CTAE newsletter [Oct. 2007]

CTAE Newsletter
October 2007
From James Woodard Director, Career, Technical & Agricultural Education
I hope all is well in the world of CTAE in your system. I have recognized much buzz around the CTAE world at the state and national level. This is due to the efforts of many leaders and teachers. I acknowledge the professional commitment of these groups of professionals.
I hope this newsletter finds your teachers in the process of implementing new standards, advising students in CTSOs' and supervising quality work-based learning experiences. If we can be of assistance to you, please feel free to either give us a call or drop us an email.
Curriculum Directors' Conference Call The State Board of Education will meet next week on October 10-11, 2007. On Monday, October 15, at 9 a.m., the Curriculum and Instruction Unit will conduct a conference call to review recent State Board of Education decisions and update curriculum directors on initiatives in Curriculum and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education. Please touch base with your curriculum director and plan to join in on the conference call. More information will be forthcoming regarding the call as we get closer to the date.
From the Program Delivery Unit.........
As most of you are aware, Danny Fleming retired as of September 1 with 34 years of service to the great state of Georgia. If you or anyone you know is interested in applying for his position, the job announcement is listed at the following link: http://www.gadoe.org/pea_hr_jobsearch.aspx?jobid=502
Architecture, Construction and Transportation
SkillsUSA SkillsUSA Georgia State Officers Attend Washington Leadership Training Institute on Capitol Hill. A delegation of 18 career, technical and agricultural education students and instructors representing Georgia met with four congressional leaders on September 18, 2007: Representative Lynn Westmoreland, Representative Sanford Bishop, Senator Johnny Isakson, and Senator Saxby Chambliss. Congressional visits are a regular part of SkillsUSA's Washington Leadership Training Institute (WLTI). The five-day Washington Leadership Training Institute is sponsored each year by SkillsUSA to provide students an opportunity to learn about Washington and the democratic process. This year's delegations discussed the value of their education; the value of public career and technical education to their respective states; the quality of their education and training; their occupational plans; and, the benefits of their participation in SkillsUSA. They explained that today's workplace requires people with leadership, teamwork and communication skills to participate in highquality systems. SkillsUSA has been successful in developing these skills in students of all ages and backgrounds. The Washington Leadership Training Institute is a "capstone" leadership and citizenship training

event to which students must apply for admission. WLTI concentrates on advanced communications skills, including working with the news media and the inner workings of government.
Attending from Georgia were: Jarrod Price, Alisha Smalley, Kelly Glass, Trakena Moore, Morgan Hunt, Victoria Slagle, Natalie Sanders, Trenesia Williams, Tim Cockrell, Linda Jackson, Judy Glass, Phyllis Johnson, Amy Hicks, Gayle Silvey, Arleather Browner, Reginald Browner, Briuna Browner, and Sonny Cannon.
SkillsUSA is a national organization serving more than 285,000 high school and college students and professional members who are enrolled in training programs in technical, skills, and service occupations. It has the active support of over 1,100 corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions at the national level. Student membership in SkillsUSA offers leadership, citizenship and character development programs and activities to complement skills training. Its programs help students prepare to go to work. SkillsUSA emphasizes respect for the dignity of work, high standards in trade ethics, workmanship, scholarship and safety. It promotes understanding of the free enterprise system and encourages the development of patriotism through democratic practices in local chapters.
Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA) CEFGA is moving and moving forward! CEFGA is now in its new offices. The good news is that only the street number and suite number has changed! The new address is 3585 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, Suite 301, everything else is the same. They have added a new staff member as well. Donna Moreno, the current Operations Assistant, will be replaced by Carolyn Harvey on October 8th, 2007, and Donna will become CEFGA's new Career Placement Specialist. Donna will focus full time on placing students in the CEFGA Summer Internship Program. She will work hard to place 75+ students in construction related fields all across the state. CEFGA is moving forward in its relationship with the DOE. With the approval of the 07-08 contract, CEFGA will take over management of the Industry Certification processes for Engineering, Design & Drawing (ED&D) programs around the state. They will provide accountability and support for the ED&D programs as they have, for several years, for other construction related programs. The goal is to build and expand the industry connections between the ED&D programs using the same type opportunities that have been afforded metals, construction, and HVACR instructors.
CEFGA is also providing new resources for its industry and education partners. Their website is now full of these additional resources, be sure and visit it to see at www.cefga.org. Be sure to especially look at the new Teacher Resource page as well as the statewide CEFGA Connections Forum. The Connections Forum provides a way for construction related industry and educators to share information and resources.
There are now three regional workforce alliances with a fourth one scheduled to come on board after the first of the year. Through these regional alliances, CEFGA is facilitating direct connections between high school, technical colleges, and construction related industries. The vision is a seamless path for students to start training in high school and move to the technical college or post secondary education option of their choice. Either during or after their career preparation they will be ready for the many great career opportunities with a construction related company!
2007 Georgia NACAT Conference The 2007 Georgia NACAT Conference was held September 16 18 at Gwinnett Technical College. Over sixty automotive technology teachers, and industry partners enjoyed networking and great technical training. Guest speakers included Steve Jordan of Bosch Corporation, and Kirk Vangelder of CDX Global. General Motors, Toyota, Chrysler, and Snap-On representatives provided training sessions on Monday.
Tuesday was a day to tour the Panoz facility to see the new vehicles, and racing line. The high light of the evening was a drawing for a Toyota vehicle. Austin Shepherd from Harris County High School held the winning ticket. Toyota Motor Company also provided instructor with a year's subscription to Toyota Technical Information Online. Chem Free Corporation of Norcross donated a "Smart Washer" to the automotive department of Gwinnett College for hosting the event.

