Career Readiness Indicator
Of the six indicators, four are mandated by the Federal Department of Education and two were selected by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The Career Readiness Indicator has several requirements District's must meet. This includes the creation and formal adoption of a Comprehensive K-12 Career Guidance Services Plan. These plans are often referred to as a "339 plan." During the 2016-17 school year, the District sent a team of counselors to complete this task as well as the creation of a Guidance Advisory Council that meets 1 - 2x's a year. This plan was formally adopted by the IASD Board of Educators in July 2018. Click on the link below to access the District's plan:
The Career Readiness Indicator:
- Ensures that all students have access to career exploration and preparation activities that are standards-aligned and evidence-based.
- Percent of students who demonstrate meaningful engagement in career exploration and preparation and implementation of individualized career plans through separate, specific measures based on grade-level benchmarks aligned to the Pennsylvania CEW Standards.
- The percentage of students who, by the end of GRADE 5, demonstrate engagement in career exploration and preparation aligned to the CEW standards via PA Career Zone or a locally designed career exploration and preparation program/curriculum.
- The percentage of students who, by the end of grade 8, create an individualized career plan and participate in career preparation activities aligned to the CEW Standards.
- The percentage of students who, by the end of grade 11, implement their individualized career plan through ongoing development of a career portfolio and participation in career preparation activities aligned to the CEW Standards.
Data Reporting and Monitoring
Overall adherence and quality assurance checks to the Department's expectations regarding this indicator will be completed in two main avenues:
- PIMS Data Submission - PIMS Student Fact Template - Field 10 (Y or N)
- Creation of Student Career Portfolios
Career Portfolios
By the end of grades 5, 8, and 11, students will have to produce a variety of items/evidence aligned to the 4 strands in the CEW Standards that demonstrate their awareness and understanding of the standards. Monitoring of these portfolios will occur through the Department of Education.
Portfolio Components / Requirements
- By the end of grade 5, the student has produced six or more pieces of evidence or at least two pieces of evidence accumulated by the end of grade 3, and at least two pieces of evidence each year in grade 4 and grade 5. Evidence shall be collected in a manner that validates that all four strands of the CEW Standards have been meaningfully addressed.
- By the end grade 8, the student has a career portfolio containing the K-5 grade band evidence and an additional six pieces of evidence, or at least two pieces of additional evidence in each of the following: grade 6, grade 7, grade 8. Evidence shall be collected in a manner that validates that all four strands of the CEW Standards have been meaningfully addressed. One of the pieces of evidence for the 6-8 grade band must be the student’s individualized career plan.
- By the end of grade 11, the student has a career portfolio containing both the K-5 and 6-8 grade band evidence, and an additional eight pieces of evidence, or at least two pieces of evidence each year, collected in the 9-11 grade band that validates all four strands of the CEW Standards have been meaningfully addressed. At least two of these pieces of evidence for the 9-11 grade band must demonstrate implementation of the student’s individualized career plan.
