This five-section handbook contains provisions of the education law, commissioner's regulations, and related state education department policies and guidelines that form the legal basis of occupational education programs in New York. Section 1 of the handbook provides a brief description of why a restructuring of the occupational education program is necessary and how the new curriculum was developed. Section 2 describes the occupational education program, states diploma requirements, and discusses state-developed tests, program evaluation and planning, and state-approved programs. Section 3 lists the various state sequences of occupational education by instructional program area, together with course descriptions and prerequisite study, and discusses the required Introduction to Occupations course. Section 4 deals with a variety of other aspects of the occupational education program, including student leadership, adult/continuing education, handicapped/special education students, the use of locally developed sequences instead of state sequences, and the process for obtaining state approval for such substitutions. Section 5 contains recommendations for implementing the new curriculum, describes personnel certification requirements, and provides information on facilities and equipment, assessment reports, and advisory committees. Appendixes contain the following items: a chart of state education department units and their responsibilities; the full text of the Futuring Process statement of the purposes of occupational education; a list of Introduction to Occupations modules; a summary of criteria for occupational education for general education credit; a list of critria for state-approved programs; and a sample Sequence Approval Form. (KC)