Pre-Printed Career Key Test and Activities Booklet Implementation Guide

A. Getting Started

• Implementation Planning Guide
• Student/Parent Letter about CK Test Booklet

Implementation Planning Guide

Overview

The Career Key Test and Activities Booklet is a pre-printed, pen-pencil friendly 4-color booklet that contains a self-scoring version of the Career Key assessment. Students learn about themselves and explore to identify careers that fit who they are and strengthen their long-term career well-being.

The booklet also includes

1. A short explanation of what scores mean and Holland’s theory, including the hexagon and Holland’s five basic ideas,
2. Advice and recommended activities for students to learn more about themselves,
3. Fill in activity to learn about an occupation using an online resource, and
4. Decision-making fill in activity.

Why use a self-scoring paper booklet?

Common reasons we hear for using the booklet:

• Students do not have device or Internet access.
• Students receive something tangible to bring home to parents or share with friends.
• By putting pen to paper, students read and reflect on their results in a different way,
• The booklet connects important career development concepts in one place, in one class.
• Teachers and students like creating the original “Key” in Career Key!

Shared Learning Goals

Practical goals teachers and administrators have shared with us include…

1. Increase students’ awareness of themselves – their interests, personality, and values,
2. Help students relate their personal characteristics to occupations and education programs,
3. Expand the career options students are considering,
4. Stimulate students’ career exploration, such as, discussing possible careers and training programs with others and doing online research,
5. Help students create an individualized learning plan or personal graduation plan,
6. Increase students’ knowledge of key career development concepts and activities, and
7. Increase students’ confidence in their ability to make good career choices.

Career Key meets American School Counseling Association (ASCA) Mindsets and Behaviors, as part of its professional counseling National Model for College and Career Readiness (2019). See our chart mapping them and student competencies to Career Key’s resources for more details.

Step by Step Implementation

Below we describe three steps to implementation. The List of Teacher Downloads in the next Implementation section contains all student and teacher materials mentioned below.

Step 1. Preparation

• Decide when taking the Career Key assessment fits into your course schedule.
• Review the Welcome Kit materials and adapt resources as needed.
• Optional: Pre-Assessment Student Survey: Use the survey questions provided to create a paper or online survey to measure gains in students’ pre and post career perspectives,
• Identify how you will handle the completed booklets. Will students take them home? Will you keep a copy of students’ “Career Key” (Booklet p. 4)

Step 2. Student Engagement

• Send the Parent letter home to engage parents in supporting their students’ experience.
• Optional: Administer the online survey to students prior to taking the assessment.
• Administer pre assessment survey to students.
• Administer Career Key booklet to students with instructions
• Optional Post Assessment Activities
  • Ask students to complete one or two of the booklet’s activities.
  • Find My Fit – group activity on the six Holland RIASEC Types/ Work Groups

Step 3. Reflection: Gather and Share Data

• Optional Post Assessment Survey:
  • Administer the same online post assessment survey
  • Group Discussion: Students share their responses to the Reflection Questions
• Want students to learn more online after completing Career Key Discovery? Go to the Fit Focus Forward Resources section of Career Key’s website.

B. Implementation

First we’ll do a quick overview, and then provide links to all the downloads you’ll need.

Lesson Planning

Taking the CKD Assessment & Follow Up Activities

Depending on your course schedule, you can combine these activities into one or two class periods or space activities out across multiple days. The learning activities are optional and enable students to further explore how to connect their personality type with careers that fit.

You may wish to familiarize yourself with Career Key by …

• Watching a Video Overview https://vimeo.com/393492821  (The assessment portion of the online Career Key Discovery and the paper Career Key test booklet are similar.)
• Send the Parent Letter home to describe why students will be taking the Career Key test and encourage students to share what they are learning with their parents.
• Watching a video overview of the CKD Career Profile section, starting with the ACIP decision making process https://vimeo.com/409021237 (The last page of the booklet contains a blank ACIP decision balance sheet)

Instruction

1. Introduction to Career Key (15 minutes)

• Introductory Power Point Slides: Introduction to Career Key (5 min.)
• Pre-Assessment Career Survey: Pre-assessment: Online or on paper (2 minutes)
• Watch Video: Career Key Discovery Overview https://vimeo.com/392542053 (2.25 minutes)
• Watch video: Career Profile Decision Tools https://vimeo.com/409021237 (4:25 minutes)

2. Taking the Career Key test (10 minutes)

• Distribute Career Key Test Booklets. Students write their name, and date on front of booklet
• Students complete sections 1-5 (pages 1-11)
• Students fill in their Career Key on page 4 and note their top 3 career selections.

3. Follow up Learning Activities: Students explore 2-3 careers in their strongest personality types.

• Power point: Finding My Fit – Student Handout with Group Activity (30-45 min)
• Explore Texas* Career Pathways – Student Handout with Online Activity (20-30 min)

*You can modify this to fit your state. We use Texas as an example.

4. Reflection and Closing (10 minutes)

• Students take the Post Assessment Survey
• Discuss the Reflection questions (2-3 minutes)

List of Teaching Resources & Downloads

Videos

Teacher: Career Key Overview ( https://vimeo.com/393492821)
Students: Career Key Discovery (https://vimeo.com/392542053)
Students: Career Profile Decision Tools (https://vimeo.com/409021237)

Student Materials

Parent Letter (doc)

Student Surveys

• Pre and Post-Assessment Survey, with optional reflection questions (.doc)

Career Key Discovery web application

Student Activities

• Find Your Fit – Group Activity
• Find Your Fit – Group Activity Educator Guide
• Explore (Texas Careers) – Individual Activity

Instructional Tools

Lesson Plan

PowerPoints

• Introduction to Career Key, including Find Your Fit – Group Activity

C. Related Resources & Downloads

Interpreting Assessment Results

Career Key Discovery Interpretation Tool (assessment results are similar)
Career Key Clusters Map

Also see the article, How to interpret CK Discovery results and advise discoverers

School Counseling

ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors Infographic
ASCA Career Key Map to Competencies

Funding & Advocacy

CK Funding Sources
CK Funding Sources – Federal
CK Discovery Flyer

Parents & Guardians

Middle School Parent Guide to Student’s Career Well-being

High School Parents Guide to Student’s Career Well-being
Personality Major Match – What does the research say?  An eBook for the the public about why it’s important to choose an education or training program that matches your Holland personality and interests.

D. Research You Can Use

Scroll down in Career Key’s Shop to our most up to date list of free downloads. (No registration required to download). They include,

• Personality Major Match – What does the research say? (PDF)
• Personality Major Match – Professionals’ Guide (PDF)
• Professionals’ Guide to Career Well-being (PDF)

Also see in these Resources:
Career Key Manual