“You’re Hired!” A College And Career Readiness Course For At-risk Middle School Students
Open Access
- Author:
- Dibileo, Isabella
- Area of Honors:
- Rehabilitation and Human Services
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. Deirdre Elizabeth Mary O'sullivan, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Deirdre Elizabeth Mary O'sullivan, Thesis Honors Advisor
Jerry G Trusty, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- College Readiness
Career Exploration
Career Guidance
School Counseling
At-Risk
Middle School - Abstract:
- This honors thesis served multiple purposes: to present information on current best practices for school counselors regarding College and Career Readiness (CCR), design and implement a curriculum for middle grades students at-risk for educational progress, implement the curriculum in a middle school, evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum, as well as determine the curriculum’s alignment with national standards. A middle school agreed to participate by allowing me to complete my internship in the counseling office, which included permitting me to implement my College and Career Readiness curriculum as an elective course over the course of one semester. The curriculum that was designed and implemented was guided by research and national standards for school counselors. A total of 11 middle school students volunteered to participate in my study by enrolling in the course. Narrative responses from students were collected prior to initiating the curriculum, and again near completion. Data from time two indicates College and Career Readiness growth for students, and most could verbalize possible barriers to their own college and career goals. Most students demonstrated improved awareness of college admissions procedures as well as realistic career choices. No student indicated that the curriculum was “useless,” and the mean usefulness score was 4.54 out of 5. Additionally, the course curriculum is aligned with 100% of the competencies listed within the American School Counselor Association’s National Standards for Students.