SC Career Guidance Model
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STANDARDS AND COMPETENCIES
GRADES SIX THROUGH EIGHT

STANDARD 1

Students will understand the relationships among personal qualities, education and training, and the world of work.

Competency Indicators, Grades 6-8

    1. Identify personal interests and abilities.
    2. Describe how responsibility and punctuality in school relate to the world of work.
    3. Identify aptitudes, interests, and strengths through career assessments and/or checklists.
    4. Explain the relationship between personal qualities, school success, lifestyle, and career choices.
    5. Identify a variety of traditional and nontraditional occupations.

(South Carolina Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model, October 1999)

Minimum Career Activities
Recommended Career Activities
Career Resources and Exercises
  • Establish student career planner (C. 1,3)
  • Assess personal interests and abilities (C. 1,3,4)
  • Identify careers that require different skills and aptitudes (C. 1,3,5)
  • Identify characteristics of a successful student and a successful employee and compare (C. 2,4)
  • Provide information for curriculum-based activities relating to career clusters (C. 3,4,5)
  • Provide information on curriculum-based activities integrating SCANS Skills and character traits (C. 3,4)
  • Explore gender equity (C. 1,5)
  • Provide information for school to work activities (C. 1,4)
  • Introduce the concept of career majors or clusters (C. 4,5)
  • Introduce parents and students to career planner with the self assessment (C. 1,4)
  • Virtual career fair (C. 1,3)
  • Provide and interpret multiple career assessments (C. 1,4)

Supporting Research and Literature:

Hansen (1972) Exploration of self, particularly in educational and vocational pursuits, enhances vocational maturity

Miller (1977) Stresses the importance of addressing gender-role stereotyping in careers

Minimum Career Activities: all students at this grade level should be exposed to these activities prior to advancing to the next grade level.

Recommended Activities: these activities are recommended by the South Carolina Career Guidance Advisory Committee for schools seeking to achieve an ideal career guidance program.

STANDARD 2

Students will demonstrate decision-making, goal setting, problem solving, and communication skills.

Competency Indicators, Grades 6-8

    1. Identify strategies for managing personal resources (e.g. talents, time, and money) to achieve career goals.
    2. Demonstrate decision-making skills used to develop career/education paths.
    3. Identify secondary and postsecondary opportunities in local community.

(South Carolina Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model, October 1999)

Minimum Career Activities
Recommended Career Activities
Career Resources and Effective Exercises
  • Identify careers that match interests and abilities. (C. 1,2)
  • Provide post-secondary opportunities, HEAP (CHE) (C. 2,3)
  • Apply decision making skills to complete 4-year high school plan based on interests and abilities (C. 1,2,3)
  • Evaluate career information in relation to personal and career goals (C. 1,2)
  • Plan and implement individual educational and career conferences with 8th graders and parents (C. 3)
  • Promote job shadowing opportunities and service learning (C. 3)
  • Utilize career cluster-related career speakers (C. 2)
  • Visit district technology center/comprehensive high school (C. 2,3)
  • Use technology in Career Education (Virtual Career Fair) (C. 3)
  • Continue to develop the soft skills (SCANS) through classroom activities (C. 1,2)
  • Provide learning styles assessment (C. 1)

Supporting Research and Literature

Herr and Cramer (1996) emphasized the need for acquisition of skills and knowledge needed to explore and plan career.

Moles (1991) promoted the integration of career counseling with planning of post-secondary schooling and academic advising

Minimum Career Activities: all students at this grade level should be exposed to these activities prior to advancing to the next grade level.

Recommended Activities: these activities are recommended by the South Carolina Career Guidance Advisory Committee for schools seeking to achieve an ideal career guidance program.

STANDARD 3

Students will explore careers and the connection of School-to-Work.

Competency Indicators, Grades 6-8

    1. Define the education and training opportunities needed to achieve career goals.
    2. Explain knowledge of career clusters and career resources.
    3. Explain awareness of career choices through job shadowing or mentoring.
    4. Explore career choices and career clusters to develop realistic career goals.
    5. Demonstrate decision-making skills to select a career/education path and complete a plan for high school and beyond.
    6. Identify the need for balance among school, work, and leisure time.

