Career Guidance is an integral part of each student’s academic experience. The Nevada Department of Education has developed the following toolkit in conjunction with WestEd to assist school counselors and other school personnel with supporting college and career readiness planning. You may access either the full toolkit or a specific section using the links below:
School counselors provide all students with counseling that facilitates academic, career and social/emotional development, helping all students develop plans for choosing a career. School counselors demonstrate their understanding of rigorous career technical education (CTE) programs when they join with other CTE stakeholders to advocate for these programs, which are designed to guide students to success in their chosen careers.
A vital component in Career Guidance is the role that the School Counselor plays ensuring schools provide a safe, caring environment and that students attain the necessary mindsets and behaviors to advance their academic achievement. School counselors work collaboratively with partners to ensure equity, access and academic success of all students (ASCA, 2019). Nevada’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program has adopted the America School Counseling Association (ASCA) Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College and Career-Readiness Standards for Every Student (NAC 389.187). The ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors are organized in three broad domains: academic, career, and social/emotional development. CTE includes the social/emotional development measurement in the assessment of CTE students’ Employability Skills Standards. (Paragraph (d) of Subsection 1 of NAC 389.800)
Academic Development: standards to ensure that all students can access appropriate, rigorous, relevant coursework and experiences. Because of their unique position within a school and their unique training, school counselors support students facing academic difficulties, mental health issues, family and social concerns, as well as career exploration and course planning to make school relevant.
Career Development: standards guiding school counseling programs to help students 1) understand the connection between school and the world of work and 2) plan for and make a successful transition from school to postsecondary education and/or the world of work and from job to job across the life span.
Social/Emotional Development: standards guiding school counseling programs to help students manage emotions and learn and apply interpersonal skills.
Nevada professional school counselors believe every child can learn, and that all students should have equitable access to a comprehensive school counseling program delivered by a state-certificated master’s-degree-level school counselor. School counselors are advocates for equitable treatment of all students in school and the community, per ASCA’s position statement on “The School Counselor and Equity for All Students (Adopted 2006, revised 2012, 2018).
Further information for each domain (Academic, Career and Social/Emotional), and the Equity for All Students, can be found on the ASCA website.