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 Tech Prep –Iowa Department of Education

3 Why Career Pathways? Societal Demands –Prepare all students for both further education and for work –Prepare all students for lifes 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.

5 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.

7 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.

8 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.

9 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.

10 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.

11 Broadening of Career Pathways to a System-wide Approach From 2+2 to PreK-14+ Merged Area Systems View –Community Colleges –AEAs –Communities –Counties

12 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?

14 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

15 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

16 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.

17 Community Involvement

18 Data Collection, Analysis and Goal Setting 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

19 Categories for organization of the data collection process Demographics Perceptions Student Learning School Processes/Programs

20 Student Learning Overall student achievement Number of graduates with a career plan Student application of academic content

21 Demographics Drop-out rate Post-secondary education rate Employment/earnings

22 Perceptions Business/Industry satisfaction Student satisfaction Parent satisfaction

23 School Processes Where are employability skills addressed in the curriculum? Where is career development addressed in the curriculum? Integrated curricula results

24 Standards & Benchmarks

25 Student Learning Goals Standards Benchmarks Assessment Delivery Reporting Framework of Standards & Benchmarks

26 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)

27 Determination & Implementation of Actions to Meet the Needs

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 educators skills, attitudes, understanding, and performances. Implementation Curriculum Restructuring Professional Development Learning Environment

30 Curriculum Restructuring Student Learning Goals StandardsBenchmarksAssessment Integrated, Articulated Curricula

Integration Continuum Restructured Curriculum Career Pathway Tech Prep Academy or School-within-a-School Course SequenceCareer Maps Applied Academics Integration of Standards Thematic Units Incorporation Areas Curriculum IntegrationProgram Integration Program and Curriculum Integration

32 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

33 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

35 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?

36 PreK-5: Career Awareness

37 Grades 6-8: Career Exploration

38 Grades 9-12: Career Preparation

39 Community College or Four Year Institution

40 State Indicators

41 Data Collection Assists With... Improvement of Instruction Development of Curriculum Evaluation of Programs Student Feedback Reaching All Students

42 Assessment of Student Progress

43 Evaluation of CSIP

44 Annual Progress Report

45 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.