Career Action PlanningBest Practices

Module 1CAP Components

CAP Organization Components• Definition• Administrative Support• CAP Steering Committee• Parental Involvement• Teacher/Advisor Training• Advisory Sessions and CAP Conference• Evaluation

COMPONENTS OF A CAP PROGRAM• Promotion and buy-in• Planning• Calendar• Advisory Activities• Advisor Time

• Teacher Training• CAP Conferences• Communication• Evaluation• Collaboration

CAP Definition

A cooperative way to help students make plans for their future and prepare them

to meet those goals

Career Action Planning

• Provides an advisor to every student with time to devote to making

concrete personal, education and career plans and set attainable goals

• Provide career planning for all students with parental involvement

• Provides career decision-making skills from middle school up through

high school

A CAPS PROGRAM• Establishes written goals & a plan of action for each student • Records each student’s growth in achieving the education/skills

needed to succeed• Provides follow-up and evaluation for parents and students• Informs students of job availability, job duties & responsibilities,

education and training required, pay & growth potential, availability of secondary and post-secondary education/training.

Career “Action” Planning includes:

– Continuous and consistent career guidance and development

with regular self-awareness assessments, high school planning,

post-secondary planning, and decision making.

– An important component is the annual parent/student/advisor

conference to review the career with all parties together.

CAPS MISSION

To ensure that each student receives individualized, comprehensive, and continuing career and educational counseling that enhances their ability to ultimately achieve career satisfaction.

IT’S THE LAW!

Federally funded programs are required to provide“…a coherent sequence of courses to ensure learning

in the core academic, and vocational and technical subjects…” (H.R. 1853-40)

Improving College and Career Improving College and Career Readiness IndicatorsReadiness Indicators

• Improve graduation ratesImprove graduation rates• Increase nontraditional placementIncrease nontraditional placement• Raise college entrance ratesRaise college entrance rates• Improve positive postsecondary placementImprove positive postsecondary placement• Increase program of study completersIncrease program of study completers• Reduce necessity for remediationReduce necessity for remediation• Improve parental involvementImprove parental involvement• Improve level of student satisfaction with educationImprove level of student satisfaction with education

Arkansas Career Planning• To meet ADE standards, every student must have a four-year plan.

• To meet ACE standards for program approval, every student must have a four-year plan (recommended six-year), which is revisited each year for necessary adjustments.

• To meet the requirements of ACT 1949, every student services program must include career advisement and a career development process.

How to Start• Administrative Decisions• Steering Committee• Career Guidance Coordinator/Chair• Schedule planning & preparation meetings• Define roles and responsibilities• Provide training• Curriculum activities to obtain goals

Administrative Support

Superintendents, principals, counselors must be on board with a strategic plan for CAPs– Regular semi-annual meetings should be scheduled– A committee should be chaired by an administrator– Setting school goals to raising Indicators – Active participants in teacher training and CAP

Conference Day

Decisions to be Madeby Administration

Set and Improve school goalsGraduation ratesCollege readiness (ACT) and entrance ratesPlan or program of study placement for studentsPositive postsecondary placementPositive postsecondary placementTaking higher level math, science and English classesTaking higher level math, science and English classes

Decisions to be made by: Coordinator and Steering Committee

• How much time is needed for advisory classes• Best time and how often should advisory groups meet• Group size and make up• Grade levels—what grade level to begin CAPs• Progression—plan for development w/o repetition• Advisors—who to include and training • Pull-outs—special needs considerations• Implementation—promotion

Improve High School Improve High School Student EnvironmentStudent Environment

• Engaging students in their education and trainingEngaging students in their education and training• Increase nontraditional placementIncrease nontraditional placement• Increase program of study completersIncrease program of study completers• Reduce necessity for remediationReduce necessity for remediation• Improve parental involvementImprove parental involvement• Improve level of student satisfaction with education Improve level of student satisfaction with education

and career planningand career planning

Improve the quality of career planning interventions provided to help students

• Meet personal goals• Successfully transition through the educational system

smoothly and efficiently • Graduate successfully • Become employable with employability skills and industry

certifications• Successfully reach career goals to become productive

citizens

CAP Steering Committee• Counselors for all grades selected• Career Guidance Teachers• Administrator

– Beginning with Superintendent– Followed up with building principals or their assistants

• Career Development Facilitator or Career Coach

Steering Committee Review• School goals• CAP guidelines• School calendar• Personnel • Activities • Training opportunities/necessities

Career Guidance Training

Administration, coordinator, steering committee, and counselors attend training.

Teachers by trained by coordinator/chair and steering committee.

