DPI Resource: Wisconsin's Guide to Publishing Your District's ACP E4E Plan

2023-24 Career Readiness Community of Practice

Module #10:

ACP Curriculum, Support & Services

(Grades K-8)

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Academic & Career Planning and Education for Employment

Wisconsin Legislative Statute PI26

Let’s Take a Few Minutes to Share Out . . .

• You’re in a debate and have been assigned the position of defending the importance of beginning the ACP process in elementary grades.
• What are your arguments for this?

Learning Objectives

Learning objectives of this training session include:

• Describe how the “KNOW” element of ACP relates to the elementary level ACP process

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• Describe how the “EXPLORE” element of ACP relates to the middle level ACP process

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• Identify ways to provide K-8 students with information and opportunities that lead to career awareness, exploration, planning and preparation

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Refer to the Module #10 Session Guide for Districts

Learning Objectives

Learning objectives of this training session include:

• Identify elements of Social Emotional Learning

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• Identify elements of the Employability Skills Framework that relate to elementary/middle level curriculum

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• Consider how providing elementary/middle level students with opportunities to practice social emotional skills will assist them to strengthen future employability skills in the workplace

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Refer to the Module #10 Session Guide for Districts

Academic & Career Planning – PI26

Recap of the WHY behind Wisconsin Academic & Career Planning (Legislative Statute PI26):

“The purpose of ACP services is to assist pupils with planning and preparing for opportunities after graduating from high school.

These opportunities may include postsecondary education and training that leads to careers.”

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DPI Resource: Wisconsin's Guide to Publishing Your District's ACP E4E Plan

Academic & Career Planning – PI26

Recap of the ADDITIONAL requirements of ACP embedded into the Education for Employment (E4E) statute that spans elementary, middle and high school grade levels. School districts must:

• Prepare elementary and secondary pupils for future employment.
• Ensure technological literacy; to promote lifelong learning.
• Promote good citizenship.
• Promote cooperation among business, industry, labor, postsecondary schools, and public education.

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DPI Resource: Wisconsin's Guide to Publishing Your District's ACP E4E Plan

Academic & Career Planning – PI26

Recap of who needs to be at involved in the Academic & Career Planning process to best serve students in your school district. Best practice is to bring the following groups to the table, along with members of your school district career readiness team . . . and Why?

DPI Resource: Wisconsin's Guide to Publishing Your District's ACP E4E Plan

ACP Curriculum, Support & Services

DPI Resource: Wisconsin's Guide to Publishing Your District's ACP E4E Plan

WI Youth Voice in Career Readiness Project

DPI Resource: Youth Voice in Career Readiness Project Findings 2022

What findings from the Youth Voice in Career Readiness project relate to ACP Curriculum, Support & Services (Grades K-8)?

• Students want: More career readiness activities that start earlier and occur more often; career readiness activities to be hands-on and interactive, aligned to their interests, and include “real” people from the jobs they are interested in; to understand all their postsecondary education options (Finding #4)
• Students are more engaged in their learning when they have more choice and voice. (Finding #6)

WI Youth Voice in Career Readiness Project

DPI Resource: Youth Voice in Career Readiness Project Findings 2022

What findings from the Youth Voice in Career Readiness project relate to ACP Curriculum, Support & Services (Grades K-8)?

• The top reasons that students report “discourage participation in career readiness activities” are as follows: lack of awareness; feel they do not belong, or the activities aren’t for them; It’s too overwhelming; the activities are repetitive or not aligned with their interests; too many competing priorities (Finding #7)

WI Youth Voice in Career Readiness Project

DPI Resource: Youth Voice in Career Readiness Project Findings 2022

What findings from the Youth Voice in Career Readiness project relate to ACP Curriculum, Support & Services (Grades K-8)?

• High school graduates feel the most important skills to teach in K-12 education are as follows: communication, critical thinking, self-or time-management (Finding #8)

WI Youth Voice in Career Readiness Project

DPI Resource: Youth Voice in Career Readiness Project Findings 2022

What findings from the Youth Voice in Career Readiness project relate to ACP Curriculum, Support & Services (Grades K-8)?

Current high school students say their school is doing well when it comes to CTE Courses and Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) - Elective classes that allow students to learn and explore different careers.

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Encouraging Students to Provide Input is Key

DPI Resource: Youth Voice in Career Readiness Project Findings 2022

Quote from a Participant of the Student Voice Project

Career Readiness is the Goal!

Wisconsin Goal:

Every child graduates from high school ready for success in their career, community and in lifelong learning.

