At the Herbert College of Agriculture, distinction is widespread. Herbert students showcase excellence in everything they accomplish. A primary example lies within the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications, more specifically the agricultural education concentration.

In Tennessee, a student who wants to become a teacher in the field of agriculture must take two national assessments required by the Tennessee Department of Education for teacher licensures: the agriculture praxis and the edTPA. The agriculture praxis is a multiple-choice assessment based on content. The edTPA is performance-based and focuses on three areas: planning, instruction, and assessment. Students must submit several items, such as lesson plans, videos of their teaching, and commentary to reflect on their tasks. 

Students at Herbert consistently pass both of these assessments with flying colors. In fact, the students have maintained an outstanding pass rate of 100 percent in the past few years. Even more impressive is the fact that students score higher on the edTPA than the average score for both the state and national agricultural averages. Christopher Stripling, department head, helps to prepare students for these assessments. His courses are designed to include the types of content the edTPA assesses. 

Even through the spring semester of 2021, when many classes were entirely online, students were still well-equipped to pass the edTPA and step into their careers with confidence. “During the stresses of the COVID-19 semester, my students continued to produce scores above state and national averages and displayed proficient performance or advanced performance on all fifteen rubrics/competencies,” says Stripling.

In the world of higher education, the importance of outcomes cannot be stressed enough. The outcomes produced by the department show that Herbert embraces that importance. When a student attends the Herbert College of Agriculture, they can rest easy knowing that faculty and staff are going above and beyond to prepare them for success when they take their first steps into a fulfilling career in agriculture.

To learn more about outcomes at Herbert, visit the school’s career preparation site.