1 Career Pathways for All Students PreK-14 2 Compiled by Sue Updegraff Keystone AEA Information from –Iowa Career Pathways –Iowa School-to-Work –Iowa.

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Career Pathways for All Students

PreK-14

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Compiled by Sue UpdegraffKeystone AEA

Information from– Iowa Career Pathways– Iowa School-to-Work– Iowa Tech Prep– Iowa Department of Education

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Why Career Pathways?• Societal Demands

– Prepare all students for both further education and for work

– Prepare all students for life’s roles: citizen, worker, family member

• Lifelong Learning

• Organizer for Restructuring of Education– Academic standards

– Employability standards

– Technical standards

Each district will develop its own unique approach to PreK-14 Career Pathways.

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What is a Career Pathway?

– Concept originated with Iowa Tech Prep

– April 1997 Definition

Career pathways are clusters of specific occupations or careers grouped together because they share similar interests, strengths, and skills.

Source: Career Pathways Resource Guide (Iowa Department of Education)

April 1997

A New Definition, May 1999

• A Career Pathway is a PreK-12+ structure for organizing instructional content designed around broad career areas. Progression in a career pathway is both vertical and horizontal and provides the basis for lifelong learning. A Pathway prepares a student for further education and/or employment.

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Components for Career Pathway Framework

• Integration of Career Education Standards and Benchmarks (Employability Standards and National Career Development Guidelines) into the PreK-12+ curriculum for all students.

• Integration of academic and technical instruction and school-based and work-based experiences.

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Components for Career Pathway Framework

• Articulation among elementary, middle, secondary schools, and post-secondary institutions.

• Preparation of the student for future employment in a broad occupational cluster and/or industry sector and/or continued education.

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Components for Career Pathway Framework

• Inclusion of career education opportunities for all students, in depth exploration of careers of interest to the student, and the understanding of the relevance of academic content in the workplace.

• Inclusion of specific occupational preparation which may link two years of secondary education with a two year or four year educational institution or an apprenticeship program.

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Six Career Pathways

• Agriscience/Natural Resources

• Arts and Communications

• Business/Information Management/Marketing

• Engineering/Industrial/Technological Sciences

• Family and Human Services

• Health Services

Endorsed in spring of 1996 by Iowa School-to-Work and the Iowa Association of Business and Industry.

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Broadening of Career Pathways to a System-wide Approach

• From 2+2 to PreK-14+

• Merged Area Systems View– Community Colleges– AEAs– Communities– Counties

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Results of Systems-Approach

• Increased options for all students

• Connected series of educational experiences leading to goals

• Broad areas of study that are flexible, overlapping in nature, fluid

• Mixture of academic, employability, career education, and technical education

How do Career Pathways fit into the Iowa Comprehensive School Improvement Plans developed by

each district?

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CSIP Components

Community Involvement

Data Collection, Analysis, and Goal Setting

Standards and Benchmarks

Determination and Implementation of Actions to meet the Needs (Action Planning)

State Indicators

Assessment of Student Progress

Evaluation of CSIP

Annual Progress Report

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Comprehensive School Improvement Plan

Purposes • To address all aspects of teaching and learning• To ensure a continuous improvement process• To create integrated organizations with shared

visions and shared goals• To improve educational outcomes for all

students

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Comprehensive School Improvement Plan

Purposes

• To provide for local decision-making

• To increase the learning, achievement, and performance of all students

• To incorporate the consolidation of federal and state planning, goals setting, and reporting requirements.

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Community Involvement

School Improvement Career Pathways- Participation of all stakeholders- Advisory Committee- Vision, mission, beliefs- Determination of major needs- Establishment of Student Learning Goals

- Continuous participation and support ofbusiness, industry , labor, parents, community- Clear vision and mission which includepreparation of all students for further educationand work- Gathering information from stakeholders as towhat the needs for preparing students look like- Clear expectations of what graduates will looklike

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Data Collection, Analysis and Goal Setting

School Improvement Career Pathways- Continuous data collection- Data-driven decision-making- Collect data by groups

- Determine current achievement status- Use data to move forward goals and initiatives- Address all students

Systems Approach

•Why data is important • What data needs to be collected

•How to use and analyze the data • How to communicate the data results

•How to use the data to inform decisions

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Categories for organization of the data collection process

• Demographics

• Perceptions

• Student Learning

• School Processes/Programs

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Student Learning

• Overall student achievement

• Number of graduates with a career plan

• Student application of academic content

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Demographics

• Drop-out rate

• Post-secondary education rate

• Employment/earnings

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Perceptions

• Business/Industry satisfaction

• Student satisfaction

• Parent satisfaction

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School Processes

• Where are employability skills addressed in the curriculum?

