USBE Logo MIDAS Logo

Agriscience Fundamentals & Applications

 Back

Core Code Alignment

CTE / Agricultural Education
    Agricultural Sciences
        30020000101: Agriculture Intro

Recommendation

Recommended Primary

Evaluation

This textbook is a valuable resource for the agriscience courses within the Utah CTE - agriculture curriculum. It excels in providing engaging activities that encourage student reflection and enhance their understanding of the material covered in each chapter. The content is aligned with current industry standards, ensuring that students receive education relevant to the U.S. animal and poultry industries, plant industry and agricultural mechanics. Additionally, the inclusion of high-quality images aids both students and teachers in visualizing concepts, which can significantly enhance comprehension and retention.

Educators Using These Materials

No educators found.

Material Categories

No categories assigned.

Rubric : Career and Technical Education 2025

Compliance with State Law (Required)
Item 3 - Extensive 2 - Adequate 1 - Inadequate 0 - None
1. Sensitive Materials and Prohibited Submission 53G-10-103, R277-628 NA Does Not Violate Law NA May Violate Law
No sensitive materials in the textbook.
Prohibited discriminatory practices 53G-2-103-5, 53B-1-118 and 67-27-107 NA Does Not Violate Law NA May Violate Law
Nothing discriminatory in text.
Maintaining constitutional freedom in the public schools. 53G-10-202 NA Does Not Violate Law NA May Violate Law
Nothing that removes constitutional freedom.
Content
Item 3 - Extensive 2 - Adequate 1 - Inadequate 0 - None
1. Assessment Tools The material provides numerous, quality assessment tools for students, including reflective questions, activities, and application of skills. The material provides some assessment tools for students, such as including reflective questions, activities, or application of skills. The material provides minimal assessment tools for students including very little reflective questions, activities, or application of skills. The material does not provide assessment tools for students.
Throughout the text there are plenty of assessment tools for students. I especially noticed the reflection questions to help students understand where they should be at after reading the chapter. I also noticed different videos that students can access.
2. Teacher Resources & Training The material provides quality teacher resources, including questioning strategies, activity ideas, evaluation tools, and differentiation strategies. The material provides some teacher resources, including questioning strategies, activity ideas, evaluation tools, or differentiation strategies. The material provides minimal teacher resources, including very little questioning strategies, activity ideas, evaluation tools, or differentiation strategies. The material does not provide teacher resources.
The inquiry activities at the end of the chapters are useful for teachers, but this text is not designed for teachers, but for the student.
3. Ethnic Studies (Ethnic studies in core standards and curriculum should be a narrowly tailored incorporation of age-appropriate opportunities that naturally arise through education without pretextual effort in courses, programs, or activities where ethnic studies is not a primary focus. The material should incorporate curriculum of people and cultures that reflect the state’s various demographics without commentary that seeks to violate the neutrality standard established in codes: 53B-1-118, 53G-2-103, 53G-2-104, 53G-2-105, 67-27-107, In addition to the content outlined in “Adequate,” this material offers multiple evidence-based supplemental resources and opportunities for learning about various forms of cultural philosophies and epistemologies from Utah, the United States, and worldwide. The materials provide cultural backgrounds, contemporary real-life experiences, and contexts that are relevant to local students. Some examples may include people with disabilities, various body types, and ages. This material demonstrates respect for diverse socio-cultural identities. The material provides opportunities to acknowledge and integrate the histories, cultures, contributions, and perspectives of people from the United States and worldwide. The material accurately represents the cultures, languages, traditions, beliefs, values, and customs of people from diverse backgrounds through a variety of texts, examples, scenarios, imagery, and applications. The material has limited themes of social and cultural histories within the United States and globally. The material provides limited examples of inclusive or cultural real-life experiences and does not include diverse characters. The material does not meet the requirements within the ethnic studies core standards and curriculum requirements. (53E-4-204.1).
The material in this textbook is geared towards agriscience in the United States, but that does not mean the text can't include information from other cultures/countries. Nothing obvious about other countries or cultures. Therefore we placed it with a 2.
4. Shared Values and Character Traits The material extends beyond the content outlined in "Adequate", it includes elements that connect Utahns to the world. The material offers multiple evidence-based supplemental resources and opportunities for cultivating character traits in students. The material offers multiple evidence-based supplemental resources and opportunities for cultivating character traits in students. Some examples may include characters with a variety of personalities, education, income, occupation, or behaviors that illustrate character traits. The material focuses on the shared values of diverse people and communities, the common elements that unite Utahns, and displays some character traits in its imagery and content. It aims to cultivate character traits in students, such as courage, leadership, intelligence, integrity, honesty, respect, morality, civility, duty, honor, and service, along with principles found in the Constitution. The material lacks a sense of shared values or common elements that unite Utahns. Furthermore, the material has limited resources addressing civic and character education. The material does not meet the requirements within the ethnic studies core standards and curriculum requirements (53E-4-204.1) and civic and character education. (53G-10-204)
The text does an adequate job through picture that represent different populations.
5. Utah CTE Course Standards Alignment The material provides adequate preparation of skills through quality examples, explanations, and online resources of the content. The material provides some preparation of skills through some examples, explanations, or online resources of the content. The material provides minimal preparation of skills through minimal examples, explanations, or online resources of the content. The material does not provide preparation of skills through examples, explanations, or online resources of the content.
The material provided more than adequate information that matched the Utah CTE course standards. We feel it does an adequate job at helping students prepare for required skills. It also ties SAE and FFA into most of the topics which aligns well with the Utah Course Standards.
