Progress 06/01/10 to 05/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: High School Agricultural Educators Changes/Problems: The U.S. Department of Labor Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, “Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation; Child Labor Violations—Civil Money Penalties” (76 Fed. Reg. 54836) delayed the project for several months. If the proposed changes would have passed it would have made our project pointless. Even without passage of the proposed rules it was recognized that our project should make a major shift in direction. The major project modification was approved on March 12, 2012. A few months after this the primary project worker was told by Penn State central administration he could no longer be employed to work on this project. This was after the CAS had approved the person for working on the project. Confusion over a Penn State employment policy again caused several months of delay. Once this issue was settled, we had to start over in finding a qualified worker for the project. This has now been accomplished. A one year no cost extension for the project was grant in March 2013. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? As of May 31, 2014 there are 90 Master Lead Instructors and 870 Community Lead Instructors trained using this curriculum. These instructors are spread across 44 states and 2 Canadian provinces. An online Community Lead Instructor tutorial was developed and 339 Community lead Instructors have been approved through this process. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The NSTMOP products are located on the PIs website (extension.psu.edu/business/ag-safety) and on eXtension (extension.org/agsafety). Additionally, eXtension/agsafety is the official outreach site for the Agricultural Safety & Health Council of America. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The overall project objective was to promote youth safe tractor and machinery operation in the Southeaster US by conducting 8 to 12 workshops in selected states to train state master trainers and community lead instructors to conduct youth safety programs using the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program (NSTMOP) materials to meet the USDOL requirements for youth under 16 to work for hire on farms. Secondary project objectives were to develop additional single concept task sheets (8-10) in equipment areas not presently covered in the NSTMOP, translation of the NSTMOP Task Sheets into Spanish and to promote youth agricultural safety and awareness to professionals in extension and agricultural education. The USDOL proposed to modify the HOOA Regulations governing the employment of youth in agriculture in late 2011. If passed, these regulations would have made our project pointless because it would have made obsolete the NSTMOP. The proposed changes were eventually withdrawn amid extensive opposition by agricultural producers. While this activity was playing out, a request to modify the first major objective of the project was requested and granted. The new objective shifted focus from the conducting of workshops in the Southeast to examining the NSTMOP curriculum for alignment with Career Cluster Skill Standards promulgated by national-level high school agricultural education organizations and the National FFA Office. A template for aligning NSTMOP task sheets with Agricultural, Food and Natural Resources (AFNR) Career Cluster Standards (CS) was developed. In addition to alignment with CS, this template also allows alignment of NSTMOP task sheets to National Academic Content Standards (Science, Math, English Language Arts and Social Studies). The template identifies for agricultural teachers the content of task sheets that align with CS Performance Indicators and Level 1 and Level 2 Measurements in a lesson plan format. A Lesson Plan and PowerPoint were developed and combined into a National Safe Tractor & Machinery Operation Program (NSTMOP) Instructor Lesson Plan with PowerPoint. This document is currently being pilot tested in three states. A final product is expected to be released during late summer of 2014. This instructor document will help new educators in extension and vocational agriculture teach the NSTMOP curriculum. This lesson plan facilitates guided instruction and discussion for educators, and provides instructors with desired responses from students. This type of instructor aide has not been previously available for the NSTMOP. Project Objectives and Accomplishments: Obj. 1: (Revised) Examine the NSTMOP Curriculum materials to see if and how they might align with AFNR Career Cluster Standards. -- A template for aligning NSTMOP task sheets with AFNR Career Cluster Standards (CS) was devised and completed for Level 1 and Level 2 Performance Indicator and Measurements. It was found that one or more task sheets aligned with one or more Performance Indicators and Measurements. Obj. 2: Enhancement of the NSTMOP package, to include a series of ten to twelve additional two to four page task sheets, focusing on topics not currently included in the USDOL 1968 HOOA Regulations but prevalent on farms today where youth may be employed.