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The Academic & Career Planning (ACP) process begins in elementary school.

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Academic and Career Planning is the Process

Elementary: Career Awareness “KNOW”

Elementary Topics/Activities that Should be Provided to ALL Students:

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Focus on the “KNOW” element of Academic & Career Planning. Work as an elementary team to discover ways to embed topics into the curriculum with a focus on:

• Why people work
• The kinds of conditions under which people work
• The levels of training and education needed for work
• Common expectations for employees in the workplace
• How expectations at school relate to expectations in the world of work.

DPI Resource: Wisconsin's Guide to Publishing Your District's ACP E4E Plan

Developing an ACP Culture – Begins at the Elementary Level

DPI Community of Practice: Developing an ACP Culture

Developing an ACP Culture in Districts Begins at the Elementary level:

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Information shared on slides in this section are from the DPI Community of Practice webinar on “Developing an ACP Culture.”

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Full slide presentation and resources are located on the DPI Community of Practice website.

Elementary focus is on the “KNOW” element of Academic & Career Planning

Developing an ACP Culture: Overview

• 4^th Grade – Transition Conference
• 8^th Grade – ACP Conference
• 10^th Grade – ACP Conference
• Senior Year – Provided to students as a highlight for them to look back at their ideas and career choices through the years

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DPI Community of Practice: Developing an ACP Culture

Overview of District Examples of Career Readiness at the Elementary Level

At each grade level (K-4), students complete an activity to help them better understand themselves. The documents are put into a portfolio and reviewed:

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Developing an ACP Culture: Kindergarten

DPI Community of Practice: Developing an ACP Culture

Developing an ACP Culture in Districts in Kindergarten:

• Book – What Will I Be? Dora’s Book About Jobs (by Phoebe Beinstein) & Video Link

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• Activity – Explore with tools used by professionals

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• Career Picture Sharing – Students draw a picture of what they would like to be when they grow up and answer questions about themselves

Left: Career Picture

(artist & pet store worker)

Right: This is Me Document

Developing an ACP Culture: First Grade

DPI Community of Practice: Developing an ACP Culture

Developing an ACP Culture in Districts in First Grade:

• Book – What Shoes Will YOU Wear?
• (by Julia Cook)

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• Document – Who Am I? (likes and dislikes)

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• Career Picture Sharing – Students draw a picture of what they would like to be when they grow up and answer questions about themselves

Left: Career Picture Sharing (self portrait)

Right: Who Am I? Document

Developing an ACP Culture: Second Grade

DPI Community of Practice: Developing an ACP Culture

Developing an ACP Culture in Districts in Second Grade:

• Discussion Focus – Students talk about strengths and weaknesses, likes, changes they would like to see, etc.

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• Document – What I Think About Me

Who I Think About Me Document

Developing an ACP Culture: Third Grade

DPI Community of Practice: Developing an ACP Culture

Developing an ACP Culture in Districts in Third Grade:

• Simple Career Interest Survey

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• Letter to Themselves – Dear Future Me (dreaming setting for 20 years from now)

Question:

How does your district engage elementary students in the Academic & Career Planning process?

Top Career Readiness Resources in WI

Elementary Career Readiness Resources - Provides educators with a plethora of career lessons, videos, projects, and surveys that are geared toward the elementary level.

DPI Resource: Wisconsin’s Top Career Readiness Resources 2023-24

Questions: Have elementary staff in your districts used the DPI “Elementary Career Readiness Resource Round Up” as an ACP resource? If so, what are some of their favorite elements?

Academic and Career Planning is the Process

Middle: Career Exploration “Explore”

Middle Level Topics/Activities that Should be Provided to ALL Students:

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Consider the “EXPLORE” element of Academic & Career Planning and discover ways to embed topics into the curriculum with a focus on:

• Understanding of the continuum of careers across work environments, duties, and responsibilities and how a student’s personal interests and skills relate to those careers.
• Career research identifying personal preferences in relations to occupations and careers students may pursue.

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DPI Resource: Wisconsin's Guide to Publishing Your District's ACP E4E Plan

Middle: Career Exploration “Explore”

Middle Level Topics/Activities that Should be Provided to ALL Students:

Consider the “EXPLORE” element of Academic & Career Planning and discover ways to embed topics into the curriculum with a focus on:

• Career exploration may also include career-based learning experiences and career research identifying personal preferences in relation to occupations and careers students may pursue.

