Individual Student Planning

Individual planning activities assist all students in planning, monitoring, and managing their own learning and personal and career development. Within this component, students evaluate their educational, occupational, and personal goals and develop individual education/career plans no later than eighth grade in collaboration with parents/guardians. The activities in this component are planned and directed by the counselor. These activities are generally delivered individually or by working with individuals in small groups. The focus is on having students individualize and personalize their planning. Individual planning is implemented through the following strategies.

Appraisal

School counselors help students to analyze and evaluate their abilities, interests, skills, and achievements. Test information and other evaluation data form a basis for developing short-term and long-term plans with students and their parents/guardians.

Education and Career Planning

School counselors work with students to use social/emotional, educational, career, and labor market information to manage their Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAPs). The involvement of parents/guardians and other school staff is critical in planning a program that meets students' individual needs.

Transition

School counselors assist students in making the transition from grade to grade and school to school or school to work. School counselors develop, review, and revise ICAPs with their students.

Student Planning

Elementary

The foundation for individual student planning is established during the elementary school years through school counseling curriculum activities. Self-concept development, the importance of life-long learning, interpersonal relationship skill development, decision-making skill building, and awareness and beginning exploration of educational and occupational possibilities are sample subjects covered during these years. Subjects such as these continue to be covered through the school counseling curriculum activities during middle and high school, providing new information and experiences to enable students to update, monitor, and manage their plans effectively. Elementary Individual Student Planning is implemented through the following strategies:

Appraisal

The appraisal process starts in kindergarten. School counselors help families gather and discuss materials representing the whole child over time. This archive will be helpful to the student and family when making important decisions regarding the student’s Individual Student Planning Resource File, which is started in middle school, and the Individual Career & Academic Plan, which is developed no later than the end of the eighth-grade year. Reflecting on these collected materials will assist parents/guardians in choosing opportunities outside of school that will enhance student career awareness.

Education/Career Planning

At the elementary school level, students develop career awareness through classroom lessons and group activities and become aware of career paths. The Elementary Career Development Lessons address the Grade Level Expectations of the Comprehensive School Counseling Curriculum. The emphases in elementary school help students learn more about themselves, their interests, abilities, and aptitudes, along with academic knowledge and skills, help students understand the value of all work and what people do when they go to work.

Transitions

A transition plan at the elementary level is also necessary for students and parents to feel at ease as they progress through school. Students at the elementary level experience a variety of transitions, including kindergarten, grade to grade, and middle school. School counselors work collaboratively with other building personnel or committees to develop appropriate transition activities to help support this process.

Middle School

Building on the foundation provided in elementary school, students begin to plan for the future during the middle school years through the individual student planning component. During this period, students’ plans focus on high school course selection, considering graduation requirements and the requirements for their post-secondary educational and occupational goals, culminating in an Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP). School counseling curriculum activities continue to support and guide the planning process. Middle School Individual Student Planning is implemented through the following strategies:

Appraisal

All students and their parents/guardians need to understand the role of assessments in course selection and preparation for high school assessments. To assist and support students and parents with this analysis, school counselors coordinate efforts with teachers and administrators to interpret test results for parents/guardians and students. Additionally, school counselors introduce high school coursework to all eighth-grade students and connect how their choices influence post-secondary plans. Students may be unsure of their future career plans, but most should understand the career path or cluster associated with their interests and abilities. School counselors also assist students with understanding the level of post-secondary education for which they plan to prepare. No later than the end of the eighth-grade year, all students will create an initial ICAP encompassing high school planning, coursework, and post-secondary plans.

Education/Career Planning

During middle school, students have career exploration opportunities for more in-depth investigations of the career paths that reflect their emerging preferences in school and community activities and subject areas, as well as personal strengths and limitations. Middle School Individual Student Planning includes gathering information about specific careers within the career paths of greatest interest to individual students. As students prepare for the transition from middle school to high school, they must develop an ICAP. The middle school career development lessons address the Missouri School Counseling Curriculum Grade Level Expectations.

Transitions

Middle school continues to be a time of transition. As students adjust to the changing expectations of each grade level, school counselors and school staff address these transitions. To help students transition from elementary to middle school, the middle school counselors coordinate activities with the elementary school counselors to provide orientation for students. An orientation lets students become acquainted with their new school and teachers and eases anxieties and concerns. Another orientation for middle school students entering high school will be held at the end of the eighth-grade year. An Individual Student Planning Resource File is compiled as middle school students continue through each grade level. Students’ Middle School Resource Files come in various forms, with shared responsibility between the student, the home, and the school. These materials will aid in the development of an ICAP.

High School

During the high school years, Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAPs) developed in middle school are reviewed and updated regularly according to students’ post-secondary personal, educational, and occupational goals. The individual student planning component provides time for regular individual work with students and group sessions focusing on individual student planning. School counseling curriculum activities continue to support student planning by emphasizing the development and use of skills in decision-making, goal-setting, and planning. The importance and relevance of strong social/emotional, academic, and career development skills are stressed. The goal is for student ICAPs to become pathways or guides through which they can use the past and present to anticipate and prepare for the future.

Appraisal

School counselors coordinate efforts with teachers and administrators to interpret test results for parents/guardians and students, especially when assisting them with post-secondary planning. During high school, Individual Student Planning involves building on previous information contained in the resource file. This process helps students make wise choices when developing and revising their ICAP.

Education and Career Planning

Career paths explored during middle school diverge into career clusters in late middle school and high school. Through individual career planning, high school students apply what they have learned about themselves and career paths to understand occupations within a primary Career Cluster. This focus helps students gradually continue their explorations. Students are encouraged to gain work experience within their career clusters of interest. As they progress through high school, they review and modify their ICAP based on new knowledge about themselves and the world of work. K-12 Individual Student Planning skills will enable students to adapt to life changes. High school career development lessons address the Missouri School Counseling Grade Level Expectations.

Transitions

School counselors coordinate transition activities with teachers and administrators to help students and their parents/guardians transition from middle school to high school. Orientation for middle school students entering high school is offered at the end of the eighth grade. High school is a time of transition, concluding with entry into post-secondary education or the workforce. As students adjust to the changing expectations of each grade level, school counselors and school staff address these transitions. The Personal Plan of Study is reviewed and updated annually to ensure that it provides direction toward the student’s academic and career goals.