College and Career Readiness

What is Career Readiness?

Career readiness involves three major skill areas:

• core academic skills and the ability to apply those skills to concrete situations in order to function

in the workplace and in routine daily activities;

• employability skills (such as critical thinking and responsibility) that are essential in any career area;

• technical, job-specific skills related to a specific career pathway. These skills have been emphasized

across numerous pieces of research and allow students to enter true career pathways that offer

family-sustaining wages and opportunities for advancement.

What is College Readiness?

College readiness can be defined as the level of preparation necessary for students to enroll and succeed—without remediation—in entry-level, credit bearing, general education courses.

STUDENT KNOWLEDGE

STUDENT KNOWLEDGE

• I know what makes me special or unique

• I understand what to do when I need help

• I know the rules, expectations, and

responsibilities of my environment

• I can describe short-term and long-term goals

in an age-appropriate manner

• I understand that I am part of a classroom and

school community

• I can work with others in an age-appropriate

manner to solve problems using “I” messages

or statements to communicate feelings in a

conflict situation

• I understand that I come to school to learn.

Learning helps me grow and become a good

citizen of my community

• I understand that when I grow up, I will have a

job. I can learn about all the different jobs that

people have while I’m still in school

• I understand that I can work hard in school so I

can have a job that I enjoy when I grow up

• I can describe and compare jobs in my

immediate environment

• I can describe the skills needed for different

jobs

STUDENT KNOWLEDGE

Teacher or

Counselor Actions

Teacher or Counselor Actions

• Host career speakers to explain how

information learned in school is applied in the

workplace

• Host a Career Day where students dress as

what they want to be when they grow up, or

draw a picture of a career they want to pursue

• Facilitate a career exposure experience that

connects student interests to their

opportunities available in their local community

• Collaborate on school-wide efforts to promote

college awareness and career readiness, such

as a Career Week for all students

• Highlight community helpers and invite them to

visit your classroom or school

• Assign classroom jobs, and have students

discuss how these jobs are helpful to the class

• Have students role-play how to be a good

friend to someone who appears lonely or sad

or has a hard time making friends.

Student Knowledge

STUDENT

KNOWLEDGE

• I know about certain jobs that interest me

• I understand the connection between my

interests and choosing a job I enjoy

• I know that different jobs require different skills

• I recognize strengths of other people

• I know the rules, expectations, and

responsibilities of my environment

• I can work in groups productively

• I know how to solve problems independently

• I can ask for help when I need it

• I understand that I am part of a classroom and

school community

• I understand that coming to school, working

hard, and doing my best will help me become a

good citizen of my community

• I understand that when I leave elementary

school, I’ll got to middle school. I will work hard

in middle school so I can be successful in high

school

• I can use positive communication and social

skills to interact effectively with others

tEACHER AND cOUNSELOR aCTIONS

Teacher or Counselor Actions

• Have students interview a classmate and report

on their unique characteristics

• Invite community champions to visit the school

and focus on academic excellence and college

and career readiness

• Have students research someone in a desired

career field and report on what they learned

• Have students interview workers in various

sectors to see what makes their job unique

• Host visit days to local middle schools to

prepare students to transition from elementary

school to middle school

• Collaborate with teachers to broaden social and

cultural knowledge by building learning

communities that are focused on

connectedness to school, civic responsibility,

national issues and global mindedness, infusing

new vocabulary words and numeracy skills to

promote academic proficiency

• Develop practices that reward student success

or participation in extracurricular activities

There are lots of unique advantages of introducing CCR to 6th through 8th graders, including:

The Benefits of Engaging Middle Schoolers in CCR

• They learn more about themselves—and the careers available to them.
• They begin to build 21st century skills.
• They can prepare themselves for specialized programs in high school.
• They can be engaged before they “check out”.
• They learn about what college and career actually mean.

Middle school is an especially interesting time to introduce CCR activities because students tend to be especially receptive to “cool” jobs and they understand the connection between careers, salaries, and the kind of lifestyle they want.

College and Career Activities for Middle School Students

Career exploration activities include:

Interviewing a family, friend, or community member to learn about their job. Students should ask detailed questions such as:

What a typical day is like

Salary range

Education requirements

How/why they chose that career

Considering how they prefer to work. Students could create a list of statements about careers and working conditions and have them choose which most appeals to them, such as:

I want to work inside / outside all day.

I want to work by myself / I want to work with other people as much as possible.

I want to use technology / work with my hands and/or people.

My

name is...

NAME

Fun Fact