Glossary

All A C I J P S W

  • Apprenticeship

    ​Companies provide career-immersion programs where students supplement their learning and personalized plans of study with real-world applications of skills in a specific occupation in close alignment with an experienced employee or team of employees. Students should have clearly defined goals for how the apprenticeship advances their skill sets and allows them to demonstrate their knowledge through applied learning. Students not only receive hands-on work experience, but also receive career coaching and expand their professional network. Apprenticeships should also provide opportunities for students to earn pathway relevant industry credential or certification. Students should have a designated supervisor who will evaluate their performance as part of an exit interview. 

    Apprenticeships can be administered as an on-the-job training activity at the secondary and postsecondary education level.

    Prerequisites

    1. Education and Career Plan
    2. Workforce Readiness Assessment
    3. Meet expectations appropriate to grade level as defined by PSAE, ACT, Compass, Common Core assessments, and postsecondary admissions exams

    Assessments

    1. Observational Assessment
    2. Endorsement/Credential
  • Career Awareness

    ​Takes place during elementary school providing students with authentic learning experiences, both inside and outside of school via standards-based, hands-on challenges. Experiences should reflect core STEM disciplines and mirror how school relates to the world of work, ideally involving families and the community. Career awareness activities for young learners help inform personalized education and career plans based on a student's identified interests.

  • Career Coaching

    ​Students engage with an outside volunteer to achieve specific career goals aligned to their personalized plan of study. Unlike mentoring, which focuses on generalized social/emotional support; career coaching utilizes a goal oriented, future-focused, action-oriented processes to inform college and career pathways and guidance. 

    Career Coaching can be administered as a career exploration activity at the secondary and postsecondary education level.

    Prerequisites

    1. Education and Career Plan
    2. Workforce Readiness Assessment
    3. Meet expectations appropriate to grade level as defined by PSAE, ACT, Compass, Common Core assessments, and postsecondary admissions exams

    Assessments

    1. Observational Assessment
    2. Endorsement/Credential
  • Career Exploration

    ​Takes place in middle school, orientation level courses at the secondary education level, and in postsecondary education providing students with an opportunity to advance their personalized education and career plan through an introduction to real-world applications of learning within a career cluster as well as a deeper understanding of the range of occupations and related skills and education requirements.

  • Career Preparation

    ​Takes place during advanced pathway and gateway courses at the secondary education level and in postsecondary education providing students with opportunities to demonstrate workforce readiness skills and develop foundational pathway/technical skills within a cluster that include opportunities to apply those skills in real-world work experiences that involve interactions with outside professionals and career coaches.

  • Classroom Support and Guest Speakers

    ​Volunteers support teachers by bringing real-world experience in the delivery of course content, programs, services, and certification preparation. In addition, volunteers provide students with orientation-level career development information specific to a cluster.

    Classroom Support and Guest Speakers can be administered as either a career awareness activity in the P-8 grades or as a career exploration activity at the secondary education level. 

    Assessments

    1. Education and Career Plan
  • College and Career Fairs

    ​Students attend events in-person or virtually that showcase college and career opportunities aligned to their personalized plan of study, including how academic pathways connect to career pathways and outcomes. Activities can include workshops, informational booths, guest speakers, and other virtual or hands-on activities. 

    College and Career Fairs are administered as a career exploration activity at the secondary education level.

    Prerequisites

    1. Education and Career Plan

    Assessments

    1. Observational Assessment
  • Competitions

    ​Similar to PBL, Competitions are focused experiential learning organized around student-centered investigation and resolution of real-world problems identified by outside stakeholders. Competitions are not necessarily embedded in curriculum, but provide opportunities for students to compete individually or as a member of an interdisciplinary team to provide innovative solutions to sponsored challenges. Competitions can be administered as either a career awareness activity in the P-8 grades or as a career exploration activity at both the secondary and postsecondary levels.

    Assessments

    1. Education and Career Plan
  • Co-Op/Independent Study

    ​A experiential, independent study course co-engineered by students, teachers and outside partners that is designed to advance a student's personalized plan of study as they engage in advanced pathway courses within a given cluster pathway. Courses can be a quarter, semester, year long, or taken over the summer, and can be completed either in a lab environment or on-site at an employer.

    Co-Op/Independent Study experiences are administered at the secondary education level.

    Prerequisites

    1. Education and Career Plan
    2. Workforce Readiness Assessment
    3. Meet expectations appropriate to grade level as defined by PSAE, ACT, Compass, Common Core assessments, and postsecondary admissions exams

    Assessments

    1. Observational Assessment
    2. Endorsement/Credential
  • Internships

    ​Students participate in work-related experience in a company setting where they perform the roles and functions of one or many occupations specific to a cluster and pathway that aligns with their personalized plan of study. Internships can be structured to be short or long-term depending on when they are offered and the amount of time a student can commit to the experience over a period of time. Students should have clearly defined goals for how the internship advances their skill sets and allows them to demonstrate their knowledge through applied learning. Students should have a designated supervisor who will evaluate their performance as part of an exit interview. 

