Academic Development and

Planning for College and Career

Readiness K-12

CHAPTER 11

Academic and Career Planning in the Modern Era

Assist students to reach their academic, career, and college dreams beginning in kindergarten

School counseling programs focused on K-12 academic development skills, experiences, and rigorous coursework that lead to career and college opportunity, access, and readiness for every student

Who Are the Under-served?

Poor and working class students of all races, especially young men of color

Students with emotional, physical, developmental, and learning disabilities,

LGBT students

First-generation Americans, immigrants, and undocumented students

Boys

Students from non-dominant family types

Concerns for the Under-served

Not all students are achieving consistent academic success that leads to well-paying careers and college access

Higher high-school and college drop-out rates

Lower high-school and college graduation rates

Unemployment, underemployment, incarceration, and lack of post-secondary education

How to Help

Transformed school counselors need to create programs based on this data

Begin working earlier to turn around achievement and opportunity gaps

Planning, SCCC lessons, and academic development activities can help reach as many students as possible

Engage all students, not only those who seek out help

Key Organizations and Frameworks

ASCA and the ASCA National Model, the ASCA Student Standards, and the ASCA ethical code

The Education Trust, the Transforming School Counseling (TSC) Initiative and TACKLE

National Center for Transforming School Counseling (NCTSC)

Center for School Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation (CSCORE)

Key Organizations and Frameworks National Office for School

Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA)

Association for Counselor Education & Supervision (ACES) and the Transforming School Counseling College Access Interest Network (TSCCAIN)

ACHIEVE and the ACHIEVE brief on School Counselors’ role in implementing Common Core State Standards

National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Fundamentals of College Admission Counseling

Key Assessment and Learning Tools

Advanced Placement (AP) courses

ACT, Aspire, Explore, and Plan assessments

Career Technical Education (CTE)

Fairtest

International Baccalaureate (IB)

College Board

Student Success Skills

College and Career Readiness Terms College access: skills for college enrollment and matriculation that

lead to successful graduation with a degree

College-ready: a high school graduate having reading, writing, and math knowledge and skills to qualify for and succeed in college courses

Career-ready: ready to enter and advance in a job or succeed in training for a good job

Types of Data

Student Outcome Data: needs to be disaggregated to notice trends

School Counseling Program Data: track and monitor work in the domains of the ASCA National Model

School-specific Data: from stakeholders through needs assessments and outcome evaluations

Equity in Academic Outcomes

Equality vs Equity

Equality means treating all students the same, and equal treatment is certainly not enough to ensure all students are career and college ready

Equity means that some students may need many more resources to level an uneven playing field

Equity in Academic Outcomes

1. Ensure every student has access to rigorous courses

2. Ensure every student has an annual plan

3. Ensure every student has access to competencies

4. Focus 80% of PSC time on direct services

5. Disaggregate data to ensure all groups receive equitable access

Equity in Academic Outcomes

6. Collect data about college admission, graduation, and career info

7. Collect data on college costs for students by cultural group, including college debt

8. Ensure students have access to career/technology education options

Leading and Advocating for System Change

Two primary interventions: delivering school counseling core curriculum lessons and annual planning for every students

Become advocates for academic rigor and college admission

Ensure the best teachers are teaching all levels of students

What is…?

Academic Planning and Development

Annual academic plans to ensure rigorous course planning

Link academics with real-world relevancy to keep students engaged

What is…?

K-12 Academic Planning

ASCA academic student standards must be developmentally appropriate and executed systemically and sequentially beginning in Kindergarten

Commitment to ensure students are given equal access to an academically rigorous curriculum

What is…?

Roles and Responsibilities in Academic Planning and Development

Study skill and executive functioning development via various interventions

Annual academic planning sessions should include importance of academic rigor and commitment to high expectations for all students

Advocate for social and human capital

What is…?

Effective Collaboration

Connect academic standards to necessary career/college competencies for teachers

Implement parent workshops on needed topics

Use data to show necessity and effectiveness of interventions

What is…?

Focus skill development on

Content knowledge of specific subject area

“Core academic skills” such as critical thinking, analysis, and writing

Executive functioning skills such as self-regulation, time management and problem-solving

“College knowledge” such as an understanding of college application process, financial aid, and admissions

Critical Intervention

Summary/Conclusion

Regular and systematic planning will help ensure students are career and college ready

Key frameworks lay the foundations for meaningful counseling interventions

Collecting and analyzing disaggregated data will help give a clearer understanding of successes