CTAE newsletter [Nov. 2007]

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CTAE NEWSLETTER
November 2007
From James Woodard Director, Career, Technical & Agricultural Education
From the desk of James Woodard I hope this newsletter finds you preparing for and/or recovering from a few days off for Thanksgiving. This a great time to reflect on all the many areas of our lives for which we can give thanks. I want to say a special "Thank You" to all of the professionals in the CTAE family. Much work and dedication takes place at the local level to implement the policies and direction at the state level. You are crucial to that effort and I very much appreciate your commitment, loyalty and passion you demonstrate on a daily basis with the students who enter your classroom.
I hope you will find this newsletter full of information. Please forward it out to your teachers and/or other relevant staff members. I know that it is long, I hope you will take the time to read those sections most appropriate to your duties and forward other sections to teachers in your area. More information is better than no information.
I have begun interviewing candidates for the Program Delivery Team Manager position (Danny Fleming's former position). I hope to make a recommendation by the end of the month. I have many qualified candidates and look forward to having someone on board very soon. Please take notice of the following two position vacancies. Please forward to your teachers for consideration.
HealthCare Science Position http://gadoe.org/pea_hr_jobsearch.aspx?jobid=537 Central Region Coordinator Position http://www.gadoe.org/pea_hr_jobsearch.aspx?jobid=502
"ALF" Conference We are planning a Winter CTAE Leadership Conference and Perkins IV Stragtegic Planning Conference for February 10-12-2008, Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, GA. The purpose of this Conference is to connect ACCOUNTABILITY, school and system level LEADERSHIP and FUNDING (ALF) for the purpose of Program Improvement and increased student achievement. This ALF Conference will be one of many efforts to help build leadership capacity at the local level for the purpose of connecting Accountability, Leadership and Funding (ALF) to student achievement as it relates to both Perkins IV and No Child Left Behind. The goal is to prepare CTAE Leaders for the positive changes anticipated from the Perkins IV legislation and to help CTAE Leaders meet the expectations for the successful implementation of the intentions of the law. The ALF Conference will focus on four strands: (1) A Culture of Inclusiveness, (2) Curriculum/Standards, (3) Pathways/Transitions and (4) School Improvement. Extensive time will also be given to strategic planning for Perkins IV implementation including the State and Local Five Year Plans
Registration will be open from November 28, 2007 until January 10, 2008. Please register early. Go to www.CTAERN.org and register for workshop CTAE 8015.
CTAE Resource Network System All Local System Contacts and School Contacts should check their system and school information on the CTAE Resource Network Local Profile and verify that all program and staff member information is up-to-date and accurate by December 10, 2007.

Page |2 In order for GaDOE Program Specialists to communicate important information to school-level staff members, including teachers, the correct profile information must be on the CTAE Resource Network database. It is absolutely essential that the CTAE directors verify that all information concerning your local system is correct by logging onto the CTAE Resource Network at www.ctaern.org. For questions regarding your CTAE Resource Network login password, call the CTAE Hotline Number at 866-454-2823 or email hotline@ctaern.org.
Phase II Course Listings and Descriptions The attached file contains the DRAFT CTAE Phase II course numbering information. Please note that all new course numbers are pending state board of education approval in January 2008.
CTAE Phase II course numbering Pending SBOE.doc
Stars of Education Awards Attached please find the nomination form and the selection criteria for the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) Stars of Education Awards. It is very important that Georgia be a part of this awards process. It is a great opportunity to recognize individuals for distinguished service and dedicated support of career, technical and agricultural education. If you know of someone who you would like to nominate, please have the information back to me no later than December 14, 2007.
Stars of Education Criteria.doc From the Program Delivery Team, James Woodard, Interim Manager
Architecture, Construction and Transportation - Sonny Cannon Sonny Reeves, the Automotive Service Technology at Hutchings Career Center in Macon, was named teacher of the year for Bibb County. Sonny's program is NATEF Certified, and an Automotive Youth Education System (AYES) Secondary Program. Click on the links below for the full story: http://www.bibb.k12.ga.us/toty07.pdf http://www.autoteacher.com-a.googlepages.com/
Fourteen Automotive Service Technology (AST) instructors attended a class by Melior on November 1. The workshop was held at Central Education Center in Newnan. The class was an on-line Automotive Curriculum available free to all high school AST instructors and students in Georgia. The following topics were covered during the workshop: Melior's on-line AST curriculum Registering and enrolling students Reports and printing NATEF EOP credits DOL grant
SkillsUSA National Trainer, Marsha Daves, led 53 classroom instructors through the Chapter Management Institute (CMI) training on Monday, November 5 at the Atlanta Airport Marriott. CMI provides instructors with the tools they need to develop, manage, and advise a SkillsUSA Chapter in their school or classroom. Participants explored the mission of SkillsUSA; learned to use the multitude of resources available and engaged in hands-on activities. The training utilized interactive sessions and provided answers to questions such as: How do I get students involved? What is the best way to organize our activities? What does a chapter set out to do? What is a Program of Work? What materials are available to help students? This is essential training for beginning advisors wanting to start a chapter or those that desire to better manage an existing chapter. The next CMI training will be held on Friday, January 25, at the CEC in Newnan, Georgia. Complete details and registration can be found on the CTAE Resource Network at http://ctaern.org. Training is limited to the 24 participants, so please don't delay in registering for this beneficial training.

