This Planning Guide for Pathful provides a sample sequence of career
exploration learning activities across grades 9-12.
CCE High School
Planning Guide
Overview
This Planning Guide offers just one way
that you can use Pathful for career
exploration. We know that district and
state requirements may vary, so feel free
to make changes to meet your needs by
using additional lesson content,
customizing lessons, or changing the
grade levels in which activities are
completed. Pathful offers hundreds of
Career Profile and Employability skills
videos across 17 different Career Clusters
and a Lesson design tool with a wide
selection of Activities to choose from.
If your district already has content in
another format that is used for career
exploration, consider converting that
content into a Lesson and delivering
through Pathful for a powerful,
differentiated learning experience for
each student.
Simultaneously Refine and Expand
Learning: Students simultaneously
identify personal career interests, goals
and career focus while broadening their
knowledge of all possible careers through
teacher and self-directed exploration in
the “Career” section of the platform.
Strategic Assessment: A career interest
assessment in each grade level helps
focus student attention on different
aspects of career readiness without
overwhelming students.
Differentiation: Lessons and intentional
use of available tools and resources
ensures you can differentiate to meet the
needs of students in your context and at
their pace.Userway integration and
intentional accessibility features built
throughout the platform allow our
content to be accessible to all students.
Focus questions along with a representative example of career exploration
activities is offered for each grade. It begins with identifying student career
interests to drive deeper learning fueled by both teacher-driven and student-
driven exploration within the “Career” section of the platform. You have all the
necessary tools and resources in Pathful to meet the career readiness needs of
your learners.
Understanding
Myself
and Career
Interests
Understanding
Myself and
Postsecondary
Options
Connecting My
Initiative to
Career Choices
9th Grade
10th Grade
11th Grade
Connecting My
Initiative to
Career Choices
Pt. 2
12th Grade
How to Use the Planning Guide:
Planning Guide Design Principles:
Understanding Myself & Career Interests
Suggested Grade: 9th
What are my
career interests?
What is a “Career Cluster”
and which careers are in
each Career Cluster?
What is a S.M.A.R.T goal
and is it important to have
both “Short-Term and
“Long-Term” goals?
What are “Grit” and
“Growth Mindset” and
how do they contribute
to my employability?
Am I developing my
social-emotional
competencies to thrive
in the world of work?
Lessons:
Careers and YOUR Interests
1.
Choosing a Career Pathway
2.
Individual Lesson over each of the 17
Career Clusters
3.
Individual Lesson over each of the 8
nationally recognized CTSO (Career
Technical Student Organization)
4.
Exploring Military Careers
5.
Job Exploration and Career Awareness
6.
Nontraditional Careers
7.
Understanding Grit
8.
Understanding Growth Mindset
9.
Explore Goal Setting
10.
Employability Skills Videos:
Major Employability Videos,
including: How to Choose an Area of
Study and Look at What’s in Your
Heart When Trying to Choose a Major
1.
36 Career Cluster Employability
Videos, including: STEAM and The
Joys of Education and Training
2.
28 Social-Emotional Employability
Videos including: Emotional
Intelligence and How to Build Self
Confidence
3.
14 Extracurricular Employability
Videos, including: Career and
Technical Student Organizations and
Extracurriculars Expand Your Horizons
4.
Est. Time to Complete: 8 hrs
Focus Questions:
Students gain insights into their career interests by completing Lesson “Careers and
YOUR Interests” which includes the Career Interests Assessment. Students research
their highest rated careers in the “Career” section of the platform featuring job
shadowing videos from a “day in the life” perspective. Additional Lessons build a
foundation for self-discovery and meaningful career exploration.
Summary
Resources used:
Assessments:
Interests Assessment
Teacher View
Who am I and what
do I like to do?
After students complete the Lesson “Careers and YOUR Interests”, direct
students to access the “Career” section of the platform and explore Career
Profiles by watching job shadowing and Q&A videos within their top 3 Career
Clusters. Ask students to favorite their top 3 Career Profiles for a total of 9. Then,
have students complete all Career Journal sections (career description,
required education, earnings, future outlook, related careers, additional links,
and colleges for each profile) and rate their interest.
Assign the Lesson “Careers and YOUR Interests” where students complete the
Career Interests Assessment and reflect on their top three Career Clusters using
the Written Response feature.