(South Carolina Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model, October 1999)

Minimum Career Activities
Recommended Career Activities
Career Resources and Effective Exercises
  • Identify career opportunities compatible with interests and abilities (C. 2,3,4,5)
  • Identify jobs within a career field requiring different levels of education (C. 1,5)
  • Identify sources of career information (C. 3,5)
  • Begin and update annually the career planner (C. 4,5)
  • Identify leisure time activities and relationship to world of work (C. 6)
  • Provide opportunities in service learning, job shadowing, and or mentoring (C. 3)
  • Expose students to career technology and education programs (C. 2,4)
  • Identify the steps of the career decision making process(C. 5)
  • Practice time management skills (C. 6)
  • Compare current school progress with educational requirements of career interest (C. 1,4,5)
  • Activities to promote and educate students on value of CTE (C. 4)
  • Expose students to career technology and education programs (C. 2,4)
  • OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook)
  • STW, CTE and Consortium Directors

Supporting Research and Literature

Baker and Popowicz (1983) effectiveness of career decision programming in promoting decision making, career goals, and understanding of relationship between school and work

Chapman and Katz (1983) Chapman and Katz (1983) need for career guidance programming to include occupational information

M.J. Miller (1988) stressed the need for cognitive behavioral approaches to challenge irrational myths about career development

Post-Kammer (1987) need for programming in work values and gender stereotypes

Drummond and Ryan (1995) influence of work-based learning and attributes towards work and difference

Minimum Career Activities: all students at this grade level should be exposed to these activities prior to advancing to the next grade level.

Recommended Activities: these activities are recommended by the South Carolina Career Guidance Advisory Committee for schools seeking to achieve an ideal career guidance program.

STANDARD 4

Students will demonstrate a positive attitude toward work and the ability to work together.

Competency Indicators, Grades 6-8

    1. Define the importance of responsibility, dependability, punctuality, and integrity in the workplace.
    2. Translate the importance of interpersonal relationships and demonstrate positive interaction with others.
    3. Respect the uniqueness of individuals in the workplace.

(South Carolina Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model, October 1999)

Minimum Career Activities
Recommended Career Activities
Career Resources and Effective Exercises
  • Participate in character education program in the school (C. 1,2,3)
  • Participate in service learning activities (C. 1,2)
  • Participate in guidance activities on initiating and maintaining friendships, conflict resolution, anger management, cooperation, and communication (C. 1,2)
  • Participate in lessons on diversity, equality, respect, empathy, and tolerance (C. 2,3)
  • Use cooperative learning/teamwork strategies (C. 1,2,3)
  • Use ENTER HERE videos to identify and demonstrate the importance of responsibility, dependability, punctuality, and integrity (C. 1,2,3)

Supporting Research and Literature

Hoyt (1994) the need for work-based learning to promote career development and realistic understanding of work skills

Issacson and Brown (1993) need for counselors to satisfy career awareness of students in creative and action-oriented ways.

Minimum Career Activities: all students at this grade level should be exposed to these activities prior to advancing to the next grade level.

Recommended Activities: these activities are recommended by the South Carolina Career Guidance Advisory Committee for schools seeking to achieve an ideal career guidance program.

STANDARD 5

Students will understand how community awareness relates to work.

Competency Indicators, Grades 6-8

    1. Identify sources of employment in the community.
    2. Relate how economic development influences employment.

(South Carolina Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model, October 1999)

Minimum Career Activities
Recommended Career Activities
Career Resources and Effective Exercises
  • Coordinate presentations from local businesses (C. 1)
  • Facilitate students research on local careers (C. 1,2)
  • Provide information to students about educational and training opportunities in the local community (C. 1,2)
  • Educate on definition of community, world, and global economy (C. 2)
  • Students participate in THE REAL GAME (C. 1,2)
  • Students identify local products and brainstorm jobs related to the production of these products (C. 1,2)
  • Participate in local site visits for students (C. 1)
  • Shadowing and service learning activities (C. 1)

Supporting Research and Literature

Pugh (1986) need for middle grades to focus on occupations and qualities of a good worker

Minimum Career Activities: all students at this grade level should be exposed to these activities prior to advancing to the next grade level.

Recommended Activities: these activities are recommended by the South Carolina Career Guidance Advisory Committee for schools seeking to achieve an ideal career guidance program.

 

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