THE CAREER PATH PORTFOLIO
A PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO COMMON KNOWLEDGE: PITTSBURGH FOR A THIRD YEAR SITE

SUBMITTED BY KNOXVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Lizanne Speca

Julie Reynolds

Connie Weiss Pete Biondo Bobbie Womeldorf Hal Marks Sheryf Reitmeyer Jackie Lewis Rob Berton Judi Herzog Lee Uptegraff MARCH 3, 1995 project will facilitate students' awareness of the u-wide v-variety- of skills needed-- including communication. problem solving, and reasoning -- to obtain and be successful in the careers of the 21st century. The Curriculum Activity- The development of an evolving Career Path Portfolio is the heart of our curriculum activity. Using state-of-the-art research methods to investigate and examine different career areas and the attendant educational preparation path is an integral part of the activity. Students need to see researching as a viable, on-going process that is translatable to life outside of the schoolroom. To do this. they- must be able to use current technological methods. The ability to demonstrate basic computer literac y and to access the global information network is too vital to put of until high school. Students must learn to see themselves as citizens of the world and understand that they have an obligation to prepare themselves thoroughly to take their place in the global market. By using the Internet to research careers and the necessary educat ional preparation need to achieve them, Knoxville students will have a much greater grasp of the economic and educational realities--locally, nationally and internationally. It would be impossible to conduct a research project of this scope through traditional methods. The use of computer technology will give our students a "window on the world" and place the latest information from everywhere at their fingertips. Students will learn to work effectively with others through development of mentoring relationships using the Internet. These relationships will include students at the high school and college levels preparing for careers as well as people worldwide ac tually working in career areas of interest. Students will better understand the academic and vocational Skills need to seek obtain and maintain a job. Students must have the opportunity to explore the various kinds of work and career options and relate them to their individual interests, aptitudes, skills and values. We will provide this on-going opportunity through the constant development refineme nt and critiquing of the student Career Path Portfolios. The Portfolios will begin in the seventh grade, continue through the eighth grade, and follow the students on to high school. Students will then have a tailor-made resource of career information an d will have gained valuable skills and insights into its development. A first-hand opportunity will be provided through the Internet to see how changes in society, technology, government and the economy affect individuals and their careers. Data interpretation and evaluation of related information will help student s to draw appropriate conclusions regarding the relationships between data and real world situations. The Portfolio will include a formal oral presentation. During this segment of the portfolio assessment, students will demonstrate their ability to compose and make an effective oral presentation. The purpose of the presentation will be to inform their classmates and describe the results of their career path finding. Student communication skills will be honed by having them transform raw research data and information into a clear, concise informational narrative for each chosen career area. Network Resources Some of the network resources that we hope to use are as follows: - Kidlink--to discuss problems and ideas with peers worldwide -E-Mail--to communicate with mentors from all over - Newsgroups-- to retrieve information about careers -FTP, including Yanoff List. December Guide, and People Contacts Data Base--to establish mentoring Contacts - Libraries--for research - Gopher-for research - Veronica--to do key-word searches for career research - WAIS--for research - WWW--for research - Mosaic--for research - Ask Eric -to access educational resources for teacher and student use -CK:P Gopher K-12 Internet Resources Careers and Counseling - Ethics policies pertaining to Internet use -Mailing lists to communicate with relevant professionals Equipment Needs Since at this time Knoxville has only one usable computer on the Internet, we are requesting a total of thirty-seven computers and twelve printers. Twenty-seven computers and two networked printers will be used as a central computer lab to be housed in room 104. This arrangement will enable students and staff from throughout the building to utilize the Internet for research projects. The remaining ten computers and printers will be housed in the participating teachers' classrooms. Additional stud ent work and teacher assessments can be done through these terminals. These will be located in rooms 220, 215, 113, 206, 209, 205, 104, 208, 128 and the library. Instructional Procedures The center of our project will be the Career Path Portfolio. This portfolio will be not merely a storage place but a living reflection of the student's learning about careers and also about him / herself. This portfolio will become, through the intera ction of