Recipient Organization
GOSHEN HIGH SCHOOL
286 EAGLE CIRCLE, PO BOX 286
GOSHEN,AL 36035
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Pike A & T is an integral component of the school systems' strategic and capital plans and will have an academic focus on animal and plant science. Approximately 23 acres of land has been purchased adjacent to the school in order to develop and expand the program. A state-of-the-art facility is currently under construction that will include two large classrooms, offices for the instructors, a conference room, and an experiment lab area with computers. Three greenhouses have been acquired to supply instruction and lab areas for horticulture and aquaculture topics. All Pike A & T instructors have acquired FIT (Focused Industry Training), CAT1 (Computer Assessment and Training On-line), and NCCER (National Center for Construction Education Research) Master Trainer certification. A consortium of agricultural businesses and industries [project audience member has been formed to provide internships and cooperative study programs for Pike A & T participants in order to
acquire hands-on experience, and perhaps return after graduation to work for that industry. The academy will encourage student involvement in FFA to develop good leadership, citizenship, and cooperation skills. Pike A & T has articulation agreements set up with Tuskegee University, Auburn University, Alabama A & M, (which are traditionally agricultural-based universities) and Trenholm Technical College. Tuskegee and Alabama A & M are historically-black colleges. Articulation agreements with historically-black colleges and universities promote careers in the various fields of agricultural to students who are members of minority populations. One of the agriscience teachers is a female. She promotes non-traditional participation in an agriscience program, thus expanding student and workforce diversity. Her effect is evidenced by the fact that over 50 percent of the 2006-2007 program completers were females. The academys overall impact will be better educated students in the concentrated
fields of study, opportunities for higher education and hands-on, real world work experiences for less fortunate students may who not have otherwise been exposed to them had they not entered the academy.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Pike A & T seeks to attain the following program goals: 1. Increase the number of students encouraged to pursue and complete a 2- or 4-year postsecondary degree in the food and agricultural sciences. 2. Help students achieve their career goals and help meet workplace needs by increasing the quality of secondary and postsecondary instruction. The enrollment in the academy will be 25 juniors and 25 seniors per term. Also, Pike A & T will have an In-Field placement of completers of 95%. Initially, the academy will have a benchmark of 25 percent minority participation. Also, there will be benchmarks of 17.49 percent non-traditional participation and 9.73 percent non-traditional program completer. A benchmark of 50 percent of program completers using articulated credits at post-secondary institutions and 75 percent attaining all credentials will be set. Prerequisites for the academy include the following: 1. Take and pass basic agriscience in the 9th grade and an
agriscience-engineering course in the 10th grade. 2. Maintain a GPA of at least 2.5 on all 4x4 core subjects (math, English, science, and social studies) in the 9th and 10th grades. 3. Sign a commitment (both the student and parent/guardian) to fulfill academy requirements for the duration of the program (2 years). 4. Complete the Work Keys Assessment by spring of 10th grade year and score a minimum of 3. 5. Take and pass a drug analysis. 6. Have excellent attendance and discipline records. 7. GPA of 2.0+ 8. Complete an interview with the selection committee. 9. Complete the KUDER interest inventory assessment.
Project Methods
The Pike County School System has assessed that there are 10,000, 30 percent of the county population), agriculture and technical related occupations in the local area. As a result of this data, the administration sees that it is imperative that they establish an Agriscience and Technical Career Academy. The academy, formally named Pike Agriscience and Technical Career Academy (Pike A & T), will be housed at Goshen High School (Secondary School Program Category) because there is a heavy concentration of agricultural operations in the local area. The project will enhance agriculture education through curriculum improvements by implementing stand alone computer modules (TLUs-Technical Learning Units) with lessons that have been adapted to the academys concentration, such as animal science, plant science, and agri-engineering. The students (project audience member) will have a chance to complete self-paced lessons that each take eight to ten class hours to perform.
Currently, over $60,000 of educational modules have been purchased by the school system and implemented into the curriculum for innovative instructional approaches to enhance student learning. USDA grant funds [Regular Project Proposal (Single Institution)] of $35,000 will be used to purchase the educational supplies required to enhance the module instruction through related experiential learning opportunities. Pike A & T will offer thematically blended core science and social science courses in conjunction with the agriscience courses so the students can grasp the correlation between academics and agriculture and how related issues affect them. The academy will consist of two agriscience teachers, one science teacher, and one social science teacher working in a collaborative manner. Pike A & T participants will acquire science and social science required Carnegie Units for graduation in grades 11 and 12 as a result of participation in the academy. Pike A & T will educate the
participants in various agriculture disciplines, promote workforce development within the county through partnerships in an established consortium of agricultural businesses, and aid in meeting the Perkins Career Cluster requirement. The objective of the Pike A & T is to enhance workforce skills of the youth in Pike County, which currently ranks over 23% below the poverty level. The skills and competencies taught will be directed toward workforce skills in the agribusinesses in the local geographic area and expects to attain an In-Field placement rate of 95%. The racial make-up of these school systems is near 60 percent minority. The Academy will have a benchmark of 25 percent minority participation. Also, there will be benchmarks of 17.49 percent non-traditional (female) participation and 9.73 percent non-traditional program completer. Pike A & Ts curriculum will allow participants to gain college credits in agriculture and agricultural engineering through university articulations
and several credentials will be available for participants to receive. Benchmarks of 50 percent of program completers using articulated credits at post-secondary institutions and 75 percent attaining all credentials will be set.