Career Guidance Recognition Initiative:

From the National Consortium for State Guidance Leadership

On the NCSGL web page www.guidanceconsortium.com under the ABC tab you will find the information about the 2007 ABC program and an application form.  

 

Contact:

 

PENNSYLVANIA LAUNCHES NEW CAREER EDUCATION AND

WORK ACADEMIC STANDARDS

 

CAMP HILL – In an effort to better prepare students for post secondary education and employment, Pennsylvania launched its new Academic Standards for Career Education and Work today.

The new standards give students, as early as first grade, the opportunity to begin exploring career options and offer graduating high school students a comprehensive set of tools to explore opportunities for post-secondary education and jobs.

“Today’s students will need more than just a high school diploma to be able to meet the demands of the workplace and to get jobs that will help them sustain their families,” said Donna Cooper, Governor Edward G. Rendell’s secretary of policy and planning. “These new academic standards solidify Governor Rendell’s commitment to ensuring that all students have opportunities to explore their future careers starting at an early age to be successful in the globally competitive economy.”

“Under Governor Rendell’s leadership, Pennsylvania has placed a strong focus on the importance of career education,” Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak said. “We know how crucial it is for our students to begin recognizing and exploring career and education options at an early age to make sure they can reach their full potential in life.  That is why our career education starts as early as kindergarten or first grade and expands until high school graduation.”

Under the new standards, students, by 8th grade, should begin their individualized career plan and portfolios, which will be developed throughout high school, and learn effective skills used in a job interview. By 11th grade students should analyze the relationship between career choices and career preparation opportunities such as secondary-education degrees, industry or military training, as well as apply effective skills used in job interviews. They’ll also evaluate strategies for career retention and advancement in response to the changing global workplace and the impact of lifelong learning on careers.

Representatives from schools, business and industry, and community agencies learned about, and received training for the implementation of the new standards during the conference. 

The State Board of Education finalized the new standards in July to provide schools with clear language and guidance to fully prepare students for the workplace. Career education standards are further enhanced by a requirement that middle school students must be exposed to technology education, which includes emphasizing practical application of academic skills and problem-solving experiences through technology.

Governor Rendell has been a steadfast advocate of education and career preparation, investing $1.8 billion in additional funds into Pennsylvania’s K-12 education system since taking office, including investments into Project 720, College and Career Counseling and Dual Enrollment. 

  
· Project 720.  Project 720, designed to transform Pennsylvania’s high schools by providing students with a more rigorous high school curriculum while also enhancing their access to post-secondary education opportunities to prepare them for competitive careers, received an increase $4.7 million to $8 million for 2006-07.

· College and Career Counseling.  The new $3 million College & Career Counseling initiative for the 2006-07 school year expands access to high quality counseling. This year’s investment will enhance counseling services in 19 school districts, creating student-centered career development systems to better prepare more students for college and career success. Schools will provide all students with a college preparatory sequence of courses as defined in Project 720 and will incorporate the new Career and Work Education Academic Standards into their curricula.
· Dual Enrollment.  The $8 million program gives students in 59 counties the opportunity to earn college credit at community colleges and four-year universities and colleges as high school juniors and seniors. Dual Enrollment funding began last year with a $5 million state investment and opened 20,000 college course slots for students in 229 school districts.

 

 “With the addition of the new Academic Standards for Career Education and Work, Pennsylvania’s students now have a multitude of programs to ensure that they are competitive in the global workforce upon graduation,” concluded Secretary Zahorchak.

For more information on the Department of Education or to view the new Academic Standards For Career Education and Work, visit www.pde.state.pa.us.