• Where is career development addressed in the curriculum?

• Integrated curricula results

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Standards & Benchmarks

School Improvement Career Pathways- Establish standards and benchmarks in

1. Reading, Math, Science2. Other curricular areas3. Social, emotional, behavioral areas

- Incorporate into the educational programcareer education, multicultural and gender faireducation, technology integration, globaleducation, higher-order thinking skills,learning skills, communication skills.- Meet individual student needs by selection ofcurriculum goals, instructional strategies, andlearning activities.- Connect standards to student assessment.

- Determine what the district wants students toknow and be able to do:

1. Content standards2. Employability standards3. Career area standards4. Technical standards

- Incorporation areas are blended with the foursets of standards- Career Pathways standards and benchmarksare for all students- Assessing if standards and benchmarks areachieved

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Student Learning Goals

Standards

Benchmarks

Assessment

Delivery

Reporting

Framework of Standards & Benchmarks

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The Career Pathways Framework breaks out the standards and benchmarks as follows:

PreK-14 Iowa Career Pathways Framework– Academic Knowledge & Skills (K-14) – Employability Knowledge & Skills (K-14) – Career Area Knowledge and Skills (K-14) – Technical Cluster Knowledge & Skills (9-12) – Career & Technical Knowledge & Skills (11-14)

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Determination & Implementation of Actions to Meet the Needs

School Improvement Career Pathways− Perform gap analysis on current learning

environment, research, theory, andexperience to evaluate what goals andneeds are

− Plan for changes in curriculum andinstruction

− Implement plans and monitor progresscontinuously

− Provide support through professionaldevelopment

− Based on needs assessment and research,changes needed are determined

− Research the possible curriculum andinstructional strategies and select ones thatcan fulfill needs

− Implement actions and track progress− Provide support through professional

development for all partners.

The Iowa Department of Education Technical Assistance manual (p. 43) states that the action planning phase: Identifies the most powerful innovations:

• to address student needs

•to improve educator’s skills, attitudes, understanding, and performances.

Implementation

•Curriculum Restructuring

•Professional Development

•Learning Environment

InternalData Collection

Data required forState & Federal

programs

NeedsAssessment

Perceptions School Program

State Indicators

Student LearningGoals

Demographics

ExternalData Collection

National Reports

NationalOrganizationsArticles & BooksResearch

Analysis(what does the

information tells us?)

Establish Long Range& Annual Goals

Finance

Human Resources

Facilities

Student Learning

Infrastructure

Action Plan

Action Plan

Action Plan

Action Plan

Action Plan

Public Relations

Action Plan

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Curriculum Restructuring

Student Learning Goals Standards Benchmarks Assessment

Integrated, Articulated Curricula

Integration Continuum

Restructured Curriculum

Career Pathway

Tech Prep Academy or School-within-a-School

Course Sequence Career Maps

Applied Academics Integration of Standards

Thematic Units

Incorporation Areas

Curriculum Integration Program Integration

Program and Program and Curriculum Curriculum IntegrationIntegration

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Professional Development

To implement the curriculum restructuring, staff & community will need some learning opportunities:

– Understanding the New Culture

– Change Process

– Collaboration

– Partnership

– Teacher Internships

– Reaching ALL Students

– Assessment

– Alternative Scheduling

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Professional Development

– Applied Learning

– Contextual Learning

– Learning Styles

– Multiple Intelligences

– Work-based Learning

– Service Learning

– Team Teaching

– Career Development

– Individual Learning Plan

– Career Maps

– Advisor/Advisee Program

– Project-based Learning

Learning Environment and Delivery Methods

Link to:Link to: Student Learning Goals

Standards

Benchmarks

Assessment

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Career Development

• A Goal for Most Iowa Districts– Preparing our students for decision-making about their

life goals

Question: Is a Career Development, PreK-14+, system built into action planning? What could it look like?

