Why should our high school offer AFNR courses?      
Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) programs are a key component of the Illinois education system, and enhances the social, economic and environmental well-being of the state. Twenty-five percent of the Illinois civilian workforce is employed in AFNR, which makes it Illinois' largest industry. To support this industry, we must also support the future of AFNR (agricultural) education.

AFNR courses provide excellent opportunities for students to learn about career opportunities within the agriculture, food, fiber, and natural resource industry. Agricultural education leads the way in preparing students to meet Illinois Learning Standards, Occupational Skill Standards, and Workplace Skill Standards.

"Despite the continuing restructuring of agricultural industries, career opportunities are excellent for young men and women, who make commitments to both formal education in their chosen areas, as well as to their own personal leadership development." - Charles E. Olson, Former Assistant Dean for Academic Programs, UIUC College of ACES. 
77 Percent of Illinois' agriculture programs award academic credit in math, science, social studies, language arts or consumer economics. 72 Percent of agriculture seniors continue their education after high school. Information and facts on how your students and school can benefit from offering agriculture/horticulture courses can be obtained from your FCAE Agriculture Education Program Advisor. 

How can a school gain state approval for an agricultural education program?      
If your school currently does not offer agriculture or horticulture courses but would like to add these course offerings for students, there are many resources to assist in the development of an approvable agricultural/horticultural program sequence.

Fully funded programs consist of at least one credit at the Freshman/Sophomore level and at least one course at the Junior/Senior level within the same Career Pathway.

FCAE Program Advisors are available to provide assistance in developing a full sequence of courses at your school. Sample course outlines and lesson plans are already developed that will streamline the approval process for your school. Working with your Program Advisor during the approval process at your local school will make the course approval process at the state and regional levels much easier. Once your school approves a local course description and course outline, your Education for Employment System Director will approve the courses at the regional level and submit them for approval to the Illinois State Board of Education. New courses should be to the EFE System Director by April of the school year preceding the initial offering of courses.

Is there funding assistance available for agricultural programs?      
In addition to the Career and Technical Education Improvement Grant and Perkins Grant funding, the Illinois State Board of Education provides yearly Incentive Funding Grants to local schools with agriculture/horticulture programs. Upon completion of an initial grant application, a one time start-up grant of $10,000 is awarded to any school implementing an agricultural/horticulture program for their school that has been approved through their respective EFE Regional CTE System. Assistance in completing the initial application is available from the FCAE Program Advisor assigned to the region. Following the first year, schools may complete the application for the Incentive Funding Grant on an annual basis. The average allocation per school is approximately $1800 and is determined by the score received from the grant application. Each school that completes the grant application receives funding with the allocation amount based upon the activities of the program. Several reports generated from data collected through the Incentive Funding Grant Application as well as view a sample grant application.

What assistance is available for implementing & maintaining a high school ag ed program?      
As a result of funding made available through the Agricultural Education Line Item in the Illinois State Board of Education budget, FCAE Program Advisors are available to assist in every phase of developing and maintaining an agriculture program at the high school level.

Sample course outlines are available to assist in curriculum planning. Over 850 lesson plans have been developed which are aligned to the Illinois State Learning Standards and made available free of charge to Illinois high schools with agriculture programs. Additionally, PowerPoint Presentations, Assessments and E-units have been developed as supplements to the lesson plans.

What courses and topics should we teach in the agricultural courses we select?      
There are eight Career Pathways to choose from including: Agribusiness Systems, Animal Systems, Biotechnology Systems, Environmental Science Systems, Food Products and Processing Systems, Natural Resource Systems, Plant Systems, and Power, Structural and Technical Systems.  To be eligible for an approvable program in Agricultural Education, schools must offer at least one credit per year at the Group 2 level and one course at the Group 3 level within the same career pathway.

Student interests and community needs are important factors to consider when selecting Career Pathways and course offerings for an agricultural/horticultural program. A student survey and input from business and industry in your local community are important factors to consider when building a quality agricultural/horticultural program.

Course outlines have been created to assist in curriculum planning. Over 850 lesson plans have been developed which are aligned to the Illinois State Learning Standards and made available free of charge to Illinois high schools with agriculture programs.

How do I find a qualified teacher to teach our agriculture courses?      
Program Advisors along with the four universities in Illinois with Agricultural Education teacher preparation programs - University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Illinois State University, and Western Illinois University - are the best sources for identifying quality candidates to teach in your high school agriculture/horticulture program. Each spring, available candidates are identified and listed on our Teaching Candidates page. Agricultural teaching vacancies are listed on our Teaching Vacancies page.

Are there curriculum resources available for teaching agriculture?      
Over 1200 Agricultural, FFA, and Supervised Agricultural Experience(SAE) lesson plans, PowerPoint Presentations, and Assessments, and E-Units are available free of charge to all agriculture teachers in Illinois. Each lesson plan is aligned to the Illinois Learning State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards and identifies recommended textbooks for additional resource material. Contact your FCAE Program Advisor for access to these resources. 

Are there state agricultural education learning standards?      
Illinois has adopted the National Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) Content Standards
The AFNR Career Cluster Content Standards provide state agricultural education leaders and educators with 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 each of the AFNR career pathways.

Can Students receive academic credit for agricultural courses?      
Yes, in fact, over 80% of all schools with agriculture programs in Illinois offer academic credit for agricultural courses. Students in Illinois who successfully complete specific agriculture courses can fulfill their academic graduation requirements in math, science, social studies, language arts or consumer economics.

Additionally, students enrolled in the Biological Science Applications in Agriculture (BSAA) and/or Physical Science Applications in Agriculture (PSAA) courses may fulfill university laboratory science admissions requirements.

View this resource presented by ISBE AFNR staff to help schools through the process of using CTE courses to satisfy graduation requirements.

What types of professional development activities are available for agriculture teachers?      
Professional development opportunities are available to agriculture teachers at several conferences throughout the year. Through partnerships between FCAE, the Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers (IAVAT), and agricultural businesses, experts from all aspects of the agriculture industry provide educational workshops for teachers. Agriculture teachers remain up-to-date on the latest agricultural industry techniques as well as new curriculum resources that are available for classroom use. In-service activities are selected by the IAVAT Professional Development Committee with input provided from all Illinois agriculture teachers.