Page |3 2007 SkillsUSA Georgia Fall Leadership Conference The SkillsUSA Fall Leadership Conference was held October 5-6 at the Jekyll Island Convention Center on Jekyll Island, Georgia. Over 1,000 students and advisors from 100 chapters across the state joined together to enjoy a weekend full of leadership and team building opportunities. During the Opening General Session, Brunswick High School ROTC presented the colors and Skip Brown along with Kelly Glass sang the National Anthem. Mr. Leon Quan presented the keynote address and encouraged SkillsUSA members to strive for their best in all of their pursuits. Saturday morning, members attended leadership sessions and then enjoyed lunch and a swim at Summer Waves Park. During the afternoon, participants learned how to develop a program of work and implement steps to a successful chapter!
SkillsUSA members took the Statesman Award test during the weekend. The Statesman Award is a test of member's knowledge of SkillsUSA facts and information. Forty-two members earned their Statesman Award by scoring a perfect mark of 100% on the test. Overall, 184 members received their Statesman Award lapel pin! For complete Fall Leadership Conference coverage, please visit our website at www.skillsusageorgia.org.

Business and Computer Science - Sarah Heath During the past two months, Sarah Heath and Monty Rhodes have been traveling around the state conducting Regional Meetings in order to bring updates and professional development to all the Business and Computer Science (BCS) teachers throughout Georgia. Many project ideas have been shared at these sessions so that teachers can feel like they are walking away with something exciting and new to infuse into their classes.

At the Regional Drive Ins, an instructional CD was given out to every school in attendance with instructional support materials for the new first courses in our two new pathways: Business Essentials and Computing in the Modern World. On the CD, there is an instructional calendar, project folders for each area or unit of the course, suggested materials for on-line learning, and lesson plans as well as FBLA integration information. The CD was created in hopes of assisting teachers with the implementation of these courses in their classroom.

All together, 818 Business Education Instructors attended the Regional Drive In meetings, which is almost half of the teachers registered through the CTAE Resource Network. As we roll out the new GPS, it is vital for all teachers in BCS to have an understanding of where our program is heading. For the other courses in the pathway, we will have conducting informative workshops at Field of Dreams July 15-18, 2008, at Houston County Career Center in Warner Robbins. Phase II training for the next roll out of GPS course will take place on February 5th for Accounting, February 12th for Financial Services, and February 19th for Interactive Media - more information on the ETTC centers that will be available and the time will be coming soon. It is our hope to create a CD to support the implementation of these courses as well by the GACTE Conference in July.

The Southern Business Education Association had their annual conference October 24-29, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Many Georgia teachers attended and received valuable project samples, networked with teachers around the South, and learned skills from the "Bring your own laptop" sessions. Next year's conference will be in Louisville, Kentucky. NBEA - our National Association - will hold their annual conference in San Antonio, Texas March 1822, 2008. Teachers who want to attend are encouraged to go to the NBEA website at http://nbea.org/ and apply for scholarships and award stipends.

Georgia FBLA will hold their Fall Leadership Conference at the end of November. We currently have 2,200 students and teachers registered for the conference and we are looking forward to offering wonderful development sessions. We will be conducting teacher roundtables for sharing of ways to integrate FBLA into the Business Education classroom. Sarah Heath will be making sample projects to assist teachers in incorporating FBLA into projects and standards in Business Education. Please visit the FBLA intranet for more information on FLC and for new updates on competition changes, official dress, and RLC deadlines.

Important dates to make note of:



NBEA Annual Conference in Texas on March 18-22, 2008



FBLA Fall Leadership Conference in November 29 - December 1, 2007

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CTSO Information - Scott Carey The Winter CTSO State Officer Leadership Summit will be held on December 7-9. The summit will be held at the state FFA/FCCLA Center in Covington. Students will be required to register and check in on December 7, at 1:00 p.m. Our first training session will begin at 2:00 p.m. The summit will end on Sunday, December 9, at Noon.
The summit will be a continuation of training that began in our June session, focusing on many leadership areas. Some of the major areas will be public speaking, team building skills, and legislative topics. Mr. Bryan Fiese of Motivated Performance will provide training in the sessions.
CTSO Foundation Training CTSO Directors, Program Specialists and Board Members converged on Monday, October 29 at the FFA Camp in Covington, Georgia for a day of Foundation Training. SkillsUSA Director of Business and Industry Partnerships, Eric Gearhart lead the group through a session that explored the purposes of creating a foundation, steps to incorporating a foundation, duties of the board and ways to engage business and industry in our CTSO activities. Mary Evelyn Conger, Director of the Georgia FFA Foundation shared the success that her organization has enjoyed with the assistance and support from business and industry. The information gained during the day was invaluable as each of the CTSOs will be creating their foundations during the upcoming year.
Intervention Programs - Virginia Turner The 2007 Career and Technical Instruction (CTI) Fall Leadership Conference took place on Thursday and Friday, November 8-9, at the Atlanta Airport Marriott, and what a memorable occasion it was! There were 177 schools represented with more than 700 attendees. The conference began with 300 students competing in five categories (Current Events, Language Arts, Math, Spelling and Social Studies) of the Academic Quiz Bowl. First through third place winners in each event were awarded at the close of the General Session.
The attendees were entertained and enthused before the dinner meal by Tri-Star Choral Group from Tri-Cities High led under the direction of Lori Christian. The session was facilitated by the CTI State Officers and the crowd was motivated by the keynote speaker, Millicent St. Claire. The crowd also had the opportunity to hear from several CTI supporters; Mr. Dexter Brown from Bank of America serving on the Board of Directors who encouraged the students to strive for their best and Mr. Scott Carey, State CTSO Coordinator, brought greetings from the GaDOE.
On Friday morning the students had an opportunity to attend leadership sessions. The sessions presented this year were "Simply Ridiculous" by Millicent St. Claire, "Young People, Where Are You Going" presented by Kevin Jones, Callaway High Principal, "Planning for Your Career" presented by La'Kesha Wilkerson of the Atlanta Spirit, and "Welcome to the Real World" presented by Mary Beth Francine of Center for Racial Understanding of Bibb County.
Many schools took full advantage of being in the Atlanta area and visited the CNN Center, World of Coke, the Capitol and even the Varsity. CTI is off and running with a new name and with the aid of coordinators, speakers and the state officer team members are "Turning Vision into Reality".
Georgia Career Student Association (GCSA) The GCSA Fall Officer Training Conference was held at the Atlanta Airport Marriott on October 19 & 20. The state officers opened the program by leading the members in the reciting of the motto and creed, they then informed the members of the goals for the upcoming year and gave direction for every local officer to take these goals back to their members. The crowd was motivated by keynote speaker Mr. Jevon Thompson and later wowed by the Battle of Chapters competition. The Battle of the Chapters is a competitive event between chapters which

