Self-awareness and work habits
Students start the year by looking at their own interests, strengths, and goals. They practice showing up on time, following through on commitments, and acting responsibly at school, at home, and in any job.
What does a student learn in
This is the stretch when students start picturing life after graduation and making real plans for it. Students map out a path toward college, training, or a career and practice the habits adults expect on the job, like showing up, finishing what they start, and working well with people who think differently. Students also learn to research carefully, communicate clearly in writing and speech, and think through money and health choices. By spring, students can talk through a plan for what comes after high school and explain the steps to get there.
- Career planning
- Workplace habits
- Teamwork
- Clear communication
- Personal finance
- Research skills
- Ethical leadership
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
- 1
- 2
Communication and teamwork
Students learn to speak, write, and present clearly for different audiences. They practice working on teams with people who think and live differently from them, including over email, chat, and video.
- 3
Problem solving and research
Students take on real problems and work through them step by step. They learn to find trustworthy sources online, compare what they find, and use that information to make a decision or build something new.
- 4
Planning life after high school
Students map out what comes after graduation, whether that is college, a training program, the military, or a job. They look at real costs, real timelines, and how their daily choices affect health and money.
- 5
Ethics, leadership, and impact
Students practice acting with honesty when no one is watching and leading small projects from start to finish. They weigh how their choices affect other people, the community, and the environment.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 12.
Career Ready Practices
Career Ready Practices
- High School
Plan an education and career path aligned to personal goals, interests
Students map out the next steps after high school by connecting what they actually enjoy and want to do with the education or training those paths require. They figure out what's realistic, not just what sounds good on paper.
- High School
Use technology to enhance productivity, communication
Students learn to pick the right digital tool for the job, whether that means drafting a report, sharing work with a team, or solving a problem in a new way. They also practice switching to unfamiliar tools without losing momentum.
- High School
Work productively in teams while using cultural and global competence to…
Working in a team means doing your part, meeting deadlines, and getting along with people who think and communicate differently than you do. Students learn to solve problems with classmates whose backgrounds, experiences, or perspectives differ from their own.
- High School
Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee, taking personal…
Students practice owning their choices at school, at work, and in the community. That means following through on commitments, fixing mistakes, and showing up as a dependable member of any group they belong to.
- High School
Apply appropriate academic and technical skills learned through career and…
Students take skills from their classes and put them to work on real problems, like using math to estimate costs or writing to communicate on the job.
- High School
Attend to personal health and financial well-being and make decisions that…
Students learn to make daily choices that protect their health and their money, from eating and exercise habits to saving and spending. The goal is decisions that hold up over a lifetime, not just right now.
- High School
Communicate clearly, effectively
Students practice adjusting how they speak, write, and communicate online depending on who they're talking to and why. A work email reads differently than a team meeting, and both look different from a social media post.
- High School
Consider the environmental, social
When making plans or solving problems at work or in life, students think through how a decision might affect the environment, other people, and money before acting on it.
- High School
Demonstrate creativity and innovation by generating new ideas and approaches…
Students come up with original ideas and find new ways to use familiar tools to solve problems at work or in a project.
- High School
Employ valid and reliable research strategies to gather, evaluate
Students find trustworthy sources, check whether the information holds up, and pull key facts together into a clear picture. This is the research habit behind every serious school project and most real-world decisions.
- High School
Use critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them…
When students hit a problem they can't solve immediately, they break it into smaller parts and try more than one approach until something works.
