Academic Planning for Postsecondary Opportunities
This microcredential represents counselors' effective and consistent ability to implement indicators and interventions for college readiness to promote the Utah College and Career Readiness Mindsets and Competencies.
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Utah Effective Professional School Counselor Standards > Standard 1: Collaboration, Leadership, and Advocacy
1.2 - Collaborates to promote academic success for all students to become college and career ready. -
Utah Effective Professional School Counselor Standards > Standard 2: Collaborative Classroom Instruction and Instructional Skills
2.1 - Plans curriculum based on the Systemic Assessment results, Student Outcomes Standards, and School Improvement plan. -
Utah Effective Professional School Counselor Standards > Standard 3: Plan for College and Career Readiness Process
3.1 - Facilitates a process of career exploration that may include planning, monitoring and managing individual education and career plans. -
Utah Effective Professional School Counselor Standards > Standard 3: Plan for College and Career Readiness Process
3.2 - Assists in development of each student’s academic achievement and career planning/exploration by providing Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathways resources and training to assist students in postsecondary and workforce options. -
Utah Effective Professional School Counselor Standards > Standard 3: Plan for College and Career Readiness Process
3.3 - Assists students and parents in understanding and utilizing assessment data and supports student to create a plan to meet goals, course planning, and student needs, as outlined in district or state guidelines. -
Utah Effective Professional School Counselor Standards > Standard 5: Data Driven Accountability and Program Evaluation
5.3 - Analyzes school and school counseling program data to provide equity in student supports throughout the school.
To earn this 0.5 credit microcredential you will submit two types of evidence from the list of options and two written reflections to demonstrate proficiency with implementing training and interventions for college readiness to promote the Utah College and Career Readiness Mindsets and Competencies.
Follow the requirements in the "Earning Criteria" section of this microcredential. This is the rubric the reviewer will use to evaluate your submission.
Counselors who consistently and effectively provide training for college readiness do all of the following:
• Utilize data to identify gaps in access, attainment, and achievement to remove systemic barriers to college access.
• Assist students in academic planning that connects college and career goals through the plan for college and career process.
• Utilize proactive strategies to remove systemic barriers and promote cultural responsiveness and equity in student achievement and college access.
College means 1, 2, 4 or more years of postsecondary education or training. College includes technical college or university training after high school.
Being prepared to enroll in and successfully complete entry-level, credit-bearing, academic programs at one- two- and four-year post-secondary schools as well as being equipped with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to transition successfully. This entails having mastered rigorous content knowledge, demonstrated ability to apply knowledge through higher-order skills, and having the ability to navigate the pathways that will gain access to post-secondary opportunities.
College-Going Culture:College-going culture (CGC) refers to the environment, attitudes, and practices in schools and communities that encourage students and families to obtain the information, tools, and perspective to enhance access to and success in post-secondary education.
Career Literacy:The basic knowledge and skills that students need to navigate the future work environment. The process of planning for college and career readiness and developing career literacy can be accomplished by gathering information on student interests, identifying strengths, and helping students overcome barriers.
Career Readiness:This 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; and 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.
Cultural Responsiveness:Cultural responsiveness refers to the capacity to respond to the issues of diverse communities. Cultural responsiveness is not an event whereby one can attend a single training and become competent.
Educational Equity:Educational equity means acknowledging that all students are capable of learning and distributing resources to provide equal opportunities based upon the needs of each individual student. Equitable resources include funding, programs, policies, initiatives and supports that recognize each student’s unique background and school context to guarantee that all students have access to high-quality education. (USBE R277-328-2(4))
Equity Literacy:Equity Literacy means demonstrated competencies in the skills and dispositions to create and sustain equitable and just learning environments for families and students.
Financial Aid:Financial aid is any college funding that doesn’t come from family or personal savings or earnings. It can take the form of grants, scholarships, work-study jobs, and federal or private loans. Financial aid can be used to cover most higher education expenses, including tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and transportation.
Elementary Background Scenario:
Elementary School Counselor Mr. Hernandez creates a College Day at his school in order to introduce students to college (1,2,4 or more postsecondary plans). All of the teachers wear college gear that day, representing where they went to college and are encouraged to talk about their college experiences with their students. At lunchtime Mr. Hernandez has fun, age-appropriate games and activities for the students introducing the idea of college (1, 2, 4 or more postsecondary training, certification, university).
At the end of the day, Mr. Hernandez has each student take a short questionnaire home for the student(s) to complete with their parents. The survey asks their parents about what they did after high school. When students bring back the questionnaire to Mr. Hernandez, they get a prize.
Secondary Background Scenario:
Junior High Counselor Ms. Shephard visits several times a year in College and Career Awareness classes and teaches lessons on 1, 2, 4 or more postsecondary training, certification, university and ways to pay for college, including various forms of financial aid. She collaborates with College and Career Awareness teachers to make sure that students are exposed to a variety of career and college pathways.
Students in her junior high complete aptitude and interest surveys and the results of these surveys are used during College and Career Readiness meetings, which are held with all students during their 8th grade year. Ms. Shephard encourages students to choose high-school classes connected to their aptitudes and interests and encourages them to put a postsecondary education plan in place.