Page |5 highlights their knowledge of GCSA By-laws, the handbook, competitive events and current events. It was a tough group of teams but for the second year in a row Jenkins County High outlasted the other teams to take back first place and a cash prize of $200. On Saturday morning the student members attended leadership sessions entitled, "Dress for Success", "Who Stole My Power Seminar", and "Do You Have What It Takes to be a State Officer?" These sessions were followed by workshops that informed local officers on how to lead their chapter's and excel in their responsibilities.
"HAND OVER HAND" The Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership is a family initiative of the Georgia Department of Education Division for Special Education Services and Support. The conference was held at the Mountain Creek Inn, Callaway Gardens, October 16-17, 2007. There were over 200 that participated with parents leading the way as facilitators and mentors. Ms. Patti Solomon, Parent Liaison, at the GaDOE gave a "High Five' salute to the all those in attendance. This salute is to the anniversary of the Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership (PMP) with a look at the "Five Year Report Card" showcasing the Partnership's hand print on academic performance of at-risk students, particularly those with disabilities, and the leadership, training and support provided to families, schools and communities. The attendees were entertained and enthused over all the sessions that were planned which included: A handshake is not Enough to Make a Team!; Families Can't "Dropout" of School Engagement 101; Before the big hand strikes 9 o'clock and many others. The "Hand over Hand" conference had a kaleidoscope of partners that were given an opportunity to participate from GaDOE and surrounding areas. They include Career, Technical, Agricultural Education (CTAE), School Improvement, Title I Parent Outreach, Communities in Schools, PTA, and Latino Outreach, along with many others. More information on "Georgia's Parent Educator Initiative" can be found on the GaDOE website.
In response to the White House Report, the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Justice and Labor have committed to a collaborative approach at the national, state, and local levels to serving our nation's neediest youth in order to develop innovative approaches, enhance the quality of services delivered, improve efficiencies, and improve the outcomes for the youth we serve.
In this process Georgia has placed a great emphasis on youth and is engaged in a multitude of strategies to enhance the lives of all the youth including students of special populations. The Georgia Department of Labor has partnered with several agencies to create an effective method to work with this population. This past summer the US Department of Labor sponsored a Regional Workshop in Georgia that included the surrounding states in order to provide technical assistance to further this effort. The Georgia team consists of members from state level agencies that included but not limited to:
Director, Workforce Development Intervention Program Specialist GaDOE/CTAE Program Officer -MAYO Department of Juvenile Justice Executive Director GA After-school Investment Council Health Literacy/Workplace Coordinator Department of Labor
The role of the team is to primarily revolve around effectively communicating the "Shared Youth Vision" and facilitating the implementation of related strategic objective on the local level. The areas of focus will include Alternative Education, Business Demands, Neediest Youth and Improved Performance. The team continues to have ongoing dialogue to bring innovative practices and implement activities to work toward a common goal.
Engineering and Technology - Ron Barker The Georgia Engineering and Technology Education Conference was a big success. The 2007 conference held at the new Rockdale Career Academy in Conyers had everything you could ask for in a conference agenda. Nationally known book authors in each career pathway were featured on the program. Georgia Department of Labor, the

Page |6 Manufacturing Innovation Center, Southern Poly, Middle School Technology Education, and High School Technology Education teachers were all presenting pathway relevant information. The program was top notch and attendance reflected a desire to stay on top of changes taking place.
The GA TSA Fall Conference held on Jekyll Island over the past weekend was one of the best in recent years. There is change in the air and both teachers and students alike are excited about this school year and the upcoming state conference which will be held in Athens in March 2008. Changes in competitive events, the revamped Armada Boat Race, and both leadership and competitive event sessions will keep the participants involved for this weekend event.
The Engineering and Technology Education Focus Group Meetings attracted close to 200 teachers, administrators, and college professors during the four opportunities to provide input to the Statewide Advisory Committee. The Committee is helping to guide the transition from Technology Education to a Engineering by Design approach to Engineering and Technology Education in Georgia. Watch for the results of this activity in upcoming months.
Family and Consumer Sciences - Laura Ergle Phase II curriculum will roll out this winter at the DOE/GATFACS Winter Conference in Savannah, on January 1315. GPS workshops will focus on the Culinary Endorsement, Teaching as a Profession, Food Science and Nutrition, and Early Childhood Education pathways.
The new Culinary Arts curriculum does require a teacher have a Culinary Endorsement from the PSC and a professional foods lab, or a modified professional lab. Please contact Laura Ergle at lergle@doe.k12.ga.us for more details if your school will be teaching the new Culinary Arts pathway.
A Georgia High School Culinary Arts program will be host to a French High School Culinary Arts program this spring, and then the hosting Georgia school will visit France in early June. If your school would be interested in this new innovative French Culinary Arts Exchange program, please contact Laura Ergle.
Atlanta was the host for the National FCCLA Cluster Meeting November 9-11. Over 3500 delegates from surrounding states attended.
Region STAR (Students Taking Action for Recognition) events this year will be on Saturday, March 15th. If you would like to assist an event in your region, please contact Laura. We will be in need of many judges across the state.
Georgia FCCLA will host the State Meeting and Competition at the Classic Center in Athens this year April 17-19. We would love to have you come judge our competitive events, and see the excellent work our students have accomplished. The competition will be April 18th, Friday. Please contact Laura Ergle if you are able to assist.
Dates for FCCLA Summer Leadership Camp have been announced. If your teachers received this camp grant, please ensure they sign up for their camp date at their earliest convenience, as dates will fill up rapidly.
Stay tuned............We are working on updating our FACS and CTAE website, so it is more user friendly with information easily available.
Industry Certification grants will be available this spring for the Culinary Arts and Early Childhood Education Program areas.
The Teaching as A Profession pathway will now belong to the FACS program area; however, as before, any certified teacher may teach this course. This curriculum has been revised in phase II, and we are currently working on articulations with post secondary partners. Please have any teacher that is teaching this pathway contact Laura Ergle, so she may have a database to communicate curriculum, resources and professional development for your teachers.