students with Internet resources, the text for this curriculum. It will not only be a reflection of the data collected through resources, but it will reflect the process of the student's learning as well as his/her own thoughts about that learnin g. The Career Path Portfolio will include the following: -Career Decision making (CDM) interest survey test results. - Career selections and justification for ranking, Students will select two career areas for further examination based on their CDM results, rank them first or second in order of Preference, and give justification for those choices. - Probability Study on first career choice through the Internet. Job availability- now and projected to the year of high school, trade school, or college graduation will be researched. This study will be conducted locally, nationally and worldwide. - Commitment Statement. The student will make a formal commitment to the researching process, as outlined by the Student Task Sheet. This process must be completed regardless of the number of topic changes. Criteria for the project will be defined and agreed upon. - Job Description / Student Task Sheet. This establishes the criteria for the project. and provides an outline Page 4 for the student to use in compiling his research. Sec Appendix .x D. -Student Journal. This is an on-going log. recording techniques 3 student has used to gather information; it will record successes and failures within both directed and trial and error procedures, so that a student may- both share and replicate his/her results. -Student Reflective Assessment (SRA). Based on conclusions reached through their research, students will make final assessments as to that career's continuing potential for them. - Formal Presentation of Findings. Students will present findings and include pertinent \visual aids. This presentation will be videotaped. - Disk of all student computer work. -Diary of Mentoring Relationships. Students will maintain all correspondence with his / her mentors both in the files of the computer and as hard copies in the portfolio. -Goal Setting for the Next School Year. Each student will set goals to follow- this year's conclusions. He/she is to discuss areas not yet researched and determine logical avenues of progression for future investigations. Assessment Plan-Student Outcomes -It is expected that all students will be able to use effective-e research and data management skills in compiling the Career Path Portfolio. - Students must demonstrate good reading skills and use a variety of techniques for interpreting complex texts. - Oral and written communication skills will be used to convey' information gathered through research, and these skills will also be employed to interpret data for decision ' g and problem solving. - Tlirougl> interviewing variow sorts of mentors, students wiU be able to eyze and form crib- ju ents aloout all forms of communication, ating fact from opinion, recognizeing stereotypes and bi statements, and reco ' ing inconsistencies and judging how v'alid pr ted evidence truly is. - Students PI me fEliar with the appropriate fonms of commuiucation in fo @-ork Situations. -Tlirough the use of statisti- projections, students /1 gain experienPe in using numbers to interpret and Page 5 rcpresenl pr3cticrl situations, .grrphs. ch3rts and tables w-ill be used to record ev-31uatc. infer and draw 3pproprialc conclusions betvween dalr rnd rcal life situations h Students will leam to make decisions and predictions based upon the collection, organiz3tion, analy-sis and interpretation of statistical data and the app[licrtion of probabilih-. -through the emplovment of availabilih- projections. students will make correlations betueen community @ . problems and job a\'/labilih-. - Mentoring will provride students, uith a v-aluable o)rtunih- to demonstrate that they can w-ork effectively- with other people, of all ages and backgrounds. - The use of computer technologv will enable students to demonstrate basic computer literacy- with a masten'of current technological tools. resources. and processes and apply them in a meaningtul way-. - Students will be able to explan the rrelationship betu-een economics. technology and society. -The multiple ses and facets o� work will be e. "ned and the wide range of career options aill be e.xplored and intei-preted in terms o� students'indi\ridual interests. needs, skills aptitudes and values. - Students aill be able to assess hovw- societal. economic, technological and gov'ernmental clnanges can affect the indi\vidual and the kinds o� career oa>o 'ues that may' be available. -The rPlationship betw-een academic and \-ocational skills will be reinforced through the acti\rities completed in the creation o� the Career Path Portfolio. Ootcomes For Teachers - 'ties �or incr netw-orking awith teachers across the curriculum, across grade levels and across the globe awil be proYided. - "Teacher Isolation" a-ill be decreaS through the stiaring o� ideas and solutions to similar problems. - Teachers a-ill understand and demonstrate the ev-oluuon o� a neu- technological l 'ng process. - Staff will tiave ' ediate a to upt te re�erence and 'culum aiaterials. Plan for Formative and Summative Ed-aluation Ow �ohtive eY'aluation will be based on the Student Reich Task Sheet (see nD D), This sheet fl serve as a 'led outline of the w'ork aU students are expected to complete. Progress