District outlines middle-school career-planning rollout using Zello platform

District administrators presented a detailed implementation plan for Educational Development Plans (EDPs) in middle school, centered on the Zello career-planning platform.

Mr. Ruella, executive director of middle school and student supports, told the board that while Michigan law requires career-development education across K–12, the district’s middle-school counselors developed a 68-step scope-and-sequence to begin the EDP process in sixth grade rather than waiting until seventh grade. Administrators emphasized that sixth grade will focus on self-exploration and exposure to careers; seventh grade will begin formal EDP initiation; and eighth grade will revisit and update students’ EDPs.

The Zello platform, Mr. Ruella said, supports more than 135 languages, integrates with Google Read & Write for accessibility, and provides a dashboard for counselors and administrators to monitor task completion rates by student and cohort. Lessons are designed to be embedded in core classes (one per core subject across the year) and through counselor-led advisories, with typical lessons lasting 10–25 minutes.

Board members and student co-chairs asked questions about student and teacher feedback, whether the tool would pigeonhole students, and how one-on-one follow-ups would be handled. Presenters said students can change interests, reset matchmaker quizzes, and that one-on-one counselor time is typically student-initiated or scheduled around high-school scheduling; other career-experience events (hands-on career modules, CTE tours) will continue alongside the platform.

Administrators said next steps include expanding family access so parents can view students’ progress and deeper integration between career exploration and co-curricular activities. The district framed the rollout as an effort to give students structured, equitable exposure to career pathways.