Supervised

Agriculture

ExperiencePennsylvania Department of

Education BCTE

PennsylvaniaSAE Guidelines

July 2009

Supervised Agricultural Experience

The SAE program is education. It is hands-on, real-life agricultural

career preparation experiences tied to:agricultural science curriculumstudent aptitudes and interestsstudent career and educational goalsthe agricultural industry

It ties together the entire agricultural education experience.

~You Tube video clip: National FFA SAE~

Read this carefully!

Help Wanted: Landscape maintenance worker. Operate a lawn mower and power blower. Need a person who can work without supervision. Experience required. Call 555-7743 today.

Looking for the right person….

.

Vet Assistant Needed:

Mayflower Animal Hospital needs an

experienced individual to work 20

hours a week. Duties include bathing, grooming,

and feeding of animals.

Apply in person at 316 Walnut Street

Horticulture Opening Dependable person

to handle over the counter sales in a busy garden center.

Pay is $7.50 an hour. Neat appearance important, along with the ability to work

with people. Experience in working

with plants a must. Call 555-2396 for an interview.

Are you the ONE they are looking for?

What was the SAME in all three ads?What was the SAME in all three ads?

Each advertisement wanted the person to be experienced.

People who have experience have the edge in landing a job.

EXPERIENCE...

What can YOU do NOWto be qualified for a job in the

future ?

How do you get experience without first having a job?

How do you get a job without first having

experience?

How can YOU gain experience?

Gaining ExperienceThrough Hands On Learning

SAE Defined

Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) programs consist of planned

practical activities conducted outside of class time, in which students develop and apply agricultural

knowledge and skills.

PDE Approved SAE Definition

• PDE considers a SAE enterprise acceptable if it will correspond to a recognized National FFA Proficiency Award area. See proficiency descriptions at: www.FFA.org

• PDE Chapter 339 SAE hour option definition: http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/022/chapter339/chap339toc.html

Make The Connections

Agricultural Education has thrived by implementing teaching methods that utilize three interconnected educational

components.

It is the student’s involvement in all three Agricultural Education components: classroom instruction, FFA and SAE,

that challenges the student and develops the three skill domains.

Agricultural Education develops the student’s cognitive mental skills ( Knowledge ) through classroom instruction.

The FFA student organization component develops the student’s affective skills,( Attitude), through structured leadership and career development activities and events.

The student’s psychomotor skills, commonly called manual or physical skills ( Skills) , are developed through the supervised agricultural experience program (SAE).

The THREE Circles and You

How can a SAE help me?

Develops skills that can be used in getting a job

Provides the opportunity to earn money

Develops skills that can be used in starting your own business (entrepreneurship)

Helps develop management skills

Develops computer skills

More SAE skill development

Improves analytical and decision-making skills

Learn record-keeping skills

Teaches responsibility

Provides the opportunity to explore career options

Offers ideas for your Graduation Project

Still More SAE Skills…… Develops knowledge and

skills that could be helpful in college, as a hobby, or for recreation.

Provides the opportunity to win awards. FFA proficiency awards are based on the SAE program. In addition to winning awards, money can be won at regional, state, and national levels.

You Tube video clip: ~Student Tomato SAE~

SAE: Planning For Success

Plan Your WorkAND

Work Your Plan

CAREER GOAL SETTING

SAE Career Ladder

• A “word ladder” is an activity where one letter in a word is changed, in order to form a new word.

• You change one letter at a time until you have a new word.

• See if you can change SAE into JOB.

• J O B

• __ __ __

• __ __ __

• __ __ __

• S A E

Goal Setting Techniques

SMART Goals Once you have planned your SAE project, turn your attention to developing several

goals that will enable you to be successful.

Goals should be SMART

- specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time based

To check the progress of your goal setting you might hold SAE project evaluation meetings with the key members of

your SAE team: teacher, parents, employer….

The acronym SMART has a number of slightly different variations, which can be used to provide a more

comprehensive definition for goal setting:

S - specific, significant, stretching

M - measurable, meaningful, motivational

A - agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented

R - realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented

T - time-based, timely, tangible, trackable

This provides a broader definition that will help you to be successful in both your SAE and personal life.

S.M.A.R.T. GOALS

FIVE Quality SAE Program Measurements

Five factors that define a quality SAE program:

1. Documented       Students maintain an accurate and analytical

set of records. Students develop an understanding of managerial practices and identifies alternatives based on his or her records.

2. The SAE is curriculum based

      Students use knowledge gained from instruction in planning their SAE. Students use knowledge and skills gained from agricultural and academic principles to arrive at SAE project end products.

Quality SAE Measurements3. The SAE is student managed

Student applies classroom-learned skills in real-world settings with student initiating and controlling decisions.

4. The SAE is planned and comprehensive     Students experience skills that meet or exceed

curricular expectations, accomplishing goals and is managed with a collaboration of student, teacher, and parents.

5.  Student receives recognition    Recognition can begin with academic recognition for

SAE accomplishments and develop into FFA degree recognition and develop further into state and national recognition through FFA proficiency awards and Record Book competitions.

Types of SAE Enterprises

Entrepreneurship

Placement

Conservation

Improvement

Practicum Skills

Research

While an SAE program may contain just one type of activity, the goal should be to show growth each year, either by improving or

expanding your original project or adding an additional SAE.

This maximizes learning and your opportunities

for FFA awards and recognition.

SAE Growth

Entrepreneurship SAE

The student plans, implements, operates, and assumes financial

risks in a farming activity or agricultural business for an

entrepreneurship SAE.

In entrepreneurship programs, the student owns the materials and other required inputs

and keeps financial records to determine return to investments.