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Question: Does your district provide students in middle school career-based learning experiences? Examples could include employer lunch & learn virtual events, taking students on business tours, etc.

DPI Resource: Wisconsin's Guide to Publishing Your District's ACP E4E Plan

Middle: Career Exploration “Explore”

Middle Level Topics/Activities that Should be Provided to ALL Students:

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Focus on the “EXPLORE” element of Academic & Career Planning.

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Question:

Besides using Xello as an ACP resource software tool, how does your district engage middle school students in the career research process to begin identifying personal preferences by career cluster?

DPI Resource: Wisconsin's Guide to Publishing Your District's ACP E4E Plan

What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?

“The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) defines social and emotional learning (SEL) as the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”

DPI Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

Question:

How does your school district work with Grade K-8 students on Social-Emotional Learning?

Social-Emotional Skills . . . Employability Skills

• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills
• Responsible Decision Making
• Self-Management

DPI Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

Strong Social-Emotional Skills . . . Become Strong Employability Skills

Employability Skills – Why?

Why Employability Skills? ”Successful careers are built on solid personal and interpersonal skills. Defining, measuring, and building these skills— even naming them— can be challenging. In an effort to leverage and connect the efforts of policy makers, educators, and employers, the U.S. Department of Education compiled the Employability Skills Framework and developed related tools, media and resources.”

https://cte.ed.gov/initiatives/employability-skills-framework

Social-Emotional Skills . . . Employability Skills

Provide ALL students grades K-12 with opportunities to practice strengthening social-emotional learning skills to build strong Effective Relationship Skills

and start EARLY!

https://cte.ed.gov/initiatives/employability-skills-framework

Employability Skills - Effective Relationships

https://cte.ed.gov/initiatives/employability-skills-framework

Top Career Readiness Resources in WI

WISELearn Career Readiness Hub gathers all the great resources created by educators, districts, CESA coordinators, and the DPI relative to Academic and Career Planning and Career Readiness in one spot so they are accessible to all students and staff in the state of Wisconsin. This hub helps ensure more equitable access to career readiness materials, so ALL Wisconsin students can graduate ready for career, community, and lifelong learning.

DPI Resource: Wisconsin’s Top Career Readiness Resources 2023-24

Top Career Readiness Resources in WI

Wisconsin ACP Lessons - This resource offers ready-to-use, student-friendly Academic & Career Planning resources/tutorials and assignments for grades 6-9 that you can copy, edit if desired, and upload either in Google Classroom or as an assignment in Xello.

DPI Resource: Wisconsin’s Top Career Readiness Resources 2023-24

Top Career Readiness Resources in WI

DPI Resource: Wisconsin’s Top Career Readiness Resources 2023-24

Questions: Have middle school staff in your district utilized the DPI ACP lessons?

Share Ideas & Celebrate Successes

• Share ways in which the required component reviewed in this training session is being implemented in your district
• Help brainstorm together additional ways to expand implementation of this component in districts
• Consider sharing resources with additional staff members in your district
• Remember to CELEBRATE the implementation successes in your district

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District Work Time

Consider working in teams to on the following:

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• Complete the follow-up questions on the module session guide for districts

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• Review your current district ACP/E4E Plan to determine ways to improve and/or add aspects of this component to your current plan

Follow-Up Questions from Session

1. How does your district engage elementary students in the Academic & Career Planning process?

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• Have elementary staff in your district used the DPI “Elementary Career Readiness Resource Round Up” as an ACP resource? If so, what are some of their favorite elements?

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• Does your district provide students in middle school career-based learning experiences? Examples could include employer lunch and learn virtual events, taking students on business tours, etc.

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• Besides using Xello as an ACP resource software tool, how does your district engage middle school students in the career research process to begin identifying personal preferences by career cluster?

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• How does your school district work with grade K-8 students on social emotional learning?

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• Have middle school staff utilized the DPI ACP lessons?

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• What will be the next steps your district/team will take on this topic?

Group Sharing and Q & A

Please share out with the group:

• Next steps our district will take to on this required component
• Questions, comments or concerns

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Consider Staying Connected Via Listserv

https://dpi.wi.gov/news/subscribe-email

Helpful Resources

• Resource: Universal Design for Learning
• Resource: WI Guide to Career-based Learning Experiences
• Resource: DPI ACP Implementation District Self-Assessment
• Resource: DPI Social Emotional Learning
• Resource: Employability Skills Framework
• Resource: Wisconsin ACP Lessons
• Resource: Xello Lessons
• Resource: DPI Webinar: Developing an ACP Culture