New officers were selected to serve and current officers will move to the board of directors. Additional NACAT information is on-line at www.nacat.com.

Transportation Education Foundation of Georgia (TEFGA) Newly formed as a nonprofit organization by an exploratory committee from education, state government, and the transportation industries community, The Transportation Education Foundation of Georgia (TEFGA) is officially open for business!!

Many Federal agencies and other national organizations are focusing on addressing the looming shortage of skilled workers in the high-tech industries across the country, a crisis to which Georgia is not immune. TEFGA seeks to become a significant contributor to building the next-generation of a highly-skilled workforce in Georgia through several exciting education and outreach programs. TEFGA's mission is to "inspire Georgia's Middle and High School, Technical College and University students to pursue life-long careers in the transportation industries (ground, maritime, and air and space) through entertaining and educational career awareness and immersion programs." To accomplish this mission, the organization will:



Develop and disseminate curricula and training programs to provide students with the necessary tools

for success in the transportation industries,

including an aviation curriculum called "Flightline For

Tomorrow" that TEFGA is currently introducing around the state;



Implement after-school programs to immerse students in the experience of working in Georgia's key

transportation industries;



Provide career exploration experiences through career expos and through the sponsorship of the

SkillsUSA state-level transportation-related skills

contests;



Create new tools for educators, career counselors, and parents to help inform and guide students toward

exciting careers in transportation; and



Develop and broadcast multimedia programs to inform the public about the high impact of Georgia's

transportation industries in every facet of our

lives.

Whether it is working on planes, trains, boats, automobiles, rockets, or any other way to get from here to there, Georgia's future looks bright for many of these exciting jobs. TEFGA will do its part to help students develop the skills to make that future a reality.

Family and Consumer Sciences Please join us for the FACS Winter In-service Conference on January 13-15, 2008, at the Savannah DeSoto Hilton. Rooms are $99 and registration forms will be available the first week of October. This information will be emailed to all. We should know the cost of registration by October 1.

Culinary Arts Have you heard? David Ross, Chef and part time instructor at North Gwinnett High School, has been hired as a Culinary Consultant and Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Education. David will be able to assist you with the Culinary skills and guidance that I don't have!

The New Culinary Endorsement, which will be required by the PSC to teach Culinary Arts, is in the review and approval process by the PSC Board. More details will follow soon, but ServSafe and 120 industry work hours will be required. We will post the ServSafe workshops on the CTAE Resource Network at www.ctaern.org by early next week.

