Career Development Program (GED)

Career Development

2019-20

Program Information

  • The Career Development Program is a one-year program designed to provide students with the education they need to become successful and productive adults.  The outcome of the program once student course work is completed is the completion of GED testing (General Education Diploma).

Students enrolled in the Career Development program will need to complete the required courses to be eligible to begin GED test administration.

Students enrolled in the Career Development program will need to meet all of the requirements Students enrolled in the Career Development program are not eligible to take GED test administration during the MME (Michigan Merit Exam) window.  For the 2018-19 school year, these dates are April 10, 11, 12.

Upon successful completion of required courses, enrolled students will earn high school credit in related areas.

Student Contract – Students who wish to enroll in the Career Development program must sign the “Student Contract” prior to enrollment.

Students must have reached a minimum age of majority (18) to enroll in the Career Development program.

Students enrolled in the Career Development program will receive a district provided technology device to be used to complete their studies and communicate with their mentor.  Students will return this device upon completion of the program.

Students enrolled in the Career Development program will utilize the Career Cruising website (https://public.careercruising.com/en/) prior to enrollment and complete their Educational Development Plan (EDP).  Students will discuss their EDP with staff of the Career Development program with the purpose of creating an individualized program of study for the student.  More details and specifics will be available about the EDP portion of the Career Development program during the 2018-19 school year.

 

Process for Enrollment

A student interested enrolling in the Career Development program will be required to meet with The Central High School Principal and/or the Career Development Instructor.

All program requirements will be outlined to the student/parent during this meeting.  

If a student would like to enroll, they will need to sign the Career Development Student Contract for completion of the enrollment process.

Required Courses

First Semester

ENGLISH I FUNDAMENTALS

ALGEBRA I FUNDAMENTALS

GOVERNMENT

ECONOMICS

CAREER EXPLORATIONS 1

MONEY MATTERS

Second Semester

GED® TEST PREP

CAREER EXPLORATIONS 2

SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS IN THE REAL WORLD

CONSUMER MATH

PERSONAL AND FAMILY LIVING

PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY

 

Course Descriptions First Semester

First Semester Courses of Study for Career Development Students.  

If a student has successfully completed a course prior to enrollment in the Career Development Program will be given the opportunity to replace this course with another course.  A student will be scheduled for 6 classes each semester of enrollment and will work on their course work simultaneously. .

ENGLISH FUNDAMENTALS

English I continues to build on the sequential development and integration of communication skills in four major areas: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It most specifically focuses on deepening and furthering students' understanding in the following ways:

Reading reinforces reading comprehension skills by teaching students how to understand and appreciate poetry, drama, informative nonfiction, and fiction; shows students how to analyze, evaluate, and interpret a text; reinforces awareness of the elements and structure of narrative prose; guides students through readings of drama, a novel, and selections from well‐known poetry, and short stories.

Writing furthers students’ understanding of sentence structures; reviews parts of speech and their types, including in‐depth studies on verbs (transitive, intransitive, conjugation, tense, voice, mood); develops students’ understanding of the types and functions of phrases and clauses; teaches language history and etymology to help students build on knowledge of word structures, including prefixes, roots, and suffixes; expands on students’ vocabulary skills; reviews spelling skills; gives students the opportunity to develop their abilities in writing speeches, short essays, poetry, friendly/business letters, and short stories.

Speaking offers students experience in delivering a speech; teaches skills that enable students to become effective speakers and communicators, weaving these skills together throughout the course.

Listening teaches effective listening comprehension skills, weaving these together throughout the lessons.

Special Topics incorporates research skills, including Internet, library, reference material, and multimedia use; includes mass media structure and influence.

ALGEBRA FUNDAMENTALS

Algebra Fundamentals is a full year, high school credit course that is intended for the student who has successfully mastered the core algebraic concepts covered in the prerequisite course, Pre-Algebra. Within the Algebra I course, the student will explore basic algebraic fundamentals such as evaluating, creating, solving and graphing linear, quadratic, and polynomial functions.

Upon successfully completing the course, the student should have mastered the following concepts:

Solve single variable, absolute value, and linear systems of equations.

Solve and graph single variable, absolute value, and linear inequalities.

Evaluate, solve, and graph linear and quadratic functions as well as conceptualize the relationship between the independent and dependent variable of a function.

Understand and know how to apply the distance, midpoint, and slope formulas as well as the Pythagorean theorem.

Form an equation of a line using the slope-intercept, point-slope and standard forms of a line.

Organize data in the form of a table or matrix; perform complex matrix operations such as multiplication, evaluating the determinant, and solving a system of linear equations using Cramer's Rule.

