The Process
The process begins with the students logging onto their own Bridge web site called My Mentor. This web site is the portal through which students will explore careers, colleges, academic programs, financial aid, and other aspects of postsecondary education. This portal will also become a powerful tool for communication between students and colleges. Administrators, counselors, and teachers also get their own My Mentor sites so that they can monitor their students, have access to the latest research in their field, and receive a Site or District Research Report that contains information from surveys, EUREKA, CalPASS and others. This unique site is customizable and allows the teacher, site or district administrator quick access to important information about their students, school or district.
Students will begin their journey by going through an online career assessment program provided by EUREKA: The California Career Information System. This online program is supported by in-class standards based mini-lessons that help the student identify possible career fields. The program also provides excellent researching tools to help the student find education institutions that best fit their needs. StudentsÂ’ information is saved in an electronic portfolio that will travel with them beginning in the 4th grade.
Once a student narrows down career choices and the colleges that interest them, they will begin receiving emails from their local community college and other institutions that they have selected, inviting them to learn more about their programs in that field. Student identification is protected under a double blind system that has all emails coming and going through the Lewis Center. Colleges will have the ability to identify students that are interested in a specific field. Students will also complete a general survey that will connect them to extra-curricular programs and organizations that interest them. With our expansion into the fourth grade, colleges will be able to plan for students that are years away from their high school graduation.
The process continues with lessons that explore how college actually works. The lessons include: how college works, degree and certification programs, general education, applying for college, and mock registration. Every lesson has a corresponding homework assignment that can be found on the studentsÂ’ web site. As the program is moved down to the lower grades more time will be spent with career exploration and discovering how the post-secondary world works.