David is happy to assist you on how to obtain the 120 industry work hours. Please contact him with your questions at davidross@teachfood.org or www.teachfood.org.

Reminder the FCCLA Fall Rally will be held at the Georgia National Fair, October 10th, 2007.

Business and Computer Science Please plan on attending one of the Drive-In Region Meetings that are posted on the CTAE Resource Network. We will be discussing the important changes in the BCS program and courses. There will also be an FBLA Chapter Management Session after each Drive-In Meeting for the chapter advisers.

Please renew your NBEA, GBEA, and ACTE memberships. There is a form for renewal in your newsletter that will be coming to you at school anytime now. Show your students what it means to be a true professional. Georgia FBLA is breaking records again! We will have the largest gathering of FBLA members in history at the Rally in Macon on Thursday with over 7,000 projected to be in attendance. Help and support your local adviser and school chapter as we live our theme this year: Proud Past, Bright Future! Career Student Association (CSA) Formerly VOCA
On Monday, September 17, 2007, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle shared with Johnson High School's Georgia CSA (Formerly VOCA) the importance of staying focused on our goal. We were pleased to invite and have other CTSO and class officers in our audience as we inducted seven new officers, who are: Elizabeth Rodriguez, Parliamentarian; Naara Martinez, Vice-President; Mayra Lopez, President; Maricela Lopez, Reporter; Honorable Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, Keynote Speaker; Alex Diaz, Installation Officer; Blanca Hinojosa, Treasurer, Vianney Garcia, Secretary; Lesli Navarro, Historian; and Kathy Strickland, Adviser. This is a very special occasion in the lives of our students as they embark on a new year of leadership. Marketing, Sales and Services Save the dates for the CTAERN Fall Workshops - "New DECA Advisors Workshop" and "New Marketing Teachers Workshop."

A number of new Marketing Education teachers were hired after the summer workshops. Marketing teachers have received an email about these workshops and have been directed to the CTAERN Web site to register. However, since a few of you have contacted me with concerns about training for your new marketing teacher/DECA advisor, I wanted you to know that these workshops are coming up soon.

The "New DECA Advisors' Workshop" was held on September 28-29. This workshop was held at South Forsyth High School in Cumming and will allow teachers to earn one (1) PLU. New advisors will learn how to set up a DECA Program of Activities; what to expect from the state and national DECA Conferences; how to prepare students for competitive event competitions; how to use DECA to foster leadership skills; how to provide training for local officers, etc.

The "New Marketing Teachers' Workshop" will be held Friday, November 2, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Saturday, November 3, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This workshop will be held at North Hall High School in Gainesville and will allow teachers to earn one (1) PLU. New marketing teachers will "walk through" a CD of lesson plans (which they will take back to their school); learn to develop project-based instructional lessons; learn how to integrate the co-curricular competitive events with the curriculum; determine how to incorporate work-based learning activities into the classroom and much more.

Phase III Marketing Curriculum: The last two marketing pathways will be developed during Phase III (fall 2007 and winter 2008). The pathways are "Sports and Event Marketing" and "Travel Marketing and Lodging Management." The new courses will go to the Georgia School Board for approval in spring 2008.

From the Desk of Emily Spann.........

We are very pleased to welcome Gary Mealer as the new GaDOE Education and Career Partnership (ECP) State Coordinator. Gary brings a wealth of experience and leadership as a former Tech Prep Coordinator for the Carpet Capital Consortium in Dalton, Georgia; former Principal of Murray County High, Vocational Director, Curriculum Director, Assistant Principal, and Business Education teacher. Gary will be working closely with Department of Technical and Adult Education ECP Coordinator, Jenny Williams, to manage the statewide Education and Career Partnership Program.

Phase II GPS Curriculum Trainer Nominations & Phase III Curriculum Writing Team Nominations Thank you to all of the Directors that forwarded nominations for potential trainers. Due to the overwhelming number of nominees for these projects, we will not be able to use all of the nominees at this time. We are creating a database for each pathway identifying these highly skilled teachers as a resource we can draw from for future projects. As we put the Phase II GPS Roll-Out Plan & the Phase III Curriculum Writing Plan together we will communicate directly with the nominees to let them know of the projects with which we can use their assistance.