Page |7 Healthcare Science - Vacant The 2008 TIEGA/HSTEA Winter Conference will be held January 25-26, at the Central Education Center, and the Special Events Center in Newnan, Georgia. Conference registration, and program information is on-line at http://www.tiega.org. Participants should also register with the CTAE Resource Network at http://www.ctaern.org.
CTAE is now accepting applications for the Healthcare Science program specialist position. You may find the job announcement at http://gadoe.org/pea_hr_jobsearch.aspx?jobid=537.
Marketing, Sales and Services - Linda Smith CTAE Directors and Supervisors are cordially invited to attend the Regional Meetings for Marketing Education teachers. These meetings will be held in Marketing Education classrooms after school (5:00-6:30 p.m.) in several locations around the state. The locations and all other specifics are noted below.
The Marketing teachers hosting the meetings have already received permission from the appropriate school administrator to use their classrooms after hours for this purpose. Also, Marketing teachers received an email during the week of October 22nd containing this information and a hard copy should have been sent to them by November 1st. I hope that many CTAE Directors and Supervisors, along with their Marketing Education teacher(s), will be able to join us for one of the meetings. Marketing Education teachers who received a state Extended Day Grant may use this meeting to fulfill grant requirements.
All Marketing Education Regional Meetings will be held in December, January and February. The locations (schools), addresses, host teacher(s) and host contact information are listed below. If you will be able to join us, please contact the Marketing teacher(s) serving as the host for your selected site. This will allow the host to plan for the group (i.e., classroom size, computers, etc.).
Regional Meeting Locations and Specifics: Kennesaw Mountain HS, 1898 Kennesaw Due West Road, Kennesaw (Cobb County) Wednesday, December 5th- 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Marketing Education Classroom Host Teachers: Shannon Shaw (shannon.shaw@cobbk12.org and 678-594-8190) and Cheryl Tays (cheryl.tays@cobbk12.org and 678-594-8190)
Mill Creek HS, 4400 Braselton Highway (Ga 124), Hoschton (Gwinnett County) Wednesday, December 12th- 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Marketing Education Classroom Host Teachers: Anita DeRaney (anita_deraney@gwinnett.k12.ga.us and 678-714-5847) and Breane Bulger (breane_bulger@gwinnett.k12.ga.us)
Crisp County HS, 2402 Cougar Alley, Cordele (Crisp County) Thursday, December 13th- 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Marketing Education Classroom Host Teacher: Susan Fuller (sfuller@crisp.k12.ga.us and 229-276-3430)
DECA The Georgia DECA Fall Leadership Development Conference was a tremendous success with approximately 950 in attendance. In addition, over 350 students took the GA DECA Statesman Award test. Students attended various workshops and seminars on leadership, team building, marketing yourself, presentation skills, personality match and running for state and local office. They also attended a college fair, a leadership hypnotic show, a dance and heard from several great speakers. Bryan Fiese, Motivated Proformance, brought the opening and closing keynotes.

Page |8 Georgia DECA incorporated a statewide Community Service Project for the conference and over $8,000 was raised for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. GA DECA had a "hero" attend the conference and from the results of a post-conference survey, this was a highlight for some of our members.
A Silent Auction was held to raise money for a GA DECA scholarship. Over $650 was raised with this event. We gave away 12 DECA blazers at our Opening Session from some donations taken in at our exhibits. This was perceived very positively as we move toward our new dress code policy for competing at State. The GA DECA new membership promotion was also presented. Georgia DECA had a jam-packed conference of events and received lots of positive feedback.
From Program Development and Transition Team, Emily Spann, Program Manager
ECP News Congratulations are extended to Gary Mealer, State ECP Secondary Coordinator, who was recently appointed to the seven-member National Career Pathway Network (NCPN) Advisory Board. The NCPN board consists of three employers (Boeing, Texas Instruments, and Caterpillar), two local consortium coordinators, and two state-level administrators.
National Career Pathways Network Annual Conference Gary Mealer, State ECP Secondary Coordinator, attended the National Career Pathways Network Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, October 10-13. The conference, Pathways to the Winner's Circle, focused on career pathways, career clusters, programs of study and career technical education. As one of the featured speakers at the conference, Gary's presentation was made to over 80 participants from across the United States and focused on the topic "Georgia's New Education Career Partnership Structure." In addition, Gary presented a second topic at the conference entitled "Dream Catcher: A Three-Day Credit Recovery Program."
Georgia's Education Career Partnership (ECP) Managers attended the second annual Georgia Power & Georgia Education and Career Partnership Conference on November 12-13, 2007, at the Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center. Debra Howell, Workforce Development Manager for Georgia Power, led and hosted the conference that featured many aspects of workforce development, such as attracting new industry to Georgia and the Georgia Work Ready program.
CTSO Presentations at the Graduation Coach Training Collaboration between GaDOE CTAE State Staff and the CTSO State Officers was evidenced at the recent Graduation Coach and Counselor training sessions October 23-24, 2007. Over the two days of training, nine CTSO state officers, along with state GaDOE staff presented to the audience of 1200+ Graduation Coaches, Counselors, and Administrators. The attendees were able to see how integral Career Technical and Student Organizations are to the CTAE curriculum and how important CTSO involvement is in keeping students in school.
MAVCC Literacy Summit Georgia CTAE representatives attended a Literacy Summit in Oklahoma City, October 15-17, 2007. This event was hosted by the Multistate Academic and Vocational Curriculum Consortium (MAVCC) and conducted by Dr. Mark Forget author of MAX Teaching With Reading and Writing: Classroom Activities for Helping Students

