Course Information

2025-2026 Academic Year

AY21 Exploring Animal and Plant Science

Course Number	AY21
Course Title	Exploring Animal and Plant Science
Course Description	Explore the fundamentals of the animal and plant industry through classroom and exploratory settings. Foster an understanding of the importance of plant and animal products through hands-on activities. Generate knowledge of plant physiology in laboratory settings. Build leadership and employability skills through authentic experiences from Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), classroom instruction, and FFA participation. Gain the knowledge and skills for careers in the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources career cluster.
Course Lead Consultant	Sherilee Deal sdeal2@ncsu.edu
Course Status	Standard
Course Type	Developed
POL (Proof of Learning)	Local
Credential as POL	N/A
Curriculum Date	Summer 2011
Hours of Instruction	45
Recommended Maximum Enrollment	25
Course Credit	0
Inherently Honors	No
Meets Computer Science (CS) Graduation Requirement	No
Math Option Credit	No
Prerequisites	None
Career Cluster(s)	Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources (AGNR)
Pathway Level(s)	Animal Science (ANSC) - Middle Grades Exploration Equine Science (EQSC) - Middle Grades Exploration Natural Resources (NARE) - Middle Grades Exploration Plant Systems (PLSV) - Middle Grades Exploration Power, Structural, and Technical Systems (PSTE) - Middle Grades Exploration Sustainable Agriculture (SUAG) - Middle Grades Exploration
Aligned Credential(s) or Certification(s)	N/A
CTSO(s) (Career and Technical Student Organization)	The National FFA Organization North Carolina FFA Association
SOC Code(s) (Standard Occupational Classification Code)	All Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians (19-4099) Animal Breeders (45-2021) Forest and Conservation Workers (45-4011)

Proof of Learning (POL) Specifications

CTE State Assessment: The post-assessment will be a 100-item multiple choice test administered through the NC Instructional Management System.
Credential: Please work with the specified vendor(s) to coordinate and schedule.
Performance-based Measurement (PBM): Please follow the PBM guidelines set forth in the Performance-based Measurement Guide for the specified course.

Math Option Credit

Refer to the Math Options Charts on the DPI website for more detailed math options information.

Meets Computer Science (CS) Graduation Requirement

Yes: The course meets the Computer Science graduation requirement.
Yes*: The course can be offered in both middle and high school and meets the Computer Science graduation requirement.
No: The course does not meet the Computer Science graduation requirement.

Refer to the DPI website for more detailed Computer Science graduation requirement information.

Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO)

Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO) are an integral part of this curriculum.
CTSOs incorporate strategies used to teach course content, develop leadership, citizenship, responsibility, and proficiencies related to workplace needs.

Work-based Learning (WBL)

Work-based Learning (WBL) is an integral part of all Career and Technical Education courses in North Carolina to show curricular relevance to industry skills.
Public School Units (PSUs) are encouraged to strategically choose work-based learning strategies in alignment with unique needs, considering factors such as local employment demands, available program offerings, resources, and other pertinent considerations. Contact your local CTE administrator for more information.

WBL Courses with Academic Credit:

CTE Advanced Studies
CTE Cooperative Education
CTE Entrepreneurial Experience
CTE Internship
CTE Pre-apprenticeship
CTE Apprenticeship

WBL Activities without Academic Credit:

Guest speaker
Career fair
Job fair
Transition fair
Field trip (workplace tour)
Job shadowing
Mentoring
Service learning
School-based enterprise
Simulated workplace
Workplace challenge/Industry-sponsored project