My Career and Academic Plan prepares students for college, career and civic readiness. The MyCAP process engages students in authentic postsecondary planning through a continuum of learning focused on the individual student's interests, skills and talents. This process allows students to be the drivers of their education and empowers them to connect their course taking with career interests, to seek out career development opportunities such as internships, apprenticeships, capstone projects, and to identify the personal, social, and behavioral skills needed to be successful in the workplace.
My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) is a student-centered, holistic, multi-year planning tool designed to provide students with ongoing opportunities to plan for their academic, personal/social and career success in high school and beyond. Because MyCAP is student-driven with guidance from at least one identified caring adult in the school and including input from parents/guardians, students are empowered to seek out learning opportunities that align with their individual career interests and self-defined goals. Through identification of interests and goals along with an acknowledgement of any barriers to success and supports necessary to overcome those barriers, MyCAP maps the academic plan, personal/social skill attainment, and career development activities required for postsecondary success. As the student comes to own his/her choices and future planning, MyCAP may also improve student engagement.
MyCAP implementation supports district and school goals such as: completion of MassCore (MA recommended program of high school study); increasing the number of students who take and pass Advanced Placement (AP) and college level academic courses; increasing student attendance and engagement; increasing high school graduation rates; and increasing the number of students enrolling, persisting and attaining a postsecondary credential.
MyCAP is intended for all students beginning as early as sixth grade. The MyCAP tool consists of a process and an electronic platform. The electronic platform provides a place to organize and record progress related to academic achievement, personal/social skill development, and career development information that leads to workplace readiness. However, it is the MyCAP process that will ensure students: set personal, attainable goals based on individual interests and strengths; engage in activities that promote academic achievement, personal social skill development and career development education; promote communication between students, school staff, parents, and other influential adults; and support school and district improvement efforts that are responsive to students' interests and needs.
The Department, in partnership with MASCA (Massachusetts School Counselor Association) and supported by the Public Consulting Group created a three day workshop series for high schools in the 2019-2020 school year that continues to be offered each school year and is opened to any high school in the state. This training, is aligned with the MA definition of College, Career and Civic Readiness and the MA Model for Comprehensive School Counseling 3.0 .
The MyCAP training offer schools the opportunity to create their own Scope and Sequence of Learning based on the MA definition of College, Career and Civic Readiness. Participants learn how to create a MyCAP scope and sequence by weaving learning objectives for each of the three domains of college, career and civic readiness (Academic, Personal/Social, and Career Development) into existing school structures such as core content, elective and counseling curricula, advisory periods and within contextual learning experiences. The result for each student is a focused, post-secondary pathway for success. The MyCAP process allows students to be the drivers of their education and empowers them to connect their course taking with career interests, to seek out career development opportunities such as internships, apprenticeships, or capstone projects, and to identify the personal, social and behavioral skills needed to be successful in the workplace.
A new scope and sequence has been developed for middle schools (grades 6–8) with a similar training offered to any middle schools in the Commonwealth.
My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) Implementation Guide
My Career and Academic Plan At-a-Glance:
MEFA Pathway: YourPlanForThe Future is an online tool for MyCAP development offered free to districts/schools. This is an initiative of MEFA (Massachusetts Education Financing Authority) in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Massachusetts Department of High Education. This tool allows students to create a secure personal portfolio, search for college and career information, complete the college Common Application, and have a solid postsecondary plan upon graduating from high school.
For more information about MyCAP contact Lisa Harney .
Last Updated: August 9, 2022
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906
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