Creating Individual Plans for Graduation and Beyond
By Hans Meeder
Today’s discussion
• Workforce Demands and the Disconnect between Student Aspiration and Preparation • Summary of Recommendations re: Career Technical Education and High School Redesign • How Individualized Planning and Targeted Guidance Builds Personal Focus and Motivation • Using Electronic Tools for Individualized Planning • Implementation Priorities and State Response
The American Workforce
• Dramatically changed skill expectations
Skilled 20% Unskilled 60% Professional Unskilled
15%
Professional 20% Skilled 65%
20%
1950
1997
National Summit on 21st Century Skills for 21st Century Jobs
Fastest Growing Jobs Require Some Education Beyond High School
First-professional degree Doctoral degree Master's degree Bachelor's or higher + work exp Bachelor's degree Associate degree Work experience Long-term OJT Moderate-term OJT Short-term OJT Total 8 11 14 15 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Percent of Employment Growth 11 18 24 23 19 23 32
Disconnect Between Student Aspirations and High School Preparation
100 80 60 40
Students 20
97 63 60 46
0 Aspire to attend college Enroll in college Take "new basics" minimum courses Take "College prep" courses
Source: NCES, The Condition of Education, 2000, p. 151.
Guidance...Too Little and Too Late
“These results indicate that as many as 70 percent of students did not have the strong guidance experiences necessary to help them plan for the future and eventually enter into either postsecondary education or the work force.
Source: SREB, High Schools That Work
Downloadable copy available: www.acteonline.org
Key Recommendations
• RECOMMENDATION 1.
•
•
•
• RECOMMENDATION 5.
Establish a Clear Goal of Career and College Readiness for All Students RECOMMENDATION 2. Create a New School Culture that Stresses Personalization in Planning and Decision-Making RECOMMENDATION 3. Create a Positive School Culture that Stresses Personalization in Relationships RECOMMENDATION 4. Dramatically Improve How and Where Academic Content is Taught
Create Incentives for Students to Pursue the Core Curriculum in an Interest-based Context
Key Recommendations
• RECOMMENDATION 6. •
Support High Quality Teaching in all Content Areas RECOMMENDATION 7. Offer Flexible Learning Opportunities to Encourage Re-Entry and Completion Create System Incentives and Supports for Connection of CTE and High School Redesign Efforts Move Beyond “Seat-time” and Narrowly Defined Knowledge and Skills
• RECOMMENDATION 8.
• RECOMMENDATION 9.
RECOMMENDATION 2. Create a New School Culture that Stresses Personalization in Planning and Decision-Making
Why Individualized Planning?
The PROMISE of redesigned high schools and expanded options
• Increased motivation, engagement, and success. • Offering college and work readiness academics in the context of interest-based programs.
The DANGER of redesigned high schools and expanded options • Too many options resulting in confusion, lack of direction, frustration • Too few guidance personnel, overwhelmed with student problems and paperwork demands
The Power of Individualized Planning
“…students should begin early to think about career and educational aspirations and to determine the level of effort and the educational preparation needed to meet those goals…” “When students receive help in exploring careers and planning programs of study that open vistas of opportunity, they are more likely to view school as meaningful now and in the future.”
Source: “Helping Students Make Good Decisions and Act on Them: The Real Meaning of Guidance and Advisement,” Best Practices for Marking HSTW and MMTW. Southern Region Education Board, 2005.
Electronic Tools for College and Career Planning to…
•Help Students Create Individualized Plans AND •Build awareness of the full spectrum of post-secondary education and training opportunities
Step 1. Begin with Personal Assessment of Career Interests
Step 2. Review Rankings of Broad-based Career Interests
Step 3. Begin Exploration About Broadbased Career Options
Step 4. Learn About Broad Career Fields, related specialties, and college programs
Step 5. Review Sample Plans of Study related to Career Options – all with college and work readiness academics
Step 6. Create/Regularly Update an Interestbased Personal Plan … maintain options for college and new choices
Example: Statewide College and Career Planning System
Example: District-wide College and Career Planning System
Local Implementation Steps
• Implement the System to Reach ALL students at Key Transition Points. • Reach all students through advisory courses, and units in English, and Social Studies. • Inform and invite parents to be active partners in the planning process. • Use at 7th and 8th grade levels to link career exploration with rigorous high school course-taking for college readiness • Use at 8th grade level to help students make decisions among interest-based high school options and course selection in traditional high school settings • Use at 9th and 10th grade levels for students considering participating in intensive career technical education programs. • Use at 11th and 12th grade levels to assist with college search relating to career interest • Use at 12th grade to assist with decisions about college application and financial aid search
State Leadership Response
• Create state policy that places career development and college planning as core high school activities within a comprehensive guidance program • Require development and use of an individual plan for graduation and beyond for every student. • Provide state support for career development activities for students. • Provide state support for professional development for teachers, counselors and other educational staff who engage in career development activities with students. • Create statewide career pathways as tools for students to use when planning and making decisions about life beyond high school.
From “Re-inventing the American High School,” ACTE, January 2006
The Power of Individualized Planning
“Setting a goal beyond high school, reviewing that goal on an ongoing basis, and making changes and adjustments as appropriate provides students with a process to align their educational experiences with their aspirations.”
Source: “Helping Students Make Good Decisions and Act on Them: The Real Meaning of Guidance and Advisement,” Best Practices for Marking HSTW and MMTW. Southern Region Education Board, 2005.
„You see things; and you say, "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?“‟ -- G.B. Shaw (often attributed to RFK)
Why Not…
…create
an education system where EVERY young person (with their parent‟s input) creates a personalized plan that-– Allows them to graduate from high school fully ready for college and the high skilled workplace; – Helps them choose among college options based upon their individual career interests; and – Launches them toward success in college, the workplace, and life?
Creating Individual Plans for Graduation and Beyond
By Hans Meeder
meederh@visions-unltd.com