Page |9 Learn New Subject Matter While Acquiring Literacy Skills. The research-based strategies modeled were specific but generic, classroom activities to be applied by teachers in any content area to improve student learning of subject matter through constructivist engagement in the processing of text with cooperative discussion and interactive writing behaviors that engage students in deeper learning of content while simultaneously acquiring literacy skills. Plans for professional development and acquiring accompanying text and video resources to support implementation of these effective instructional strategies are in discussion.
CTAE End-of-Pathway Assessment Development Workshops On Saturday, October 6, 2007, the CTAE Resource Network along with the CTAE Division, sponsored the first in a series of four end-of-pathway assessment development workshops for the eight career pathways developed during Phase I of the curriculum revision process. This is a historical initiative for CTAE as it seeks to identify or develop national, industry-validated third party assessments which will measure technical skill attainment on behalf of CTAE students who complete a career pathway area.
In addition to Georgia's efforts in ensuring that students graduate college ready and work ready, much of this initiative is being driven by the Reauthorization of the Perkins IV Legislation. According to the Reauthorization, students can be assessed at several different levels - Bronze, Silver or Gold. To ensure that students in Georgia are being served at the "Gold Level," the CTAE Resource Network invited representatives from an established CTE Assessment Agency - NOCTI (National Occupational Competency Testing Institute) to facilitate the first workshop. In this workshop, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from around the state learned how to go about selecting valid and reliable assessments to serve CTAE students.
The process for selecting Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to serve on development teams was inclusive of representatives that play a vital role in the development of CTAE students. Each of the groups included secondary instructors, post-secondary instructors, CTAE Administrators, industry representatives, and state program specialists. If you are interested in serving as a SME during Phase II of the End-of-Pathway Assessment Development Process, please contact Ms. Mamie Hanson at mhanson@doe.k12.ga.us.
CTAE Administrators Tour Kia QuickStart Training Center & Hyundai Plant As a part of the Advanced Automotive Manufacturing (AAM) Initiative Collaborative between West Georgia RESA and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE), CTAE Administrators from eleven counties in the West Georgia Region had an opportunity to tour the Kia QuickStart Training Center in West Point and the Hyundai Plant in Montgomery, Alabama on November 15th. This activity, along with other training activities that have been offered over the last five months and through December, are a part of a larger process which seeks to build capacity in the secondary realm that will support career opportunities in the manufacturing sector.
Phase III High School Curriculum Update Phase III curriculum development began September 29, 2007. We have committees that include secondary and postsecondary educators, as well as, business and industry members working to develop curriculum for seventeen Career Pathways. The curriculum will be ready for public review this spring and will be scheduled for approval in the summer. The pathways under development are within seven program concentration areas: Architecture, Construction, Communications and Transportation
Metals Graphic Communications Visual Communications Broadcasting and Digital Media Business and Computer Science Administrative/Information Support Computer Network Systems

Marketing, Sales and Services Travel Marketing and Lodging Management Sports and Event Marketing
Family and Consumer Sciences Consumer Services Family/Community Services Interior and Fashion Design
Healthcare Science Biotechnical Research and Development Diagnostic Services
Agriculture Animal Science Agricultural Mechanics Agribusiness Management
Government and Public Safety Public Safety

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Math Integration Workshops CTAE is collaborating with SREB and RESA to provide (2) two-day training events at four regional sites followed by a range technical support activities, including communication through a listserv, creating professional learning communities comprised of teams within the same career/technical fields, site visits, emails and written reports. These workshops will focus on building the capacity of the schools' career/technical and mathematics teacher teams with support from school administration to create authentic integrated math units by fully implementing an eight-step process for embedding mathematics into career/technical education. Plans will be finalized pending SBOE approval in January.

Middle School Teachers To help identify the number of middle school CTAE teachers teaching the Career Connections course for grades 68, please complete the chart below and email to John Pritchett, jpritchett@doe.k12.ga.us by December 10, 2007.
Middle School Career Table 11.6.07.doc
Middle School CTAE Steering Committee The Middle School CTAE Steering Committee has met twice this school year to discuss issues pertaining to career and technical courses in middle school. The committee is attempting to create a process that meets the needs of as many middle schools and teachers as possible, while maintaining flexibility for local systems. Please note that GPS and CTAE Standards-based curriculum in middle schools will be available in July 2008.

2008 High Schools That Work Assessment (HSTW) Information Applications for the High Schools That Work (HSTW) Assessment Grants, to assist with the funding of the HSTW assessments, have been reviewed and will be presented to the December State Board of Education meeting for funding. Local schools/systems will be responsible for providing financial support in the amount of $2,460.00 to assess a random sampling of sixty (60) Career, Technical and Agricultural Education students who are in their 12th grade year. Additional students may be included at a cost of $41.00 per student. State, local, or Perkins funds may support this initiative.

