Classroom Career Education Plan

Section 1
Mariposa High School is the main high school campus for the mostly rural county of Mariposa. Situated in the Sierra Nevada foothills and including most of Yosemite National Park within its boundaries, Mariposa County has a total population of 17,130 residents. Tourism is the primary economic base for the county as 3.4 million people visit Yosemite per year. Most of our counties residents are employed in service industries relating to tourism or for the various local, state, and federal government agencies that operate within the county. Our high school was established in 1914 and its main building was constructed in 1937, a product of the New Deal programs during the Great Depression. Current enrollment stands at about 640 of our districts 2,360 students. The Grizzlies have maintained California Distinguished School status for many years and continue to perform well on the STAR tests. Though the waves of budget cuts over the past ten years have stripped most of our old vocational programs we have an excellent ROP program that provides education and experience in the fields of welding, firefighting, and multimedia. Many of our students go from these programs directly to jobs in these fields. Mariposas lack of a large industrial base for its economy means that many of its residents are employed in service industries. Consequently our school serves a population that is 30% economically disadvantaged. One

percent of our population consists of English learners and 14 percent are identified as having disabilities. Despite the economic challenges, however, our school maintains a 98.7% graduation rate.

Section 2
September Exploring Career Options
Begin the year with a topic that is of high interest to the students themselves and their interests. Considering and exploring careers of interest should help the students understand the relevance of academic and transitional activities that will follow throughout the school year. Activity 1: Complete personal inventories, listing hobbies, interests and current career goals. Follow up with whole class discussions that focus on descriptions of and paths to the careers identified by the students. Activity 2: Complete a career interest assessment at California Career Zone (www.cacareerzone.org) and report the results, along with a listing of the required skills and education for two careers of interest. Guest Speaker 1: Guidance counselor Guest Speaker 2: Professionals from the areas of interest indicated by the students.

October Resume Writing

Now that the students have identified the careers that they are most interested in they are ready to further consider the paths to those careers. Entry into most jobs will require the submission of a resume or job application. This moths activities will help the students learn resume-writing skills while further examining the requirements of the careers they have chosen and their current levels of experience and education. Hopefully the exercise will highlight the importance of working diligently in high school to position themselves for entry into the job of interest or higher education leading to that job. Activity 1: Complete a fictitious resume that indicates an ideal candidates qualifications for the job/career of interest to the student. Activity 2: Complete an actual resume that accurately reflects the education and experience of the student.

Guest Speaker 1: An owner or manager of a local business who can discuss what he/she looks for when reviewing resumes of potential employees. Guest Speaker 2: A school administrator or other government agency employee to discuss what he/she looks for when reviewing resumes of potential employees.

November Job Applications

Not all jobs require applicants to submit a resume so this unit will focus on the skills needed to obtain, complete, and return a job application. Initial impressions are often made as the applicant picks up and returns the job application. Also, the application must be properly completed for the applicant to be considered for the job. This month students will learn how to effectively apply for a job using a job application. Activity 1: Complete a job application using the guidelines provided by the teacher and guest speakers. Activity 2: Role-play the process for obtaining and returning the application. Guest Speaker 1: An owner or manager from a local business, such as Burger King, to describe what he/she looks for in an applicant and an application. Guest Speaker 2: A representative from Mother Lode Job Training to discuss the job placement services that their agency provides.

December Interview Techniques

Having successfully completed the resume or application, the student must now be prepared to interview for the position. This month students will learn the skills necessary for interviewing. Activity 1: Locate and prepare answers for commonly used interview questions. Activity 2: Participate in mock interviews conducted by the teacher and guest speakers. Guest Speaker 1: At least one owner or manager from a local business who can discuss interview techniques and conduct mock interviews with the students.

Guest Speaker 2: A representative from the Department of Rehabilitation who can discuss job placement and the assistance they can provide for educational funding.

January Career Day

Students will now use all of the application, resume, and interviewing skills they have learned to participate in Mariposas career day, hosted by the New Life Church on Cole Road. Students and other community members have the opportunity to meet representatives from several community businesses and agencies who may actually be hiring and attend presentations provided by local colleges. Members from the recruiting offices of the armed forces are usually on hand as well for students who may be considering a military job or career. In addition to meeting potential employers, students participate and are given scores and advice in mock interviews at career day. Activity 1: Students provide a list of at least three employers or agencies that they submitted applications or resumes with at the event. Activity 2: Students participate in an interview at career day and submit the score sheet to their study skills teacher for a grade. Guest Speaker 1: A representative from the career day program to discuss the program with the students. Guest Speaker 2: A community member who will be representing a business or agency at the career day event.

