1. What activities have been successful in other schools?

• the New York State Education Department's Career Development and Occupational Studies Resource Guide with Core Curriculum at: www.emsc.nysed.gov/cis/
• Activities That Work published by Nassau BOCES which may either be purchased for $l5 from Sari Goren, Nassau BOCES, Administrative Center, 71 Clinton Road, P.O. Box CS 9195, Garden City, NY 11530-4757 or downloaded from the University at Albany, Two Year College Development Center Web Site at www.albany.edu/nontraditionalcareers
• the New York State Academy for Teaching and Learning at: www.emsc.nysed.gov/nysatl/

CDOS learning experiences supporting the completion of the K-Adult career plan documents can also be found in the Career Plan "How-To" Guide which can be downloaded from www.emsc.nysed.gov/cte/careerplan/home.html

A database containing an overview of implementing career plan site activities is projected to be available by fall 2002 at: www.emsc.nysed.gov/cis/

1. Will a link be established with special education to prevent duplication with transition planning/IEP mandates?

Yes. A representative from the New York State Education Department, Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) has been involved in the development of the Career Plan Initiative since its inception. As a result, every effort was made to ensure that the resulting career plan documents and implementation process complement transition planning and Individual Education Program (IEP) mandates.

In addition, Part nine of the Career Plan "How-To" Guide identifies the components of the IEP that connect to the career plan process. It is also recommended that the career plan document (Elementary: K-1, 2-3, Grades 4 & Up, Intermediate, Commencement, and Adult) be selected to correspond to the student's abilities and needs and not current grade level. Further information regarding this issue may be obtained from Nancy Lauria at nlauria@mail.nysed.gov

2. Will Boards of Education support the interdisciplinary linkages that are needed for a successful career plan process?

Although strongly recommended by the State Education Department, the Board of Education has the option of supporting interdisciplinary linkages. The CDOS learning standards represent three of the 28 learning standards that all New York State students are required to achieve. The career plan documents are designed to correspond with the performance indicators for Career Development and Occupational Studies Learning Standards 1, 2, and 3a. As a result, the CDOS learning standards should be integrated within all discipline areas in order for students to successfully complete the recommended career plan documents.

The Career Plan Initiative pamphlet, which can be viewed at www.emsc.nysed.gov/cte/careerplan/home.html, illustrates the potential of the career plan process to serve as a resource to support education reform and close the performance gap. The information contained in the pamphlet can be used to demonstrate to Board of Education members the benefits of career plan participation and gain their support for district and/or building implementation.

3. What assistance is SED providing to schools to facilitate the career plan implementation process?

Since May 2000, SED has conducted Career Plan Train-the-Trainer Workshops for representatives from five statewide staff development networks including: Adult Education Staff Development Consortia, School-to-Work Partnerships, Staff and Curriculum Development Network, Teacher Centers, and Transition Coordination Sites. As a result, trainers are now available on a regional basis to deliver Career Plan Awareness and Career Plan Implementation Workshops to teams from interested school districts consisting of administrative, counseling, and faculty representation. Recommended K-Adult Career Plan documents and a corresponding Career Plan "How-To" Guide are also available to facilitate career plan implementation. The current listing of trainers and referenced resources may be found at www.emsc.nysed.gov/cte/careerplan/

4. Have the specific steps needed to begin the career plan process been identified?

Yes. Part 1 of the Career Plan "How-To" Guide provides suggestions for the completion of the three identified components--awareness, management, and delivery--of the career plan implementation process. Parts 2-7 provide specifics on the completion of the six recommended K-Adult Career Plan documents. In addition, SED is currently working on a "how to get started" booklet that will be available fall 2002 that will summarize the suggested steps for schools to take to begin the career plan implementation process.

5. How will teachers be trained in resulting best practices?

SED is currently in the process of developing a directory and overview of implementing career plan sites that will provide prospective career plan participants with ideas and insights for consideration in the design of their school-wide career plan process.

6. Are schools required to use the career plan documents developed by the State Education Department?

No. The documents resulted from input received from the original career plan pilot sites and are recommended for use statewide. The order form to purchase the plans and the Word and Word Perfect versions are located at www.emsc.nysed.gov/cte/careerplan/home.html However, if a school elects to develop their own plan, they should address the five key elements identified on the state recommended plan. These elements were designed to reflect the elementary, intermediate, and commencement level performance indicators for CDOS Learning Standards 1, 2, and 3a.

 

7. How should the hardcopy or electronic versions of the career plans be managed?

Based on what we have learned from the initial career plan pilot sites, management of the career plan process varies from site to site based on available resources. For the hardcopy version, a central, secure site (i.e., the guidance office, library, classroom, career center, etc.) was selected for the storage of the documents and procedures were developed to enable students to update their plans either at their convenience or during pre-determined times/dates.