Apply basic fundamental rules of exponents.

Be able to construct a formula or equation necessary to solve algebraic word problems involving area, perimeter, and linear systems of equations, basic probability and statistical reasoning, distance, and compounding interest.

Evaluate rational expressions and solve equations with rational expressions.

Simplify and perform operations with radical expressions and polynomials.

GOVERNMENT

Government focuses on American and international governments. Students will learn about the history of governments, the characteristics of the United States government, political parties, and voting. These areas of focus target two major content strands: History, and Government and Citizenship.

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to do the following:

Understand the basics of various philosophies of government.

Understand the structure and functions of government and how the principles and values of American democracy (e.g., limited government and popular sovereignty) are reflected in American constitutional government.

Understand how the overall design, as well as specific features of the U.S. Constitution, prevent the abuse of power by using a system of checks and balances (e.g., federalism).

Understand the role of political parties, the media, and the public on the political process.

ECONOMICS

The goal of this semester-long course is to provide students with a strong foundation in basic economic principles. Students will examine topics such as:

  • Scarcity
  • Economic roles of individuals, organizations, and institutions
  • Factors that affect supply and demand
  • Different market structures
  • Market regulation
  • The Macroeconomy

The course helps students to investigate several economic questions. For example,

  • What is economics?
  • How does scarcity influence the way people make decisions?
  • In what ways does the market mechanism allocate resources to their best use?
  • How does government regulation affect the economy?
  • Lessons and projects encourage students to examine a variety of problems from the viewpoint of an economist.

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to do the following:

  • Define economics
  • Describe the economic roles of individuals, organizations, and institutions
  • Analyze factors that affect supply and demand
  • Compare and contrast the efficiency of different market structures
  • Analyze the effects of government regulation upon the economy

MONEY MATTERS

In this course students will explore global economics, and the impact of the free enterprise system on business and consumers. Students will learn about their financial options and goal-setting based on existing and projected economic indicators. Investments, income taxes, asset planning will also be investigated, as will risk management, and retirement and estate planning.

OBJECTIVES

  • Use career planning concepts, tools, and strategies to explore, obtain, and develop a career in the area of financial planning.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental principles of money.
  • Describe economic systems.
  • Explain the impact of government on business activities within a free enterprise system.
  • Discuss economic concepts impacting finance.
  • Describe economic indicators impacting financial decision making.
  • Determine the impact of global/international trade on business decision making.
  • Employ sociological knowledge to facilitate finance activities.
  • Apply psychological knowledge to facilitate finance activities.
  • Analyze personal financial needs and goals based on current and projected economic factors.
  • Manage personal finances to achieve financial goals.
  • Describe the use of financial service providers.
  • Compare and contrast investment strategies.
  • Identify potential business threats and opportunities to protect a business's financial well-being.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of methods to manage financial resources to ensure solvency.
  • Understand the importance of financial markets in business.
  • Develop an understanding of the nature of asset values.
  • Use sources of securities information to make informed financial decisions.
  • Simulate using debt and equity capital to raise funds for business growth.

COURSE MATERIALS:

  • Internet access
  • Microsoft Word 2013
  • Microsoft Excel 2013
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2013

CAREER EXPLORATIONS I

The Career Explorations I course is designed to give students an opportunity to explore various CTE subjects. Specifically, students will be able to learn about careers involving human-related services.

Each unit introduces one particular field and explains its past, present, and future. The goal is to whet students' appetites for these careers. Students can then explore that career in more detail as a high school student.

OBJECTIVES

  • Examine work, lifestyle, and a career.
  • Evaluate the history of healthcare and the impact of science and technology has had on it.
  • Explain why travel and tourism is important to our economy.
  • Understand how geographic principles relate to traveler decisions.
  • Explain the history the human services and how it functions in society.
  • Analyze careers in the consumer services industry.

 

SECOND SEMESTER COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

GED® TEST PREP

OBJECTIVES

  • Identify the purpose of the GED and how to register.
  • Describe the testing process.
  • Outline strategies for preparing for the test.
  • Describe the opportunities waiting beyond the GED.

GED® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION AND MAY NOT BE USED WITHOUT PERMISSION. THE GED® AND GED TESTING SERVICE® BRANDS ARE ADMINISTERED BY GED TESTING SERVICE LLC UNDER LICENSE. THIS WORK IS NOT AUTHORIZED, ENDORSED, OR LICENSED BY AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION OR GED TESTING SERVICE, AND ANY REFERENCE TO “GED” IN THE TITLE OR BODY OF THIS WORK IS IN NO WAY INTENDED TO IMPLY AN AFFILIATION WITH, OR SPONSORSHIP BY, GED TESTING SERVICE OR ANY STATE OR ENTITY AUTHORIZED TO PROVIDE GED® BRANDED GOODS OR SERVICES.

SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS IN THE REAL WORLD

Science and mathematics are part of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) multi-dimensional strategy that can effectively sustain our twenty-first century knowledge-based economy. STEM careers provide a wide variety of opportunities to understand and address global issues. The most pressing issues of this generation include overpopulation, environmental degradation, pollution, and global warming. These are all subjects of intense and dedicated research by STEM professionals in very diverse fields.

In this course, students will focus on how to apply science and mathematics concepts to the development of plans, processes, and projects that address real world problems, including sustainability and “green” technologies. This course also highlights how science and mathematics and the applications of STEM will be impacted as a result of the development of a greener economy.

The course exposes students to a wide variety of STEM applications and to real world problems from the natural sciences, technology fields, and the world of sports, and emphasizes the diversity of STEM career paths. The importance of math, critical thinking, and mastering scientific and technological skill sets is highlighted throughout. Challenging and enjoyable activities provide multiple opportunities to develop critical thinking skills and the application of the scientific method, and to work on real world problems using STEM approaches.

OBJECTIVES

In this course, students will learn about the many applications of STEM to real world problems. Using examples from a variety of STEM fields ranging from meteorology to sports medicine, students will learn about how STEM career paths provide opportunities for meaningful and challenging work. After completing this course, students will understand the STEM fields and the contributions made by professionals in these careers and will be prepared to begin to develop the specialized skill sets that will launch a successful STEM career.

Students will finish this course with an understanding of the basic scientific, mathematical, and technical skills that are necessary for success in virtually all STEM fields. Each student will develop his or her understanding of the scientific method, critical thinking, and applied math and science during the course. Additionally, students will develop their understanding of global issues such as environmental change and global poverty and will enhance their understanding of the interconnected nature of today’s global society. STEM fields play an important role in generating answers to many of the most pressing problems faced around the globe today. Students will learn about sustainability and how the STEM fields can be applied to generate sustainable, holistic solutions to global challenges.

For this course, students should know the following:

  • Science and mathematics provide a myriad of opportunities for challenging, rewarding, and lucrative careers in the STEM fields.
  • STEM career paths develop out of a combination of academic and professional experience.
  • STEM provides effective tools to generate solutions to real world problems.
  • Students should have the following:
  • An ability to access the Internet in order to review videos, articles, and additional educational materials provided throughout the course
  • An ability to work in group settings

CONSUMER MATH

Consumer Math is an introduction to the many ways in which math can be used in everyday life. The course gives practical advice on how to handle situations that involve money and math principles. Consumer Math focuses on the basic skills and methods of arithmetic and provides students the opportunity to develop experience with algebraic techniques of evaluating variables and equations, including geometric formulas and interest equations. Students will also be introduced to topics in statistics.

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to do the following:

  • Use basic math operations on fractions, decimals, and percentages.
  • Interpret graphs and charts.
  • Understand sets and basic set theory.
  • Calculate simple probabilities.
  • Calculate statistical measures of variation.
  • Use similarity and right triangle ratios for indirect measurement.
  • Calculate taxes, discounts, and interest amounts.
  • Apply math to everyday concerns, as well as to the realms of business and government.

PERSONAL AND FAMILY LIVING

This semester-long high school elective takes students on an interactive exploration of the challenges they may face as they transition into adulthood, including constructive conflict resolution, nutrition and health, building healthy families, financial responsibility, and long-term employment.

Through this course, students will:

  • Examine specific principles that will help develop their personal lives.
  • Learn about proper nutrition, and demonstrate skill in preparing various food items.
  • Prepare weekly and monthly budgets.
  • Develop strategies for an employment search.
  • Explore work and careers and how different interests, abilities and personalities influence employment decisions.
  • Develop an understanding of relational dynamics with family members, friends, classmates, co-workers, and those encountered in the marketplace.

PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY

Personal Financial Literacy is a semester-length elective designed to help high school students prepare for success in making financial decisions throughout their lives.

Topics in the course address the advantages of making sound financial decisions in both the short and long term, income planning, money management, saving and investing, and consumer rights and responsibilities.