Entrepreneurship Examples. . Growing a garden or an agronomic crop A group of students growing a crop of poinsettias Raising rabbits, pigs, sheep, or cattle Running a pay-to-fish operation Owning and operating a lawn care

service Operating a Christmas tree farm Having a pleasure horse

Placement SAE

Placement or employment SAE

programs involve the placement of students

on farms or in agricultural businesses to provide a “learning-

by-doing” environment. This is done outside of

normal classroom hours and may be paid or non-

paid.

Placement Examples. . .

Working in a florist shopWorking at a riding stableWorking in a small animal hospitalPlacement on a farmWorking in the produce or meat department of a grocery storeWorking in a small engine repair shopWorking after school at a farm supply store

Conservation SAEConservation SAE’s involves the student

studying wildlife and the environment

(soil, water, air, renewable resources) and conducting research and activities to improve the environment and provide

habitat for wildlife. Conservation projects usually include multiple environmental BMP activities throughout the

year.

Conservation Examples. . . Place bird feeders and maintain a log of birds seen

Research and plant a butterfly garden

Make casts of animal tracks

Raise pheasants or quail

Plant evergreens and apple trees for wildlife food

and cover

Join a watershed group and conduct a stream

Develop a PowerPoint to identify trees and wildlife common to your area and use it to study for FFA CDE’s

Conservation Project Opportunities

The Pennsylvania Game Commission provides regional

and state level monetary awards for outstanding conservation

projects.

They PGC Wildlife Conservation Officers also serve as technical

advisors for SAE projects.

Improvement SAEImprovement SAE projects include a series of learning activities that improve the value or appearance of the place of employment, home, school, or community; the efficiency of an enterprise or business; or the living conditions of the family.

The improvement project can occur at home, school or in your community. It can

be paid or volunteer time.

Improvement Examples. . .

Landscaping the home

Building a pasture fence

Remodeling and painting a room

Overhauling a piece of ag equipment

Building or reorganizing a workshop

Renovating and restocking a pond

Computerizing the records of an agricultural

business

Practicum Skill SAEPracticum Skill projects allow students to gain knowledge through:•Non-experimental research•Exploring various areas of agriculture•Exploring agricultural careers

Practicum Skill Examples. . . Develop a marketing plan for an agricultural commodity

Write a series of newspaper articles about the

environment

Design a land use plan for your school district

Develop a landscape design for a community park

Attend an agricultural career day

Attend a county or state conservation camp

School Related Practicum Skill Examples. . .

• Work in the school greenhouse or land lab• Serve as a school lab assistant• Develop and/or maintain the FFA chapter Web site.• Develop and/or participate in the recycling program• Plant a butterfly garden at an elementary school

Research SAE

The purpose of the experiment is to provide students “hands-on” experience in:•Verifying, learning, or demonstrating scientific principles in agriculture

•Discovering new knowledge

•Using the scientific process

Research SAE include in depth activities where the student plans and conducts a major agricultural experiment using the scientific process.

Research Examples. . . Comparing the muscle and bone anatomy of a chicken

wing to a human hand Determining the impact of different levels of enzymes

on meat tenderness Comparing three rooting hormones on root

development Determining if phases of the moon have an effect on

plant growth Determining the strength of welds using different

welding methods

SAE: Which one is for you?

After reviewing this PowerPoint,talk to your parents and agriculture

teacher and decide the type of SAE that will work for you.

What will your SAE project(s) be????

Decision TIME!

Your SAE Record BookAfter you decide which type of SAE you will do:

With your agriculture teacher’s supervision, decide if you will be doing your records by hand (paper and pencil) or electronically on the computer.

With your agriculture teacher’s help, select the appropriate record book(s) to match the type of SAE you have selected. Each SAE type will have a different record book format.

All record books can be downloaded from the PA FFA website:www.paffa.state.pa.us

SAE Record Book LayoutDownload the appropriate records sections to your computer from the PA FFA Web site.

Remember every SAE record book MUST include a Common Pages section (see notebook format below).

Three Ring Notebook Format -SAE notebook colored tabs are available from the PA Association of Ag Educators

Tab 1: Planning (Common Pages download) Tab 2: Enterprise 1 Tab 3-5: Additional Enterprises 2-4 Tab 6: Summary (Common Pages download) Tab 7: Leadership (Common Pages download)

Research SAE Project

OpportunitiesYour research project is eligible for competition in the

Agri science fairs at the FFA state and national levels, as well as at your local

fairs.

Awards and Recognition

Pennsylvania FFA SAERecord Book Competitions

Events are held on the local and state level. See the PA FFA website for

scorecards and all required record keeping forms.

Mid Atlantic Farm Credit and Ag Choice provide:

$250 for the top record book in each of the four FFA regions.

$500 for the top record book in PA.

These awards are presented on stage at the PA FFA Summer Convention in June.

Conservation SAE Project

OpportunitiesThe PA Game Commission offers

awards for outstanding projects and Record Books.

State and National FFA Proficiency Awards

Students with outstanding record books are encouraged to complete a National FFA proficiency award application.

State Regional Proficiency winners receive $25 and a plaque.

State Proficiency winners receive $100 and a plaque and represents PA in national competition.

Go to the National FFA website for a list of proficiency areas and applications: www.FFA.org

FFA Proficiency Awards

SAE Resources

1. Classroom discussion, Ag Sci textbook and videos

2. Upperclassmen FFA Members

3. PA FFA Handbook (on PA FFA website)

4. National FFA Student Handbook

5. National FFA Official Manual

6. PA FFA website: www.paffa.state.pa.us

7. National FFA website: www.ffa.org

8. PA Department of Education SAE Guidebook