The electronic version provides more flexibility as students register for their own password protected career plan web site via the State Department of Labor CareerZone site at www.labor.state.ny.us/careerzone The electronic version enables students to work on their career plans whenever they have access to a computer with an Internet connection. The hard copy version of the student's electronic career plan may be printed at any time to be shared with school counselors, parents, teachers, etc. and stored in a selected site such as the student's main folder if the school so chooses.

 

 

8. Will a "warehouse" of resources be established to assist teachers in the implementation of the CDOS learning standards and the career plan process?

Yes. Resources developed to assist teachers in the implementation of the CDOS learning standards and the career plan process are currently available at www.emsc.nysed.gov/cis/ and www.emsc.nysed.gov/cte/careerplan/ respectively. The State Education Department, Office of Workforce Preparation and Continuing Education, is currently in the process of developing a Web Site that will link automatically to numerous resources designed to further the integration of the CDOS learning standards.

9. Will the student career plan documentation ever be mandated?

At this point, student career plan documentation is not mandated. An independent evaluator, The Westchester Institute for Human Services Research Inc., was awarded a competitive contract to survey the participants involved in the pilot and training/implementation phases of the New York State Education Department's Career Plan Initiative. Student, parent, teacher and management team surveys were designed to gain insight as to the extent of implementation and resulting impact experienced at the career plan implementation sites. Resulting reports will be issued on an annual basis for presentation to State Education Department management for future policy development. The executive summary for each report will be included on the career plan Web Site at www.emsc.nysed.gov/cte/careerplan/

However, effective with the March 2003 School Report Card, career plan information reported on Section 22, B 1 (e), (f), and (g) of the Basic Educational Data System (BEDS) Report will be transferred to the Comprehensive Information Report (CIR) section of the School Report Card.

10. How can the management of the career plan process be streamlined to make it more efficient?

The career plan process is more effectively managed when the concept is incorporated into the district's/building's mission or vision of learning and when the process is designed by a management team consisting of administration, counseling, and faculty (including academic and special education) representation. It is recommended that the management team be a part of existing school management structures such as the Comprehensive Planning Team, Shared Decision-Making Team, etc. It is also recommended that provision be made for the inclusion of career plan training in the development of the district's Professional Development Plan (PDP) and the Comprehensive Support of Personnel Development (CSPD) required for special education staff.

The management of the career plan process is further streamlined through the use of the electronic version of the student career plan documents located on the "My Portfolio" section of the State Department of Labor's CareerZone Web Site. The hard copy version requires the development of procedures to collect, review, and physically store and transfer plans from building to building whereas the electronic version only requires procedures to collect and review the resulting student career plans.

 

11. How does the career plan process support student performance on state assessments?

The Career Plan process helps educators document delivery of the CDOS learning standards by providing students with opportunities to answer the questions Who am I? Where am I going? How do I get there? (CDOS Learning Standard #1); What am I learning? Why am I learning it? How can I use it? (CDOS Learning Standard #2); What do I need to know? What skills are important to me? (CDOS Learning Standard 3a).

To be effectively delivered, the CDOS learning standards should be integrated within all discipline areas. The CDOS learning standards provide teachers with the instructional strategies that further student understanding of academic concepts. As students progress through the career planning process, they begin to understand the value of academics as a means of meeting their future life goals. They begin to pursue a more demanding course of study and recognize the need to meet the higher learning standards addressed on state assessments.

12. Is individual student career plan information shared by BOCES programs and school districts?

Yes. As students develop a career plan in their home school, they may realize that they have an interest in a technical education area and enroll in an appropriate BOCES program. At the BOCES site, students will begin the in depth exploration of the careers and applicable skill requirements within their chosen technical education area.

As part of the Career and Technical Education Program Approval process, students have the opportunity to complete a Work-Skills Employability Profile which evidences student mastery of CDOS learning standards 3a (universal foundation skills) and 3b (Career Majors) along with other indicators of student academic and technical skills and knowledge attainment. The BOCES and home school district are encouraged to cooperatively develop a system of ensuring that student accomplishments are recorded on the Work-Skills Employability Profile and transferred to the district for inclusion in the student's career plan. Information contained on both the student's career plan and Work-Skills Employability Profile should be shared between the home school and BOCES site to better meet student needs.

 

13. Will the implementation and management of the career plan process be the sole responsibility of the school counselor?

The State Education Department does not mandate that the career plan process be the sole responsibility of the school counselor. However, the State Education Department does recommend that the overall implementation and management of the career plan process be the main responsibility of the district/building's career plan management team of which the school counselor is a participant. It is further recommended that all school staff be involved in the development and implementation of the resulting management process and play a key role in the delivery of learning experiences that further student completion of the career plan document.

14. How can the New York State School Counselor Association and the New York Counseling Association further the implementation of the Career Plan process?