High school adopts new ag education standards

This school year, Hutchinson High School will be one of five schools in Minnesota and 50 in the U.S. introducing a pilot agricultural education program.

The program, a project of the National Council for Agricultural Education, introduces National Quality Program Standards with the goal of consistently delivering high-quality agricultural education programs nationwide.

The standards include such “best practices” as:
• supervised experiential, or hands-on learning,
• offering leadership development activities,
• using multiple methods to assess student academic achievement and skill development and,
• employing competent and technically certified agriculture teachers to provide the core of the educational program.

The standards, devised with the approval of groups including the National FFA board of directors, are not entirely different from what Hutchinson High School has done before, according to AgriScience Educator Lavyne Rada.

Rada, who teaches courses ranging from veterinary science to metals and small engines, said the standards will give schools across the nation a consistent set of guidelines.

However, because agriculture in places like Minnesota is different from agriculture in the Sun Belt states or Pacific Northwest, the standards allow individual districts leeway in devising their own curriculum. “They don’t want to lock us in too much,” she said.

Rada said she and the other five pilot schools will start putting the standards into action this year. Starting in January, and for the following three years, pilot schools will share their knowledge and experience in applying the standards with other schools across Minnesota.

She added, “We’re trying to be a forefront leader in making AgriScience education more consistent across the U.S.”

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)