1. Middle school career guidance
Cassidy Klein

2. Overview ASCA Comprehensive School Counselor Washington State and OSPI
Considerations for 21st Century Career Preparation
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems
Middle School Career Guidance
Individual
School
Community
Tools of the trade
Applying what you’ve learned!

3. When I think of career counseling…
Career fairs?
Job shadows?
Interest inventories?
Binders full of jobs?
High school only?
Let’s explore together from the beginning…

4. In the “old days”…
In the past survival was an individuals career, now career is more tied to an individual’s identity.
Source: Kosine, Steger and Duncan

5. When I grow up I want to be?

6. ASCA Domains and national standards
Academic
Career
Personal/Social
Standard A
Standard B
Standard C
“attitudes, knowledge and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span.”
“acquire skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions.”
“acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect self and others.”
“complete school with the academic preparation essential to choose from a wide range of substantial post-secondary options, including college.”
“employ strategies to achieve future career goals with success and satisfaction.”
“make decisions, set goals and take necessary action to achieve goals.”
“understand the relationship of academics to the world of work and to life at home and in the community.”
“understand the relationship between personal qualities, education, training and the world of work.”
“understand safety and survival skills.”
Movie
Source: ASCA National Standards

7. Washington State career development
Middle School/Junior High Guidance Lesson Curriculum Map
Navigation 101
Career Guidance Washington
Sparking the Future
My Dreams, My Story, My Voice
Career Ready Lessons

8. Is what we have enough? Student outcomes: arches of the rainbow
Learning and Innovative Skills –
Info, Media and Tech –
Life and Career – Flexibility and adaptibility, inititaive and self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills, productivity and accountability, leadership and responsibility
3R’s = reading, writing, and arithmetic (standard core classes)
4C’s = creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration
Support Systems: pools at the bottom
Source: Partnership for 21st Century Skills

9. The Influence of middle school
Trusty, Niles and Carney report that academic preparation begins in middle school
Half of those who pursue associates and bachelors degrees don’t attain them within 8-10 years
Long term success can be linked to math and science course success and this trajectory is crystalized during the middle school years
School counselors can help by promoting the opportunity for students do learn!
Adolescence is a time of establishing identity and self-concept (Kosine, Steger, Duncan)
Understanding the influence of culture (it’s bidirectional)
Identity and self concept (Erickson)
Gender
Ethnicity
Sexual orientation
Geographic location
SES
Disabilities
Belief systems
Values

10. Middle school Career development influences
Community
Individual
School
Similar to Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems

11. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems
What do you remember?
Interactions with others and the environment are central to development
Source: Muuss (1996.) Theories of Adolescence, 6th Ed. McGraw Hill: New York.

12. Microsystem
Intimate social and immediate physical setting that and individual is operating in
Family
Classroom
Peer Group
Neighborhood
Example: an adolescent microsystem
is a social network of relationships
The relationship influences the
adolescent and the adolescent influences
the relationship

13. Mesosystem The interaction between two microsystems
Individuals have different roles in their lives and these roles are constantly changing.
Sibling
Church member
Student
Care giver
What other roles do students have?
Example: Interaction between home
and school
If parents are involved in activities and
decision making in elementary school,
students have been showing to receive
higher grades and have greater initiative in high school
Source: Muuss (1996.) Theories of Adolescence, 6th Ed. McGraw Hill: New York.

14. Exosystem
The structure of the larger community, or the environment in which an individual isn’t directly involved still has direct and indirect impacts.
Example:
Relationship between parents
and their workplace
Government
Available transportation
Parents circle of friends
Neighborhood/community
influences on family
TV watching!
Education system
How would these impact an adolescent?
Tv impacts the interactions in families
Source: Muuss (1996.) Theories of Adolescence, 6th Ed. McGraw Hill: New York.