Middle Grades Mathematics Opportunities The Southern Regional Education Board is providing a Middle Grades Mathematics Series of seven (7) webbased courses to assist member states, districts and schools in meeting the requirement of providing "highly qualified" and extend teachers' knowledge of math and how to teach it. The series will lead to a greater understanding of how mathematics taught at the middle grades level is ultimately used at the high school and college levels and in the real world. In addition, these courses will enable teachers to develop engaging lessons at a more rigorous level.

The courses that will be offered during the 2007 2008 academic year are these:

FALL 2007



Functions and Change I West Virginia University (WVU)--three graduate credit hours

SPRING 2008



Probability and Statistics for Middle Grades Teachers Darton College (Georgia)--three undergraduate

credit hours



Geometry for Middle Grades Teachers Darton College--three undergraduate credit hours



Middle School Number and Algebra I West Virginia University (WVU)--three graduate credit hours



Functions and Change II West Virginia University (WVU)--three graduate credit hours

SUMMER 2008



Middle School Number and Algebra II West Virginia University (WVU)--three graduate credit hours



All courses will be offered on-line and will have no residency or on-campus requirement.

Directors are encouraged to make this course series known to teachers within your district and schools

and to assist them in taking advantage of this quality professional development opportunity. Visit

www.theteachercenter.org for more information.

Advanced Automotive Manufacturing (AAM) Sector Initiative Training The Advanced Automotive Manufacturing (AAM) Strategic Industries Initiative seeks to build capacity in the West Georgia geographical service area to support the development of manufacturing related careers for both existing and potential industries. CTAE is working collaboratively with West Georgia RESA to support this initiative at the secondary level by providing training opportunities for CTAE administrators and instructors in the 11-county service area.
This initiative stems as the result of the West Georgia Region adding over 10,000 jobs in the next two to three years in the Advanced Automotive Manufacturing sector. There will be an abundance of career opportunities for individuals in this region. In an effort to ensure that CTAE students are given the necessary skills to be competitive in this sector, four days of training will be sponsored through West Georgia RESA. Ms. Ginger Booton, Executive Director, West Georgia Education and Career Partnership, is spearheading this training opportunity on behalf of West Georgia RESA.
The training opportunities will include four days of activities, presentations, guest speakers, and one industry tour. The workshop dates will be between September and December 2007. During the four days, participants will explore careers, identify resources, map courses and curriculum both secondary and post-secondary that support the Advanced Automotive Manufacturing (AAM) industry sector. This initiative serves the following counties: Chattahoochee, Coweta, Harris, Heard, Marion, Meriwether, Muscogee, Talbot, Taylor, ThomastonUpson, and Troup. For additional information regarding this training opportunity, please contact Ms. Ginger Booton at vbooton@westgatech.org.

High Schools That Work Annual Progress Report Due
If your school was identified as a High School That Works (HSTW) site for 2006-07 (last year), the 2007 HSTW Annual Progress Report must be completed and should have been submitted by September 28. This report may be found online at: http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/assessment/assessindex.asp
All HSTW sites were sent an email from Stan McCallar, GaDOE HSTW Coordinator, containing an August 1, 2007 HSTW Annual Site Progress Report memorandum from Dr. Gene Bottoms. Some of the HSTW schools may not have been in session until after August 1, so please make sure to review your email for this important annual progress report information. The Annual Report is used to assist SREB/HSTW in determining the challenges and accomplishments of member schools and in planning activities for the coming year.
All Georgia HSTW schools should complete the annual report in order to have Georgia represented in the annual progress results and as a review of your schools' accomplishments and challenges for your school improvement team and faculty. If you have questions about the report you may contact Aaron Boyd at 404-8795611 or by e-mail at aaron.boyd@sreb.org or Stan McCallar at smccalla@doe.k12.ga.us. All Annual Reports were due by September 28, 2007.

