Program Insights Briefs

SAE for All: Program Overview, History and Plans

Study Year: 2025

Pre- and post-tests were administered to 192 attendees of four National FFA Train the Trainer trainings held December 2023–June 2024. A follow-up survey of trainees in spring 2025 (representing 41 states and territories) assessed state implementation progress. Additional data came from a 2024 FFA Student Study and resource impression tracking.

Key Points

  • More than 359 certified trainees are championing SAE for All in their states, with 192 attendees from 50 states trained across four National FFA Train the Trainer trainings (December 2023–June 2024).
  • 90% of respondents said their state's three-year plan was somewhat or mostly implemented, and 65% said their 12-month plan was mostly or fully implemented.
  • 95% of respondents agreed they can accurately explain the differences between the SAE for All model and the traditional SAE structure.
  • Twenty-two $2,000 state implementation grants were awarded in 2025, totaling $44,000.
  • In the 2024 FFA Student Study, 86% of respondents knew what an SAE was, and 75% of those reported having an SAE.
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Program Overview: Description and Objectives

SAE for All was created to provide every student in agricultural education programs with access to invaluable work-based learning opportunities. This innovative delivery method ensures that no student is left behind in gaining practical, hands-on experience. Students can choose between two distinctive types of Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) tailored to their interests and career goals: Foundational SAEs, which build essential skills and knowledge, and Immersion SAEs, which dive deeper into specialized, real-world agricultural experiences.

The SAE for All certifications have truly empowered our teachers by giving them the tools, confidence and credibility to support every student in developing meaningful Supervised Agricultural Experiences. With this certification, our educators feel equipped to guide students not only through their SAE journey but also in preparing them for successful careers in agriculture and beyond.

Bethany Matos, State FFA Executive Secretary, Arizona FFA

Five Primary Objectives Guide the Program

  • Provide training to state FFA staff, teacher educators and secondary agriculture educators on SAE for All to increase its implementation across the country.
  • Certify state FFA staff, teacher educators and secondary agriculture educators in SAE for All to increase its implementation across the country.
  • Provide relevant and up-to-date resources to increase relevancy and program implementation.
  • Provide testimonials as evidence of program success to increase awareness of SAE for All and its impact.
  • Market SAE for All to agricultural education stakeholders to increase awareness of SAE for All and to create buy-in.

Operational Tasks Ensure SAE for All Remains Accessible, Visible and Effectively Implemented Nationwide

  • Resources
  • Training
  • Newsletters
  • Badging and Credentialing
  • Workshops
  • Check-in calls
  • SAE for All Committee
  • SAE for All Implementation Guide
  • Evaluation
  • Visibility and collaboration

Where We’ve Been: History and Accomplishments

Project-based learning in agricultural education has existed for more than 100 years.1 In 2008, the National Council for Agricultural Education formed a renewal committee to revise SAE for modern agricultural education in response to a decrease in student participation in SAE; it was estimated that only 30% of students in agricultural education were engaged in SAEs. SAE for All was launched by the Council in 2015, and a taskforce released a statement of Philosophy and Guiding Principles on SAE. The Council released resources and implementation guides in 2017, and regional Train the Trainer workshops took place in 2019 and 2020. COVID-19 put SAE for All trainings on the back burner in 2020, leading to varying levels of knowledge nationwide. In 2023-2024, the Council re-rolled out SAE for All with four Train the Trainer trainings, and Breanna Pastir was hired to lead all SAE for All efforts.

Showing Our Impact: Train the Trainer and State Implementation

National FFA Train the Trainer trainings and efforts by state FFA associations mean that more than 359 certified trainees are championing SAE for All in their states.2 National FFA hosted four Train the Trainer trainings from December 2023 to June 2024, empowering 192 attendees from 50 states to train individuals in their states on SAE for All.

Attendees responded to a pre- and post-test about their training. Ninety percent of survey respondents indicated that they feel the National FFA-hosted SAE for All training moderately or extremely prepared states to implement SAE for All.

Largest increases from pre- to post-test

  • I feel proficient in my ability to teach others to create an Integration Plan for Immersion SAEs.
  • The quality and amount of resources provided by The Council and National FFA are satisfactory for my state to implement the SAE for All model.
  • I feel proficient in my ability to create an Integration Plan for Immersion SAEs.