During the school's College Week, Ms. Layton plans daily games and activities at lunch time to encourage students to explore college options. The counseling center posts information in every teacher's doorway showing the college(s) that teacher attended. Teachers wear their college gear; college banners hang in the hallway, and the office plays a snippet of college songs with the morning announcements.
Category: Preparation and Planning
Submit the data review as described below as evidence of your preparation and planning with Academic Planning for Postsecondary Opportunities.
Review your district and school data for the past three years including achievement data, AP/CE courses, attendance, mobility, pathway completers, etc. Identify numbers as well as specific students that may need additional support for college readiness. Take notes of the strengths and areas that need improvement.
The school SOAR report, SHARP Survey, or CTE Surveys may provide you with useful information. Your principal or district will also have access to other data you may want to review. This information may be helpful in deciding your goals for your College and Career Action Plan.
Identify the following:
● What practices and procedures are in place for identifying first-generation students, students with low socioeconomic status (SES), students with disabilities, and minority groups? What tiered supports are in place to help students and parents understand the advantages of setting specific short-term and long-term goals to become college ready?
● Identify one specific disaggregated population (gender, race, ethnicity, students with special needs, low SES, etc.) in your school. From the resources available in your school and district, and any additional research you might need to do, identify college readiness gaps that exist.
Submit data and a summary on how you are closing the college-readiness gap with your student-specific populations. Be sure to follow your district or charter guidelines for student privacy.
Category: Implementation
Submit either a video or data analysis as described below as evidence of your implementation of Academic Planning for Postsecondary Opportunities.
Submit a ten-minute video of an individual CCR meeting being conducted. You may edit the video to show key components of the meeting within the ten-minute requirement. Your video should specifically depict career literacy, 4-year planning, CTE Pathways, and postsecondary options.
Use a signed waiver from the student and the parents giving permission to be recorded, and be sure to follow your district/charter policies for student privacy.
Submit a 12-15-minute video of a group CCR meeting being recorded with you as the school counselor presenting. You may edit the video to show key components of the meeting within the 15-minute requirement. Your video should specifically depict career literacy, 4-year planning, CTE Pathways, and postsecondary options.
It is not required to film this video in front of a group or class. However, if you choose to film in front of a group or class, be sure to follow your district/charter policies for student privacy.
Compile and analyze your pre- and post- assessment data from a classroom lesson taught on YouScience, Keys to Success, or Career Literacy. Using the Lesson Plan and Results Report provided with the resources for this microcredential, describe how the lesson improved student outcomes, specifically addressing access, attainment, and/or achievement. Submit your Lesson Plan and Results Report as evidence of implementation of Academic Planning for Postsecondary Opportunities.
Review Criteria
Criterion 1: Preparation and Planning
Evidence demonstrates that school counselor is aware of and promotes cultural responsiveness and equity in student achievement and college access through individual/group CCR plans and other planning to close the college-readiness gap with student-specific populations.
Criterion 2: Implementation
Evidence demonstrates ways the counselor incorporates career literacy, 4-year planning, CTE Pathways, and postsecondary options into CCR meetings or clearly demonstrates the counselor's understanding of programs and concepts, such as 1, 2, 4 or more college options for all students, college and career counseling and decision making, Keys to Success, YouScience, or similar programs to enhance students' college preparation and literacy.
Explain how you promote college readiness and create a college growing culture in your school counseling program.
Describe how you use college readiness models and research on 1, 2, 4 or more in your individual or group CCR plans.
Review Criteria
Reflection 1: The counselor effectively explains how they promote college readiness and create a college-going culture in their school counseling program. This description should include the ways they use college and career counseling in their College and Career Readiness plans with specific information on Utah postsecondary options. The counselor should discuss student interest inventory results and aptitude options, as well as information from exit surveys.
Reflection 2: The counselor effectively describe the ways they use college readiness models and research on 1, 2, 4 or more in their individual or group CCR plans. The description includes the strategies used to build effective instruction and help students enhance their college/career plans.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FvQtfOJfzIrTh8V77yGN4qj3Jkbqk6BB/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109470781895288394264&rtpof=true&sd=true
This document shows the Utah Effective School Counselor Standards (UESCS) connected with Academic Planning for Postsecondary Opportunities.
American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Career-Development
This is the website for the American School Counselor Association.
Lesson Plan and Results Report
https://www.schools.utah.gov/prevention/_counseling/SchoolCounselingLessonPlanResults.xlsx
Use this lesson plan and results report for submitting your evidence of implementation if you choose the Student Performance Data Option.
Nicole Anderson
Allison Ayoub Egge
Justin Brooks
Jade Christiansen
Nachae Clark
Rachon Duran
Jamie Greenburg
Andrew Gull
Taylor Jones
Erin Nelson
Debra Perry
Lindsey Robinson
Ashlee Sheppard
Stephanie Tueller
Jill Tullis
250 East 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3204
Phone: 801.538.7807