6. Engagement The material is engaging by appealing to student interest through interactive and performance-based activities and content. The material provides some engagement to student interest through some interactive or performance-based activities and content. The material provides minimal engagement to student interest and includes minimal interactive or performance-based activities. The material does not provide engagement to student interest through use of interactive or performance-based activities.
The material did provide some engagement to student through videos, questions, and pictures but I feel like there could have been more engagement strategies in the text. There were hot topics in agriculture throughout the text that we felt were relevant, however they could have the students do more with them.
7. Non-Text Content The material contains authentic, relevant, applicable, and well-integrated non-text content (images, graphs, visual aids, etc.). The material contains some authentic, relevant, applicable, integrated non-text content (images, graphs, visual aids, etc.) The material contains minimal authentic, relevant, applicable, or integrated non-text content (images, graphs, visual aids, etc.) The material does not contain authentic, relevant, applicable, or well-integrated non-text content (images, graphics, visual aids, etc.)
All material that was not text was applicable and relevant to the material.
Work-Based Learning
Item 3 - Extensive 2 - Adequate 1 - Inadequate 0 - None
1. Industry Alignment The material is aligned to industry standards through the use of research-based and real-world application of relevant, current terminology and content. The material provides some alignment to industry standards through some use of research-based and real-world application of relevant or current terminology and content. The material provides minimal alignment to industry standards through minimal use of research-based and real-world application of relevant or current terminology and content. The material does not provide alignment to industry standards through the use of research-based and real-world application of relevant, current terminology and content.
All material throughout the text was aligned to industry standards, especially the sections on plant science, soil, and natural resources. We feel that it was current with the industries in those fields.
2. 21st Century & Workplace Skills The material engages readers in the development of 21st-century and workplace skills, providing a greater depth of knowledge of the content. The material provides some development of 21st century and workplace skills, providing some deepening of knowledge of the content. The material provides minimal development of 21st century or workplace skills, providing minimal deepening of knowledge of the content. The material does not provide development of 21st century or workplace skills, resulting in no deepening of knowledge of the content.
Text was designed for the 21st century with modern up to date information. No complaints here.
Safety
Item 3 - Extensive 2 - Adequate 1 - Inadequate 0 - None
1. Lab Spaces The material provides adequate preparation for hands-on learning experiences through the inclusion of content-related lab spaces and associated safety practices. The material provides some preparation for hands-on learning experiences through some inclusion of content-related lab spaces or associated safety practices. The material provides minimal preparation for hands-on learning experiences through minimal inclusion of content-related lab spaces or associated safety practices. The material does not provide preparation for hands-on learning experiences through the inclusion of content-related lab spaces or associated safety practices.
Lab activities were rarely mentioned in the text. We feel this is a greatly underused asset in this text. There are lots of short labs that could be implemented throughout this text.
2. Lab Equipment The material provides adequate preparation for hands-on learning experiences through the inclusion of a wide range of current and content-relevant lab equipment with associated safety practices. The material provides some preparation for hands-on learning experiences through some inclusion of current and content-relevant lab equipment or associated safety practices. The material provides minimal preparation for hands-on learning experiences through minimal inclusion of current and content-relevant lab equipment or associated safety practices. The material does not provide preparation for hands-on learning experiences through the inclusion of current and content-relevant lab equipment or associated safety practices.
The text provides preparation for hands on learning but does has little information on safety for students in real life applications. We feel as though it could take these particular topics to the next level in this text.
Material Characteristics (Total Points:9)
Item 3 - Extensive 2 - Adequate 1 - Inadequate 0 - None
1. Physical Characteristics The material goes beyond the content outlined in "Adequate" by incorporating modern, up-to-date, and relatable visuals. In physical terms, the material is interactive and provides high-quality audio-visual and tactile experiences for all users. The material offers limited or low-quality audio-visual and tactile experiences for students, but it is reusable. The content either has low audio-visual quality or is not intended for reuse.
Some of the images throughout the text seemed out dated. There could be more modern visuals to accompany some of the topics.
2. Technical Standards The material surpasses the content outlined in "Adequate" by ensuring the safeguarding of student data privacy and easy installation or access without technical assistance. Furthermore, any licensing information is clearly stated in the description. The materials meet all the requirements of federal and state laws, as well as accepted technical standards such as ISTE Standards and VPAT Compliance. Additional technical specifications and limitations, including hardware requirements, bandwidth demands, and software/web access restrictions, are clearly outlined in the description. The design of the materials allows for error-free installation or access without the need to purchase additional components. The material is constrained by specifications that require additional materials, technical assistance, hardware, software, or infrastructure. Access to resources within the material expires after a trial period. Student data privacy is at risk.
We feel that students will be able to access it easily and follow all federal and state laws on student date privacy.
3. Adaptability The material is currently relevant and adaptable for educators and students. The material can be customized for the needs of diverse learners. Educators or students can utilize the material, but it may not be customizable for the needs of diverse learners. The material has limited options to address adaptability for the needs of diverse learners. The material is not suitable for different educational settings with diverse learners.
The text would be adaptable for the majority of students. The assessments would be easily adaptable to diverse learners.
Utah State Board of Education logo
UTAH STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

250 East 500 South

Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3204

Phone: 801.538.7807 

© Copyright 2025 Utah State Board of Education