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) characteristics of effective middle schools include courageous, 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 also 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 will include national standards, CTAE standards and Georgia Performance Standards, in addition to career development activities allowing students to make the connection between class work and workforce.

Middle School Career Pathway Development

The following is the Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) Performance Standards for Phase I middle school program areas.

In an effort to partner with academia, the CTAE program areas are revising curricula from QCC objectives to GPS format. The career and technical performance standards were condensed to reflect the most essential elements of the curricula. Each middle school program area’s courses provide students with the necessary tools to be successful at the next level of their educational career. With fewer topics, teachers will be able to instruct for deeper understanding of the material and thereby increase students’ opportunity to master key concepts.

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.

Middle School Agriculture

• 02.01200 Exploring Agricultural Education (Grade 6)
• 02.01300 Exploring Agricultural Education (Grade 7)
• 02.01400 Exploring Agricultural Education (Grade 8)

• 07.08300 Business and Computer Science (Grade 6)
• 07.08400 Business and Computer Science (Grade 7)
• 07.08500 Business and Computer Science (Grade 8)

• 32.02100 Career Awareness Grade 6
• 32.02200 Career Discovery Grade 7
• 32.02300 Career Management Grade 8

• 21.02100 Exploring Engineering and Technology Grade 6
• 21.02200 Invention and Innovation Grade 7
• 21.02300 Technological Systems Grade 8

• 20.01100 Family and Consumer Science (Grade 6)
• 20.01200 Family and Consumer Science (Grade 7)
• 20.01300 Family and Consumer Science (Grade 8)

• 25.02100 Healthcare Science Grade 6
• 25.02200 Healthcare Science Grade 7
• 25.02300 Healthcare Science Grade 8

Middle School Architecture, Construction, Communications & Transportation

• 46.02100 Introduction to Architecture and Construction (Grade 6)
• 46.02200 Fundamentals of Architecture and Construction (Grade 7)
• 46.02300 Exploring Architecture and Construction (Grade 8)
• 48.03100 Broadcast and Graphic Communications (Grade 6)
• 48.03200 Introduction to Communications (Grade 7)
• 48.03300 Applications of Communications (Grade 8)
• 47.08100 Introduction to Ground, Air and Maritime Technology (Grade 6)
• 47.08200 Foundations of Aerospace, Ground and Maritime Transportation (Grade 7)
• 47.08300 Investigation into Aerospace, Ground and Maritime Transportation (Grade 8)

• 43.04100 Exploring Public Safety and Government Education (Grade 6)
• 43.04200 Exploring Public Safety and Government Education (Grade 7)
• 43.04300 Exploring Public Safety and Government Education (Grade 8)

• 06.04100 Basic Skills of Marketing (Grade 6
)
• 06.04200 Exploring Marketing Education (Grade 7)
• 06.04300 Pathways in Marketing (Grade 8)