What is included in the CASE Institute registration fee?

The CASE Institute registration fee includes lodging in either dorm or hotel rooms (which is often double occupancy), meals during the training days, and the use of equipment and supplies during the professional development. Travel to and from the Institute is not included in the registration fee. See specific Institute host website for additional information regarding accommodations.

Does CASE charge an annual fee for curriculum resources?
No, all teachers who successfully complete a CASE Institute receive the curriculum for free. After this initial commitment there is no additional charges for curriculum.

What is CASE?
Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) is a program that is designed and written by agriculture educators for agriculture educators. CASE is a series of sequenced courses that will elevate the rigor and relevance of agriculture education courses.

Goals of the CASE Initiative?
The goals of the CASE Initiative are:

• Comprehensive curriculum package – Teachers are provided with all teaching resources required to instruct lessons.
• Intensive professional development – For teachers to access CASE lessons, they must complete a mandatory professional development session to understand and prepare to use CASE lessons effectively.
• Quality and continuous improvement – CASE courses will be continuously revised to ensure the level of rigor and relevance is in pace with changes in technology and science.
• Rigor – CASE is validated by the alignment of lessons with national content standards for AFNR, science, math, and English Language Arts.
• Program sequence – CASE project will have a total of eight courses developed as part of the sequence for agricultural education.

What is the CASE mission?
To prepare youth for world class opportunities in the dynamic fields of tomorrow’s food, fiber, fuel, and natural resources industries.

How did the program begin?
In an effort to develop more comprehensive programs effectively serving all student groups in terms of achievement and post-high school plans. The CASE model was established in conjunction with guidance from Project Lead The Way, Inc. and offers a unique opportunity to broaden our current thinking about what constitutes a high quality, effective secondary agricultural education program. With a new/enhanced program delivery model for secondary agricultural education, we have the opportunity to:

• reach more students enrolled in larger suburban and urban schools
• provide a stronger science-based instructional program that enhances student achievement in science, math and English language arts.
• attract high achieving students into a science-based agriculture program
• increase the value of secondary agricultural education programs to local school districts and colleges of agriculture
• combine the power of current student leadership development, experiential learning, and problem-based learning programs in agriculture with an enhanced delivery model that has greater potential for 1) increasing the number of agricultural education programs and 2) advancing student achievement
• enhance the leadership, teamwork, and problem solving skills of future scientists in the agricultural industry
• provide a more realistic and suitable model for supervised agricultural experience programs for students living in larger suburban and urban settings
• attract more agriscience teachers from new, less traditional populations
• provide a method to assess student learning and have the means to report the effectiveness of the learning that reflects national content standards in the core areas.

How does CASE benefit students?

• Helps students develop skills for living in a knowledge-based, technological society.
• Adds relevance to student learning.
• Challenges students to high rigor.
• Promotes lifelong learning.
• Meets the needs of students with varying learning styles.

How does the CASE curriculum benefit teachers/administration?
Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education™ staff development uses expert teachers to introduce the curriculum. The teachers then actually work through the activities, projects, and problems based learning,(APPB) as the students would. This direct experience of “walking in students' shoes” to solve problems and design projects helps teachers reflect on the power of APPB- learning and prepares them for teaching a CASE course.

How should schools offer the CASE course?

CASE does not prescribe how a school adopts a pathway, we only design the courses in a way to scaffold student learning within a course and among courses in a pathway. This approach allows us to raise the level of rigor faster in student exercises. Some programs only offer the foundation level courses and build menu courses off them. Other programs follow the designed pathways to the letter. 

Is there a fee to field test the CASE courses?
There is not a site fee to field test. There is a registration fee for the required CASE Institute and schools need to purchase supplies, equipment, and books that they do not already have in inventory.

What is involved in field testing a course?

Field tests are the same as regular CASE Institutes with two major exceptions. First, CASE staff will require you to submit feedback throughout the school year that reports what is working well and what needs fixed regarding the curriculum components. This feedback is critical for us to make changes. Secondly, is what I just said – changes. A field test teacher will get a new version of the final publication the next year. CASE Staff may have to make changes, based on recommendations of the field test. These changes could alter materials needed and add or several change lab exercises that a teacher was not exposed to in their professional development. The risk is minimal for a field test teacher, but they will have a little more work to do and be asked to provide leadership in fine-tuning the new course. In the process, they may have to put up with bumps along the way if something is not timed right or a lab doesn’t work.  

Is it recommended that every student have a computer? 
It is recommended that students have daily access to computer stations as computers are frequently used. However, it is not required that each student have a computer station to effectively engage in the CASE lessons.

Is the course outline available?
Yes, they are available on the CASE website for each course that is written.

Will there be end of course exams?
Yes, the exams will be developed at the conclusion of field-testing.

Are sample lessons available online?
A CASE lesson sampler is available in the Curriculum section of this website.

What is the length of training for teachers attending the CASE Institute?
The CASE Institute professional development will last for ten days and is led by CASE Lead Teachers.

How many days of instruction are there with the CASE courses?
175 days per course.