Our mission is to provide students with exciting educational opportunities both in and out of the classroom setting to learn more about future career possibilities; while also meeting required Pennsylvania Career Education and Work Standards.
Career Readiness & Work
The Career Education and Work Standards, Chapter 4 of Title 22, are part of the State Board of Education’s regulations of required education for all students in Pennsylvania.
CEW PA Reporting Requirements
5th Grade: Six or more pieces of evidence must be accumulated by the end of 5th grade.
8th Grade: All K-5 band evidence must be completed, plus six additional pieces of evidence are to be completed by the end of 8th grade. One of the pieces of evidence must be an individual career plan (Student Annual Goal Sheet).
11th Grade: All K-5 and 6-8 band evidence must be completed, plus eight additional pieces of evidence. One of the pieces of evidence must be an individual career plan (Student Annual Goal Sheet). Students are also required to complete a career project.
By the end of 11th grade, students should have accumulated 20 or more pieces of evidence! Evidence of complete student activities must be reported to the Pennsylvania Information Management System (PIMS).
Career Pathways
Students who choose a career path earlier in their lives will be better prepared for post-secondary education and training. A career pathway at PA Distance will center around employability skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.
Employability skills are embedded by our teachers into the classroom and used regularly by school counselors and special education teachers, which include but are not limited to the following: communication (including strong writing skills and public speaking), collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, empathy skills, stress-management, time-management, intercultural skills, confidence, and leadership.
*All students in grades 8-12 can select a career pathway. Having a focused path allows for more opportunities to be given to students that center around their post-secondary goals.
Students Who Achieve Goals (SWAG) Sheet
All K-12 students complete a yearly SWAG Sheet. This meets the Pennsylvania state requirement for students to have a completed career plan. The SWAG Sheet assists students in setting goals and identifying needs in order to better prepare them for life after high school!