District to expand career-pathway advising, start Naviance profiles in middle school

District leaders told the board they will expand use of the Naviance planning platform so students begin building career and pathway profiles in sixth grade, and will increase informational and experiential opportunities that expose students to career, technical and college options earlier. The district said it will use Naviance as a longitudinal profile that follows students and supports course-selection and pathway decisions.

Superintendents and curriculum staff discussed scaling career awareness activities downward into middle school and possibly lower grades so students see a broader set of occupations earlier. Staff noted existing work with workforce pipeline partners and BOCES programs and suggested using Decision Day celebrations and career-themed events to expose students to trade and career opportunities alongside traditional college pathways. The district also proposed collecting qualitative and quantitative feedback on whether the guidance and profiling tools influence students’ postsecondary choices.

Board members suggested making Decision Day more visible (for example, encouraging students to wear apparel representing their next step) and to communicate the events earlier to the community. Staff said they will provide engagement metrics and examples of how Naviance profiles will be reviewed by students and parents, and will return with a plan showing how the profiles will be used to guide course selection and counseling.