Placement SAE Visit

This weekend I had the opportunity to go on my second official Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) project visit. This visit was a little different from my first a few weeks ago, as I was not as familiar with the project (equine placement - harness racing training facility). Unlike my first visit where my own previous experiences with raising Market Dairy Beef Steers could help me to offer advice, this time I had to rely heavily on more general employability and reflection skills to push my student to reflect on her own growth over the past few years working with this project. I absolutely loved seeing my student's passions for agriculture shine through, and I walked away with some new knowledge of my own and feeling accomplished as an advisor for helping a student strengthen their project. 

Below I will answer eight questions to summarize my visit. 

1. Who did you visit?

I visited a senior from the L-S program who is currently enrolled in the Ag Mechanics 1 course I am teaching. This student currently has two active SAE projects (Paid Placement - Equine Science and Foundational - Exploring Career Opportunities). This students has been in this Placement since 2018, and has recently been given much more responsibility in their role at the training facility. As a senior, she has been accepted into a four year program to start her journey to becoming a large animal veterinarian. During the visit, and while preparing for the visit, we discussed how this SAE has helped her to gain valuable hands-on animal experience for her future career goals. 

2. Where did the visit occur? 

This student works at a small local training facility about 5 miles from the school. We planned to meet during her Saturday morning shift at the facility.  When I arrived the student greeted me at the barn entrance, took me inside to see what she was working on, and meet her supervisors. 

As the student continued to put the harnesses on the horse, she clearly explained each step and why they had to be done in a certain order. She also explained what each piece of the harness was used for during the training/racing. The student also credited her supervisors for their amazing support throughout her time in this Placement, and discussed how they taught her each of these new skills. 

3. What preparations did you make prior to the visit?

In preparation for the visit, I talked with the student before our Ag Mechanics course to plan out a good time for me to come by for a visit. We wanted to find a good time for her to show off her new responsibilities with the training of the horses. Additionally, I reviewed her record book entries in AET (an online platform used to track a student's time, finances and achievements in classroom and school projects), and made sure everything was up to date. We also took time to discuss any current concerns or questions that the student had regarding her project. Following this conversation we decided that a Saturday morning visit would be best, as both her supervisors could be present at the facility at that time as well.  Additionally, we discussed the student's progress towards a Proficiency Award in Equine Science. 

4. What was the student's SAE program?

As I said before, this student is currently in a Paid Placement SAE in Equine Science and a Foundational SAE which focuses on continuous career exploration throughout the years in agriculture classes.  For more information on Placement SAEs check out this link.

5. How would you evaluate or rate the program? On what criteria? 

While I did not have a specific rubric to evaluate this project, I would give this students a 4.5/5. She fully understood her responsibilities at the facility and was able to clearly explain everything she was doing. Her supervisors were very happy with her performance and over the past summer even gave her more serious training responsibilities. It was evident throughout the visit that she had a great relationship with her supervisors, and was able to easily and clearly communicate with them. Her record books were up to date and well detailed. She was making progress towards her Proficiency Award and had set goals to complete that application by the deadline. She maintained open communication with her advisors (myself and my CT) and was enthusiastic about showing off her progress in this project. The only reason I did not give the students a 5/5 is because their is always room for growth and improvement. 

We did utilize a check list for the visit, which is pictured below.  This serves as a record of our visit and we provide a copy to the students so they can look back at our comments to improve their projects and use the information to update their records. 

6. What recommendations were made for improvement?

This student was doing an amazing job and performing well in her placement. The biggest recommendation for this student as she finishes up her high school career is to be more reflective about this experience and how it will benefit her moving on to her career goals. Additionally, looking at her record books, she will be a great contender for an American Degree Award in the future if she chooses to continue the project in the next few years. We also discussed what was needed to put the final touches on her Proficiency Award application in the next week. 

7. What record books were being used?

This student, and all L-S students enrolled in an agriculture course or SAE, utilize the AET record system. The AET, or Agriculture Experience Tracker, is an online platform where students can create journal entries to log time in experiences and manage expenses/income for their projects. 

While this student had up to date records, I suggested that moving forward she focus on finding a routine for entering financial records. 

8. How does the cooperating teacher "grade" the SAE program? 

Students receive a weekly grade (10 points) for their AET journal entries related to foundational SAE's from class and Immersion SAE project updates. Additionally, they are expected to complete and update their SAE plans in AET from year to year or as any changes occur. 

This visit taught me a lot about the variety that SAE projects can take. Additionally, this Placement SAE was a great way to merge the school's ag program with the local community. The skills our students are learning in class are allowing them to join the local economy and be positive advocates for agriculture and our program in the community. I really enjoyed getting feedback on the student's performance directly from their supervisors and seeing the student's skills and passions shine through. 

Overall, I feel that I have learned a lot about helping students to set up strong SAE projects and how to professionally conduct visits with students. My CT and I discussed the importance of documenting our visits, and recording each in the AET app so that the students can also see our feedback in their online record books. Additionally, with this last Placement visit we discussed the process of helping students find these opportunities within the community. Having positive and active relationships with your community stakeholders is a must as an Ag Teacher, and this is something I will strive for in my future programs.