    Internships can be administered as a career preparation activity at the secondary and postsecondary education level.

    Prerequisites

    1. Education and Career Plan
    2. Workforce Readiness Assessment
    3. Meet expectations appropriate to grade level as defined by PSAE, ACT, Compass, Common Core assessments, and postsecondary admissions exams

    Assessments

    1. Observational Assessment
    2. Endorsement/Credential
  • Job Shadows

    ​Students accompany an outside volunteer to a workplace setting where they observe and learn about roles, responsibilities, and required skill sets associated with an occupation within a cluster and pathway aligned to their personalized plan of study. In addition, Job Shadows provide students with opportunities to expand their professional network. Job shadows are administered as a career preparation activity at the secondary and education level.

    Prerequisites

    1. Education and Career Plan
    2. Workforce Readiness Assessment
    3. Meet expectations appropriate to grade level as defined by PSAE, ACT, Compass, Common Core assessments, and postsecondary admissions exams

    Assessments

    1. Observational Assessment
    2. Endorsement/Credential
  • Problem-Based Learning

    ​Problem-based learning (PBL) is focused experiential learning organized around student-centered investigation and resolution of real-world problems identified with input from outside stakeholders. PBL organizes curriculum around this holistic problem, enabling student learning in relevant and connected ways. PBL creates a learning environment in which teachers coach student thinking and guide student inquiry, facilitating learning toward deeper levels of understanding while entering the inquiry as a co-investigator. This experience can be strengthened by using industry volunteers. PBL can be administered as either a career awareness activity in the P-8 grades or as a career exploration activity at both the secondary and postsecondary education levels.

    Assessments

    1. Education and Career Plan
  • Programs/Courses
    ​Obtained through the following sources to include approved credit-bearing courses or post-secondary programs that embody a set of learning activities culminating in the mastery of standards.
    • ​Illinois State Board of Education (orientation and high school levels) - provides course numbers from the Illinois State Course System (ISCS).
    • Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) (postsecondary levels) - provides a taxonomic scheme that supports accurately tracking and reporting fields of study and program completion activity.
    • Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) - Statewide transfer agreement, which is transferable among more than 100 participating colleges or universities in Illinois. IAI works best for students who know they will transfer but are undecided about the college or university that will grant their baccalaureate degree.
    Programs and courses are subject to change. The intent is to provide general information. To identify specific courses offered by schools, visit:
  • School-Based Enterprise

    ​Students develop a business model for designing, implementing, and sustaining a program or venture that involves the production of goods and services for sale or use by other groups. Similar to Problem-Based Learning and Competitions, School-Based Enterprises can involve students solving real-world challenges consistent with their personalized plan of study and identified in consultation with outside partners. School-Based Enterprises do not place students directly with employers, but instead enable students to use their institutional environment to pursue a venture. 

    School-Based Enterprises can be administered as a career preparation activity at the secondary and postsecondary education level.

    Prerequisites

    1. Education and Career Plan
    2. Workforce Readiness Assessment
    3. Meet expectations appropriate to grade level as defined by PSAE, ACT, Compass, Common Core assessments, and postsecondary admissions exams

    Assessments

    1. Observational Assessment
    2. Endorsement/Credential
  • Service Learning

    ​Students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service that is conducted in and meets the needs of a community while advancing a students' personalized education and career plan. Unlike volunteerism, service learning is integrated into and enhances the academic curriculum and strongly emphasizes structured reflection on learning.

    Service Learning can be administered as either a career awareness activity in the P-8 grades or as a career exploration activity at both the secondary and postsecondary education levels.

    Assessments

    1. Education and Career Plan
  • Site Visits

    ​Students are provided with a real-world bridge from classroom to industry by participating in a structured site visit to a company or organization. A site visit can be strengthened by providing student a hands-on experience. 

    Site Visits can be administered as either a career awareness activity in the P-8 grades or as a career exploration activity at the secondary education level.

    Assessments

    1. Education and Career Plan
  • Work-Experience

    ​Students participate in part-time or full-time employment in an occupation consistent with a cluster and pathway that aligns with their personalized plan of study. Students not only receive hands-on work experience, but also receive career coaching and expand their professional network. Ideally, students should structure their work experience to meet clearly defined goals, access career coaching, and receive a performance evaluation.

    Work Experience can be administered as an on-the-job training activity at the secondary and postsecondary education level.

    Prerequisites

    1. Education and Career Plan
    2. Workforce Readiness Assessment
    3. Meet expectations appropriate to grade level as defined by PSAE, ACT, Compass, Common Core assessments, and postsecondary admissions exams

    Assessments

    1. Observational Assessment
    2. Endorsement/Credential