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District expands career-and‑academic plan; officials aim to start career exploration in fifth grade
Summary
At the April 20 meeting Mallory Meehan and Carla Stewart presented the district career and academic plan (DCAP), outlining five components of career readiness and plans to extend career exploration and individualized ICAPs to grades 5–12, add industry‑recognized credentials and adopt a new ICAP platform.
Mallory Meehan and guidance counselor Carla Stewart told the Fairfield Community School District board on April 20 that the district is expanding its district career and academic plan (DCAP) and will push career exploration into earlier grades while strengthening supports for high‑school students.
"Our goal for this year so the district goal for year 26–27 and thereafter is that by the end of the academic year, 100% of students will demonstrate measurable growth in the LA and math assessments," Meehan said as she framed the DCAP priorities and the push to make sure incoming freshmen complete four‑year academic and career plans (ICAPs).
Presenters described five DCAP components — self‑understanding, career information, career exploration experiences, post‑secondary exploration, and post‑secondary decisions — and said the district will expand programming across grades 5–12. At the high‑school level supports include a career fair, IJAG coursework, job shadows, internships and partnerships with Indian Hills Community College and visiting college representatives; the presenters said Columbia University contacted the district this year to meet interested students.
Officials described industry‑recognized credentials (IRCs) the district has prioritized (CPR, food handling, youth quality assurance and employability competencies) and said the district is covering the credentialing costs, which vary by credential. Those credentials will be transcripted so students can use them on resumes and college applications.
The district also plans to adopt a centralized ICAP platform (referred to in the meeting as "Zillow") to house student plans, financial‑literacy materials, resume builders and college application links (including Common App integration), and to support seminar time next year. Meehan said the district will hold individual meetings for juniors and seniors and expand those meetings to all juniors and seniors next year to ensure checkpoints are met; staff reported roughly 50% FAFSA completion this year and hope to increase that share.
At the middle‑school level the district will begin career inventories in fifth grade, integrate career projects into leadership and advisory classes, and offer field trips such as the Indian Hills career day for eighth graders. Meehan said the district has begun partnering with community employers to build internship and mentoring options and is exploring a list of local employers through the Chamber to widen available placements for students.
What happens next: the board will continue to monitor DCAP implementation; staff indicated training for the new ICAP platform and continued community outreach to expand internship and credentialing opportunities.
