There is no denying that ACPS is about opening doors and offering students opportunities they simply cannot get elsewhere. Next year, ACPS will be offering close to 400 face-to-face and online course for students in grades six through twelve.
The course selection process begins this week for students who are in or will be entering middle school or high school next fall. Students can begin reviewing potential course options in the 2018-19 Program of Studies, available in schools tomorrow, Jan. 30.
Beginning this week school counselors will meet with students in classrooms, in small groups and individually to review academic progress towards meeting graduation requirements. Students will have an opportunity to complete a career interest inventory as a way to explore potential college and career pathways, discuss their strengths and weaknesses and develop their Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP).
Families will have an opportunity to weigh in and provide support to their student in developing the ICAP. And, students can consult current teachers for recommendations of courses for the coming year. Information gained from these sessions and interactions should be used by families in selecting a secondary-school pathway and courses for the coming school year.
Once again, students will participate in an online course selection process using the college and career-planning tool in Naviance. Students will then meet individually with their school counselor to confirm their course choices. Throughout this process, students and families in grades 6-12 are encouraged to have conversations about the student’s plans for after graduation.
Preparing every ACPS student to succeed and have a great life is about more than fulfilling graduation requirements and earning a high school diploma—it’s also about planning for life after graduation. That’s why we are launching Making Your Career and Academic Plan (MYCAP), in conjunction with the ICAP.
MYCAP is a framework that students will use to plan their academic, social emotional and career development success. It is a collaboration between several ACPS departments, including Student Services, Curriculum and Instruction and School, Business and Community Partnerships. The MYCAP framework invites every student to take challenging and engaging courses, develop positive social and emotional skills and to pursue the career of their choice after graduation. Students and parents should begin discussing career goals as early as possible and seek out the support of school staff set goals to realize their dreams after graduation.
In December 2018 the Virginia Department of Education instituted the Profile of a Virginia Graduate, which changed graduation requirements to offer students more opportunities to connect their learning with real life applications in higher education and as they enter the workforce in a world characterized by rapid change.
According to the Board of Education, a life-ready Virginia graduate must have academic and technical knowledge, have workplace skills, be engaged in the community and demonstrate civic responsibility, and engage in a career exploration process. The new MYCAP approach is being implemented to ensure that our graduates are life-ready!
For additional support with post-secondary planning and to learn more about ICAP and MYCAP, reach out to your school counselor.