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Wisconsin Career Readiness Standards

Community of Practice

Skills for Success:

The Why Behind Wisconsin's Career Readiness Standards

Module 9:

The Purpose of “I Can” Statements

Welcome to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Career Readiness Community of Practice! In this ninth module, titled, “The Purpose of I Can Statements”, we’re going to move deeper into our work to explore and consider the “how” of using the Wisconsin Career Readiness Standards to transform your system.

To make the most of this learning experience, we encourage you to engage actively by taking notes and reflecting on how the content applies to your unique context. Pause the video whenever you need to process the information or dive deeper into the provided resources. If you’re able, consider collaborating with colleagues or teams for richer discussions and shared insights. Finally, don’t forget to follow up with your regional CESA for additional support.

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Objectives

Understand the Role of "I Can" Statements in Supporting Student Learning

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Why Student “I Can” Statements

Maintain the integrity of the WCRS while focusing on systemic priorities.
Provide clear success criteria and transparent learning objectives for students.
Translate WCRS into student-friendly language that supports engagement and understanding.
Empower students to take ownership of their role in career readiness.

"Before we dive into the 'I Can' statements themselves, let’s take a moment to understand why the Department of Public Instruction developed them. The WCRS were designed to set the foundation for career readiness across the state, and it's important to note that we do not modify or change these standards. However, by creating student-facing 'I Can' statements, we allow districts and schools to focus on their own systemic priorities while still maintaining the fidelity of the WCRS.“

"These 'I Can' statements serve two critical purposes: First, they provide clear success criteria and transparent learning objectives, which are essential in helping students understand what’s expected of them. Second, they translate the WCRS into student-friendly language that is easier for learners to engage with. This helps students take ownership of their journey toward career readiness and understand their role in the process.“

"By using 'I Can' statements, we give students a framework to not only meet academic goals but also contribute to their personal growth and future careers. These statements are adaptable and used across academic subject areas, making them a key tool in helping students connect the dots between classroom learning and their future professional success."

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The Connection

“I Can” statements are directly tied to learning intentions. They state in clear and developmentally appropriate language what students should know and be able to do:

“I can share how I plan to get tasks done, remember things, and get ready for tests.”

“I can participate in an interview or role-play a simulated interview and send a follow up thank you letter.”

"As we focus on Student 'I Can' statements in this module, it's important to understand where these statements originate. 'I Can' statements are directly tied to the learning intentions set by the Wisconsin Career Readiness Standards. These statements express, in clear and developmentally appropriate language, what students should know and be able to do.

To break it down: each 'I Can' statement is the outcome of a process that begins by looking at the standard. Let’s briefly revisit the structure of these standards.

First, we have the discipline, which represents the specific Career and Technical Education (CTE) program area. Next is the strand, identifying an instructional topic within that discipline. Following that, we have the standard itself, which broadly outlines the knowledge or skills students are expected to gain. Finally, the learning priority breaks down the standard into smaller, actionable learning goals.

From this structure, we create 'I Can' statements that students can understand and connect to their learning. For example:

'I can share how I plan to get tasks done, remember things, and get ready for tests.'
'I can participate in an interview or role-play a simulated interview and send a follow-up thank you letter.'

This process ensures that students are equipped with clear, actionable steps aligned with the Career Readiness Standards. Understanding how these 'I Can' statements are formed helps us maintain alignment between the standards and student outcomes."

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Understanding Student “I Can” Statements

Student “I Can” Statements:

Are “student facing” statements.
Provide clear learning goals for students.
Help students track their own progress toward career readiness.
Encourage ownership of learning by breaking down complex skills into actionable steps.

"Now that we understand why the Wisconsin DPI created these 'I Can' statements, let’s take a closer look at how they serve students directly. 'I Can' statements are specifically designed to be 'student-facing,' meaning they are written in language that students can easily understand and engage with.“

"Their primary purpose is to give students clear and actionable learning goals, breaking down larger standards into manageable, digestible steps. Whether students are mastering specific skills or building knowledge toward a long-term career goal, 'I Can' statements help them track their own progress and take ownership of their learning.“�

"These statements act as a roadmap for students, ensuring they know what’s expected of them while also helping educators gauge where extra support might be needed. It’s all about creating a clear, supportive pathway to career readiness, with students fully engaged in the process."

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Learning Progressions and “I Can”

"I Can" statements are designed to build on one another over time.
Learning progresses from surface to deep to transfer across grades.
Skills and knowledge grow in complexity as students develop, ensuring career readiness by graduation.

"To truly prepare students for their careers, it’s essential that we approach learning as a progression. The 'I Can' statements in the WCRS are designed to build on one another over time, from kindergarten through 12th grade. This is a gradual process where students start with foundational knowledge in the earlier grades and continue to build on it, working toward mastery and application of skills as they approach graduation.“

"This ties back to what we discussed earlier about surface, deep, and transfer learning. These types of learning can happen at any stage of a student’s journey, from kindergarten to high school. In early stages, students might engage in surface learning—gaining exposure to new ideas and vocabulary. However, even young students can engage in deep and transfer learning. For example, younger students might demonstrate deep learning by applying career awareness concepts to their understanding of community roles, or transfer learning by taking what they’ve learned in one subject and applying it to another context, like making connections between their science class and career opportunities in environmental work."

"As students progress through the grades, we continue to foster this deeper understanding and ability to transfer knowledge across contexts. At the same time, it’s important to remember that surface, deep, and transfer learning will look different at various stages of development. Deep learning for a kindergartener will naturally be less complex than for a twelfth grader, as child development expands the capabilities of students. The learning progressions in the 'I Can' statements reflect this by growing in complexity over time, matching the developmental stages of youth and ensuring that career readiness skills become more sophisticated as students grow.“

"The goal is to guide students through this learning progression, ensuring that by the time they graduate, they’ve developed the skills and dispositions necessary for success in any career pathway. No matter their age, students can experience deep and transfer learning as they develop the skills to be truly career-ready, with learning becoming more complex and nuanced as they mature."

