Standard 10 - Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs)
This element addresses CTSOs, which are organizations for individuals enrolled in CTE programs that engage in activities as an integral part of the instructional program, including the delivery and availability of CTSO opportunities for student skill and leadership development.
program handbook.pdfStandard ten addresses Career and Technical Student Organizations, so the artifact I have chosen is my program handbook. This document goes over my protocols for FFA and SAE components and ensures that it is a student-led organization that allows for leadership development. This handbook allows me as a teacher to have all of my expectations in one place where I can always have them accessible for students. My handbook will shift as I incorporate school-specific policies into my expectations. CTSOs are an integral, intracurricular part of the program of study, which allows all students to be a part of these organizations. This handbook covers many different topics for FFA, including my points system, bylaws, officer applications, member code of conduct form, and a tentative calendar. For SAE, this handbook covers examples of SAEs, the grading component of SAE, and the different proficiency areas. These CTSOs develop and reinforce relevant technical, academic, and employability knowledge while making sure there are opportunities for every student to participate in different competitive events or other activities. This handbook is a great draft for my future program and is a jumping off point to make sure my expectations and rules are clearly defined for students and guardians.
POA Event - Alumni Pancake Breakfast.pdfAn activity we did in one of my undergraduate classes was to plan a POA event on AET. The event I planned was an alumni pancake breakfast put on by current FFA students. This is a great opportunity for students because it allows students to practice their employability skills. For example, food safety, positive attitudes, arriving on time early in the morning, and polite, appropriate conversations with the people they are serving. These people they are serving are business and community members, which allows connection and interaction, which is great for developing those employability skills while also networking to connect with new community members. These community members could, in turn, serve as mentors or employers. This event, like many other FFA events, is a way to have community and school service activities. Another important part of a CTSO is that it is available to all students who want to participate. This is not a problem in Illinois because if you take an agricultural class, then you are automatically an FFA member. So, this event is available to all students who are a part of the CTSO. This document goes through the objective, plan, goals, budget, results, and photos, which helps keep the CTSO organized. Overall, this artifact is a great example of standard ten because it is something that will be used every year in my program to connect students with alumni.