P a g e | 11 Please note that there are some major changes in the HSTW Assessment for the 2008 administration. Students will receive a report indicating college/work readiness. The student assessment window is between January 7 and February 1, 2008. The teacher survey window is January 7 through February 15, 2008. Teacher survey materials will be available in December, 2007. The assessment results will include the student and teacher survey information, as usual. Schools will receive a comprehensive school report in August/September 2008. Questions about the HSTW Assessment may be addressed to Stan McCallar at smccalla@doe.k12.ga.us.
JROTC/NDCC FTE Funding Reminder JROTC/NDCC instructors are reminded that new lab weight funding began with the October 2008 FTE count. Since this is a new funding source for JROTC/NDCC programs, instructors should become familiar with the criteria for programs, equipment, and classroom instruction. Please note that this October FTE count will generate funding for the 2008-2009 year. The funding criteria may be found in GaDOE Rule 160-4-2-.03.
New Graduation Rule - Health/PE Credit The new graduation rule was passed by the State Board of Education at the September meeting. Instructors should have received an excerpt regarding Health and Physical Education and JROTC credit from the JROTC Advisory Committee on last Wednesday. Please note the conditions for awarding HPE credit through JROTC.

TALL 2007 "The Next Generation of CTAE Leaders" On October 27-29, 2007 the TALL "Teachers As Leaders and Learners," a Leadership Institute for CTAE Educators, sponsored by the CTAE Resource Network, GACTE and GaDOE CTAE held a kick-off dinner for selected participants and representatives from sponsor organizations. TALL participants received a full day of training with renowned national trainer Patrick Grady, who developed the topic "Becoming a Powerful CTAE Presenter." The first session culminated with a tour of the CSRA ETTC (Educational Technology Training Center) led by Jimmy Bostock, ETTC Director, and a tour of the Life Sciences Innovation Center at the Medical College of Georgia led by Jonathan Goolsby, Marketing Outreach Director and Dr. Charles Nawrot, Director. By the end of the year the group will tour all six of the Georgia Innovation Centers. The following is a list of selected TALL 2007 participants:

Name Barry W. Brazelton Catherine Brown Shirley P. Flack Trudy Q. Greenway Delda L. Hagin Stephanie R. Hezekiah Connie Renee Highnote Mary A. Jordan Jama L. Kirkland Vivian T. Laster Regina C. McComb Karla B. Parker Debra Y. Peabody Laura Michelle Smith Melinda Faye Williams Patricia M. Zaudtke

School Representing Monroe Area High School Upson-Lee High School Marietta High School Appling Co. High School Ware Co. High School Lowndes High School Chapel Hill High School Alcovy High School Coffee High School Terrell Middle-High School Columbia High School Ware Co. High School Union Grove High School Westside High School Upson-Lee High School North Hall High School

Program Area Career Technical Instruction Career Technical Instruction Business Business Business Business Engineering Business Healthcare Business Family Consumer Science Family Consumer Science Engineering Career Technical Instruction Coordinated Career Academic Education Career Technical Instruction

P a g e | 12 Phase II GPS Training The process for delivering GPS training has been scrutinized and redesigned to include an all-inclusive day of training divided into a three part initiative. The three parts are as follows:
Part I & II: Understanding by Design (UBD) and Georgia Standards.Org (GSO) - The elements for this level of training are being created and will be delivered to all CTAE Directors and Administrators. As a part of the training, tools will be provided as resources for re-delivery of the training to be facilitated by CTAE Directors and Supervisors at the local level. Scheduled delivery will be no later than February 2008.
Part III: Pathway Specific Content Training - Each CTAE State Program Specialist has been given the charge to create a pathway-specific training event for the pathways in Phase II (re-delivery of Phase I will occur at a later time). The Phase II pathway training event will be delivered between February - April 2008. Each event will be offered through a state-wide delivery mechanism and will be recorded for use as an individual training tool or workshop review mechanism. As they become available, more details will be forthcoming.
Elluminate (Web Seminar) Session Available to Local Systems The link to a recording of Session I of the Elluminate Live Series on the New Graduation Rule for Counselors and Graduation Coaches is: http://snipr.com/gradrulesession1. The password to view the link is counselor. The session provides an overview of the new graduation rule and includes a presentation on Students with Disabilities. The presentation begins at 38 minutes, 45 seconds into the recording; and is easily accessed by moving the recording bar at the bottom of the Elluminate Session to the 38:45 point. The session lasts approximately 1 hour from that point.
The link to the recording of Session II of the Elluminate Live Series on the New Graduation Rule for Counselors and Graduation Coaches is http://snipr.com/gradrulesession2. The password to view the link is counselor. The session provides information about the Georgia Virtual School and Credit Recovery and includes a discussion of GPS Mathematics. The presentation begins at 42 minutes, 00 seconds into the recording; that is easily accessed by moving the recording bar at the bottom of the Elluminate Session to the 42:00 point. The session lasts approximately 1 hour from that point.
The schedule, agenda and link for each of the remaining Elluminate (web seminar) sessions in the series follows. The password to enter each session is counselor. Participants may sign in to the session up to 15 minutes prior to the beginning of each session. A link to a recording of each session will be available to you following the completion of each session.
November 29 - 4:00 p.m. - Advisement (TAA) (Meeting Link: http://elluminate.gavirtualschool.org:80/doe/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1190642613046 ) December 13 - 4:00 p.m. - New Grad Rule Wrap-up (Meeting Link: http://elluminate.gavirtualschool.org:80/doe/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1190642724031 )
From the Accountability/Improvement Team, Charles Banks, Program Manager Thanks to everyone for meeting the grant funding budget deadline, please remember to draw down your grant funds quarterly to avoid losing any unused funds on June 30th, 2008. Reminder: An inventory "audit" is forthcoming! It is important to monitor and maintain an inventory of all property. Property acquired under the grant must be recorded in an "Inventory Management System." Property records such as description, serial number or other ID, title info, acquisition date, cost, the location of property, condition, (% of Federal participation when relevant), and disposition must be included in this system. A physical inventory should be done at least every two years, and there must be a control system in place to prevent loss, damage and theft of all property.
Capital Equipment Grants The GaDOE CTAE website is being revised and will be posted very soon; Included as a link will be the Construction-Related Equipment grant information that was promised at the Fall Capital Equipment workshops. If