15. Macrosystem Not a direct impact but is the overarching societal group
Cultural values and expectations
Different childrearing practices
Social customs
Mass media
Federal government
Source: Muuss (1996.) Theories of Adolescence, 6th Ed. McGraw Hill: New York.

16. Chronosystem The way in which environmental effects develop over time
The way that transitions or changes
affect the individual’s growth and
development
Examples: divorce and changing families,
moving and relocation
Source: NACCE

17. Student Understand what creates a students microsystem
Parent influence and collaboration
Students see parents as more influential than anyone else in career choices (Trusty, Niles, Carney)
Help students to understand themselves (Kosine, Steger, Duncan)
Self identity
Understanding of self
Help identify academic and work related strengths (example: language)
Role of culture
Long term success is linked to math and science course
Promote opportunities for students to learn
Create data through educational career portfolios (Trusty, Niles, Carney)
Recognize how career contributes to and influences family and society
How can a school counselor do this?
Integrate teachers – career into daily lessons, maintaining portfolio, recognizing student strengths!
Know you school climate and culture

18. School Peer mentors/tutors
According to Trusty, Niles and Carney peer tutoring can help to close the achievement gap
Gains for both those tutoring and being tutored
Curriculum that recognizes 21st century and is evidence based
New Jersey World Class Standards
Collaboration amongst teachers, counselors and administrators
Initiatives that promote learning opportunities for all students
Career planning that accounts for different outcomes
--”the most immediate and persisting issue for students and teachers is not low achievement, but student engagement.”
- impacts drop out rates

19. School
Engagement
Shin, Daly and Vera define engagement as, “investment and commitment to learning”
Disengagement begins by 7th grade
40-60% of high schools have already begun to disengage (Shin, Daly and Vera)
Long Term Educational Development (LTED)
Student involvement in extracurricular, school sponsored activities has a positive influence on college success and career development (Trusty, Niles, Carney)
Strongest effect on Latino and African American students
Belief that future success isn’t inline with academics
Expectation that they won’t succeed
May feel the need to prove their place in academia
What are ways to create engagement?
Engagement = school activities,

20. Community Community Mentors Understand role of culture
Models
Understand role of unique cultures
Exposure to communities outside of students own
Understand role of culture
As a school counselor be aware of your community culture and unique facets
First Generation College students
Resources
Service Learning
A concern and debate is always the consideration of culturally sensitive and responsive career development and guidance.

21. Tools of the trade Connect all of the systems!
Create school as central to community
Offer translators
Invite parents and families
Volunteer opportunities
Family nights
Create a sense of value and belonging (academically and socially)
Developmental Cross Walking Tool
Education- career portfolios
Evidence based curricula
21st Century Careers

22. Tools of the trade
Source: Trusty, Niles and Carney

23. Applied considerations
As a middle school counselor what aspects of career development do you have in place already?
What can you spend more time developing?
Who needs to be involved to make this a success?
As a high school counselor what aspects of career development do you feel are strongly in place as students are entering your high school?
What do you think can be more developed at the middle school level?

24. Questions? Comments? Thoughts?

25. References ASCA National Standards for Students
ASCA National Standards: Developmental Crosswalking Tool
Constantine, M.G., Kindaichi, M.M., Miville, M.L. (2007). Factors Influencing the Educational and Vocational Transitions of Black and Latino High School Students. ASCA Professional School Counseling, 10 (3),
Middle School/Junior High Guidance Lesson Curriculum Map Career Guidance WA: College and Career Readiness
Missouri Center for Career Education – Guidance & Counseling Grade Level Standards
Muuss (1996.) Theories of Adolescence, 6th Ed. McGraw Hill: New York.
North American Community for Cultural Ecology – Ecology theory of Bronfenbrenner
Partnership for 21st Century Skills – Framework for 21st Century Learning
State of New Jersey Department of Education – NJ World Class Standards
Trusty, J., Niles, S.G., Carney J.V. (2005). Education-Career Planning and Middle School Counselors. ASCA Professional School Counseling, 9 (2),