explain why and how surveyors defer to the work of existing surveys;
       2. (B) define boundary monumentation;
       3. (C) research and explain natural and artificial monuments;
       4. (D) explain the methods to adjust real-property boundaries for the change in natural monuments over time, including riparian and littoral boundaries;
       5. (E) interpret a legal description of a real property;
       6. (F) identify an original survey boundary by conducting land record research using the Texas General Land Office (GLO);
       7. (G) explain the historical significance of land grants in Texas;
       8. (H) explain how a boundary survey protects the public;
       9. (I) create a property boundary drawing using collected field data; and
       10. (J) explain the dignity of calls, including natural objects, artificial objects, courses, distances, and acreage, as specified in Texas Administrative Code, Title 31, Part 1, Chapter 7, §7.5 (relating to Dignity of Calls).

   11. (11) The student understands the different methods of measurements and associated errors. The student expected to:

       1. (A) define the different units of linear measurement, including U.S. feet, international feet, chains, rod, mile, fathom, furlong, varas, and metric units, commonly used in the surveying and civil engineering industry;
       2. (B) define the different units of angular measurement, including vertical angles, horizontal angles, bearings, azimuths, degrees-minutes-seconds, decimal degrees, seconds of arc, and gradians;
       3. (C) define the different units of volumetric measurement, including cubic feet, cubic yards, tons, and acre-feet;
       4. (D) calculate and define area measurements such as acre, hectare, square feet, square mile, league, or sitio;
       5. (E) convert linear, angular, and area measurements between different units;
       6. (F) determine a change in elevation between two or more points by performing a differential level loop;
       7. (G) measure the distance between two or more points using industry acceptable methods such as taping, electronic distance meter, total station, pacing, odometer, tacheometry, GPS, and stadia;
       8. (H) compare the errors from two or more methods of calculating the distance between two or more points; and
       9. (I) calculates various types of errors associated with survey data.

   12. (12) The student researches and understands surveying and geomatics throughout history. The student is expected to:

       1. (A) explain how Eratosthenes first derived the circumference of the Earth;
       2. (B) research and describe the change in methods and precision used to calculate the circumference of the Earth; and
       3. (C) describe the surveying that contributed to great works of civil engineering before and after the Age of Exploration.

   13. (13) The student researches and understands the code of ethics pertaining to civil engineering and surveyors. The student is expected to:

       1. (A) research and identify the legal definitions and descriptions surveyors use to delineate and report survey data; and
       2. (B) research and identify engineering ethics established by the Texas Engineering Practice Act and rules concerning the practice of engineering and surveying.

Source Note:The provisions of this §127.419 adopted to be effective August 1, 2025, 50 TexReg 4876.