Directions:
Assign Lessons for alternative career paths including:
“Job Exploration and Career Awareness”
“Exploring Military Careers”
“Nontraditional Careers”
Assign Lessons you feel are vital to address
social-emotional competencies and soft skill
development at this grade level:
“Understanding Grit”
“Understanding Growth Mindset”
“Goal Setting” – Lesson that also covers
short and long-term S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
Request Work-Based Learning sessions to to further address specific areas
of career readiness or to give students more experience with specific
careers. *Requires WBL Module
4.
5.
To customize any Lesson,
simply clone it and make any
necessary modifications to the
activities such as changing the
Assessment, adding a Playlist
of Employability videos, adding
a Written Response, or adding
external links.
Tip
3.
2.
1.
Teacher View
Lessons:
Postsecondary Education
1.
Postsecondary Planning
2.
FAFSA 101 and/or A Guide to the FAFSA
3.
My Plan Outline
4.
Soft and Hard Skills
5.
Understanding Flexibility
6.
The STEM Career Cluster
7.
Communication
8.
Collaboration
9.
Personal Presentation is the Key to
Making a Good First Impression
10.
Employability Skills Videos:
Careers and YOUR Interests
Academics/Major Employability Videos,
including: How to Choose an Area of Study
and Look at What’s in Your Heart When
Trying to Choose a Major
1.
36 Career Cluster Employability Videos,
including: STEAM and The Joys of Education
and Training
2.
28 Social-Emotional Employability Videos
including: Emotional Intelligence and How
to Build Self Confidence
3.
14 Extracurricular Employability Videos,
including: Career and Technical Student
Organizations and Extracurriculars Expand
Your Horizons
4.
Est. Time to Complete: 8 hrs
Understanding Myself & Postsecondary
Education Options
Focus Questions:
Students build upon their insights and understanding gained in 9th grade career
exploration. Students complete the Career Personality Assessment to gain valuable
insights into their own preferences. Students begin exploring postsecondary options
further by researching the different types of education that may be connected with
their specific career survey interest results.
Suggested Grade: 10th
Summary
Resources used:
Assessments:
Career Personality Assessment
What does “postsecondary
education” mean?
What does “STEM”
mean and what kinds of
careers are in STEM?
How do I know if I want to go
to a trade school, 2-year, or
4-year college after high
school, or if I just want to
start working?
Which postsecondary
education options differ
are a good fit for my
interests?
How will soft skills
such as
“communication”
and “collaboration”
help me succeed
regardless of what
postsecondary path
I pursue?
Assign Lessons “FAFSA 101” and/or “A Guide to the FAFSA” where students learn
about the importance of filling out the FAFSA correctly.
Assign Lessons “Postsecondary Education” and “Postsecondary Planning” where
students use the College Search tool to filter and favorite schools for addition to
their Postsecondary Plan.
Directions:
Have students fill out their Postsecondary Plan, located within MyPath on their
dashboard.
Assign Lesson “Understanding Flexibility” where students learn about the
importance of being flexible and versatile.
Have students take the Career Personality Assessment located within My
Tracker. With their results, have them research two careers that are a match
based on their results and fill out the respective career journals for those careers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
To customize any Lesson,
simply clone it and make any
necessary modifications to the
activities such as changing the
Assessment, adding a Playlist
of Employability videos, adding
a Written Response, or adding
external links.
Tip
Assign Lesson “The STEM Career Cluster” where students will learn about this
Career Cluster in more detail.
6.
Assign Lessons you feel are vital at this grade
level to emphasize social emotional
development, such as:
“Communication”
“Collaboration”
“Personal Presentation is the Key to
Making a Good First Impression”
7.
Request Work-Based Learning sessions to further address specific areas of
career readiness or to give students more experience with specific careers.
*Requires WBL Module
8.
Connecting My Initiative to Career Choices
What is the difference
between “creative
thinking” and “critical
thinking”?
What role does initiative
play in succeeding in
postsecondary settings?
Lessons:
Initiative
1.
Creative Thinking
2.
Critical Thinking
3.
Citizenship
4.
The Power of Self-Determination
5.
Work-Based Learning
6.
Understanding the Importance of
Your Resume
7.
What to Expect in an Interview
8.
Qualities Employers are Seeking
9.
Preparing for an Informational
Interview
10.
How to Fill Out a Job Application
11.
Building Your Cover Letter
12.
Building Your Resume
13.
Employability Skills Videos:
20 First Jobs Employability Skills
Videos, including: Entry-Level Jobs
Give You Valuable Experience and
Learn Lifelong Skills in Your First Job
1.
