Agriculture Learning Standards
Agricultural education programs are traditionally composed of three essential components: classroom instruction, supervised work experience, and integrated student career and leadership development activities through the FFA. This three-circle model provides multiple opportunities for students to engage in agricultural education through classroom instruction, experiential learning, and leadership development. While participation in all three components is encouraged to support a well-rounded experience, students may engage in one or more components based on their interests and opportunities available.
While New York State does not have agriculture specific academic standards, most schools align their agricultural programs with the National Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (AFNR) Content Standards. The New York State Education Department categorizes Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs using the Advance CTE Career Clusters framework. Within this system, the majority of agricultural programs are classified under the Agriculture and Energy & Natural Resources career clusters. We also recommend connecting with the Advance CTE Career Clusters for Agriculture and Energy & Natural Resources.Ìý
The provide a high-quality, rigorous set of standards to guide what students should know and be able to do after completing a program of study in any of the following AFNR career pathways:Ìý
- Agribusiness SystemsÌý
- Animal SystemsÌý
- Biotechnology SystemsÌý
- Environmental Sustainability SystemsÌý
- Food Products Resource SystemsÌý
- Natural Resource SystemsÌý
- Plant SystemsÌý
- Power, Structural and Technical SystemsÌý
- Education, Communication, & LeadershipÌý
- Energy & Natural ResourcesÌý
New York schools are encouraged to use the AFNR standards as a guide for the development of well-planned curriculum and assessments for agriculture CTE programs and adapt the standards to meet local needs.Ìý Ìý