P a g e | 13 you have a Construction-Related Equipment grant now (FY08), or desire to learn more about this grant opportunity, you should be able to find the answers for many of your questions on this website. We will be up-dating it regularly, so be sure to check it often. If you have ideas about other questions or information that could be included, please forward those to Dennis Clarke at dclarke@doe.k12.ga.us for consideration.
Also, CTAE directors from those systems that have requested consideration for FY09 Construction-Related Equipment grant funding will be contacted soon to determine their progress toward meeting eligibility requirements. This will be completed before the spring update meetings. Please contact Charles Banks at cbanks@doe.k12.ga.us if you have any questions about this.
Perkins IV-Five Year State Plan As mentioned in the prior newsletter, there is ongoing collaboration with the DTAE to develop a 5 year State Plan for submittal to OVAE for approval by April 1, 2008. LEAs are reminded that they are also expected to develop a Five Year Plan for submittal to the DOE for approval by May 15, 2008. Further information and guidelines are forthcoming!
Program Reviews Thanks to everyone who participated in the various Program Reviews all over the State, there are still a few more to go, so volunteers are welcome! If you are interested in being part of a Program Review, please contact: Dr. Brenda Merchant via email at brmerchant@doe.k12.ga.us, or Tel: 404-472-5733 or Roy Rucks via email at rrucks@doe.k12.ga.us, or Tel: 404-472-5751.
Save these dates! CTAE LEADERS WINTER CONFERENCE & PERKINS IV STRATEGIC PLANNING @ Callaway Gardens: Sunday (evening)-Tuesday (afternoon) Feb. 10-12, 2008, we are encouraging all CTAE system contacts to attend, as we are presenting several significant and informative workshops that will be most valuable to your systems.
PROGRAM REVIEW IMPROVEMENT PLAN DEVELOPMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WORKSHOP (FY08): On March 26, 2008 at the Bibb County Hutchings Career Center Annex, there will be a workshop for those systems that hosted an "on-site" CTAE program team visit during FY08.
CTAE LEADERS FY08 SPRING UPDATE WORKSHOPS Tuesday, March 11, in Tifton for the Southern region Wednesday March 12, in Macon for the Central region Thursday March 13, in Athens for the Northern region
FY09 LOCAL PLAN TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS Tuesday, April 15, in Tifton for the Southern region Wednesday April 16, in Macon for the Central region Thursday April 17, in Athens for the Northern region
Job Vacancy The CTAE Accountability Unit is still accepting applications for the position of Regional Coordinator for the Central Region, interested parties can email their rsums and cover letters to Cbanks@doe.k12.ga.us, for further consideration.
From Agriculture Education, John Wilkinson, Program Manager
Georgia FFA Association Georgia FFA chapters and members received national recognition during the 80th National FFA Convention held in Indianapolis October 25-27. The 2007 convention theme was "Blue Jackets, Bright Futures." Over 50,000 FFA members, advisors, and guests attended the annual convention.

P a g e | 14 Two Georgia teams took top honors in their respective Career Development Events (CDEs). The Oconee County High FFA Chapter was named the national winner in the Environmental/Natural Resources CDE, and the Perry High FFA Chapter was named the national winner in the Nursery and Landscape CDE. Members of the Environmental/Natural Resources team from Oconee County receiving $1,000 scholarships are Stuart Graham, Samantha Kickbush, Taylor Quackenbush, and Patrick Savelle. Members of the Nursery and Landscape team from Perry are Ashton Jones, Tyson Strickland, Tabitha Williford, and Jordan Wood. Each of these team members also received a $1,000 scholarship.
The Oconee County Middle School FFA Chapter was named the National Outstanding Middle School Chapter. The chapter was recognized for its efforts to promote citizenship among its members and for its community service programs. In individual competition, Stephens County High FFA member Elizabeth Mulkey was named the national Extemporaneous Public Speaking CDE winner and received a $1,000 scholarship. Putnam County FFA member Rachel Patrick was named an Agri-Entrepreneurship national winner and also received a $1,000 scholarship.
Two Georgia FFA members were named high individual scorers in their respective CDE competitions and received $900 scholarships. Named high individual winners were Kella Kicklighter of the Ware Magnet FFA Chapter in the Agricultural Communications CDE and Tyson Strickland of the Perry High FFA Chapter in the Nursery and Landscape CDE. Bringing home second place CDE honors were Bleckley County in the Forestry CDE and Temple in the Marketing Plan CDE. Other Georgia teams earning Gold Emblems were Franklin County High, 3rd in the Floriculture CDE; Morgan County, 5th in the Horse Evaluation CDE; Franklin County High, 6th in the Dairy Evaluation CDE; and Jackson County, 7th in the Agricultural Sales CDE. In the Parliamentary Procedure CDE, Crawford County High advanced to the round of 12 and earned Gold Emblem honors. In the Dairy Handlers Activity, Holly Henderson of Chattooga County High earned Gold Emblem status.
Georgia FFA set a state record with 20 chapters being recognized as National 3-Star Chapters and four being recognized as National 2-Star Chapters. The 3-Star Chapters are Bainbridge, Berrien County High, Coffee County High, Colquitt County, Effingham County High, Eighth Street Middle, Fannin County, Jackson County, Jasper Middle, Jeff Davis High, Jeff Davis Middle, Lowndes County High, Morgan County, Oconee County High, Oconee County Middle, Pelham, Perry High, Putnam County, Screven County High, and Southeast Whitfield. Recognized as 2-Star Chapters were Newton County, Seminole County, Stephens County High, and Ware Magnet.
Fourteen FFA members from Georgia received National Proficiency Finalist Awards. Receiving awards were Michelle Edge of Treutlen County in Aquaculture, Regina Holliday of East Laurens in Beef Production Entrepreneurship, Layton Tompkins of Lowndes County High in Beef Production Placement, Eli Garrett of North Oconee in Environmental Science and Natural Resources, Brittany Haley of Franklin County High in Equine Science Placement, Jacob Williams of Jeff Davis High in Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production, Amanda Crawley of Tift County in Food Science and Technology, Elijah Tennile of Peach County in Forage Production, John Ganas of Ware County in Forest Management, Patrick Savelle of Oconee County High in Home and/or Community Development; Jeremy Alan Todd of Charlton County in Outdoor Recreation, Brooke Winder of Miller County High in Swine Production Placement; Kayla Dale Roberts of Franklin County High in Vegetable Production, and Matthew Lancaster of West Laurens in Wildlife Production Placement.
Receiving their Honorary American Degrees were John Allen Bailey of Swainsboro, Jeff Cornwell of Rockmart, Brian Maddy of LaGrange, Charles H. Majeski, Jr. of Ashburn, Marty McLendon of Leary, Representative Jay Roberts of Ocilla and Reggie Stowers of Dawsonville. Melvin Johnson of Tiger received the VIP Award, and the American FFA Degree was awarded to 53 Georgia FFA members during the convention.
Three Georgia FFA members were chosen to be part of the National FFA Band; they included Jaime Kirby of Jeff Davis, Alex Myers of Screven County, and Preston Cheek of Temple, who was chosen as Drum Major for the Band.
The Georgia FFA Association received an award for increase in FFA membership for the ninth consecutive year. The Georgia FFA Association has the third largest FFA membership in the nation with over 25,500 members. FFA strives to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.