19 Networking Employability Skills
Videos, including: Asking for Help
Shows Courage, Not Weakness and
How to Find a Mentor and Be a Good
Mentee
2.
36 Job Preparation Employability
Skills Videos, including: A Job
Application is Not the Same as a
Resume, and Become a Self-
Advocate
3.
Est. Time to Complete: 8 hrs
Students will deepen their understanding of the role that soft skills and values play
when making career choices. By completing the Work Values Assessment students are
introduced to values they hold that will shape their ongoing thought process about
what careers and postsecondary education options best match who they are and
want to become.
Suggested Grade: 11th
Summary
Resources used:
Assessments:
Work Values Assessment
Teacher View
Focus Questions:
What are my work
preferences and how does
what I value matter in
selecting a career?
What is “initiative”?
Do I know how to
communicate my
interests, desires, and
needs with others?
What does
“citizenship” mean in
a career context?
What needs to be in an
effective Cover Letter
and Resume?
How might work based
learning (WBL) or an
internship help me pursue
career goals?
To customize any Lesson,
simply clone it and make any
necessary modifications to the
activities such as changing the
Assessment, adding a Playlist
of Employability videos, adding
a Written Response, or adding
external links.
Tip
Have students take the Work Values Assessment located within My Tracker. With
their results, have them research two careers that are a match based on their
results and fill out the respective career journals for those careers.
Assign Lesson “Taking Initiative” where students learn about the importance of
taking action.
Directions:
1.
2.
3. Assign any Lessons you feel are vital at this grade level such as:
Request Work-Based Learning sessions to to further address specific areas
of career readiness or to give students more experience with specific
careers. *Requires WBL Module
5.
Have students use the Resume and Cover Letter Builders to create a resume and
cover letter.
4.
Post any needed links such as SAT testing information, local/state
scholarships, or FAFSA forms under District Resources.
6.
“Creative Thinking”
“Critical Thinking”
“Citizenship”
“The Power of Self-Determination”
“Work-Based Learning”
“Qualities Employers are Seeking”
Lessons:
Careers
1.
Financial Literacy
2.
Understanding Failure
3.
Problem-Solving
4.
Understanding Patience
5.
Handling Constructive Criticism
6.
Time Management
7.
My First Job
8.
Leadership
9.
Employability Skills Videos:
3 Financial Literacy Employability Skills
Videos, including: Control Your Future by
Creating a Financial Game Plan and How
Spending Can Get You Into Trouble if You
Aren’t Budgeting
1.
30 Overcoming Obstacles Employability
Skills Videos, including: Failure is Success
in Progress and How to Overcome Fear
2.
52 Workplace Intelligence Employability
Skills Videos, including: Always Be
Developing New Skills and Control Your
Narrative on Social Media
3.
Est. Time to Complete: 8 hrs
Connecting My Initiative to Career Choices, Part 2
Students will deepen their understanding of factors that play a role when making
career choices. By completing the Career Interests Assessment, students focus on
finalizing their postsecondary plans and gaining skills such as financial literacy
needed to be successful.
Suggested Grade: 12th
Summary
Resources used:
Assessments:
Career Interests Assessment
Teacher View
Focus Questions:
What are my current
career interests and have
they changed over time?
How important is my
ability to solve problems?
What is “financial
literacy” and what
skills does that
include?
How can understanding
failure play a part in
postsecondary success?
What role does patience play
in postsecondary success?
What are some
effective time
management
strategies?
Are there any gaps in
my plan for career
readiness?
Have students take the Career Interests Assessment located within My Tracker.
With their results, have them research two careers that are a match based on
their results and fill out the respective career journals for those careers.
Directions:
1.
2.
3.
Assign, or have students self-assign any Lessons that are vital at this grade
level or for their chosen career path, such as:
“Financial Literacy”
“Understanding Failure”
“Problem-Solving”
“Understanding Patience”
“Handling Constructive Criticism”
“Time Management”
“My First Job”
“Leadership”
To customize any Lesson,
simply clone it and make any
necessary modifications to the
activities such as changing the
Assessment, adding a Playlist
of Employability videos, adding
a Written Response, or adding
external links.
Tip
Request Work-Based Learning sessions to to further address specific areas
of career readiness or to give students more experience with specific
careers. *Requires WBL Module
Have students access their MyPlan. Conference with students and review all of
their career readiness accomplishments. If any areas warrant further attention,
support students to address these areas.
4.