- High School
Model integrity, ethical leadership
Students practice honesty and follow-through in school projects, jobs, and community work. When a group needs direction, they lead fairly and keep commitments.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Plan an education and career path aligned to personal goals, interests High School | Students map out the next steps after high school by connecting what they actually enjoy and want to do with the education or training those paths require. They figure out what's realistic, not just what sounds good on paper. | RI-CDOS.CRP10.9-12 |
| Use technology to enhance productivity, communication High School | Students learn to pick the right digital tool for the job, whether that means drafting a report, sharing work with a team, or solving a problem in a new way. They also practice switching to unfamiliar tools without losing momentum. | RI-CDOS.CRP11.9-12 |
| Work productively in teams while using cultural and global competence to… High School | Working in a team means doing your part, meeting deadlines, and getting along with people who think and communicate differently than you do. Students learn to solve problems with classmates whose backgrounds, experiences, or perspectives differ from their own. | RI-CDOS.CRP12.9-12 |
| Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee, taking personal… High School | Students practice owning their choices at school, at work, and in the community. That means following through on commitments, fixing mistakes, and showing up as a dependable member of any group they belong to. | RI-CDOS.CRP1.9-12 |
| Apply appropriate academic and technical skills learned through career and… High School | Students take skills from their classes and put them to work on real problems, like using math to estimate costs or writing to communicate on the job. | RI-CDOS.CRP2.9-12 |
| Attend to personal health and financial well-being and make decisions that… High School | Students learn to make daily choices that protect their health and their money, from eating and exercise habits to saving and spending. The goal is decisions that hold up over a lifetime, not just right now. | RI-CDOS.CRP3.9-12 |
| Communicate clearly, effectively High School | Students practice adjusting how they speak, write, and communicate online depending on who they're talking to and why. A work email reads differently than a team meeting, and both look different from a social media post. | RI-CDOS.CRP4.9-12 |
| Consider the environmental, social High School | When making plans or solving problems at work or in life, students think through how a decision might affect the environment, other people, and money before acting on it. | RI-CDOS.CRP5.9-12 |
| Demonstrate creativity and innovation by generating new ideas and approaches… High School | Students come up with original ideas and find new ways to use familiar tools to solve problems at work or in a project. | RI-CDOS.CRP6.9-12 |
| Employ valid and reliable research strategies to gather, evaluate High School | Students find trustworthy sources, check whether the information holds up, and pull key facts together into a clear picture. This is the research habit behind every serious school project and most real-world decisions. | RI-CDOS.CRP7.9-12 |
| Use critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them… High School | When students hit a problem they can't solve immediately, they break it into smaller parts and try more than one approach until something works. | RI-CDOS.CRP8.9-12 |
| Model integrity, ethical leadership High School | Students practice honesty and follow-through in school projects, jobs, and community work. When a group needs direction, they lead fairly and keep commitments. | RI-CDOS.CRP9.9-12 |
Common Questions
What is this class actually about?
Students learn the habits that adults use at work and in college. That means showing up on time, communicating clearly, solving problems, working with people who are different from them, and starting to plan what comes after graduation.
How can I help my teenager start thinking about a career at home?
Talk about your own job at dinner. What did you do today, who did you work with, what went wrong, how did you fix it? Ten minutes of that, a few times a week, does more than most career quizzes.
My teenager has no idea what they want to do. Is that a problem?
Not at this age. The goal right now is to try things and notice what feels interesting, not to pick a career. A part-time job, a club, a volunteer shift, or a job-shadow day all count as useful information.
How should I sequence this across the year?
Start with the basics of being a reliable person at school and work, then move into communication and teamwork, then research and problem solving, and end with the personal plan for after graduation. Save the resume and post-graduation planning for the back half of the year so it feels real.
What does mastery look like by the end of the year?
Students can hold a real conversation with an adult about their goals, write a clear email, work on a team without falling apart, and explain a plan for what they want to do after high school. They do not need a locked-in career, but they need a next step.
Should my teenager have a job or internship while taking this class?
Some kind of real-world work helps a lot, even a few hours a week at a store, a restaurant, or a volunteer site. It gives students something concrete to talk about and reflect on. If a paying job is not possible, a regular volunteer shift works just as well.
Which skills usually need the most reteaching?
Professional communication and follow-through. Students often need repeated practice writing a clear email, replying within a day, and finishing what they said they would finish. Build short, low-stakes reps into the routine all year instead of one big unit.
How do I help with the money and wellness side of this?
Bring students into real decisions at home. Show a paycheck, a bill, a grocery receipt, or a phone plan, and walk through the numbers together. Same with sleep and screens. Talking about your own trade-offs out loud teaches more than a lecture.
How do I bring in research and critical thinking without it feeling like another English class?
Tie research to a real decision a student is making, such as a career to explore, a college to compare, or a tool to choose for a project. When the question matters to them, evaluating sources and weighing options stops feeling like an assignment.
How do I know my teenager is ready for what comes after high school?
Ask them to explain their plan for the year after graduation in plain language, including one backup option. If they can describe the step, who they would talk to, and what they still need to figure out, they are in good shape.