February College expenses and FAFSA

In January the students met representatives from local colleges at the career day event. This month students learn about the costs of attending college and the assistance that can be obtained by filling out the Free Application for Student Aid. The senior students will submit their FAFSA for a grade; other students will complete the FAFSA worksheet. Activity 1: Students complete the FAFSA worksheet and senior students obtain a FAFSA pin and submit the application online. Activity 2: Students use the California Community Colleges Chancellors Office website (www.cccco.edu) to locate a suitable degree or certificate program that matches their career interests.

Guest Speaker 1: Merced College representative to discuss costs of college and instruct students about how to properly complete the FAFSA. Guest Speaker 2: Representative from Merced Colleges Disabled Student Services office to present the departments services.

March College Visitation

The students know something about how much school is going to cost and how to obtain some help in paying for it. Now it is time to introduce them to a campus and familiarize them with the environment and services that will be encountered in postsecondary education. While at the college the students will visit the Disabled Student Services office and the various tutorial centers that are available to help them on campus. Activity 1: Participate in the field trip to Merced College or visit another college and submit a written report. Activity 2: Write a description of the campus and disabled student services offered by the college that was identified in Februarys CCCCO activity. Guest Speaker 1: A representative from Merced Colleges student activities department to share information about extra-curricular activities that are available at the college. Guest Speaker 2: A former student of MCHS who is attending Merced College or another campus.

April Keeping a Job/Getting the Grade

Now that the student is employed, a student, or both, we will present information and techniques to be successful in the workplace and the college classroom. This months focus is on how to keep the job and get good grades. The workplace and college class are not as forgiving as most of the classes the students have encountered at high school and they need to be made aware of the expectations in these environments. Activity 1: Prepare a list of interview questions that inquire as to the expectations of employers and conduct an interview of an employee of a local business or agency. Turn in the responses in writing.

Activity 2: Prepare a list of interview questions that inquire as to the expectations of college teachers and conduct an interview of a college student. Turn in the responses in writing. Guest Speaker 1: Local business person to discuss general expectations of employees. Guest Speaker 2: A former MCHS student who is currently attending college classes to discuss general expectations of college teachers.

May Reality Check

As an employee or college student, current high school students will experience partial or total independence and responsibility for their own finances. Eventually most will be completely independent and will need to be capable of creating and effectively using a budget. The object of the reality check is to make students aware of the necessity of a decent income and lifestyle sacrifices that may need to occur until a sufficient income is achieved that will allow them to have all the niceties of life. Hopefully it will encourage them to pursue some type of postsecondary education and earn a certificate or degree. Activity 1: Complete the Reality Check (www.cacareerzone.org) and report the findings in writing. Activity 2: Create a budget using a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel and balance it; first using minimum wage then the income level of Guest Speaker 1: Former student of MCHS to explain the lifestyle changes that occur when financial independence is achieved. Guest Speaker 2: Apartment manager to present housing costs and expectations of tenants.

Section 3
I have been teaching U.S. and world history, civics and economics, and study skills at Mariposa High School for ten years as of this month. In addition to my teaching and other duties I am a case manager for twenty-five students. Transition planning is, of course, a major component of high school IEP writing and it has been the most enjoyable aspect of the process for me. When I first began working with special education students I encountered an appalling level of self-doubt among the mild-moderate students in my classroom. Many of them believed that they would be incapable of educational achievement beyond high school and had never considered attending a college or trade school. More appalling were the low expectations for the academic performance and potential of these students. The first step to successfully transition a student is to ensure that the student believes they can successfully transition. By increasing academic expectations, these students and those who have followed them have become believers in their own abilities and many have pursued postsecondary education successfully. Beyond encouraging an I can attitude in my students I have helped them to determine careers that match their interests and abilities and helped them to take steps that have bridged the gap from secondary to postsecondary education. In my study skills classes my students are required to complete a career interest inventory using the California Career Zone website that I referenced in the above plan. The process leads them to a listing of jobs that may be of

interest to them based on the information provided by their answers to 150 questions. I require them to report the skills and education that are required for the three jobs that interest them the most from the listing. Ive never made transition planning a part of my history classes, though I plan to use biographical projects to have my students learn resume writing and become aware of basic and specific job requirements for a variety of fields. During their senior year I have my civics and economics students complete the reality check exercise referenced in my career education plan. Additionally I have them apply for a pin and complete the online FAFSA forms as part of our second semester grade. Finally, I have taken my seniors on a field trip to Merced College in the spring where we meet with the Disabled Student Services and tour the campus facilities and services. Since taking these trips many of my students have enrolled at Merced and other colleges. Several have graduated with certificates or degrees and many others are still attending. As these students have returned to visit, and even participate in our annual tours, they have provided great encouragement to the students who are currently in our program.