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Learning Progressions and “I Can”

Example: CAR1B Learning Progression - KNOW how interests, skills, and strengths connect learning to career opportunities in their future.

I can share things I am good at and what I need help with.�I can talk about why good grades will help me now and when I grow up.

K-2

I can share what I like to do and how I would use it in school and a career.

3-5

I can explain the advantages of pursuing a job that really interests me and the challenges of pursuing a job that I do not like.

6-8

I can explain what work values are and why they are important to consider when making career decisions.

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I can describe the interests, skills, and work values that will most impact my career decisions now and describe how they may change over time.

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"To truly prepare students for their careers, it’s essential that we approach learning as a progression. The 'I Can' statements in the WCRS are designed to build on one another over time, from kindergarten through 12th grade. This is a gradual process where students start with foundational knowledge in the earlier grades and continue to build on it, working toward mastery and application of skills as they approach graduation.“

"Let’s take the example of CAR1B—Career Awareness. The 'I Can' statements aligned to this learning intention start with simple awareness in the early grades and build into more complex understandings and applications in the upper grades. By the time students graduate, they’ve developed the full spectrum of skills and knowledge necessary to navigate career options and make informed decisions.“

"This ties back to what we discussed earlier about surface, deep, and transfer learning. These types of learning can happen at any stage of a student’s journey, from kindergarten to high school. In early stages, students might engage in surface learning—gaining exposure to new ideas and vocabulary. However, even young students can engage in deep and transfer learning. For example, younger students might demonstrate deep learning by applying career awareness concepts to their understanding of community roles, or transfer learning by taking what they’ve learned in one subject and applying it to another context, like making connections between their science class and career opportunities in environmental work.“

"As students progress through the grades, we continue to foster this deeper understanding and ability to transfer knowledge across contexts. At the same time, it’s important to remember that surface, deep, and transfer learning will look different at various stages of development. Deep learning for a kindergartener will naturally be less complex than for a twelfth grader, as child development expands the capabilities of students. The learning progressions in the 'I Can' statements reflect this by growing in complexity over time, matching the developmental stages of youth and ensuring that career readiness skills become more sophisticated as students grow.“

"The goal is to guide students through this learning progression, ensuring that by the time they graduate, they’ve developed the skills and dispositions necessary for success in any career pathway. No matter their age, students can experience deep and transfer learning as they develop the skills to be truly career-ready, with learning becoming more complex and nuanced as they mature."

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Measuring “I Can” Statements

Be aware of bias and inequities.
Use data-driven tools to measure student progress.
Best practices include using locally-developed tools, like proficiency scales.
Focus on measuring whether students can actually demonstrate proficiency in the skills, not just that learning experiences occurred.
Adjust instruction and support based on data.
Help students set personal career goals using their personal data
Can support high-leverage goals on IEPs

Now that we’ve discussed the creation of 'I Can' statements, let's talk about how we measure student progress toward these outcomes. Measuring student success on 'I Can' statements requires a careful and intentional approach.

First, it’s crucial to be mindful of bias and inequities. Not all students have the same starting points, resources, or experiences, and that can affect how we assess their progress. We need to ensure that the tools and methods we use are fair and equitable for all students.

When measuring student outcomes, we should use data-driven tools—these might include assessments, feedback, or observation. Best practices would suggest using proficiency scales to gauge whether students are actually demonstrating the skills or knowledge outlined in the 'I Can' statement, not simply whether the learning experience occurred.

This means we need to shift from focusing on whether students participated in an activity to assessing their true proficiency. Can they independently demonstrate the skills or knowledge defined in the 'I Can' statement? To do this authentically, we should rely on performance-based assessments, real-world tasks, or other authentic measures that allow students to demonstrate their learning.

It’s also important to reflect on the potential for bias in measurement. Career readiness skills, like those reflected in 'I Can' statements, are often subject to personal interpretation. As educators, we need to be cautious and ensure that we are not inadvertently letting our own biases influence the assessment.

Finally, measuring proficiency doesn’t mean we stop there. Based on the data we collect, we should be ready to adjust our instruction and support to help students reach their goals. A key part of this process is also helping students set personal career goals that align with their progress, so they have ownership over their learning and future paths.

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Using Results to Drive System Improvement

Aligns with the Wisconsin EMLSS Key Features:

High-Quality Instruction
Collaboration
Equitable Access
Balanced Assessment
Data-Based Decision Making
Strong Universal Systems

Continuous improvement ensures practices evolve to meet student needs.

When it comes to measuring 'I Can' statements, we can align our approach with Wisconsin’s EMLSS framework. The EMLSS framework is grounded in continuous improvement, which directly supports how we reflect on and measure student outcomes.

By focusing on key features of the framework—such as high-quality instruction, equitable access, and data-based decision making—we ensure that 'I Can' statements are not static declarations. Instead, they become part of a dynamic, evolving process that adapts to meet the changing needs of our students."Reflecting on these statements as part of our continuous improvement process allows us to assess how well our instructional strategies and professional development efforts are supporting student success. This approach helps us fine-tune our practices, making sure that we are consistently providing the best possible learning environment."

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Reflect and Prepare

Review: “I Can” statements provided in this Module and reflect upon how they connect to your district’s current practices
Consider: How might these statements support student growth in your system?
Prepare: Engage in an analysis activity to apply and assess “I Can” statements directly to your system