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Educational and Career Planning for Middle & High School Students

Educational and Career Planning is a Lifelong Learning Process.

Young people learn about occupations and careers from their parents, relatives, friends, and neighbors. The media--the Internet, television, radio, videos, newspapers, and magazines--also shapes their thoughts, beliefs, goals, and concepts about the purpose, value, and nature of work. In the middle and high school years, students choose courses and explore areas which provide the foundations for lifelong learning.

They quickly learn that not everyone will become a professional athlete or a lawyer. They also learn that they should use their interests, abilities, achievements and feedback from significant people in their lives to enhance their self-esteem, to refine their educational/career choices, and to develop the lifelong learning strategies and employability skills needed in today's complex world. The resources on this page are compiled to assist middle/high school students and their parents in their search for careers and education.

Caution and Disclaimer: Before using these web sites, students and parents should determine which web sites are secure and decide what personal or private information, if any, you wish to disclose.

CAREER PLANNING
Occupational Outlook Handbook
The OOH is a nationally recognized source of career information designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future occupations and careers.		 Making It Count
Get information on test taking skills, parent resources, and planning ideas for high school, college, jobs and careers.
WISCareers
Take a Guest Tour to search for occupations and education. All KUSD middle and high school students have access to WISCareers. Ask your school counselor, librarian, or media technology specialist for your KUSD registration login.		 PreCollege Programs
Wisconsin offers over 400 precollege programs for students in K-12. Many of the academic programs offer scholarship assistance for low-income students. Parents and students may search for programs based on subject, grade, and campus.

Local Pre-College Programs include:

  • UW-Parkside's Upward Bound for first-generation students and/or low-income minority students
  • UW-Parkside's Cultural Awareness Leadership Council (CALC) for middle school students.
  • UW-Parkside's Stepping Stones for high school students, and
  • UW-Parkside's DOC, Summer STARS, and ACT Prep programs.

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Wisconsin Student Assessment System (WSAS) INTEREST INVENTORIES for Grades 8 and 10

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction no longer provides written copies of the Self-Directed Search (SDS). Consequently, KUSD middle school 8th grader and high school 10th grader will be taking the SDS by Dr. John Holland on the computers at school or at home through WISCareers. When the students complete the SDS, they will receive a listing of occupations that match their interests. Students can, then, search for occupations, the corresponding educational pathways and the institutions of higher education that lead to those occupations.

High School Career Centers

KUSD High school students also have access to Career Centers which provide current career and educational information. The following web sites showcase a variety of careers:

CAREER SITES
U.S. Career Resource Center The U. S. Department of Labor sponsors CareerOneStop
Note: create a resume
Yo Si Puedo / Yes I Can
White House Inititate on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans		 nextSTEP
Your life, after high school

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Student Portfolios

Creating and maintaining a personal EDUCATIONAL & CAREER PORTFOLIO simplifies the planning process. This process is formalized with the selection of high school courses and the creation of a tentative high school plan in 8th grade. As students progress through high school, they add information to their portfolios. By senior year, students should have included their interest surveys, career searches, college and employment searches, a resume, and letters of recommendation in their portfolios. For more information on student portfolios, contact the school counselor.

In the new Wisconsin Developmental Counseling Program "Facilitating the Future," students will create and maintain an Individual Learning Plan and a Portfolio. More information will be made available as the program develops.

High School Plan

Students may use the following High School Plan format to record courses in which they have an interest and which may assist them in planning their educational and career paths. Students should refer to the course selection booklet of their high school for specific course titles and course content. Note: Block scheduling allows students to take up to 8 credits during each school year.

High School Graduation Requirements

In addition to the 26 credits listed on the high school plan chart, students seeking a KUSD diploma are required to:

  1. Earn a score of basic or above in three of five subtests on the high school Wisconsin Knowledge & Concepts Exam (WKCE)
  2. Earn a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 1.0 on an unweighted scale through the seventh semester of high school; i.e., January of senior year
  3. Meet one of the following test scores requirements:
    1. ACT Assessment - 18 or above
    2. SAT I Exam - 870 or above
  4. Successfully complete an approved Individual Education Plan (IEP), Limited Language Plan (LLP), and/or Section 504 Plan.
EDUCATIONAL PLANNING
NATIONAL COLLEGE FAIRS PERFORMING & VISUAL ARTS COLLEGE FAIRS, NACAC Go College
Admissions information, financial aid guide, scholarships
COLLEGE FAIRS, Career Council College Fairs, National Hispanic College Fairs, Student Athlete College Fairs College View
College search, financial aid, application process
NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association - guide for college-bound student-athletes		 Braintrack College & University Directory
University of Wisconsin Help
Information on the University of Wisconsin System, apply online		 Iowa Universities & Colleges
WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGES MICHIGAN PUBLIC COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
WISCONSIN PRIVATE COLLEGES MICHIGAN PRIVATE COLLEGE & UNIVERSITIES
University of Minnesota, Public ILLINOIS BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
Minnesota Private Colleges EdRef College Search Directory
A search for over 7000 higher education institutions
BlackStudents.com
Online resource for Black college students		 Yahoo Education Directory
A comprehensive directory on education
Cappex
College search made simple		  

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Know Your Tests

Students and their parents should know the different types of standardized tests that students will take in high school and to apply for college/university, technical college and/or the military. Students who take and pass the core subjects, who know about the structure and content of these standardized tests are better prepared and more likely to achieve higher scores.

