WVBE Policy 2510 (ASSURING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION: REGULATIONS FOR EDUCATION PROGRAMS) specifies that by July 1, 2021, counties will implement a comprehensive career exploration experience for middle school students, in accordance with W. Va. Code §18-9D-19a. This experience may include, but is not limited to CTE foundational courses, stand-alone county-developed career exploration courses, stand-alone county-created career mini-courses, field trips, guest speakers, and career mentors. Career exploration of the 16 career clusters is to be integrated into the middle school content for grades 6 – 8, or taught as stand-alone career exploration courses in each grade. More information on the specific information to be covered in career exploration can be found within the Middle School Programming section of Policy 2510. Information and resources are provided on this site to support counties in the development of their comprehensive career exploration experience. For more information on the middle school programming required in policy 2510, please contact Lauren Laundry, the Teaching and Learning Policy 2510 contact at lauren.landry@k12.wv.us. Career programming is also covered in Policy 2520.19 (West Virginia College- and Career-Readiness Dispositions and Standards for Student Success for Grades K-12). For more assistance with the Student Success Standards, please contact Lauren Laundry, lauren.landry@k12.wv.us.
CFWV Contact:
Heather McChesney, Coordinator of Curriculum and Professional Development
304-558-0655 ext. 264
Heather.McChesney@wvhepc.edu
Lexile Career Database
Educators can create an account with their @k12 email address that allows premium access through WVDE. The Database identified the reading demands for specific careers and allows students to use it to make future decisions.Read to Lead
Games for developing literacy, life and career skillsRoadtrip Nation
PBS documentary featuring interviews and resources for those exploring new career paths or looking for informationThe Roadtrip Nation Experience
Free online course for individuals 13 and upBureau of Labor Statistics K-12
This interactive site explores career information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Each county/school site should reach out to their local Career and Technical Education (CTE) director and make connections with your in-house professionals to assist with Content Skill Sets (CSS) understanding and serve as guest speakers. Your CTE teachers should be able to draw on their advisory councils to help make connections with local industry (Local Fire Department, Hospital, Manufacturer etc.).
Additionally, the WV Public Education Collaborative hosts a K12 speakers bureau. Please access the list of speakers on their site: https://k12speakersbureau.wvu.edu/
Speakers specific to a particular Career Cluster are included in the information below.
Consider visiting local CTE programs so that students get an idea of what to expect when they enter that program and the types of skills that are needed to be successful. Field trips for CTE programs can vary widely as skills that students learn can drive them towards a variety of career opportunities.
Consider local businesses, such as manufacturing, banks, retail, hospitals, state agencies, etc. as locations for field trips. Organizations known to support field trips are included with the Career Clusters below.
Information on the Foundational CTE courses is included with each course. Additionally, the current course code manual (located here: https://wveis.k12.wv.us/wveis2004/support.htm) gives additional information on offering these course offerings.