2008 High Schools That Work Assessment (HSTW) Information The High Schools That Work (HSTW) Assessment will be given at the beginning of 2008. Schools wishing to continue in the HSTW network are required to take the assessment, but those HSTW schools that administered the assessment during the 2006 school year are encouraged to give the 2008 assessment in order to compare assessments results. The comparison of 2006 and 2008 results would assist in determining student achievement for the two-year period, as well as support school improvement efforts. The local school/system 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.

Please note that there are some major changes in the HSTW Assessment for the 2008 administration.

(1) Students will receive a report indicating college/work readiness.

(2) HSTW schools planning to take the 2008 HSTW Assessment may order assessment materials online

between September 3 and October 31, 2007, at the following website:

http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/assessment/assessindex.asp.

(3) The student assessment window is between January 7 and February 1, 2008.

(4) The teacher survey window is January 7 through February 15, 2008. Teacher survey materials will be

available in December, 2007.

(5) The assessment results will include the student and teacher survey information, as usual. Schools will

receive a comprehensive school report in

August/September 2008.

(6) Questions about the HSTW Assessment may be addressed to Aaron Boyd at Aaron.Boyd@sreb.org,

Allison Timberlake at

Allison.timberlake@sreb.org or Stan McCallar at

smccalla@doe.k12.ga.us.

JROTC/NDCC FTE Funding Reminder JROTC/NDCC instructors are reminded that new lab weight funding begins with the October 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 which is attached in the following link: http://www.gadoe.org/_documents/doe/legalservices/160-4-2-.03.pdf

Proposed New Graduation Rule In the latest draft of the new graduation rule, JROTC is included in the Physical Education area. The draft may be accessed on the GaDOE website for review. If the proposed draft is approved, the physical education inclusion will take affect beginning with freshmen in 2008-2009.

JROTC/NDCC Data Report JROTC/NDCC programs should have received the annual JROTC/NDCC Data Report in September 2007. Please note that it is very important that it is accurately completed and returned by all programs. If for some reason you did not receive the report, please contact Stan McCallar at smccalla@doe.k12.ga.us. This data is used to support JROTC/NDCC programs at the state and national levels.

JROTC/NDCC Affiliation with GACTE We are still in the process of determining the JROTC/NDCC membership in the Georgia Association of Career and Technical Education (GaCTE), but we highly encourage membership in this worthwhile professional organization. Discussion with instructors in July at the GACTE Conference confirms the importance for JROTC/NDCC programs to affiliate with GACTE. In addition, the JROTC Advisory Committee has recommended petitioning for GACTE affiliation, which takes a minimum of 50 members and must be completed six months prior to next year's conference. Any JROTC/NDCC instructor wishing to comment on JROTC/NDCC affiliation with GACTE may do so through the JROTC Advisory Committee.

CTAE Resource Network Local Profile CTAE Directors are urged to periodically check the CTAE Resource Network Local Profile database to ensure that the system level information is correct and up-to-date. In addition, CTAE Directors should make sure that all School Staff members, including School Contacts, Teachers, Counselors, etc. have updated 2007-2008 information. 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.
Workforce Development Conference Governor Sonny Perdue's vision for workforce development is to link education and workforce development together and align with the economic development of the State, its regions and communities. To enable this vision to become a reality for Georgia, the Governor reconstituted the State Workforce Investment Board under his Office and established the Governor's Office of Workforce Development by Executive Order dated February 2, 2006. In that order, the Governor tasked the Board with the mission of developing a strategic plan that would enable his workforce development vision to be implemented in Georgia. Under this plan grants are issued to create Certified Work Ready Communities and Work Ready Regions.
A coalition is being formed between in Ben-Hill, Irwin, Tift, and Turner counties to create a Work Ready Region. The purposes and goals of this region will revolve around identifying an industry and developing a plan to prepare workers with an identified skill set. To accomplish these goals, this coalition has focussed on workbased learning with Youth Apprenticeship programs being the highlight. Visions of the leaders in this coalition are a direct mesh with the new Career Related Education model outlined in the manual published and distributed in July 2007.
This coalition is organizing a Workforce Summit to address key issues which features notable speakers such as George Israel III, President of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Michael Thurmond, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Labor, Debra Lyons, Director of the Governors Office of Workforce Development, and Mike Volmer, Former Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education. Superintendents, CTAE Directors, YAP Coordinators and other school district leaders are encouraged to attend this summit and learn new approaches to energize your school and business community partnerships.
For more information you may contact Beth or Joe Lewis at 1-(229)-382-1978 or by e-mail at jblewis@friendlycity.com
From the Desk of Charles Banks........
CTAE Leaders "SAVE A DATE" The following workshops are scheduled for CTAE leadership personnel serving at the system and school levels. Specific workshop information (including registration deadlines, location, and agenda topics) will be posted on the CTAE Resource Network (www.ctaern.org) website prior to each workshop offering. To assure adequate resources are available the day of the workshop, participants are asked to register through the CTAE Resource Network for the workshop(s) that will be attending.
CTAE Leaders' Winter Conference & Perkins IV Strategic Planning Session Sunday Evening-Wednesday Noon, February 10-13, 2008 Location: Callaway Gardens