Upon completion of Personal Financial Literacy, students should possess the knowledge and skills needed to do the following:

  • Find and evaluate financial information from a variety of sources when making personal financial decisions.
  • Understand the role of income, taxes, and research in developing and planning a career path.
  • Develop systems for managing money (including saving and investing) tied to personal financial goals.
  • Recognize and understand consumers' rights and responsibilities in a complex world market.

CAREER EXPLORATIONS II

The Career Explorations II course is designed to give seventh- and eighth-grade students an opportunity to explore various CTE subjects. Specifically, students will be able to learn about careers involving various technical fields from computers to agriculture.

Each unit introduces one particular field and explains its past, present, and future. The goal is to whet students' appetites for these careers. Students can then explore that career in more detail as a high school student.

OBJECTIVES

  • Identify the basic components of a computer system and its use within a networking/communications environment.
  • Discuss the history, development, and use of the Internet and mobile computing technology in business and society.
  • Explore systems design and implementation.
  • State the purpose of a computer network, and explain the role of network hardware in achieving that purpose.
  • Identify the advancement of agriculture to the present day.
  • Explain sustainable agriculture and its impact on society..
  • Understand the STEM field along with the concepts, theories, practical applications, and STEM careers.



 

2019-2020 Career Development Student Contract

 

Enrollment in the Career Development Program is conditional. All students enrolled in this program are eligible for enrollment upon their eighteenth birthday and required to agree to this contract as a condition of enrollment.  Failure to comply with this agreement may result in you being dropped from the program.

I, ____________________________, do hereby agree to accept the terms and consequences set forth in this contract.  The terms are as follows:

I agree to positively participate in program activities and follow rules set forth by program staff.

I agree to participate in the online curricula and all other activities/assignments as required.

I agree to be actively learning every week; course progress, days/hours logged, and grades will be used to evaluate student learning.

I agree to communicate frequently with my Mentor (Mr. John Williams) every week. (Email, phone, text, or face-to-face) Failure to communicate may result in being dropped from the program.

I agree that all work done online, will be completed by myself and no one else.

I agree to abide by all other program, campus, and lab rules.  Violations of those rules may result in removal from the program.

I agree to participate, and understand I will be required to attend, any/all testing required by the state of Michigan – on dates set by the State of Michigan.  This includes, but not limited to the annual administration of the SAT, ACT WorkKeys, and M-STEP test given on April 8, 9, and 10, 2019. Failure to complete this requirement will result in immediate removal from the Career Development program.

I agree to provide the Career Development program and GED with a telephone number and email address where I may be contacted (home, relative, neighbor, friend).  If the number changes, I agree to notify school staff immediately. If I become inaccessible by telephone and email, I will be dropped from the program.

As a participant of the schools of choice program, I agree that placement in Career Development program is NOT a guaranteed placement in any of the other buildings in the district.  If removed from the program I may or may not be placed in the regular on-campus buildings based on space availability and other factors.

I understand that failure to abide by the above conditions may result in my being asked to leave the program.

I acknowledge that I need a computer and Internet access to successfully participate in the program.

I choose to receive a GHAPS-issued device for my participation in the Career Development Program.

I decline receiving a GHAPS-issued device, and have a reliable personal device in which to participate in Career Development Program.

 

Student Signature: ______________________________ Date: ________________

 

Parent/Guardian Signature (if student is under the age of 18): _________________________ Date: ________________

 

Career Development  Representative:_____________________ Date: ________________

 

Grand Haven Area Public Schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age,


 


Here is a list of web sites that can help you get ready for the GED.
 
External LinkGED Practice Tests
 
External LinkGED Test Prep Books

Guided Tour of Career Cruising

This document provides a brief walkthrough of the main components and features of Career Cruising. For more detailed information about Career Cruising’s features, please consult the User’s Guide.

STEP 1: START CAREER CRUISING

Username: _________________________ Password: _______________________

Go to www.careercruising.com. On the Career Cruising homepage, enter your username and password, and click Log In.

Once you have logged in, you will see the Career Cruising main page. From here you can access all the tools and features in the program. To return to this page at any time, click on the Career Cruising logo at the top of the page.

STEP 2: COMPLETE CAREER MATCHMAKER

The Explore Assessments section offers a number of assessment tools to help you discover your skills, abilities, and learning preferences and use that information to identify suitable career options. Career Cruising’s interest assessment, Career Matchmaker, helps you understand how interests and career choices are related by matching your likes and interests to occupations in the program. Let’s begin by completing Career Matchmaker:

  • Click on the Assessments link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

  • If you are not already logged in to My Plan, select Login under Matchmaker & My Skills, enter your My Plan username and password, then click on Login. If you have not yet created a My Plan, click on Register to create one.

