La. Admin. Code tit. 28 § LXV-101

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section LXV-101 - Introduction

A. The Educational Framework for Louisiana's Agriscience/Agribusiness/FFA Program is an effort to restructure this program for the 21st century. This framework is based on the conviction that all students deserve and must have more productive and fulfilling lives through the application of agricultural, scientific, mathematical, language arts, FFA leadership activities, knowledge, ideas and processes. This conviction is a vision of great hope and optimism for the future of our graduates, one that can act as a powerful unifying force.

B. Setting goals and developing state standards to meet them are key strategies in the agriscience/agribusiness/FFA program. Support for educational frameworks in Louisiana originated in the 1980s when the National Governors Association sanctioned national education goals. Other events of key importance that laid the groundwork for these standards include:

1. A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform (1983)¹ ;

2. Understanding Agriculture: New Directions for Education (1988)² ;

3. Agricultural Education for the Year 2020 (1996-98)³ ;

4. several projects that developed innovative agriscience curricula during the past decade;

5. ongoing legislation and restructuring projects, such as the Southern Region Education Board's High Schools that Work Project and the School to Career legislation, mandate that curricular change in vocational, science, mathematics and other educational areas must occur.

C. These events have led to a strong conviction on the part of the agriscience/agribusiness/FFA community that continued reevaluation of the program and appropriate changes based on this reevaluation are required. A critical aspect of this reevaluation includes an assessment of the extent to which the agriscience/agribusiness instructional program and FFA career development events have implemented the changes called for in national educational reform efforts as shown in Table 1.

1. Table 1. Changes Called for by National Education Reform Efforts

Less Emphasis On	More Emphasis On
Learning about agriculture by lecture and reading	Learning agriculture and science through investigation and inquiry including laboratory and site-based learning
Separation of agricultural and science disciplines	Integration of agriculture and science disciplines
Separation of theory and practice	Integration of theory and practice
Individual learning	Collaborative learning
Fragmented, one-shot planning	Long-term, objectives-based planning
Teacher as expert	Teacher as intellectual, reflective facilitator of learning
Teacher as consumer of knowledge about teaching	Teacher as producer of knowledge about teaching
Teacher as follower in curriculum development	Teacher as primary curriculum developer
Teacher as an individual based in an agriscience program	Teacher as a member of a collaborative, professional education community
Teacher as target of change	Teacher as source and facilitator of change
Content/skills and learning are the responsibility of the teacher	Content/skills and learning are the collaborative responsibility of the teacher and students

D. Agriscience/Agribusiness/FFA educators have traditionally been strong proponents of the approach described in the right column. This project has allowed these educators to reevaluate how well they have implemented these concepts and to identify those course adjustments that are needed.

E. Regardless of our occupation, agricultural production, processing, and distribution are critical to the very existence of the American standard of living as we know it. All Americans should be equipped with a basic understanding of the American and global agricultural systems. This foundation is critical as they become involved in citizenship responsibilities such as voting and policy development, especially in a time of expanding environmental and biotechnological concerns.

F. Approximately 20 percent of all graduates will pursue careers in agriculturally related occupations and two percent of high school graduates will be directly involved in the production of agricultural products. For these students, it is imperative that they study in a high school curriculum that makes them aware of and prepares them for careers in these agricultural occupations. High school agriscience education curricula must equip students with fundamental and advanced agricultural knowledge and skills, including technology, leadership, and career development.

¹ Published by the National Commission on Excellence in Education

² Published by the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Board on Agriculture

³ Project currently underway

La. Admin. Code tit. 28, § LXV-101

Promulgated by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, LR 29:2639 (December 2003).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S.17:6(A)(10) and R.S. 17:10.