FY 08 Program Review Improvement Plan Development Technical Assistance Workshop (For Systems That Hosted an On-Site CTAE Program Review Team Visit during FY 08) Monday, February 26 Macon Bibb County Hutchings Center Annex
CTAE Leaders FY 08 Spring Workshop Tuesday, March 11 Tifton (South Region) Wednesday, March 12 Macon (Central Region) Thursday, March 13 Athens (North Region)
FY 09 Local Plan Technical Assistance Workshops Tuesday, April 15 Tifton (South Region) Wednesday, April 16 Macon (Central Region) Thursday, April 17 Athens (North Region)
FY08 CTAE New Leaders' Reminder It has come to our attention that there are several new leaders who have been added to the list since August 2007. For those, we would like to make this information available to you. The GaDOE Division of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) and the CTAE Resource Network is sponsoring a newly designed FY08 CTAE Leadership Academy that is open to all new CTAE leadership personnel within Georgia's school systems. Throughout FY 08, the newly designed leadership academy activities will include technical assistance at the local level as well as additional training sessions to be offered within the north, south, and central CTAE regions. The Academy is designed to assure a personalized learning plan for each new CTAE leader whether serving at the system or school level. Registration information is posted on the CTAE Resource Network (www.ctaern.org). Additional information is available by contacting one of the CTAE Region Coordinators. The North Region CTAE Coordinator is Mr. Roy Rucks, rrucks@doe.k12.ga.us. The Central Region CTAE Coordinator is Dr. Jamie Lawrence, jalawren@doe.k12.ga.us. The South Region CTAE Coordinator is Dr. Brenda Merchant, brmercha@doe.k12.ga.us.
Capital Equipment Update We are very happy to announce that the Capital Equipment workshops were a success. Many of you expressed gratitude and appreciation for the information provided at the workshops. Now you feel much better about the process and how you can serve the students in your local systems. We are sure there will be questions in the coming weeks. Please remember to email Dr. Dennis Clarke, dclarke@doe.k12.ga.us for the fastest response.
Perkins IV-Five Year State Plan Preliminary efforts are on the way with collaboration from Department of Technical and Adult Education and Department of Education to develop the Five Year State Plan for submittal to OVAE for approval by April 15, 2008. In conjunction with the Five Year State Plan, according to the federal guidelines each Local Education Agency (LEA) must also develop a Five Year Plan for submittal to DOE for approval. Further information and guidelines will be shared in upcoming workshops and meetings.
CTAE Program Review For those that have helped to conduct the Program Reviews so far, many THANKS. We truly enjoyed interacting with you as we worked with the local systems in this review process. Program reviews will continue to be conducted up through the latter part of December. If you have not had the opportunity to be on a review, please contact your Regional Coordinator to see if there is still a need for assistance.
From the Desk of John Wilkinson........
Georgia FFA Association The National FFA Organization culminates each year with the hosting of the National FFA Convention which will once again be held in Indianapolis, Indiana. The national convention highlights its star students from across

