Feb2020LMhi

Pathways ... cont’d.

Whydo it? U-46 decided to launch the Educational Pathways initiative in response to rising costs of college, changing labor trends and a desire to better support social emotional needs of students. The initiative also fulfills the district’s vision of expanding the number of small learning communities within U-46’s five high schools. By providing students with more rigorous courses, opportunities for career exploration and increased guidance— all housed within a small, supportive learning community within a large high school—it better sets students up for success later in life, school leaders believe. “We are hoping to empower students to explore a field of interest and learn more about themselves in the process,” Majstorovic said. “The end goal is not simply graduating from high school; the end goal is for our students to graduate with a plan and multiple options for the next step in their journey.” Howdoes itwork? The Educational Pathways initiative aims to provide high school students a way to explore a field of interest, earn early college/career credentials and graduate with a plan for the next step in their journey. Current seventh-graders will be the first class to switch to the new high school structure in 2021–22, where they will be able to select a career objective, attend the academy that offers classes for that career and possibly graduate with college credit, industry credentials or certifications and/or a state seal of biliteracy.

Students will take a semester-long freshman seminar course before selecting an intentionally-designed sequence of courses housed within each academy. The course sequences could be made up of core classes or electives but are taken together in a cohesive manner. The pathways are intended to emphasize critical thinking, problem- solving, collaboration, communication and other 21st Century work skills required across all industries. Students will still be required to meet graduation requirements and be able to meet specific college admission standards. What else toknow While there isn’t a specific career exploration course to be offered in middle school, a great deal of work has been done to revise offerings available to students through electives. The work is reflected in the middle school art, P.E., family and consumer sciences, Project Lead the Way and computers curricula. Additional middle school guidance counselors have also been hired to assist students. The initiative has also been designed with multiple entry and exit points. Students can change their pathway selection during sophomore or junior year. Another important aspect is that while every high school will have the same career academies, not all pathways will be available at every school. The popular magnet academies will still exist as structured, four- year specialized programs that have an established admission criteria. That’s different from pathways courses, which only take up one to two periods within a student’s schedule and are designed to be completed in three years.

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LM February 2020