Week 2 - AEE 424

Take the Needs Assessment pre-test to see how much you know.

I. Explain what needs assessment is and why it is useful.

Instructional Thoughts:

Teachers who go into educational careers without a clear understanding that they will be in a constant state of flux are deluding themselves. That constant state of instability is most notable in elective areas such as agricultural education and it often translates into struggles for budget share and even for program survival. Change is simply going to happen. You can either plan for change or you can wait for it. You can either manage change or react to it. The tools you will learn in this lesson are probably the most powerful asset you will have to plan for and manage change as a professional teacher of agricultural education.

A needs assessment is simply the systematic collection and analysis of information with the intention of determining what is needed in terms of educational programs and curriculum. In other words, in education, a needs assessment is a decision tool. The level of sophistication of the needs assessment will vary greatly depending on the resources available and the importance of the decisions under consideration. At the teacher's level, a needs assessment will focus heavily on the needs of your local community using census data, local agricultural business information, information on the school, and data on student needs and interests. A solid needs assessment helps educational leaders at all levels to make appropriate programmatic decisions to better serve their communities and students.

II. Plan for a needs assessment including a community study, an agricultural business study, a school facilities study, and a student interest study.

Read Handout 1

Read Handout 2

Review US QuickFacts

Review NY QuickFacts

Review Tompkins County QuickFacts

Review Tompkins County Ag Profile

Review Sample Needs Assessment and Sample Student Survey

Go to http://www.census.gov. Find, print, and review your home county’s QuickFacts sheet.

Go to http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/. Find, print, and review your home county’s Profile sheet.

Class 2	Conducting a Needs Assessment for Agricultural Education

Introduction	All agricultural education programs must teach classes that address the needs of the local area. In order to determine what should be taught in an agricultural education program, a needs assessment must be conducted. The program must provide what the community feels is needed as well as what data sources indicate is needed. Teachers must realize that community and industry needs will change with time and that they must continually assess current and future needs. An important benefit of conducting a needs assessment is the numerous partnerships with students, parents and industry that will grow during the process of determining everyone's needs.

Learning Objectives	I. Explain what needs assessment is and why it is useful. II. Plan for a needs assessment including: A. Community Study B. Ag Business Study C. School Facilities Study D. Student Interest Study

Instructional Activities	Take the Needs Assessment pre-test to see how much you know. I. Explain what needs assessment is and why it is useful. Instructional Thoughts: Teachers who go into educational careers without a clear understanding that they will be in a constant state of flux are deluding themselves. That constant state of instability is most notable in elective areas such as agricultural education and it often translates into struggles for budget share and even for program survival. Change is simply going to happen. You can either plan for change or you can wait for it. You can either manage change or react to it. The tools you will learn in this lesson are probably the most powerful asset you will have to plan for and manage change as a professional teacher of agricultural education. A needs assessment is simply the systematic collection and analysis of information with the intention of determining what is needed in terms of educational programs and curriculum. In other words, in education, a needs assessment is a decision tool. The level of sophistication of the needs assessment will vary greatly depending on the resources available and the importance of the decisions under consideration. At the teacher's level, a needs assessment will focus heavily on the needs of your local community using census data, local agricultural business information, information on the school, and data on student needs and interests. A solid needs assessment helps educational leaders at all levels to make appropriate programmatic decisions to better serve their communities and students. II. Plan for a needs assessment including a community study, an agricultural business study, a school facilities study, and a student interest study. Read Handout 1 Read Handout 2 Review US QuickFacts Review NY QuickFacts Review Tompkins County QuickFacts Review Tompkins County Ag Profile Review Sample Needs Assessment and Sample Student Survey Go to http://www.census.gov. Find, print, and review your home county’s QuickFacts sheet. Go to http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/. Find, print, and review your home county’s Profile sheet.

Class Visuals	View a PowerPoint presentation on Needs Assessments and review the transcript.

Assignments	**Submit to WebCt Vista. Due March 2nd. This Needs Assessment is 20% of the course grade. Every agricultural education teacher should conduct an actual needs assessment of his or her community. If you are not already employed as a teacher, select a community in which you would like ot work or select the community in which you expect to student teach and conduct a needs assessment according to these guidelines. Please refer to this PowerPoint for instructions on conducting a community survey.