-- Fifteen new task sheets are currently available free on our dedicated website and from Finney-Hobar for a modest fee. Although not an original objective, the NSTMOP Instructor Guide and the NSTMOP Student Manual have been revised and streamlined. These documents been linked to eXtension (www.extension.org/agsafety) for greater access to the NSTMOP. Objs. 3-5: Translation into Spanish all NSTMOP materials. -- This has been completed. All Spanish language materials are available free of charge from Penn State University. Obj. 6: Develop PowerPoint slides in both English and Spanish to support the newly developed materials. -- This has been completed. The PowerPoint has been integrated into a Lesson Plan for the NSTMOP and is being pilot tested in three states. The Lesson Plan and slides are expected to be released to all NSTMOP instructors by late summer. Obj. 7: Promotion of the NSTMOP Program. -- This has occurred and is an ongoing activity. The NSTMOP has been recognized nationally as an approved curriculum for training of youth to meet HOOA requirements. Among other venues, the NSTMOP has been promoted at the National FFA Convention and will be used to conduct Master Trainers in Oregon in May, 2014. As of May, 2014 there are 54 Master Lead Instructors and 870 Community Lead Instructors trained using this curriculum. These instructors are spread across 44 states and 2 Canadian provinces. Finney-Hobar, Inc. has sold 8,030 copies of the first edition of the student manual, and 1,035 of the second edition which was released June 2013.
Publications
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Progress 06/01/12 to 05/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: High School Agricultural Educators Changes/Problems: The U.S. Department of Labor Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, “Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation; Child Labor Violations—Civil Money Penalties” (76 Fed. Reg. 54836) delayed the project for several months. If the proposed changes would have passed it would have made our project pointless. Even without passage of the proposed rules it was recognized that our project should make a major shift in direction. The major project modification was approved on March 12, 2012. A few months after this the primary project worker was told by Penn State central administration he could no longer be employed to work on this project. This was after the CAS had approved the person for working on the project. Confusion over a Penn State employment policy again caused several months of delay. Once this issue was settled, we had to start over in finding a qualified worker for the project. This has now been accomplished. A one year no cost extension for the project was grant in March 2013. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The template for aligning NSTMOP task sheets with Agricultural, Food and Natural Resources (AFNR) Career Cluster Standards will be completed for Level 1 and Level 2 Performance Indicator and Measurements. The lesson plans will be reviewed by a volunteer group of agricultural educators and any modifications to the template will be made. A PowerPoint slide presentation will be developed to aid educators in using the task sheets for farm safety education in classrooms. Promotional materials will be distributed nationally and at appropriate agricultural education conferences and meetings. Access to all materials will provided though eXtension, Penn State and agricultural education websites.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A template for aligning NSTMOP task sheets with Agricultural, Food and Natural Resources (AFNR) Career Cluster Standards (CS) was developed. In addition to alignment with CS, this template also allows alignment of NSTMOP task sheets to National Academic Content Standards (Science, Math, English Language Arts and Social Studies). The template identifies for agricultural teachers the content of task sheets that align with Cs Performance Indicators and Level 1 and Level 2 Measurements in a lesson plan format. This lesson plan facilitates guided instruction and discussion for educators, and provides instructors with desired responses from students. The NSTMOP Student Manual has been revised with updated and 15 new task sheets and is currently available free on our dedicated website and from Finney-Hobar for a modest fee. Our website has been linked to eXtension (www.extension.org/agsafety) for greater access to the NSTMOP. All NSTMOP task sheets have been translated to Spanish. PowerPoint slides to aid in teaching with the task sheets have been translated into Spanish.
