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Pleasant Valley expands career-and-academic planning to fifth grade, boosts work-based learning
Summary
At a regular board meeting, district counselors reviewed the DECAP, announcing career lessons through fifth grade and new workplace-connected learning and CTE pathway work to increase credentials and internships for students.
Ellie, the district’s service-learning and career counselor, told the Pleasant Valley Community School District board that the district’s annual District Career and Academic Plan (DECAP) has been updated to expand career-development lessons down to fifth grade and to strengthen work-based learning and career-connected pathways.
“The DECAP simply outlines our district career and academic planning process,” Ellie said. She described the plan as a “living document” that guides individual career-and-academic plans for students in grades 9–12 and new career exploration activities earlier in the curriculum following House File 316.
Why it matters: District officials said the goal is to close the gap between students’ postsecondary intent and their first-year enrollment after graduation by making career exposure and credentialing more accessible. The presentation noted concrete examples of career-connected learning already in classrooms: welding students making and selling fire pits and meeting clients; a student-built homes program that placed students on a job site for three hours each school day; robotics and computer-science classes partnering on cyber-defense projects; and publishing students running the district website as a simulated workplace.
The counseling office also highlighted credential and credential-pathway growth: seven students completed a CNA course through Scott Community College last summer and 15 were enrolled this year; students can earn OSHA-10 workplace-safety credentials, Microsoft Office certifications, and industry-recognized credentials tied to specific courses. Counselors said they are working with CTE teachers to define clear pathways that could lead to industry employment or further training.
Board members asked how internships and placements are allocated across nearby districts. Ellie described a mix of employer agreements and student initiative: some employers have longstanding arrangements and work directly with a single district, while other placements result from student outreach and prepared resumes; she highlighted one student who signed with a local dealership and will work there full time this summer and continue with an internship while finishing school.
Next steps: The district expects a partner-district review of the DECAP next week and will submit the plan and associated grant materials to the Department of Education as required. Staff said they will continue to expand employer partnerships, consider simulated workplace opportunities in additional classrooms, and increase parent outreach to help families know about lunch-and-learn events and other offerings.
The presentation was informational and did not require a board vote; board members praised the work and thanked counselors for the update.
