Agricultural Education Program Overview Agricultural Structural Systems & Agricultural Fabrication and Emerging Technologies Virginia Department of Education August 13-27,

Dear Business Technical Panel Participant: Thank you for your service to Agricultural Education in Virginia. Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum is revised approximately every three to five years—more if technology dictates. Once the business technical panel makes recommendations, a teacher panel assists in putting the recommendations into final format and in completing all aspects of the curriculum framework. As you follow the directions that will be provided by a writer-editor from the CTE Resource Center, please keep in mind our goals of rigor and relevance for the curriculum revision. We want to be sure we are providing instructional opportunities for the latest and future procedures, technology, and careers. The following PowerPoint slides will help you understand today’s CTE and future directions for Agricultural Education in Virginia. Please let me know if there are any questions that I can answer as you work through the revision process. Again, thank you for your time and service. Best wishes, Carly Woolfolk Specialist, Agricultural Education and Related Clusters Curriculum Review Process --A Letter to the Participant 2

 Curriculum Review Team Process  Business Technical Panel  Teacher Team follows recommendations of business technical panel  Curriculum Review Leaders  Carly Woolfolk, Specialist, Agricultural Education and Related Clusters  Taylor Mooney, Writer-Editor, CTE Resource Center Curriculum Review Process 3

Objective Develop current and futuristic, relevant, and rigorous curriculum competencies that will prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for today’s global workforce. Curriculum Review Process 4

Guiding Questions  Does the curriculum have the rigor needed for related career requirements?  Does the curriculum provide the instructional and work-based learning experiences to prepare students for credentialing and continuing education?  What experiences or applications may be provided to cultivate workplace readiness skills and employability ? Curriculum Review Process 5

Agricultural Education includes programs of study designed to prepare students for careers in horticulture, agricultural business, natural resources management, agricultural machinery and production agriculture. The preparation for these careers fall into seven (7) pathways in the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources career cluster. Agricultural Education in Virginia 6

 Agricultural Education emphasizes the development of skills in all aspects of agricultural businesses and industries, including planning, management, safety, finances and leadership.  Through participation in the FFA student organization, students have opportunities to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom. Agricultural Education in Virginia 7

The Agriculture Miracle From :  Land used fell from 54% to 51%of U.S. land area,  Farming used % less labor.  Production continued to grow

Changing Science and Technology  Agriculture relies more on technology as a source of growth than other sectors of the economy  Technology-led growth accounted for 13% of growth in industrial output, it accounted for 117% of growth in agricultural output.

THENNOW 10 Vocational EducationCareer Technical Education For a Few StudentsFor All Students For a Few “Jobs”For All “Careers” 6 to 7 “Program Areas” 16 Career Clusters – 79 Career Pathways In lieu of AcademicsAligns/Supports Academics Limited ArticulationPortable, transferrable credit Secondary vs. Post SecondarySecondary w/ Postsecondary

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What are Career Clusters? Career Clusters are groupings of occupations and industries that are used for:  Organizing curriculum design and  Career counseling and guidance

 Organize academic and technical knowledge and skills into a coherent sequence  Identify pathways from secondary to postsecondary education What Do Career Clusters Do? 14

Knowledge & Skills The foundational principle of career clusters/ pathways is that a set of knowledge and skills are shared with other occupations in a pathway and other pathways in a cluster:  Cluster Level – academic and technical skills and knowledge for all pathways within a cluster  Pathway Level – academic and technical skills and knowledge within each pathway  Career Specialties - full range of career opportunities within each pathway The cluster level knowledge and skills are correlated with Workplace Readiness Skills for the Commonwealth. 15

 Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources  Architecture & Construction  Arts, A/V Technology & Communications  Business Management & Administration  Education & Training  Finance  Government & Public Administration  Health Science Career Clusters ndex.shtml ndex.shtml ndex.shtml 16

 Hospitality & Tourism  Human Services  Information Technology  Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security  Manufacturing  Marketing  Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM)  Transportation, Distribution & Logistics Career Clusters ndex.shtml ndex.shtml ndex.shtml 17

The production, processing, marketing, distribution, financing, and development of agricultural commodities and resources including food, fiber, wood products, natural resources, horticulture, and other plant and animal products/resources. 18

Pathways:  Food Products & Processing Systems  Plant Systems  Animal Systems  Power, Structural & Technical Systems  Natural Resources Systems  Environmental Service Systems  Agribusiness Systems 19

Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Cluster Knowledge and Skills Grade Animal Systems Specific Skill Preparation May Continue Adult Education Entry and Exit Points Courtesy of Benson Consulting – July 2007 Plant Systems Natural Resources Systems Power, Structural & Technical Systems Agribusiness Systems Environmental Service Systems Food Products & Processing Systems

Career Cluster Programs/Plans of Study  The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 requires career cluster/pathway programs of study to expand connections between secondary and postsecondary education through the development and implementation of “programs of study.” 21

22 Career Cluster Programs/ Plans of Study, (Con’t.)  According to the Act, programs of study must:  Incorporate secondary education and post- secondary education elements;  Include academic and career and technical content in a coordinated, non-duplicative progression of courses;  Lead to an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the postsecondary level, or an associate or bachelor’s degree; and  Include the opportunity for secondary education students to participate in dual or concurrent enrollment programs or other ways to acquire postsecondary education credits.

Career Clusters in Virginia  All CTE courses are aligned with one or more career clusters and career pathways within those clusters based on the skills sets taught in the class.  Virginia’s Educational Resource System Online (VERSO) is organized by Career Clusters and Pathways. Career cluster and pathway alignments are listed in the Administrative Planning Guide, the Career Planning Guide, and Career and Technical Education Reporting System (CTERS) User’s Manual

Career Planning Research shows that students who put a career plan in place during their high school years are 47 percent more likely to complete postsecondary education. REMEMBER: We are helping students plan FOR LIFE, not just for high school graduation! 24

Questions and Answers Carly Woolfolk Specialist, Agricultural Education and Related Clusters Office of Career and Technical Education Virginia Department of Education Office of Career and Technical Education P. O. Box 2120 Richmond, Virginia General Questions Regarding Career and Technical Education should be sent to: CTE Web site: CTE Resource Center Web site: Note: The National Association of State Directors for Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) provided slides and input to this presentation 25