CTAE

Career Technical Agricultural Education

Careers (Smith, K.); Engineering (West); Technology (A. Bragg); Agriculture (Fulcher)

Middle Schools and Georgia Career, Technical and Agricultural Education

Designed to meet the needs of young adolescents (ages 10-15), middle schools bridge the gap between elementary and high school by providing students with an opportunity to learn in a safe, nurturing, and positive environment. According to the National Middle School Association (NMSA), effective middle schools' characteristics include courage, collaborative leadership, a shared vision that guides decisions, high expectations for every member of the learning community, students and teachers engaged in active learning, and school-community partnerships.

These characteristics are found within the Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education programs in Georgia. CTAE is making giant strides to bring middle school programs to new career readiness goals. The new curriculum includes national standards, CTAE standards, and Georgia Performance Standards, in addition to career development activities allowing students to make the connection between classwork and the workforce.

Each Middle School CTAE Program area course includes essential and relevant performance standards for math, science, language arts, and social studies. Middle school CTAE courses also reinforce Reading Across the Content, Technical Writing standards, Entrepreneurship standards, and CTAE Foundation Skills. CTAE middle school courses feature rigorous performance standards that students master to help prepare them for choosing a high school career pathway that interests them.