College & Career Readiness

College and career education begins in kindergarten and is exemplified by students who are knowledgeable about options and are prepared to enroll and succeed in any postsecondary experience without the need for remediation. Oklahoma recognizes all students possess the skills and knowledge needed to qualify for and succeed in their chosen field. 

School counselors play a critical role in students’ college and career development by:

• Introducing careers and the world of work beginning in lower elementary grades 
• Providing learning and experiential opportunities for students to acquire behaviors and skills for career readiness 
• Working with students to identify their interests, abilities, specific career clusters, and postsecondary plans 
• Helping students understand the connection between school and the world of work
• Helping students plan the transition from school to postsecondary education and/or the world of work 
• Advising students on multiple postsecondary pathways (e.g., college, career-specific credentials, and certifications, apprenticeships, military, service-year programs, full-time employment with a family-supporting wage) 
• Connecting students to early college programs (e.g., dual credit/dual enrollment).
• Collaborating with administration, teachers, staff, and decision-makers to create a postsecondary-readiness and college-going culture
• Providing and advocating for individual pre-K through postsecondary students’ college and career awareness through exploration and postsecondary planning and decision making, which supports students’ right to choose from the wide array of options after completing secondary education
• Identifying gaps in college and career access and the implications of such data for addressing both intentional and unintentional biases related to college and career counseling
• Working with teachers to integrate career education learning in the curricula
• Providing opportunities for all students to develop the mindsets and behaviors necessary to learn work-related skills, resilience, perseverance, an understanding of lifelong learning as a part of long-term career success, a positive attitude toward learning, and a strong work ethic
• Recognizing and supporting essential developmental factors key to future successes, such as self-efficacy and identity, motivation, and perseverance 

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