Lowest rated on post-test

  • I feel confident in my state’s 12-month plan to implement the SAE for All model.
  • I feel confident in my state’s three-year plan to implement the SAE for All model.
  • I feel proficient in my ability to teach others to create an Integration Plan for Foundational SAEs.

State Implementation Plans

Individuals who attended National FFA Train the Trainer trainings created a state implementation plan to guide their state’s adoption of the SAE for All model. A year after the last training, attendees were surveyed for a status update. Survey results from spring 2025 indicated that the majority of state plans are at least somewhat implemented.3

  • 65% of respondents across 31 states said their state’s 12-month plan was mostly or fully implemented.
  • 90% of respondents across 38 states said that their state’s three-year plan was somewhat or mostly implemented.
  • 56% of respondents said that at least half of their state’s agriculture programs have implemented SAE for All.
  • 43% of respondents said that less than half of their state’s programs have implemented SAE for All.

State Implementation Grants

Grants for state implementation were offered as a pilot program in 2025. Twenty-two $2,000 grants were awarded, totaling $44,000. Grant applications for 2026 are now open.

State SAE for All Trainings

Survey respondents from 36 states reported that their state has hosted SAE for All training. The primary barriers to hosting a training, according to respondents, include lack of time to plan or host statewide training (63%, N=47) and lack of interest from agriculture teachers (45%, N=34).

As of Spring 2025, 95% of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that they can accurately explain the differences between the SAE for All model and the traditional SAE structure.

Classroom Instruction: National FFA Educator Resources and Support

In partnership with the National FFA Organization, the development and sharing of educational resources around SAEs on a yearly basis is part of the overall mission of SAE for All. The table below shows the impressions (views, downloads) and other impact statistics for each resource.4

Resource Impact
Designed Educational Posters 2 designed and 3,000 shared; 6 sent to each program in 2025
SAE for All Teacher Guide 4,494 impressions
SAE for All Student Guide 14,000 impressions
SAE Idea Cards 323 new cards
SAE Monopoly 2,500 impressions
SAE Substitute Teaching Guide 950 impressions
SAE for All Resource Document 1,527 impressions
SAE Videos 21 videos recorded in 3 states
SAE Testimonial Videos 20 videos recorded with industry partners
NFFA Staff Presentations & Outreach 15 workshops or presentations
Training Curriculum and Materials 14 resources created for certified individuals to use

National FFA Workshop Feedback

The SAE for All program specialist delivered nine presentations in 2025. Agricultural education stakeholders rated their overall experience at the presentations as 4.87 stars (on a scale from one to five stars, with five stars being the highest and one star being the lowest rating).

SAE for All Students: Impact on FFA Members

This section shows high-level information about FFA members’ awareness of SAEs, from a 2024 study conducted by National FFA.

  • 86% of respondents to the 2024 FFA Student Study reported they knew what an SAE was.
  • 75% of those who knew what an SAE was reported having an SAE.

Where We’re Going: Plans for SAE for All

  • Revisions of SAE for All guides
  • Spanish translations for SAE for All guides
  • Train the Trainer event in February 2026
  • State Implementation Grants for 2026

Footnotes

  1. Pastir, B. & Thiel, B. (2023). SAE: The original college and career pathway. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 96(1), 7-9.; Womochil, M. (2019). What is this SAE renewal thing? The Agricultural Education Magazine, 92(3), 4.
  2. As of Sept. 1, 2025.
  3. Respondents represented 41 states and territories. In some instances, responses from a single state's SAE for All implementation team varied.
  4. As of December 2024. *Includes views and downloads for teacher edition guides (Foundational—Independent Learning Guide, Immersion—Placement/Internship, Ownership/Entrepreneurship, Research, School-Based Enterprise, Service-Learning). **Includes views and downloads for student edition guides (Foundational—Independent Learning Guide Awareness/Intermediate/Advanced, Immersion—Placement/Internship, Ownership/Entrepreneurship, Research, School-Based Enterprise, Service-Learning).