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National Consortium Recognizes ABC Program Honorees

The ABC’s of Career Awareness and Exploration has completed its ninth year of recognizing exemplary elementary and middle school career guidance programs in all states. The guidelines align closely with components of the No Child Left Behind legislation. The program outlines the framework for student success. It reflects the increasing emphasis on high standards and student achievement for all students with the following program elements identified:

• Accountability including a system of evaluating student success and program effectiveness and feedback to stakeholders

• Academics including integration of applied career guidance across the curriculum and with activists that support district

academic standards

• Basic Skills including skill-based activities defined by comprehensive standards/competencies and integration of SCANS (or

similar) skills throughout the curriculum

• Career Awareness and Exploration including career guidance for all students and program content organized by domains

such as academic achievement, personal/social development, and career development

• System Structure including key components of vision, commitment, comprehensiveness, collaboration, program management, and assessment/evaluation as well as inclusion of all educational stakeholders in the planning, development, delivery, and evaluation of the program.

Following are the program descriptions for the 2006 recipients. The recipients were recognized with plaques and trophies, as well as free curriculum products. Although each program implements a slightly different method or emphasis, the criteria for program excellence is reflected in each one. Contact information is included for anyone wishing further details on these exemplary programs.

James Island Middle School and Ft. Johnson Middle School, Charleston, South Carolina

“James Island, South Carolina” painting by Suzanne McDermott    http://www.suzannemcdermott.com/

Fort Johnson and James Island Middle Schools serve over 1000 students in grades 6 – 8, with students’ ages ranging from 11 to 15. Both schools enroll a multi-cultural population. Both schools are the only middle schools located on James Island, a suburban island located five miles from downtown Charleston. The economic environment of the island is mixed, containing a very poor population of residents as well as population of wealthy residents, and many in between. Business opportunity is somewhat limited on the island, due to its small size, and consists mainly of retail, dining establishments, and some healthcare offices. Many residents are employed in other areas of Charleston.

Our Career Awareness and Exploration Program provides a comprehensive career guidance plan for two middle schools and includes both school and work based learning opportunities for all students. This program offers school-to-career activities that integrate content area curriculum as well as state and national guidance standards and exposure to career clusters. Academics are linked to the career interests and goals of students to prepare them for secondary education as well as the real world. Activities include career speakers, career workshops, (application skills, mock interviewing, dress for success, budgeting money, etc.) service-learning, job shadowing, career fairs symposiums, work-site visits, and professional development for teachers. Administration and interpretation of career assessments for all students is an integral part of this program. All activities enhance the schools’ efforts in advancing the goals of quality career development for all middle school students.

At the school level, needs assessments are provided to students, parents, and teachers annually so that the program can accurately address as many requests as possible and reforms can be made, as necessary. Monthly newsletters are distributed on the first of each month, announcing upcoming events, listing resources for teachers, and summarizing past events. Feedback from all stakeholders is encouraged and all requests are considered in future planning.

Activities are aligned with content curriculum standards appropriate to grade level and are offered when the standards are addressed in the classroom. For example, seventh grade science students learn about life systems and various health professionals may be included in the classroom lessons. In this way, career speakers can relate what the students are learning to the day-to-day tasks in the professional world. All speakers, work-site/job shadow hosts, career fair participants, and other contributors are provided with the standards that the students are learning so that they can most effectively address both the academic and career development needs of all students.

The success of our program is a collaborative effort between the career counselor and the teachers, as well as with school administration, parents, and the business community. Continuous networking with local businesses and the creation of partnerships is crucial to the sustainability of this program.

For more information contact: Erica Parker, STC/Career Counselor, James Island and Fort Johnson Middle Schools, Charleston County School District, Erica_parker@charleston.k12.sc.us

Raytown Middle School and South Middle School, Raytown, Missouri

Raytown, with a population of slightly more than 38,000, is located in Northeast Missouri and is included in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The area served by the schools is both urban and suburban. The majority of wage-earners in Raytown seek employment opportunities in the surrounding areas. The city is currently undergoing a shift in population and is growing in diversity. Employment in the immediate community is largely built on the service industry with little in the way of manufacturing or related industry.

Ten years ago, under the leadership of Dr. Lee Updike, then director of secondary curriculum, the middle schools began a journey to address the changing needs of both students and community. This journey began simply in meeting to brainstorm how the Career Pathways concept could benefit students. From that came an association with Jackson County Business Consortium with training and business partnership opportunities for staff and schools. A broad-spectrum career education program has evolved from this simple beginning.

The Guidance Curriculum is based on needs assessments conducted every three years in alignment with state guidance recommendations. Needs assessments include student, teacher, and parent surveys, which relate to topics for guidance lessons. The top five areas of the most recent needs assessment are listed in rank order:

Because of the emphasis provided by the needs assessment, career awareness and exploration are valuable parts of the education arena in Raytown Middle Schools. The curriculum is integrated into teacher-led classrooms, as well as activities presented by counselors through guidance lessons.

Students emerge from the middle school with job-skills training, a four-year plan for courses of study in high school and a career pathway goal. With this background preparation in the middle school, students are excited to pursue goals they have set based on knowledge of their aptitude, interests, and inter-personal skills. The goals are as individual as the students.

For more information contact: Kelli Small, District Guidance Coordinator, Raytown School District, Raytown, Missouri, kelli.small@raytwonschools.org

©2006 National Consortium for State Guidance Leadership.
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