  • Choose Start Matchmaker, read through the instructions, and enter a name for your session. Click Start Now to begin.

Answer the first 39 questions. If you are unsure of the meaning of a question, read the More Info section for a brief explanation. After you finish the first round of questions and get your initial list of suggested careers, we strongly recommend going through the second round of questions.

  • Click on the Answer More Questions link in the Improve My Results section on the left side of the page.

  • Answer as many of the additional questions as possible, then click the View My Career Suggestions button.

The Matchmaker results page lists the top 40 career matches ranked in order of suitability. Click on a career to learn more about it and to see how it matches up with your answers.

 

 

Guided Tour of Career Cruising

From the Matchmaker results page, you can browse through Matchmaker’s other features and functions:

  • View your recommended career clusters or pathways.

  • Review and change your answers.

  • Limit your suggestions to a particular level of education.

  • See how careers not included in your list of suggestions match up with your answers.

Click on Assessments in the top menu bar to access the other assessment tools available. You can take the My Skills assessment to see how your skills match up with the skills required for careers that match your interests; the Ability Profiler is a scheduled series of timed tests that help you identify your level of ability in six key areas; and the Learning Styles Inventory is designed to help you understand how you learn and retain information.

STEP 3: EXPLORE AN OCCUPATION PROFILE

There are hundreds of occupation profiles in Career Cruising and a number of ways to search for them, including by keyword, index, school subject, career cluster, or industry, or by using the Career Selector. You can also find information on career options in the military. For now, try the Search By School Subject option.

  • Click on the Careers link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

  • Click on School Subjects.

  • Select a subject.

  • Select an occupation title.

Browse through the occupation profile using the links on the left to find information about various aspects of the career, including job description, working conditions, earnings, a sample career path, and related resources. The Education section of each profile includes links to related college programs.

Each career profile also has a printer-friendly version, which you can access by clicking on the Printer Friendly icon near the top of the page on the right.

STEP 4: MULTIMEDIA INTERVIEWS

Each career profile contains two multimedia interviews with people in that occupation. Each person answers key questions about their experiences, describes what a typical day is like in the occupation, explains what they like and don’t like about the job, and offers advice for people interested in pursuing that career.

  • Click on one of the names in the Interviews section on the left side of the occupation profile screen.

Use the links to navigate through the various sections of the interview. The Likes, Dislikes, and Advice sections include sound and video clips.

STEP 5: EXPLORE EDUCATION AND FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS

Career cruising provides detailed school profiles for thousands of 2 and 4-year colleges and career and technical schools across the country. You can search for particular schools or programs, or use the School Selector to find schools that meet a variety of criteria. We can start with the School Selector tool.

  • Click on the Education link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

  • In the School Selector section on the right side of the page, click the button for Undergraduate Schools.

  • Under Type Of School, select Public or Private, and select either 2-Year or 4-Year.

  • Click on Location & Setting and select a state.

  • Fill in any other criteria you would like to include in your search.

  • Click View Results in the menu on the left.

  • Select one of the schools listed.

Browse through the information for this school. To visit the school’s website, click on the link provided on the School Profile page.

Career Cruising also includes information on private financial aid programs to help students find the funding they need to begin or continue their studies.

  • Click on the Financial Aid link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

  • Under Financial Aid Selector, choose Start Selector.

Fill out as much of the information as you can—the more information you fill out, the more results you will get!

STEP 6: MY PLAN TOOL AND RESUME BUILDER

The My Plan tool helps you store and organize information about your career development activities and experiences.\

  • Open the Login to My Plan menu on the left side of the menu bar at the top of the page.

  • Click on Create My Plan.

  • Read the information in the What Is My Plan? section to learn more about this tool.

  • Fill out the personal information and select a My Plan username and password to protect your privacy. Click Create My Plan.

It will take some time to fill out the different sections of My Plan and use all of its helpful features. For the time being, simply explore the different areas where you can store and organize information by clicking on the links on the left side of the My Plan Homepage.

The My Plan tool also includes a Resume Builder that helps you create personalized, professional-looking resumes. Some information, such as work experiences and extracurricular activities, is shared between My Plan and the Resume Builder.

  • Click on Build My Resume in the menu near the top of the My Plan Homepage.

  • Use the links to explore the various sections you can include in your resume.

  • Click on the Format & Print button to see the different resume styles and options.

For a more detailed walkthrough of the My Plan tool, please use the My Plan Classroom Activities that can be found in the Help section of the program.


If you have any questions about Career Cruising, please feel free
to contact us at 1-800-965-8541 or support@careercruising.com.