Taking Center Stage – Act II (TCSII)

A Portal for Middle Grades Educators

Career technical education

Career technical education at the middle-grades level prepares students for options in high school and beyond. It helps to connect some of the seemingly unrelated middle-grade lessons to a career that may ultimately be of interest to the student and become a catalyst for learning. Beyond the traditional career fair, middle schools can incorporate career exploration into their elective wheels and integrate the career technical education standards into interdisciplinary lessons.  

In 2006, the California Department of Education released the Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards for grades seven through twelve to guide educators in developing career connections for students. In the same year, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s P-16 Council, in its Report on High School Reform issued the following recommendation:

In the long run, success in high school would be greatly enhanced if an academic or a career plan or both, starting in middle school through the postsecondary level, were required for all students. The plan must identify the college or career pathway, or both, associated with each student’s goals and be reviewed annually and modified as needed throughout high school.1

In the Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards (2006) details of about 15 industry sectors of interrelated occupations and broad industries are given. Each sector has two or more career pathways.

California CareerZone is an interactive Web site designed especially for students to explore careers. Users complete one of three self-assessment exercises. The Web site then produces a list of potential jobs from a database of 900 occupations with information on wages, worker attributes, job characteristics, and links to 300 videos that give users a snapshot of the featured occupation. There are also links to actual job openings. California CareerZone also provides users with budgeting information. The Reality Check option helps users assess how much education they need to get a good job and how much money they will need to earn to live well. 

The Real Game California™ is a Web-based career-development curriculum that offers hands-on role simulations in the classroom where students learn self-management, decision making, and the relevance between their education and real jobs. The curriculum aligns with California’s content standards, Equipped for the Future Content Standards for Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning, career technical education standards, and other national guidelines. A multi-state, multi-year evaluation of The Real Game Series involving over 600 students from 12 schools in five states shows positive outcomes for participating students. Among the findings presented in The Real Game Evaluation Results were:

• Significant strengthening of students’ understanding of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to succeed in the workplace.
• Positive impacts on students’ goal setting abilities and confidence in their future success.
• An increase in students’ engagement in school.
• Positive impacts on students’ sense of self-efficacy.

The Real Game Series consists of teaching materials to help students connect what they are learning in the classroom to future careers. Curriculum materials are available at every grade level, K-16.

Students as young as middle graders wonder, "What do I want to do with my life?" Several years ago, four college friends who were unsure about their career paths asked the same question. To find the answer, the four embarked on a cross-country tour in an old, green RV—interviewing inspiring people along the way. Today, Roadtrip Nation has been featured in a Public Broadcasting series, the subject of several books, and the center of a growing online community.

The goals of Roadtrip Nation include connecting students with the real world by broadening student exposure to pathways and opportunities related to their interests and empowering them to define their path. Annie Mais, Education Director, notes that Roadtrip Nation curriculum has been included in Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), incorporated in English language arts classes, and is an integral part of some after-school programs in California middle schools. In addition to providing information that is both interesting and relevant, the project helps students connect to teachers, peers, and their community.

Who Do U Want 2B? is a career exploration Web site developed by the California Department of Education, the California Community Colleges, and the State of California. It features videos of successful young adults who tell about the choices they made leading to new careers. In addition, it offers information about pay levels by job category.

Related Links

• California Career Resource Network (CalCRN) (Outside Source), State of California.
• California Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards (PDF; 2MB; 441pp.), California Department of Education.
• Career Technical Education, California Department of Education.
• CareerZone California (Outside Source), California Career Resource Center (CalCRN).
• California P-16 Council Report and Recommendations on High School Reform (PDF; 109KB; 17pp.). California Department of Education.
• Roadtrip Nation (Outside Source)
• The Real Game California™ (PDF; Outside Source), CalCRN.
• The Real Game Evaluation Results (PDF; Outside Source)
• The Real Game Series (Outside Source)
• Who Do U Want 2B? (Outside Source)

Previous
Real-world connections

Next
Project-based learning

Footnote
1 California P-16 Council Report and Recommendations on High School Reform (PDF; 109KB; 17pp.). Sacramento: California Department of Education, January 2007, 11.

Back to Top