Publications
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Progress 06/01/11 to 05/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The USDOL proposed major changes to HOOA regulations in late 2011 and early 2012. These modifications are currently under review. The propose modifications significantly impact intended activities under our project. The most significant proposed change is to require 90 hours of safety education within a high school agricultural education program for a youth to be eligible to receive an exemption to operate tractors and machinery for hire under the age of 16, and to eliminate cooperative extension as a certifying authority for exemption training. Objective 1 of the original proposal was promote youth safety education, through delivery of the NSTMOP program in the Southeast US focusing on agricultural and extension education programs at 1890 Institutions. A proposal was made to NIFA to revise Objective 1 to an activity that would more closely relate to the proposed changes to the HOOA regulations, and the revision was recently approved by NIFA. Objective 1 will now allow alignment of the NSTMOP curriculum with the "Common Core State Standards" (CCSS) as presented by the Council of Chief School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center). The CCSS have been adopted and approved by 48 states, two territories and the District of Columbia in June of 2011. As part of the refocused work, work began on development of a curriculum guide for teachers to accompany the NSTMOP Student Manual. The instructor guide will include expanded English and mathematical related activities. During the second year of the project 15 new task sheets were produced, all 77 previous task sheets were reviewed and updated as needed, and several task sheets were translated into Spanish. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audience has narrowed to more tightly focus agricultural educators. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The USDOL proposed major changes to HOOA regulations in late 2011 and early 2012. These modifications are currently under review. The propose modifications significantly impact intended activities under our project. The most significant proposed change is to require 90 hours of safety education within a high school agricultural education program for a youth to be eligible to receive an exemption to operate tractors and machinery for hire under the age of 16, and to eliminate cooperative extension as a certifying authority for exemption training. Objective 1 of the original proposal was promote youth safety education, through delivery of the NSTMOP program in the Southeast US focusing on agricultural and extension education programs at 1890 Institutions. A proposal was made to NIFA to revise Objective 1 to an activity that would more closely relate to the proposed changes to the HOOA regulations, and the revision was recently approved by NIFA. Objective 1 will now allow alignment of the NSTMOP curriculum with the "Common Core State Standards" (CCSS) as presented by the Council of Chief School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center). The CCSS have been adopted and approved by 48 states, two territories and the District of Columbia in June of 2011. As part of the refocused work, work began on development of a curriculum guide for teachers to accompany the NSTMOP Student Manual. The instructor guide will include expanded English and mathematical related activities.
Impacts
No Impacts in Year 2 because the proposed HOOA regulations and subsequent modification of the project.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 06/01/10 to 05/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: During the first year of the project four of the twelve project proposed National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation (NSTMOP) based Task Sheets are under development and currently under review by selected safety specialists. The NSTMOP, Instructor Manual has been reviewed and revised with a new section focusing on registering as a program instructor in the NSTMOP data base. This manual will be the basis of the proposed 10 to 12 workshops being conducted in the next two years of the project. The PI attended a national meeting of the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) where a workshop about the project and the NSTMOP program was offered. Fifty seven NSTMOP, Student Manuals were distributed to attendees. PARTICIPANTS: J.W. Hilton, project management, review and revision of the NSTMOP, Instructors Manual, development, review and editing of new task sheets as developed, attended the National meeting of NAAE and presented a workshop focusing on the Project and the NSTMOP as a National Program. D.J. Murphy, review of project operations and newly developed task sheets. Review of the Instructors Manual. TARGET AUDIENCES: Contacts are being made with personnel in the selected southeastern US to sponsor workshops in the 2011 project year. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The first year of the project was to focus on the development of additional task sheets to be added to the NSTMOP Student manual. Four tasks sheets as proposed in the first year of the project have been developed and are under review, with an additional 8 to 10 topics of the proposed 10 to 12 total Task Sheet being identified for development in the second and third years of the project. The NSTMOP Instructors Manual has been reviewed and revisions and three additional pages focusing on on-line instructor orientation and registration being added. Printing of the Instructors Manual was delayed pending review and will be completed by June 30, 2011 and will be available for distribution through the planned 10 -12 workshops in the Southeastern US. The PI attended one national meeting (NAAE) where a NSTMOP Orientation Presentation and abbreviated Project Workshop was held. Fifty- seven NSTMOP Student Manuals were distributed to teacher participants as part of the workshop. The PI is waiting for the workshop evaluation and feedback from NAAE.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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