the nation in Supervised Agricultural Experience areas, Career Development Events, and American FFA Degree acknowledgment. Over 54,000 FFA members from across the country in blue corduroy jackets will flood Indianapolis this October 24th -27th to celebrate a year in the making. The 80th National FFA Convention is themed around "Blue Jackets, Bright Futures".
Many Georgia jackets will be seen crossing the stage this year receiving national recognition for the work they put into their projects and Career Development Events. The National FFA Organization offers forty-six proficiency areas in which FFA members can compete. Only four National Proficiency Finalists are selected from each proficiency area. This year Georgia features fourteen National Proficiency Finalists each selected as one of the four best in the nation. Along with Proficiency competitions are twenty-three Career Development Events conducted at national convention. Georgia has representation in all events from Job Interview and Livestock Evaluation to Prepared Public Speaking and Floral Design. The highest degree any FFA member can achieve in the FFA is the American FFA Degree. On Saturday morning, fifty-three of Georgia's FFA members will be recognized for achieving the highest honor in the organization. Eight Georgians will receive honorary American FFA degrees. The VIP Award is bestowed upon those who have made a significant impact in agricultural education. Former Georgia FFA Advisor, Melvin Johnson will receive the honor of VIP at the coming national convention. Competing for the honor to serve as a National FFA Officer will be Ms. Heather Savelle of Oconee County. National officers experience a year of service to the organization through developing students' leadership skills, visiting with business and industry, and traveling over 100,000 miles to approximately 40 states.
While national convention has great things in store for our individual members it also recognizes the accomplishments of the FFA Chapter. Georgia, being the third largest state association, receives an allotment of twenty-four chapter nominations for national star chapter. A star chapter has in place a well-balanced program where it balances the three components of agricultural education- classroom instruction, Supervised Agricultural Experience programs, and FFA. After sending in the top twenty-four applicants, twenty will receive recognition in Indianapolis as a three-star chapter, which is the highest star ranking in the nation, and four will receive twostar recognition. Oconee County Middle School excelled in its program and was awarded the National Middle School Chapter of the Year. The Jeff Davis Middle FFA chapter will be recognized as a Model of Innovation in the Community Development division.
The 80th National Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, holds a bright future for the blue jackets of Georgia FFA. With the amount of success Georgia has experienced going into convention this year, we hope to come back with even more.
Agricultural Education Curriculum Georgia Agricultural Education is involved in several curriculum projects which compliment the states initiative to transition to a more rigorous and accountable delivery system. Career Pathways in the areas of Agriscience, Forestry/Natural Resources and Horticulture were developed in 2006. The Agriscience pathway recently entered the assessment stage of development in September 2007. Roll out of the Forestry/Natural Resources and Horticulture pathways are scheduled for the spring of 2008. Agricultural Educators, administrators and industry leaders met in late September 2007 to begin Phase III implementation development for additional pathway courses in Animal Science, Agriculture Business Management and Agricultural Mechanics. The goal of each committee is to determine teaching units and lesson elements for each of the respective proposed Agriculture Education pathways.
In other Agriculture Education news in late August 2007 every Georgia Agricultural Education program and teacher was offered a website portal to personalize & display FFA Chapter activities, agriculture education class schedules, lesson plans and much more. Each site provides opportunities for parents and supporters to see firsthand what each program offers to students enrolled in the agricultural education program. Teachers have the opportunity to showcase their programs through student exhibits of their Supervised Agriculture Experience programs and leadership events depicted on the site.

The curriculum office continually works to enhance teacher lesson plans, educational PowerPoint presentations and instructional video clips for inclusion on the Agricultural Education website. The Agricultural Education website continues to be a most sought after location for instructional resource material receiving in excess of 3000 hits in a given week with hits from at least 6 different countries. The web site located at http://gaaged.org provides agricultural educators and students across the nation resources to enhance learning and provides many agricultural educators the sole curriculum framework for their instructional program.
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