JROTC: Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
MISSION
“To Motivate Young People To Be Better Citizens”
The United States Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) came into being with the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916. Under the provisions of the Act, high schools were authorized the loan of federal military equipment and the assignment of active duty military personnel as instructors. In 1964, the Vitalization Act opened JROTC up to the other services and replaced most of the active duty instructors with retired members of the armed forces, who worked for and are cost shared by the schools.
Title 10 of the U.S. Code declares that "the purpose of Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is to instill in students in United States secondary educational institutions the value of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment."
The study of ethics, citizenship, communications, leadership, life skills and other subjects designed to prepare young men and woman to take their place in adult society, evolved as the core of the program. More recently, an improved student centered curriculum focusing on character building and civic responsibility is being presented in every JROTC classroom.
JROTC Curriculum Overview
The JROTC curriculum, which fully or partially addresses a number of national academic standards -
to include Common Core State Standards (CCSS) - includes course work on leadership, civics,
geography and global awareness, health, and wellness, language arts, life skills, and U.S. history.
The curriculum is based on the principles of performance-based, learner-centered education and
promotes development of core abilities: capacity for life-long learning, communication, responsibility
for actions and choices, good citizenship, respectful treatment of others, and critical thinking
techniques.
More important than "what" is learned in JROTC is "how" it is learned. Every classroom is equipped
with leading edge technologies to teach, assess, and report student progress. Teachers are trained
to utilize a range of technologies and develop social/emotional skills, support academic content
through gaming and simulations, and promote the role of social media. Thus, students engage in
meaningful, purposeful activities that lead them to demonstrate success through a portfolio of
accomplishments.
Every learning experience in the curriculum addresses Core Abilities, Program Outcomes, and
Course Competencies; building on their developing skills and abilities, which are critical to success
in high school and post-secondary career.
Core Abilities
Core Abilities describe the broad, life-long skills that every Cadet needs for success in future life and
career endeavors. The core abilities are a result of the goals and values that drive the JROTC
program and are built upon the program’s four years through integrating various lesson
competencies and skills throughout the JROTC curriculum. The Core Abilities are:
1. Apply critical thinking techniques
2. Build your capacity for life-long learning
3. Communicate using verbal, non-verbal, visual, and written techniques
4. Do your share as a good citizen in your school, community, country, and the world
5. Take responsibility for your actions and choices
6.Treat self and others with respect
Program Outcomes
Program outcomes describe what JROTC Cadets will know and be able to do upon successful
completion of the JROTC program. These outcomes also provide documentation for growth and
development of the student and program for re-accreditation purposes, school visitors, parents, and
the community. As Cadets complete each LET, their journey toward program outcomes will occur;
each program outcome is linked to every LET lesson in the curriculum. Evidence of learning can be
witnessed through a Cadet’s Portfolio, which will showcase continued development of program
outcomes. The JROTC Program Outcomes are:
1. Act with integrity and personal accountability as you lead others to succeed in a diverse and global workforce
2. Engage in civic and social concerns in the community, government, and society
3. Graduate prepared to succeed in post-secondary options and career pathways
4. Make decisions that promote positive social, emotional, and physical health
5. Value the role of the military and other service organizations
Course Competencies
Competencies describe discipline-specific measurable and observable skills, knowledge, and
attitudes. They are targeted in each lesson of the curriculum. Performance standards (criteria and
conditions) provide the specifications for assessing mastery of a competency. Cadets show they
have learned competencies by applying them in the completion of assessment tasks that require
them to do one or more of the following:
1. Make a decision
2. Perform a skill
3. Perform a service
4. Solve a problem
5. Create a product
“To Motivate Young People To Be Better Citizens”
The United States Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) came into being with the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916. Under the provisions of the Act, high schools were authorized the loan of federal military equipment and the assignment of active duty military personnel as instructors. In 1964, the Vitalization Act opened JROTC up to the other services and replaced most of the active duty instructors with retired members of the armed forces, who worked for and are cost shared by the schools.
Title 10 of the U.S. Code declares that "the purpose of Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is to instill in students in United States secondary educational institutions the value of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment."
The study of ethics, citizenship, communications, leadership, life skills and other subjects designed to prepare young men and woman to take their place in adult society, evolved as the core of the program. More recently, an improved student centered curriculum focusing on character building and civic responsibility is being presented in every JROTC classroom.
JROTC Curriculum Overview
The JROTC curriculum, which fully or partially addresses a number of national academic standards -
to include Common Core State Standards (CCSS) - includes course work on leadership, civics,
geography and global awareness, health, and wellness, language arts, life skills, and U.S. history.
The curriculum is based on the principles of performance-based, learner-centered education and
promotes development of core abilities: capacity for life-long learning, communication, responsibility
for actions and choices, good citizenship, respectful treatment of others, and critical thinking
techniques.
More important than "what" is learned in JROTC is "how" it is learned. Every classroom is equipped
with leading edge technologies to teach, assess, and report student progress. Teachers are trained
to utilize a range of technologies and develop social/emotional skills, support academic content
through gaming and simulations, and promote the role of social media. Thus, students engage in
meaningful, purposeful activities that lead them to demonstrate success through a portfolio of
accomplishments.
Every learning experience in the curriculum addresses Core Abilities, Program Outcomes, and
Course Competencies; building on their developing skills and abilities, which are critical to success
in high school and post-secondary career.
Core Abilities
Core Abilities describe the broad, life-long skills that every Cadet needs for success in future life and
career endeavors. The core abilities are a result of the goals and values that drive the JROTC
program and are built upon the program’s four years through integrating various lesson
competencies and skills throughout the JROTC curriculum. The Core Abilities are:
1. Apply critical thinking techniques
2. Build your capacity for life-long learning
3. Communicate using verbal, non-verbal, visual, and written techniques
4. Do your share as a good citizen in your school, community, country, and the world
5. Take responsibility for your actions and choices
6.Treat self and others with respect
Program Outcomes
Program outcomes describe what JROTC Cadets will know and be able to do upon successful
completion of the JROTC program. These outcomes also provide documentation for growth and
development of the student and program for re-accreditation purposes, school visitors, parents, and
the community. As Cadets complete each LET, their journey toward program outcomes will occur;
each program outcome is linked to every LET lesson in the curriculum. Evidence of learning can be
witnessed through a Cadet’s Portfolio, which will showcase continued development of program
outcomes. The JROTC Program Outcomes are:
1. Act with integrity and personal accountability as you lead others to succeed in a diverse and global workforce
2. Engage in civic and social concerns in the community, government, and society
3. Graduate prepared to succeed in post-secondary options and career pathways
4. Make decisions that promote positive social, emotional, and physical health
5. Value the role of the military and other service organizations
Course Competencies
Competencies describe discipline-specific measurable and observable skills, knowledge, and
attitudes. They are targeted in each lesson of the curriculum. Performance standards (criteria and
conditions) provide the specifications for assessing mastery of a competency. Cadets show they
have learned competencies by applying them in the completion of assessment tasks that require
them to do one or more of the following:
1. Make a decision
2. Perform a skill
3. Perform a service
4. Solve a problem
5. Create a product