Oklahoma Edge

Oklahoma State Department of Education

Why is Equity important?

Oklahoma’s future workforce is on the verge of exciting change! Therefore, it is more important than ever to evaluate current postsecondary preparation/readiness practices and create more successful pathways for students. Student populations are becoming increasingly more diverse, bringing rich culture and new ideas perfect for an innovative workforce. 

Oklahoma jobs are also changing with over 70 percent of new occupations projecting a need for education and training beyond high school. Understanding and addressing barriers to preparation and accessing opportunities for our growing diverse student population is fundamental to serving Oklahoma families and the Oklahoma workforce.

2018 – 2019 K-12 Student Demographics (www.oklaschools.com)
2018 – 2019 K-12 Student Demographics (www.oklaschools.com)

College and Career Readiness

Oklahoma defines a college- and career-ready graduate as a student who possesses the knowledge and skills needed to enroll and succeed in a post-secondary program without the need for remediation and possesses the ability to apply core academic skills to real-world situations through collaboration with peers in problem-solving, and life long career development.

A successful College and Career Readiness program is made of several strategies meant to prepare a student for success, strategies should include:

  • Academic Counseling A strong academic counseling framework is essential to allow for a flexible student-centered academic plan to support a student’s career goals.
  • College and Career Counseling A college and career counseling framework is essential for engaging students and families in post-secondary planning. The ICAP process is designed to be student-driven and family and educator supported. Learn more about building a successful ICAP process here. College and Career Readiness is a year-long commitment, but scheduling successful events can be tough. Take a look at this helpful planning tool for tips. Postsecondary Advising Calendar
  • Data Strategy An effective data framework is key to evaluating the effectiveness of your CCR program. Using the Return to School Roadmap, consider identifying a small postsecondary response team (PRT) tasked with ensuring all CCR efforts are successfully transitioning your students to college and career. Use this guide for suggestions on who to include as part of the postsecondary response team. Use your results to drive your CCR programming, when examining your data consider questions such as:
    • Which students are most successful? Why?
    • Which activities are most successful? Why?
    • What were our barriers? Why?
    • Which stakeholders were most engaged? Why?
    • What data are we examining? Report card? FAFSA? Attendance? View this report for tips on establishing your indicators.
  • Work-Based Learning Work-based learning enables participants to gain or enhance their skills while employed or while engaged in an experience that is similar to employment. Through work-based learning, students have the opportunity to see how classroom instruction connects to the world of work and future career opportunities. A continuum of work-based learning can exist from Kindergarten through adulthood involving several strategies for exposing students to the world of work, view a list of strategies here. The stages of work-based learning can be described as:
    • Learning About Work
    • Learning Through Work
    • Learning For Work
Eliminating Barriers 

College and Career Advising can address many inequities. It does so by providing a clear roadmap for students to understand how to be successful in life after high school. Although we have made substantial progress, there is still work to be done! A few helpful state-wide strategies include:

  • Establishing a quality rubric for equitable Individual Career Academic Planning (ICAP) processes. 
  • Expanding Quality Work-Based Learning Opportunities to all students
  • Increasing access to effective college and career Advisors or counselors
  • Providing Equity resources. The Counseling Division of the Oklahoma State Department of Education supports the American School Counselor Association’s position on equity and diversity in serving Oklahoma’s students and educators. View resources here.
  • Examining inequities in college and career preparatory resources, here.
  • Create a district-wide Equity Framework.
Navigating Work – Based Learning

The Work-Based Learning module contains career videos, skills assessment, interactive activities and virtual career learning resources. Use this module to discover your students’ talents and passions, explore careers, locate work-based learning activities of interest, and connect with local professionals during Oklahoma Career Exposure Week. 

Join the Work-Based Learning module using three steps below: