The Iowa Department of Education, in collaboration with several Area Education Agency (AEA) School Counselor Consultants, has released the updated Iowa School Counseling Framework, designed to enhance school counseling practices across the state. This framework outlines a comprehensive, kindergarten-through-grade 12 approach aligned with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model, 4th Edition. It emphasizes a preventative, developmental and data-driven program, fully integrated into the district’s curricula and instructional programs, and delivered by qualified, licensed professional school counselors.

The updated framework underscores the critical connection between the role of school counselors in career development and the District Career and Academic Plan (DCAP). As outlined in 281 IAC 12.3, districts are expected to integrate their school counseling plans with the DCAP, particularly in the career domain. This alignment ensures that school counselors’ efforts in guiding students through career exploration and planning are directly linked to the district’s overarching goals for academic and career readiness. The updated DCAP template for the 2024-2025 school year offers further clarification on this integration, emphasizing the need for a cohesive approach in supporting students' career development and postsecondary planning.

By aligning career and academic curriculum with counseling objectives, the framework underscores the essential role of school counselors in helping students identify interests, develop career readiness skills and transition smoothly to various postsecondary pathways. This cohesive approach enhances districts’ ability to offer tailored career and academic support to meet each student’s needs and goals.

Key areas of focus include:

• Curriculum Delivery: Aligning career and academic curriculum delivery with the school counseling plan.
• Individual Student Planning: Ensuring planning is ongoing, developmentally appropriate and supports the student’s Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP).
• Responsive Services: Connecting responsive services within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework to enhance career and academic planning and success.
• Integration of MTSS and School Counseling: Incorporating MTSS strategies into the school counseling framework.
• System Support: Encouraging collaboration between the DCAP team and school counselors, including professional development and overall program management.

The FAFSA Advisement Toolkit has been developed to integrate financial aid support into the Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP). As a key element of the District Career and Academic Plan (DCAP), this toolkit provides a structured approach to incorporating financial aid into the ICAP process, ensuring that students and their families have the necessary information to make well-informed decisions about their postsecondary education and finances.

This toolkit features information on setting objectives, assessing current practices, and analyzing data to improve FAFSA support. By connecting financial aid with ICAP, it helps students prepare for both immediate educational opportunities and future financial planning. DCAP teams are encouraged to use this resource during their annual reviews to better assist students in reaching their postsecondary goals.

While high school career development and postsecondary planning receive the spotlight of attention, it's important to recognize that career development is an ongoing learning process that starts well before a student reaches the 9th grade. 

Elementary career development builds a foundation by fostering self-understanding, introducing employability skills and exploring interests and opportunities, all while connecting these aspects to academic subjects. In secondary career development, the emphasis shifts to deepening engagement by applying this self-understanding and academic connection to set and pursue goals using the Five Essential Components of ICAP. 

The topic of elementary career awareness was highlighted by the Wheelock College Center for Future Readiness at Boston University and the Coalition of Career Development Center during their learning forum, "Career Development in Early Childhood: Opening Doors to a World of Possibilities."  Resources from the webinar, as well as additional tools and resources are included below to assist in expanding career development beyond the high school. 

• From PBS Kids: Lylia in the Loop, Jamming on the Job and What Can You Become?
• Career speed networking events
• "What's my Line" event
• Connect elementary students with hands-on activities tied to the high school career and technical exploration (CTE) courses and students. An example is to create (or have the students create) "gallery walk" posters tied to high school CTE options. General career sites like O*Net or Career One Stop are great resources for quick career awareness information.
• In the article, "Build Career Interest Early," from the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), additional CTE connections are outlined. 
• From the Iowa Department of Education's Meaningful Career Conversations (MCC) training, adapted questions for elementary, adapted from ASCA Career Conversation Starters, and potential examples of embedded career activities can be utilized. 
• Additional tools and resources for K-12 are included in MCC/ICAP Tools and Resources with an elementary tools and resources that includes additional links. 

Senate File 2435, effective July 1, 2024, requires schools to implement detailed attendance policies and collaborate with county officials to manage student absences. While attendance coding will continue to be handled locally, staff must apply for exemptions based on reliable evidence to ensure accuracy and effectiveness. The  2024-25 Attendance Coding technical assistance document  supports attendance decision-making within Student Information Systems (SIS) at the local level.

Research from the U.S. Department of Education shows that combining academic instruction with career development can positively influence student attendance and engagement. Students participating in such programs often attend school more regularly and are more motivated because they see a direct link between their education and future career goals. This connection can lead to reduced absenteeism and better academic outcomes. Additionally, Attendance Works offers valuable research on the connection between chronic absenteeism and career development, and AIR (American Institutes for Research) provides further evidence and resources to support these efforts.

U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Fact sheet: Bolstering student attendance, engagement, and success through career-connected learning. Retrieved from https://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/bolstering-student-attendance-engagement-success-career-connected-learning.pdf

American Institutes for Research. (2024, July 31). How to tackle chronic absenteeism: Resources for policymakers, educators, and researchers. American Institutes for Research.