THE FOUR P'S

High school students in the State of Washington have a unique opportunity to plan for their high school career and beyond. High schools in our state will be expected to engage students more in their learning, to connect learning to the real world, and require that each student have a plan for after graduation. This plan may include many options: four-year college, community college, technical college, specialty schools, apprenticeship programs, the military, or on-the-job training.

To assist students to be responsible and engaged in their education, the 4 P’s have been established as a framework for addressing high school graduation requirements. This framework includes: a Plan, a Pathway, a Portfolio, and a Project. This is designed to help students understand the “why” of their learning and how it will be applied in the future.

Pathway

A pathway is an organized sequence of classes, experiences, and community- based activities, supporting students in career exploration and educational preparation. This is flexible and may change as the student progresses through their high school experience. (Note the symbol associated with each Pathway title):

Plan

All students will have an individualized “high school and beyond” plan. Students must outline how they plan to meet their high school graduation requirements and how they will spend their first year out of high school. Creating a plan will help students start thinking about their futures and focus on the courses they need, to best prepare them for their career interests, no matter what direction they plan to take. The plan should be flexible with the goal being to help students understand what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how they can use this learning in their future.

A collection of student work documenting knowledge, skills, and experiences in and out of school. It documents pathway progress. The portfolio will enable a student to keep a record of their progress in these areas: • student as planner • student as learner • student as individual • student as worker (career development) Students who participate in a presentation of their portfolio will demonstrate how they have applied their skills and knowledge during their high school experience. They will also demonstrate self-advocacy skills and a connection between themselves and their community.

Project

Students must design and complete a culminating project on a topic of their choice, and present their project to other students, teachers, parents, and/or community members. This requirement offers students an opportunity to apply their learning in a “real world” way. School districts can set parameters for how students accomplish these projects.

RELATED RESOURCES

For more information regarding Washington State High School graduation requirements: http://www.k12.wa.us/ communications/GradReq.aspx

Tech Prep Database

ACRN - America's Career Resource Network

Think College Early - Dept of Education

Washington Diversity Network - Career Guides

Washington State Outlook Site

WorkSource Washington

Apprenticeship Programs

Washington Workforce Explorer

Workforce Board's "Where are you going?"

WOIS/The Career Information System Resources Page

America's Career Onestop

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Washington State Eligible Training Provider List

Onet Online System

Access Washington: Job Training

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