A comparative analysis of college and career readiness assessment results of Illinois agriculture students

Agricultural education is defined by a best practice three-component model of instruction that includes a classroom experience, FFA organization involvement, and a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). The Illinois Association FFA conducts a program of activities awards criteria each year that identifies top chapters through gold or silver designations. This quantitative study provides a comparison of eleventh grade Illinois agriculture students from Gold and Silver Emblem FFA chapters to that of their peers on college and career readiness assessments. Student identification numbers were securely collected from agriculture instructors and principals at qualifying schools and data were compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education. The assessment results were analyzed and compared to determine if there were statistically significant differences that emerged between qualifying Illinois agriculture students and their peers using the ACT and ACT WorkKeys assessments designed to measure college and career readiness. Results indicated that agriculture students are as college ready as their peers, yet more career ready, especially in the area of math. Further analysis indicated that female agriculture students perform at a high level on both college and career readiness assessments.