High School Faculty In Service

Faculty In-Service Presentation

What is college and career readiness?

College readiness, as Conley (as cited in Curry and Milsom, 2017) indicates, could be deemed a multifaceted term. In basic terms, it seeks to capture the need for students to be prepared to successfully navigate college life and meet the demands of the same. This entails ensuring that the said students have the disposition, skills and knowledge to successfully transition to an institution of higher learning.

On the other hand, career readiness has got to do with ensuring that students have certain skills of relevance to various career pathways. Skills captured under the Association for Career and Technical Education – ACTE (as cited in Curry and Milsom, 2017) are inclusive of core academic skills, employability skills, and technical, job specific skills.

What are current trends in college and career readiness?

From the onset, it would be prudent to note that as Curry and Milsom (2017) indicate, recent years have seen an increase in college attendance and enrollment. The said growth in college attendance and enrollment has especially been pronounced among minority students – specifically Hispanics and Blacks. It should, however, be noted that although Blacks and Hispanics have registered impressive college enrollment increase, Curry and Milsom (2017) are categorical that “smaller percentages of minority students attend college compared to their majority peers” (4). It has long been established that there is indeed a high correlation between education attainment and employment/income. Curry and Milsom (2017) indicate that 72.1%, 67.5% and 61.7% of bachelor’s level graduates, associate degree holders and high school graduates respectively find fulltime jobs. Although some progress has been made over the years, earnings disparity still persist across various demographic categories. Various initiatives continue to be advanced in an effort to enhance college enrollment and ensure that those who graduate end up being successful in their respective careers.

Theories of Career Development

Some of the major career development theories applicable to high school are inclusive of, but they are not limited to: Gottfredson’s theory of circumscription and compromise; Holland theory of vocational choice; Super’s life-span, life space theory; Savickas’ theory of career construction; and Brown’s value-based theory. Career development theories applicable to grade 12 include; Savickas’ theory of career construction and Brown’s value-based theory.

Savickas’ theory of career construction: This particular theory posits that the development of the career of an individual takes place via the said individual’s perspectives of life as well as career scenarios. Towards this end, in seeking to help learners construct their careers, one should take into consideration the said learners’ predominant themes in life and listen to their inner voices. This would essentially involve ensuring that the vocational identity that learners embrace at present is integrated into the direction of life that learners wish to follow.

Brown’s value-based theory: This theory, as Curry and Milsom (2017) point out, concerns itself with the relevance of the values a person holds dear in the said person’s decisions about their career. Thus, at the time where students are making crucial decisions about their life and career, there may be need for a counsellor to ensure that they not only identify, but also take into consideration their predominant values.

Comprehensive career development and its relevance

Comprehensive career development could conceptualized as a broad and all inclusive approach towards the advancement of a person’s career path (Fitzpatrick and Costantini, 2022). Thus, it could cover the entire career of person and incorporate a wide range of attributes including career planning, adaptability, education and training, goal setting, as well as skills assessment. It is of great relevance as it is more systematic and holistic and goes beyond aspects such as education. It also provides an opportunity to ensure that the career choices of a learner, for instance, are aligned with their aspirations, values, and interests.

ASCA National Model

In essence, the ASCA National Model comes in handy in efforts to ensure that school counselors formulate programs are not only evidence-based, but also designed to bridge the gap between achievement and opportunity. More specifically, the ASCA National Model provides a framework that roots counseling programs in school settings to the need to acquire knowledge, attitudes as well as skills that make it possible for students to successfully transition from school to professional life.

ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success

These, as the American School Counsellor Association (n.d.) points out, “describe the knowledge, attitudes and skills students need to achieve academic success, college and career readiness and social/emotional development.”

NOSCA’s Eight Components of College and Career Readiness and Behaviors

There is need to ensure that students – specifically those from minority groups - are inspired and ready for college success as well as opportunity. NOSCA’s eight components come in handy in this regard. Thus, students’ college and career readiness is enhanced when the components are successfully implemented. The components are inclusive of college aspirations; academic planning for college and career readiness; enrichment and extracurricular engagement; college and career exploration and selection processes; college and career assessments; college affordability planning; college and career admission processes; and transition from high school graduation to college enrolment (College Board Advocacy & Policy Center, n.d.).

Legal and Ethical Considerations Specific to School Counseling for College and Career Readiness

Curry and Milsom (2017) are categorical that there are no special ethical and legal issues that counselors in this realm face that significantly differ from those likely to be encountered in normal school counseling scenarios. More specifically, in the words of the authors, counselors “might encounter the same legal and ethical issues as they would with any kind of counseling with P-12 students” (61). However, it would be prudent to note that on this front, ASCA’s (2016) Ethical Standards could come in handy.

At the federal level;

There would be need to consider Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – IDEA, in which case the individual needs of students with disabilities are taken into consideration.

School counselors should also consider Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provisions to ensure that when advancing college and career counseling services, reasonable accommodations are made and equal access granted to students with disabilities.

Confidentiality of student records/info should also be considered – which falls under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Rights (FERPA) provisions.

At the state level;

There is need to consider the code that governs state education. This is especially important in efforts to properly address issues related to parental/student responsibilities and rights, handling of student records, etc. In New Jersey, for instance, school districts are expected to ensure that learner records are kept confidential.

At the local level;

One should be familiar with the policies that are set by school districts to address ethical and legal issues specific to school counseling for college and career readiness. These policies could relate to the specific steps to be followed when implementing college and career readiness programs within the district. Another aspect that could be addressed at the school district level is the counselor-to-student ratio and the handling (and sharing) of student information.

Roles and Services

Role of the school counselor in relation to college and career readiness

Under the ASCA framework, one of the roles of the school counselor – and the most obvious one, as Curry and Milsom (2017) indicate – is the promotion of career and college readiness. This could be accomplished by refining the problem solving capabilities and communication abilities of students while at the same time supporting their growth in the relevant socio/emotional domains. ASCA also indicates that it is the responsibility of school counselors to ensure that the development of students is promoted across three specific areas namely; personal/social, career, as well as academic domains (Curry and Milsom, 2017). Other roles of school counselors could be inclusive of, but they are not limited to; establishing partnerships with other stakeholders (such as school administrators and parents) to promote college and career readiness of students; ensuring that the career and college readiness programs are evidence-based and founded on measurable goals and objectives; ensuring that students have access to all the information they need to be able to derive meaningful connections between professional life and academics; facilitate access to resources and materials students need to prepare for college and career, etc.

The role of the school counselor in consultation with postsecondary school personnel

Curry and Milsom (2017) point out that school counselors should see to it that they stay current on labor market and career information so as to ensure that the information they provide to parents is accurate and relevant. This can only be possible if the said counselors develop and maintain contact with postsecondary school personnel who in this case happen to be providers of the said info.

Strategies for faculty to promote college and career readiness

Equity in student achievement and college access could be achieved by ensuring that learners with cultural or language barriers are advanced the relevant support, i.e. via the incorporation of multicultural perspectives, having in place language assistance programs, and practicing cultural sensitivity. Next, school counselors could also advance the relevant assistance to learners in ensuring that they are facilitated in researching technical programs and careers (Curry and Milsom, 2017). The relevance of ensuring that students develop cultural competence cannot also be overstated.