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PreK-5: Career Awareness

Content StrategiesSelf-Knowledge

Basic Skills

Community Awareness ofPathways

Attitudes and Work Ethics

Employability Standards

Interest Aptitude Inventories, Use of Career Portfolio

Educational Relevance of Curriculum Content

Involvement with Role Models, Job Shadowing, Field Trips,Service Learning

Curriculum Integration, Portfolio

Credentialing

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Grades 6-8: Career Exploration

Content StrategiesLinking Interests with CareerThemes

Life roles, Life Planning

Interpersonal Skills andEmployability Skills

Exploration of Opportunities inWorld of WorkDecision-Making ProcessTentative Educational and CareerPlans

Inventories, Learning Styles, Multiple Intelligences

Portfolio

Credentialing, Working in Teams, Student Clubs

Classifications and Clustering, Job Shadowing Project-based Experiences, Youth-Based Enterprises, CareerPathways

Parental Input, Collection of Inventories, Overview ofCareer Portfolio, Mentor/Advisor, General Career Map

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Grades 9-12: Career Preparation

Content StrategiesContinual Review of CareerPlan

Exploration of Career Areas(Grades 9-10)

Technical Preparation inCareer Core (Grades 11-12)

Advanced Academic Skills

Work-based Learning

Standards/BenchmarksEmployability StandardsAcademic StandardsTechnical Standards

Student/Advisor Review of Plan

Class or Hands-on Exploration, Community Mentor

Laddered Programs, such as Tech Prep, Apprenticeshipleading to Advanced Placement, and Transition. CollegeVisits

Applied Academics and/or High Level AcademicsContextual Learning

Job Shadowing, Work Place Readiness Class,Internship, Structured Work Experience, Volunteerism,School Club Leadership, Work Simulations

Credentialing, Integrated Courses

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Community College or Four Year Institution

Content StrategiesCore plus Specialty (standards)

Advanced Skills

Work-based Learning

Certification

Certification

Summer work, Internship, Apprenticeship, CapstoneExperience

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State Indicators

School Improvement Career Pathways− Annually report district general condition in

1. Reading2. Math3. Science4. Dropouts5. Post-secondary education intentions6. Probable post-secondary success7. Core program completion

− Use data to inform decisions and establishgoals

− Establish indicators of progress1. The Iowa Indicators will be useful

data for career pathways2. Other indicators/data needed such

as achievement on selectedstandards beyond reading, math,science; Tech Prep programcompletion, percent of studentsgraduating with a career plan, etc.

− Track performance over time

− Use data to inform decisions

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Data Collection Assists With...

• Improvement of Instruction

• Development of Curriculum

• Evaluation of Programs

• Student Feedback

• Reaching All Students

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Assessment of Student Progress

School Improvement Career Pathways− Assessments are linked to standards and

benchmarks

− Assessment plan is developed

− Assessments are available for all students

− Assessment plan uses data to makedecisions

− Assessments serve to inform studentachievement on standards and benchmarks

− Measures of success are established prior toimplementation of action plans

− Accommodations and interventions help allstudents be successful

− Data informs decisions

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Evaluation of CSIP

School Improvement Career Pathways− District has strategies to collect data and

information to determine if plan hasaccomplished established goals

1. Monitoring student progress towardstandards

2. Tracking district progress inimplementation of goals

− Progress is reported to public

− Progress and plans are continuouslymonitored and revised

− Stakeholders are informed of progress

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Annual Progress Report

School Improvement Career Pathways− Progress is reported annually to multiple

stakeholder groups− Report includes

1. Results on state indicators2. Results on district indicators3. Measures to be taken if goals are

not met

− Annual checkpoints are built into theoverall evaluation plan

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Conclusion

• Career Pathways is a school improvement initiative

• Career Pathways fits into the Iowa process for the comprehensive school improvement plan.

• Career Pathways can help address the advancement of student learning.

• Career Pathways can help address the major educational needs of a community and school district.