on the Page 6 T3sti Sheel will be checked periodically- by'The leacher, and the qualih- of student Hork will be 3ssessed al Ihal lime. Any'rey-isions or addilions c3n be laken care of at these checkpoints. The summalivc evalualion of the Career P31h Portfolio Hill be based on the ov-erall qualilY- of the compleled portfolio assignmenl and also on the qu31ih- of the Form31 Oral Presentation. All u-ork agreed upon in The Commilmenl Statemenl must be satisfactorily' eompleled. The Commilmenl Stalement u-ill be �ounded on the guidelines /v-en in the Studenl Researeh Task Sheel. Hoa- We Will Measure Soccess The success or failure of our program will be delermined by: - The -ih'o� the work contained within the student Career Path Portfolio. - The lev-el o� the skills students gain in using technological research methods. -The eonfidence students e.xhibit in their increaU communication skills as indicated by- their wTilten and oral communications. -Increased studenl readiness for high school and beyond as student questions and concerns are dealt urith Ihrough menloring relationships. - Students'taking greater ownership of tlreir educauon. Students will take responsibility for setting goals and establishing w-av-s o� achieving them. Manapemen! Eaeh member of the design team will be giv'en deOnite rernsibilities �or the implementation o� tliis proj-. ludi Herzog and Bobbie Womeldorf will be rernsible �or "stering and scoring the Career Decision - g lnterest Surv'evs to all )artici)ating students. lee Uplegraff, our librarian, will sen'e as a co,sultant and technieal resource person. Pete Biondo, Julie Reynolds, Connie Weiss, Liz S , Rob gerton and Jaekie Lewxs wxll be r nsible for teaching and initiating the first phase ' g the pilot y'ear ( 1 gg5,1gg6) Si,- sev-enth. g,ade students will be designated the pilot group and will 'cipate in - Career Path Portfolio project. Liz S , Science ffL, will also sen-e as the site coordinator. Ha1 Marks and Sheryl Reitmeyer will pilot tlre eighth- grade seginent o� the project the �ollowing year 1996 1997) Additional seventlr- grade classes will also be p into the )roject at that time All team ( - - ' Page 7 menmbers will acl 3s 3dv-isors and will uork to rcfine and adjust thc C3recr patli portfolio design as n' d P3rent v-olunleers will be Iraincd by'the teaiee to 3ssist proliecl staff Project Alipnment w ith eoxv-ille's CEIP Plan There are numcrous parallels betviecn uhat vi-e proposc here and our CEIP plan. To delineate each one is bey-ond the scope of this proposal. Hou-ev-er, there are some major functions of our proposed cuculum that, w'hen put into place, could only- act synergisticalh-- with ow CEIp plan. Below we will present sev-en of the long-range goals of ow cEIP plan. Belovv' each g-. w-e will explain how this initiativ-e will be instrumental in achieving that goal. 1, To establish a partnership w-ith businesses and organizations in order to create a mutual(J' beneficual educatuonal erperience Om the Internet it will be possible for ow students to establish contacts with hinesses and organizations that vv-ould not only allou' them to complete the assi ent, but also allow- for perso- contacts with many' pple, businesses, and or ' tions they' w-ould not otherwise have, 1. To provride an envrironment that promotes se(f-discipline, activ-e participah'on, and acceptance of undnidual responsibi(ities. Although teacher assisted the portfolios in this project must be done by- the shidents themselves. In order to complete the probability' studh', job description, jo entries, reflectiv'e assessment, formal oral presentation and disk w-ork students will hav-e to develop self-discipline and exercise tenaeity'. The completion of a career selection, j ' cation and commitment statement means that the student agrees to take r nsibiliU' for completing the assi ent. 3. To change the neighborhood perceptuon of tltie school. Even w-ith new curriquum, new teaching techniques, and new' teachers, Kno.xville Middle Sehool is still vxew-ed by the neighborh as an old-fashioned book paper and pencil place of l ' g. With the new< tec'ology, the neighborh will vxew'Knoxville as a vibrant, up-tO-date school capable of givxng nts the basics and more. It will be seen as a place that will train students to be succes/ in the marketpl- of the 21 st cen-. 4, To develop an actuve school volunteer program to encourage parental inv-o(vement. Page 8 competencies from across the disciplines as thev research. communicate uith others. use state-of-the art technology-. do probabilih' studies, complete a formal oral presentation, etc. Not only will ow propo- curiculum project help students in the aforementioned u-ai-s. it uwill sen'e as a model for Knoxville te4chers uwho are nou> in the infant stages of dev-eloping a portfolio-based assessment. Ow CEIP plan's goal is to have a portfolio assessment in place bi- June of 1996, u-hich will also be the end of ow pilot y'e4f. 6. To design an in-house support specialist st/ dei-elopment program to address learning styles, multi-disciplinary' uieits, thinlung/communicationlproblem sohving skills, lesson design, and alternative assessment techniques. After being trained and completing a pilot y-ear, the implementabon team will me in-house specialists for dev'elopment of this program. 7. To increase student acbuev-ement and to dec<'ease the racial acbuevement gap. Our proposal u