Education and Career Planning –
A Process not an Event!
Career Cruising and the Portfolio
Steps to Success
Employment: Career Advancement
Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning
Postsecondary: Career Preparation
Achieving credentials: college, certification, apprenticeship, military
9-12: Career Preparation
Academics and technical courses, intensive guidance, individual graduation plans
Grade 8: Transition
Choosing a career cluster and major (can change easily at any time later)
6-8: Career Exploration
Discovering interest areas
K-5: Career Awareness
Introduction to the world of careers
A sense of purpose in one’s work is
crucial to building commitment to
school. Yet, many adolescents do
not have the opportunity to learn the
relevance of school to their lives until
it is too late.
* Legum, H. L. & Hoare, C. H. (2004). Impact of a Career Intervention on At-Risk Middle School Students' Career
Maturity Levels, Academic Achievement, and Self-Esteem. Professional School Counseling, 8(2), pg. 3.
Students involved in career exploration
and awareness at the middle school level
are more likely to establish an effective
plan of study for high school.
Career planning establishes a focus for
achievement and helps middle school
students identify strategies and tasks
necessary to achieve their goals.
*Dahl, Carol A. (2001). Career Planning in Middle School, The Education Digest, 67.
The portfolio is a motivational tool for
encouraging the continuous gathering of
interests, abilities, credentials,
experiences and personal reflection as
well as a place to electronically store
information as they move through
educational settings.
ACADEMIC AND CAREER PORTFOLIOS
 Every elementary and secondary school student should
be encouraged to develop and maintain an academic
and career portfolio.
 If students continue to maintain their portfolios from year
to year, they will be able to see their growth and
progress over time and to become increasingly aware of
their own interests, strengths, needs, and aspirations.
 The evidence collected in an up-to-date portfolio
provides a focus for parents, the teacher-advisor, and
the guidance counselor when discussing with students
the preparation and revision of their annual education
plan.
 Students should have easy access to their portfolios so
that they can regularly update their contents.
Why Electronic Portfolios
Convenient Access
Easy to Use and Update
Cost-Effective
Faster Administration
Transferability
But how do we engage students
in this process?
The Portfolio Completion Standards and
related activities provide a progressive
plan for career guidance from 6th grade
right through to 12th grade.
In the study by Johnson, interviews with
sixth and ninth graders, 87% of students'
responses uncovered either a low degree
of awareness or no awareness at all
regarding the type of work involved in their
chosen career field.
Johnson, Laurie S. (2000). The Relevance of School to Career: A Study in Student Awareness. Journal of Career Development, 26 (4) 263-275.
The Career Profiles within Career Cruising
focus on providing students with relevant,
real-life information.
In the study by Johnson, interviews with
sixth and ninth graders, 87% of students'
responses uncovered either a low degree
of awareness or no awareness at all
regarding the type of work involved in their
chosen career field.
Johnson, Laurie S. (2000). The Relevance of School to Career: A Study in Student Awareness. Journal of Career Development, 26 (4) 263-275.
Inviting others to view a student’s portfolio
is also an excellent way to involve parents
and other community members in the
process.
 In recent years, attention has been paid to the
importance of successful transition to high
school.
 Something as simple as logging into the
personal portfolio they had at middle school
when they enter high school can be very
reassuring as can having their new high school
teachers be familiar with the program they used
in their middle school.
 When they are about to leave middle school,
they can invite their new teachers,
administrators, coaches etc. to view their
portfolio.
 Just as one cannot hand a first grader a book
and say read, one cannot hand an eighth grader
a plan of study for high school and beyond and
say complete it.
 Being a good planner by habit is a skill and
acquiring this skill will facilitate life-long career
development with it’s necessity for expected and
sometimes unexpected decisions along the way.
 Intentionally incorporating career awareness and
exploration into children’s early experiences as
they are making decisions about themselves
and the world of work will encourage the
process of career planning as a “habit of the
mind”.
Magnuson, Carolyn S. & Starr, Marion F. (2000). How Early Is Too Early to Begin Life Career Planning? The Importance of the
Elementary School Years. Journal of Career Development, 27(2).
 The benefits of improved teacher-student
relations is another large area of research.
 As reported in a ‘High Schools That Work’
research paper, students with quality middle
school relationships are likely to transition well to
high school. In addition, when teachers act as
advisors, students are more likely to have
educational goals and plans for high school.
 Schools that use teachers as advisors and
mentors can make sure that students and
parents receive timely information about careers
and college-preparatory programs in high
school.
Cooney, Sondra, & Bottoms, Gene. Middle Grades to High School: Mending a Weak Link. High Schools That Work, Southern Regional
Education Board, http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/briefs/02V08_Middle_Grades_To_HS.pdf
 Engaging parents with their child’s school has
been the ‘Holy Grail’ for many middle and high
school leaders.
 One of the most successful strategies initiated
by middle and high schools has been to involve
the student, parent and counselor in high school
and post-secondary planning. Whereas the
academic content of school may have moved
beyond where a parent feels they can be helpful,
there is a lot a parent can do to help with their
child’s career and educational development.
Summary
No one intervention is enough. Each
school must implement a comprehensive
program featuring elements uniquely
suited to its student population.
However, a common focus in every
program should be the personal academic
and career portfolio – a plan for each
student and a systemic plan of
implementation for the school or district.