Career Guidance Providers• Administrators• Counselors• Teacher/advisors• Career Development Facilitators/Career Coaches• Community leaders• Business partners• Post-secondary school recruiters

Advisor’s Role• Advisor’s responsibilities• Know the student• Understand and value career development and

planning• Knowledgeable of the educational system • Meet regularly with students for advising

Advisor Training• Kuder Navigator • Graduation & college entrance requirements• Scholarships and grants• Education and training plans• Forms and parent conversations• CAP time frame• Session activities

Training• Introduction and Welcome Advisor Handout • Graduation Requirements College Entrance Requirements• ACT Explore (8th grade) Portfolio Folder Update • Explore Results (9th grade only) Education Plan Update• ACT Plan Results (10th grade only) Education Opportunities• Review Student Resumes Extended Learning Opportunities• Registration Sheet and Signed Evaluation Forms• Business & Industry Certifications Parent Communication

Class or Group Assignments• Teacher Advisors

– Assign by grade level– Assign randomly or by program of study (preferred)– Assign by special needs– Assign by class schedule

Recommendations• Advisors work with fewer than 20 students• Advisors meet at least 8 times per year with their

students• Advisors meet with all advisee parents at least once per

year in the spring• Scheduled Career Planning Time

– Weekly or Monthly leading up to CAP Conference– CAP Registration Conference March-April

Conferences are held to meet with parents and students to review:

• Student’s records—classes, grades, and assessments• Goals and progress • Education opportunities

– Tech centers, concurrent or articulated credit

• Career opportunities• Four-year education plan• Education and training plan beyond high school

What Advisors Should Know• STUDENTS• How to communicate with parents• What is expected from advisory and conference

sessions • How to use and record information in the students’

Career Portfolios• Calendar of events

Calendar• July Steering Committee Meetings• August New Teacher/Advisor Training• February CAP Preparation:• Early March:Parent Letter Completed & Mailed• Mid March: All CAP Conference Appointments Made• Late March: Senior High School Orientation for ninth grade parents/students• Early April: Junior High School CAP Conferences (Example: April 1, 2:00 p.m. – 8:00

p.m.) One Day Only• Senior High School CAP Conferences (Example: April 2 & 3, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00

p.m.) Two Days• Mid April: Registration sheets due at senior high school• Late April: Registration

What everyone should know• Graduation Requirements• Smart Core/College requirements• Scholarships available• Programs of Study and courses offered at the school or tech center• Postsecondary articulation and concurrent opportunities• Advanced Placement Opportunities• Special Needs Resources• How to assist with labor market research for job opportunities• Extended learning opportunities

Non-academics• Clubs and Organizations.• Athletics• Non-school opportunities• Internship/apprenticeship opportunities• Credit and non-credit electives• Programs of Study and Completer Status• Military-Reserve Officer Training Core (JROTC)

Additional Options• Secondary Area Vocational Training Centers

Career & Technical Education Completer Status

• Complete three Carnegie Units of Credit in a Program of Study

• Electives:– Workplace Readiness (.5 credit)– Workforce Technology (1 credit)– Internship (1 Credit)– JAG (1 Unit)

High School Interventions• Keystone (9th grade transition elective)• Workplace Readiness

• 11th-12th grade elective using KeyTrain to prepare students for ACT WorkKeys)

• Work-based Learning • (JAG, Internship & Youth Apprenticeship electives)

• Extended Learning Opportunities• Job Shadowing, B & I Tours, CTSO’s, Mentoring/Interning

Components of a Portfolio• Career Portfolio Development (electronic or hard copy)• A 4-Year Education Plan (High school and beyond)• Long term career plans (Career Ladder)• Academic records• Self-awareness Assessments• Resume• Kuder and Explore results• Financial aid• Scholarship information and applications • .

Parental Involvement• Improve communication between parents and

schools. Approximately 70 percent of those surveyed said better communication between school and parents and increased parental involvement in their child’s education are essential to keeping students in school.– Council for Exceptional Children

When Parents are Involved• Higher grades and test scores • Long term academic achievement • Positive attitudes and behavior • More successful programs of study • More effective schools

– Univ of Illinois

Engage Students in School• Make school more relevant and engaging and

enhance the connection between school and work with a Career Action Plan

• Ensure strong adult-student relationships in the school with advisors. The respondents craved and appreciated attention from teachers… 70% said better communication between school and parents and increased parental involvement in their child’s education are essential to keeping students in school.

• Council for Exceptional Children

Career Exploration and PlanningInterventions in

Middle and Junior High SchoolsCareer Orientation • Exploration of the world of work• Self-Discovery• Self-Assessment resulting in career pathways• Career Development Portfolio• Occupational Research• Education and Training Research• Goal Setting, Decision-making and Planning

Successful Positive Employment comes from consistent and continuous:

• Self assessment and discovery• Career guidance, exploration, preparation and

planning• Career employability training• Rigorous education in the SMART Core Curriculum• Career portfolio development

Follow-through not just Follow-up• Time to visit periodically with a career coach,

counselor, or advisor• A place for college and career research

– (Career Center)

• Continued development of a personal career portfolio• Opportunities for job shadowing and B & I tours• Local and current labor market information

CAP Conferences• CAP conferences are held once each year, generally

in early April. CAP conferences involve the teacher-advisor, parents, and student. Letters announcing the appointment date are mailed to parents at least one month in advance. The teacher-advisor follows up with a phone call to confirm the appointment date.

Program Evaluation• Program Evaluation

– Program Steering Committee Summer Vision Retreat• Evaluate each grade level

– Successes and failures

• Re-establish goals• Review schedule for the coming year• Review curriculum activities for advisory classes

Parent & Teacher Evaluation• Parent evaluation• Teacher/Advisor evaluation

Sum of all the Parts• Time with an advisor to discuss the future• Continuous education and career planning and

development• Parental involvement• Make the future realistic with individualized career

plans that meet student needs