IMPORTANT TESTS
EXPLORE KUSD freshmen take the ACT's EXPLORE tests in November. These subject-based tests are closely aligned with the achievement tests in the ACT Assessment Program and help prepare them for the college-admission tests in junior year.
PLAN The PLAN is an optional test that sophomores may take in preparation for the ACT, college-admission test, in junior year.

WSAS-WKCE Sophomores are required to take the WKCE (Wisconsin Knowledge & Concepts Exam), which is part of the WSAS (Wisconsin Student Assessment System). Click on "WKCE Interpreative Guide for Students & Parents" to learn more about the exam.

This exam is also an important part of the KUSD high school graduation requirements as well as the State of Wisconsin's means of complying with the ESEA (Elementary & Secondary Education Act) No Child Left Behind ACT. It is extremely important that ALL sophomores take this exam in November.
PSAT
The NEW PSAT is the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). Juniors take this test in October to qualify for certain business and higher education scholarships and is an optional test for high-achieving sophomores. 		AP
Advanced Placement courses are offered in high school to juniors and/or seniors. AP tests are taken in May and students scoring 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exams typically earn college credit. Students should contact the colleges & universities about their AP credit policies.

ACT
The ACT* is a college-entrance subject-based exam taken by juniors in April or June. Subtests are: English, Mathematics, Science Reasoning, and Reading. The highest score is 36. The ACT is accepted throughout the country and is the preferred college admissions exam in the Midwest.

ACT Writing Test
The ACT Assessment Plus Writing* will be introduced February 2005. Juniors should check with the colleges/universities to determine if the Writing Test is required. Currently over 100 colleges/universities are requiring a standardized writing test.

Register for the ACT at www.actstudent.org

SAT I*
 The SAT I is a college-entrance verbal, non-verbal (mathematical), and writing exam taken by juniors. Perfect score is 2400. East and West Coast Schools and many private colleges require the SAT I. Check with the colleges or universities to determine if you need to take the SAT I.
ASVAB The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery is available at no cost to students who are interested in the military. This test may be taken by high school students at any level. SAT II / SAT Subject Tests
The SAT II's are subject tests required by some colleges to determine mastery level and placement in college courses. Seniors should check with the colleges or universities to determine if these tests are required.

*Note: TEST FEE WAIVER may be available for low-income students.
See your high school counselor for details.

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NEED OR MERIT FINANCIAL AID:

Financial Aid is either based on NEED or on MERIT.

Need-based financial aid is primarily determined by assessing the students' and parents' financial status.

Merit-based financial aid is determine because of scholastic achievement, community service, test scores, athletic performance, the quality of an essay, and/or some other special or unique combination of attributes.

Financial Aid includes grants, scholarships, tax deductions, loans, gifts, and/or cash payments.

The following sites will help you understand the process of obtaining financial aid and the differences between scholarships, grants, loans--both subsidized and unsubsidized.

ATTEND the Financial Aid Nights for Seniors at your high school during December or January.

SCHOLARSHIPS & FINANCIAL AID
The Best Financial Aid Page/finaid.org fastWEB.com
Many KUSD scholarships are listed on Fastweb.		 Scholarships on SchoolSoup
NextStudent Scholarship Search FRESCH!-Free Scholarship Search FAFSA
Free Application for Federal Student Assistance--to be completed in January of the senior year
Federal Student Aid
In English and in Spanish		 Scholarships for Hispanics Scholarships for African Americans
CollegeBoard - CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE
Some colleges and universities use PROFILE to help award nonfederal student aid funds.		 Wisconsin Educational Opportunity Programs
This site describes the Wisconsin scholarships: Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarships, Herbert Kohl Excellence & Initiative Scholarships, Wisconsin All-State Schools, TIP Grants for low-income students, the Wisconsin Federal Talent Search Program Grant for first-generation students with academic potential from multicultural and disadvantaged backgrounds.		 SallieMaeCASHE
Sallie Mae provides gederally guaranteed student loans under the Federal Family Education Loan Program.

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In addition to using and reviewing these sites, students and parents should discuss the Educational and Career Planning process with middle school and/or high school teachers and counselors.

"Make the most of these years because what you learn is forever yours."

Roberta Akalin, Kenosha Unified School District Counselor
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