Pathways to Pride Program
Governor’s Institute for Career Education and Work
June 16, 2009
Michael D. Thompson
Director of Counseling and Career Development
Middletown Area School District
Connecting Careers, Curriculum & Character Education
Program Description
 Curriculum Integration
 Portfolio Development
 Monitoring the System
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The Graduation Project at Middletown High School is a
comprehensive multidisciplinary effort designed to help
students prepare for life after graduation.
A committee of teachers, counselors and administrators
meets monthly to plan the specific career development
activities within and outside of the classroom.
Students are guided by counselors, advisors and teachers
through the process of investigating career fields and the
related training necessary to achieve those careers.
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The curriculum addresses many of the student activities
required for the graduation project throughout high
school. Therefore students benefit from the expertise of
subject area specialists.
Some activities will require independent student research
Academic Departments involved with activities:
Business
Social Studies
Language Arts
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Stand alone Career Development Course
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Futures I-9th grade (Business Department)
Self Assessments
• Occupational Searches
• Post-Secondary Searches
• Resume Building
• Job Skills
• Pathways Exploration
 Futures II-10th grade
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*access.bridges.com
Choices and Planner
Career Software
(Business Department)
Courses use Choices software
Planning for connecting personality to career to post-secondary
opportunities leading to a successful career are covered in these
courses. Focus is on the recently adopted Career Education and
Work Standards
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Social Studies Department-11th Grade
Shadow Day-Fall
Junior College Fair-Spring
Both programs delivered and discussed in
Social Studies
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Language Arts Department-12th Grade
Senior Interview Workshop-Fall
Interview Skills
Resume Writing Workshop-Winter
Career Action Plan-Spring
 Every student beginning in the 9th grade Career
Futures Course receives a Career Portfolio.
 Located in the inside sleeve are a list of required
items that must be completed and documented
for students by grade.
 This becomes a record of progress that a
student makes towards their individual career
goals.
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Students will complete an interest assessment,
occupational search and a post-secondary search each
year through a course or with their counselor
The Differential Aptitude Test and the Armed Services
Vocational Aptitude Battery are used to assess abilities and
skills in grades 9 and 11
Preferences and work Values are also assessed using the
“Do What You Are” Personality Assessment in Futures IIgrade 10. These are linked to the 6 Holland Types.
 The culminating activity of the Graduation
Project is a written Career Action Plan and Oral
presentation.
 This is completed by the end of the first
semester in 12th grade
Rubrics developed by the Grad Project
Committee guides the student through the
process.
 Students will review their portfolio and record of
assessments, accomplishments and experiences
to develop a cohesive post secondary plan.
 Monitoring the Career Portfolio is the ultimate
responsibility of each student.
 The monitoring process is initiated at the beginning of
each school year in homeroom/advisory.
 Counselors receive a list of missing activities in the
portfolio. Parents and students will be notified at the end
of the 1st Quarter on their report card.
 During the 12th grade a team of teachers and business
partners evaluate the oral presentations of the student
career action plans. The committee evaluates the contents
of the portfolio.
 Students completing all of these items become candidates
for graduation by the end of quarter three in Grade 12.
13.1.11
Career Awareness and Planning
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Career Futures Course-9th
Career Futures Course 10th
Shadow Program Program-11th
Junior Post-Secondary Fair-11th
Career Action Plan-12th
13.2.11
Career Acquisition-Getting a Job
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Career Futures I Course-Job Skills Unit-9th
Career Futures II Course-Planning, researching,
and obtaining a career-10th (looking for a job, interview process,
resumes)
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Senior Interview Workshop on Interviewing and
Resume Writing
Career Action Plan Oral Presentation-12th
13.3.11
Keeping a Job
Career
Futures Course-Job Skills Unit-9th
Career Futures Course-Soft Skills, The Team Concept-10th
Senior Interview Workshop on Job Retention-12th
Economics & English-Resume Writing and Interview Skills
Career Action Plan Oral Presentation- 12th
13.4.11
Entrepreneurship
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Career Futures I Course 9th
Entrepreneurship Unit
Entrepreneurship Course-21st Century Skills11th
Economics- Unit on writing a business plan
Challenges for The Future
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To teach all of the Career and Work Standards in all
discipline areas
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To provide professional development to all staff so that they
will provide a greater degree of contextual learning and
make their subject relevant and vital for their students in the
changing economy of the 21st Century
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As Middletown Area High School develops its Career
Pathways Program. The Graduation Project as a true
Transition Plan for all of our students
Mr. Michael D. Thompson,
Director of Counseling
&
Career Development
Middletown Area High School
1155 North Union Street
Middletown, PA 17057
(717) 948-3333 ext. 6006
mthompson@raiderweb.org