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Benefits of TSA membership
As a recognized student organization, TSA offers you and your students the opportunity to be involved in local, state, and national competitions; to participate in leadership training and develop professional skills; and to network with students and teachers from other schools.
For Students
Perhaps the most important benefit of TSA membership is the inspiration and enthusiasm that students gain from receiving recognition for applying their knowledge. Demonstrating skills in a forum beyond school walls motivates students, especially when there is a large, like-minded audience of peers who support them. Other benefits include these opportunities:
to work with guidance on complex projects from start to finish
to work closely as part of a team
to compete on state and national levels
to develop leadership skills by participating at the local, state, or national levels
to meet and work with business and industry leaders
to travel to organized meetings
to meet other students with similar interests from all over the United States
to contribute time and effort to a national service project
to receive all national membership services, including the TSA newsletter, School Scene
to receive recognition through TSA's honor society, scholarships, and achievement programs
to have a voice in a national organization that is helping shape the future of technology education in America's classrooms
Competitive Events
Chapters may choose to work on TSA competitions only within your school or you can take TSA beyond the school building to compete with others around the state and/or country in technology competitions.
Leadership Opportunities
Leadership training is offered at the state and national level. Officers are elected at the local (chapter) level, the state level, and the national level.
Conferences
Regional, state and national conferences are an excellent way to expand your TSA experience. They provide a venue for exciting competitions as well as an opportunity to meet students and advisors from other schools with similar interests.
For Teachers
Involvement gives you an avenue to help build your program and gain student buy in to what you do in the classroom. Further, TSA allows teachers the opportunity to network, share ideas, and learn from other teachers and industry professionals.
The competitive events used in TSA also make good additions to your curriculum. These standards-based activities can be easily adapted for classroom use and include scoring rubrics for easy assessment. TSA activities are presented in the state frameworks as a preferred assessment method.
Program approval & State Standards:
The new Washington State Standards for Technology Education have recently been released. These standards and the accompanying frameworks outline content in a variety of Technology Education courses. All of the TSA competitive events are based on these standards and are linked to the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) and Grade Level Expectations (GLEs).
The new Career and Technical Education Program Standards require that CTE programs have a leadership component. TSA is the preferred venue for schools to meet this standard in their Tech Ed, Industrial Technology, Pre-Engineering, Material Science, Principles of Technology, and Applied Math programs.
In the next few years, all CTE programs will go through the re-approval process. Having a TSA chapter will help to streamline this process, by helping your school meet the Leadership requirements while at the same time offering assessment tools for your courses.
Curriculum Integration – Meeting STEM Criteria Through TSA Participation
Education directives at the federal and state levels focus on providing avenues for initiatives such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. TSA helps teachers meet the criteria for STEM education goals through exciting programs that include technology activities, competitions, leadership, and teamwork for students. In addition, all TSA activities are correlated to the Standards for Technological Literacy, as set forth by the International Technology Education Association (ITEA). Teachers can use TSA’s activities during the school day in their classroom and extend the learning beyond the classroom through a TSA chapter.
Middle School and High School Level
Students can work individually or as a team in such areas as agriculture and biotechnology, website design, dragster design, flight challenge, film technology, CAD with 3D modeling, desktop publishing, extemporaneous speaking, radio controlled transportation or scientific visualization.
Total TSA
When chapters affiliate, they receive online access to Total TSA. This unique tool includes membership materials, the competitive events guides, access to past scoring from National competition, and 100 leadership lessons. TSA is the first CTSO to provide such a tool that not only presents the information chapters need to be successful but also correlates the competitive events to the STEM standards and to leadership skills.
Washington TSA is recommending that chapters affiliate early in order to receive the materials they need to succeed. Each year (alternating), either the high school or middle school competitive events guide is completely revised with rule changes, revised events, and new competitions. At both levels, members should refer to the new Total TSA for the most up-to-date information. Students should always read the current year’s event guide for each competitive event, and follow the rules and procedures exactly.
Dues & Affiliation
Chapters must affiliate and pay dues each year, prior to receiving leadership materials, access to Total TSA (competitive events guide) or being able to compete at regional or state competitions. Once again, Washington TSA will be taking advantage of National TSA’s online affiliation system. Instructions and the log in for this system can be found by visiting the national website at www.tsaweb.org.
Both State and National dues are paid together, and will be paid directly to the National TSA office, using purchase order, check, or credit card. If you have questions or need more information, please contact Jennifer Smith at jsmith@washingtontsa.org. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To affiliate go to: https://tsamembership.registermychapter.com/#
Affiliation Formats:
TSA offers three curriculum-integrated membership programs. Each chapter chooses the program that works best for them.
Red Chapter Affiliation Program (Red CAP)
A chapter affiliates up to ten student members and one advisor by paying a flat fee of $220. This is the minimum fee for affiliating a chapter.
To add additional members (above the original 10), the chapter would pay $20 per additional person, and would move to the White CAP level.
This is a good “starter” affiliation plan for small chapters, or new chapters who don’t know how much interest there will be.
White Chapter Affiliation Program (White CAP)
A chapter affiliates eleven or more members by paying a $20 fee per person, including advisors.
This is the affiliation level if you have between 11-35 students in your chapter. To add additional students (beyond 35), upgrade to the Blue CAP level, and pay the difference.
Blue Chapter Affiliation Program (Blue CAP)
A chapter affiliates an unlimited number of members in a school for a flat fee (typically effective when there are more than 35 members). This option is popular in chapters where students rotate through a STEM class for a portion of the year to enable all students to be members. The membership fee for Blue CAP is $700. If you choose this program, please be sure to add all of your members throughout the year to the National Database.
MEMBERSHIP FEES:
Red Chapter Membership: (10 or fewer Students)
10 students + 1 advisor = $220 Total Dues
Additional Students during the year = $20 per Student
White Chapter Membership: (11-35 students)
Student Dues: $20 per Student
Advisor: $20 per Advisor
Blue Chapter Membership: (Unlimited number of students, cost effective if you have more than 32 students)
Student Flat Rate = $700 Total Dues
$8 per Advisor
**Note each registered advisor will receive access to Total TSA, which includes competitive event rules, leadership activities, and membership materials.
To affiliate go to: https://tsamembership.registermychapter.com/#
All dues are paid directly to National TSA (including state dues), so you will only need 1 PO or check. However you can split this among 2 POs or checks or credit cards if needed.
Once you have affiliated and paid your dues, your chapter will receive access to Total TSA online. You will also receive Leadership and promotional materials from the WTSA Executive Director.