P a g e | 15 Georgia Young Farmer Association The Georgia Young Farmer Program is the adult component of the Agriculture Education Program in Georgia. It is committed to providing educational, leadership and networking opportunities to persons interested in agriculture.
Currently the young farmer program operates in 49 counties within the state and provides organized classes on everything from new farming techniques, risk management strategies, agriculture awareness to legislative issues affecting agriculture. This year our Young Farmer Teachers will be working with the Governor's Agriculture Awareness Observance Week in the month of March. This program targets 5th grade classrooms to help students learn about agriculture. The Young Farmer Teacher will assist 5th grade classroom teachers by providing resources and coordinating field trips for students learn about where food and fiber comes from.
The Georgia Young Farmer Association is the leadership arm of the young farmer program. The GYFA will host the 38th annual convention in Savannah on January 25&26, 2008. Some of the highlights of the convention will be naming states outstanding farm family, selection of the outstanding chapter and member award. Also, honorary membership will be presented to select individuals and delegates will elect officers for the coming year. Any CTAE directors that would like to attend should contact our office in Tifton at 229-386-3429 for registration information or go to the young farmer website at georgiayoungfarmers.com and click on the convention link for online registration. The GYFA is the nation's largest state young farmer association with more than 3300 members.
Youth Camps The Georgia FFA-FCCLA Center is proud to present the first issue of "Reflections", a newsletter that encompasses all of the different facets of the Center and its programs. We strive to remember the path that brought us to where we are today, embracing each moment as we anticipate what the future holds. For more information, please visit the Center's web site at www.georgiaffacamp.org.
To view the fall 2007 edition, please click on the following link: http://aged.ces.uga.edu/ffa%5Fcamp/Assets/Reflections%20Newsletter/Email/Reflections.pdf
The Center prides itself on providing educationally based programs that are just as fun as they are insightful. Leadership has become the main driver for the programs and services we offer and is essential for the success of our students. Being able to see these students build lasting friendships, experience new things and walk away with a foundation of how to become a great leader is truly amazing. There are numerous opportunities available at the Center including B.A.S.I.C. Training and our new High Ropes Course, not to mention functional meeting spaces where you can host your next retreat or conference:
B.A.S.I.C. Training (Building and Achieving Success in Chapters) is a field trip program designed for any student organization. The training programs are designed to teach team skills to students in an exciting and hands-on low ropes course environment. Leadership themes taught during BASIC include: developing unity and communication, building trust and confidence and improving leadership and cooperation. The goal is to develop your chapter into a successful and effective team. All aspects of the program are flexible and can be tailored to your needs and goals.
The High Ropes Course in a new addition to the leadership training programs offered. Featuring a 40ft. rock climbing wall, a 300 ft. zip line and numerous other aerial obstacles, it is sure to be a huge hit!
The Center has dining, lodging, recreation and meeting facilities that are available for your organization. Whether you are interested in a weekend conference, weekday conference, or a day meeting, the Center can meet your needs!
Mid-Winter Teachers Conference The Agricultural Education Mid-Winter Conference will be held at the FFA/FCCLA Center near Covington on January 17-18, 2008. During the conference, teachers will participate in general sessions, as well as, a number of breakout sessions to provide updates in specific technical areas. The Georgia Vocational Agricultural Teachers Association (GVATA) will conduct a business session in conjunction with the conference. Registration is due to the regional agricultural education offices by Wednesday, December 12, 2007. The Hall of Fame ceremony and dinner will be held on Thursday evening to recognize outstanding individuals who have served the agricultural

P a g e | 16 education program. We appreciate the cooperation that you provide to make this conference possible and would like to extend a special invitation for you to attend any or all of the conference.
James R. Woodard, Director Career, Technical and Agricultural Education Georgia Department of Education 1752 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 30334 404-657-8317 jwoodard@doe.k12.ga.us http://www.gadoe.org