Planning is a critical step in achieving a goal and academic accomplishment is no exception.
In order to achieve college and career success, high school students must start laying out a road map of classes they need to take and admissions requirements to the postsecondary program that will prepare them for the workforce.
For example, research tells us that students who take Algebra II, Chemistry and Geometry are twice as likely to be prepared for postsecondary education as other students.
In addition, those who take Physics are three times more prepared to succeed.
The
Arizona Department of Education, a partner of
Expect More Arizona, is helping students and parents plan for postsecondary success with an Education and Career Action Plan or ECAP.
The ECAP outlines a student’s current plan of coursework and career aspirations in order to develop educational and career goals.
The student, along with help from parents and school counselors, starts developing their ECAP in middle school and it is updated each year through high school.
The goal is to personalize the student’s education and prepare them for opportunities beyond high school. Four main areas are explored in the ECAP including: academic path, career plans, postsecondary options and extracurricular activities.
Parental involvement is critical to effective individualized education planning.
Research indicates that students rely heavily on parents’ advice when making postsecondary plans and in fact, in a survey of high school students last spring, Expect More Arizona found that 50 percent of students say their parents are the most influential person when it comes to their education.
There are several things parents can do to help their child develop their own ECAP. For example:
- start talking with your child about their education plan as early as 7th grade.
- make an appointment with your child’s teacher or school counselor and ask specifically about the ECAP.
- ask to see a copy of the ECAP that your school uses and start talking with your child about each of the four areas: academic, career, postsecondary and extracurricular.
- make sure your child’s ECAP is updated each year and that you have a copy.
The ECAP benefits students, parents, schools and the community at large.
Students benefit because they learn valuable lessons in setting and attaining goals.
Parents benefit because they are given an opportunity to be more involved in their student’s academic path.
Schools benefit because students are more engaged and more motivated because they see how their coursework will help them reach their ultimate career goals.
And finally, the community benefits by having a more prepared workforce.
As Expect More Arizona promotes the importance of expecting more of our students, the ECAP is a valuable tool to help increase their academic performance and ensure that they are prepared to compete, contribute and succeed in the future.
To learn more about what's happening in education, and the tools available to help us expect more of our students and our educational system as a whole, please visit ExpectMoreArizona.org.
Expect More Arizona is a public-private partnership dedicated to increasing public awareness about the importance of strengthening education in our state. The partnership has set out to create a movement of Arizonans who value education as our state's top priority AND are actively engaged in strengthening the entire continuum - from birth through career.
Expect More Arizona is a sponsor of Sonoran Living.
