The Role of CERES in School Reform
Goals Measured by CERES.
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In response to concerns many have had about the quality of public education in preparing students for the working world, the Goals 2000: Educate America Act along with the School-to-Work-Opportunities Act were enacted in 1994. Most states since then have introduced more rigorous, state-level standards for high school graduation, minimum competency testing and a course graduation requirement that mandates the amount of academic credits necessary in core academic areas. Unfortunately, integration of vocational guidance in K-12 schools is still often overlooked and students still may not be learning the skills at school to perform tasks that will be expected from them in the world of work.
CERES was developed in the California public schools in response to community and employer concerns that too many students were completing their education without a positive orientation to the world-of-work.
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| Many could not demonstrate minimum competency in basic reading, writing, math, listening and speaking, as well as academic thinking, problem solving, and comprehension and did not demonstrate skills related to working on teams or serving customers. CERES was developed to provide students with opportunities to acquire workplace skills and offers career education material for grades K-12 including special education. CERES enables teachers to either integrate or infuse career concepts into existing curriculum and focuses on connecting academic abilities to the world of work. As mentioned earlier, the goal of CERES is the integration of career education into an already existing curriculum. Integration is completed through the process of infusion which is based upon enrichment of the subject matter rather than replacement of the subject matter. Only those aspects of career education which actually relate to a subject matter are used which shows the relevancy of the subject they are learning to the world of work. |
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CAREER EDUCATION
INFUSION LESSON PLANS
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Goal Area(s): Career Preparation
Class: English
Instructional Unit: Written and Oral Communication
Length of Lesson: 3 periods
Relate Subject Matter to Careers (1 per month)
Lesson Objectives: As a result of this lesson, students willbecome acquainted with opportunites to explore howto prepare for looking for a job, and to work through a decision-making process related to those careers.
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Students will complete the “Finding Job Openings”pretest and discuss results in class. |
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Students will complete second worksheet “Are You Ready?” in class and then results will be discussed with emphasis on differences in answers.
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“Information List” day 2, will be filled out by students in clear and concise sentences.
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Students will complete “Posttest 1” and discuss the results in class.
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Having students write a resumé in an English class is one example of how the infusion process works to integrate career education into the existing curriculum. Both the goals of the subject matter and the goals of career education can be met, thus enhancing students’ learning. CERES is centered around eight competencies or objectives which are shown above left.
One of the most important benefits which comes from implementing career education in the classroom is that schoolwork becomes more meaningful, relevant, and useful and provides students with more academic motivation. Career education provides a goal or direction for both student and teacher and when career education is integrated into the curriculum and is based upon enrichment of the subject matter, not replacement of the subject matter, students benefit and stay engaged. Aspects of career education that actually relate to the subject matter being studied are integrated showing students the relationship of what they are learning to the world of work.
If CERES is successfully implemented in a school system, academic achievement should rise and students should be better prepared to directly enter the working world or continue their education. By integrating career education concepts and directly relating them to school subjects, students should be able to meet the goal of learning skills that help them do well in school and on the job.
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