By: Monika Spaulding
Helping students find the right career path is just one of the many jobs Salem High School counselor Jennifer Martin is tasked with.
“All students are required to graduate with a pathway,” she said. “Lots of people think of the CTE pathways, but that is only one option for a student to earn a pathway.”
Martin said there are several ways students can achieve this:
1. Receive an Academic or Technical Honor Diploma
2. Receive a qualifying score on the SAT (480 (English) and 530 (Math))
3. Receive a qualifying score on the ACT (18 English, 22 Math, 22 Reading, 23 Science)
4. Receive a 31 on the ASVAB (now only applies to students that enlist in the military)
5. Industry certification (has to be on the DWD list). (Some of our Prosser students receive this. Some of our students go to the local nursing home and get their CNA)
6. Federally recognized apprenticeship (we don't have this in high school)
7. CTE Concentrator (our Prosser students all qualify this way if their grades at Prosser are C- or higher. We have some students that take these classes on PLATO (6 classes with a C- or higher). This is the last option if they don't meet the "Box 3" requirements another way)
8. AP/Dual Credit- Students need a C- or higher in 3 dual credit/AP courses. One of the 3 courses has to be in a core content area (English, math, science, social studies)
9. Locally created pathway. We now have the Fine Arts/Journalism Pathway
10. Waiver- we have not had any students issued a Pathway Waiver- 100% of our students complete a pathway.
“Many of our students complete more than one of the options in Box 3,” she said, adding that the majority of SHS graduates graduate with option 1, 2, and/or 8.
The second most popular pathway route is option 7.
“We have five CTE pathways through the classroom and eight CTE pathways through PLATO and several at Prosser,” Martin explained.
The multiple pathways are a state requirement, which encourages students to focus on a future career path.
“The new high school diploma requirements starting with the Class of 2029 are even more focused on a career path,” she said. “If a student starts on one CTE path and then changes his/her mind, it is almost impossible to change to another one because of the number of courses that are required.”
She said while it is good for a student to work toward a career, she prefers they have the option to explore several options.
“Very few people are actually in a career they thought they would be when in high school,” she said.
A career (CTE) pathway is a series of courses that are required to prepare a student to enter the workplace. This often will include dual credit and/or industry certifications while in high school.
“I would like to work with the hospital/medical providers and have a health science pathway for our students,” Martin said. “It would also be nice to have a construction pathway.”
Equus, the school’s aviation partner, will be adding aviation mechanics soon and that will be a good option for students as well.
Martin said some of the course work has to be dual credit, so the teacher has to be dual credit certified.
“You need someone to teach the course(s),” she said. “You also have to have enough students interested in the course to be able to offer it. Depending on the course, you may need equipment and tools. We would like to expand the manufacturing pathway, but we do not have the manpower to teach it.”
Salem students start looking at pathways in 8th grade and they need to establish one as a sophomore in order to get all of the classes taken if they are looking into a CTE pathway.
“I feel we have a solid group of CTE options and Prosser is a great option for some of our students,” said Martin. “Our dual credit options are numerous, so all students could meet Box 3 with the dual credit pathway.”
SHS counselors continue to stay on top of the changing educational requirements in the state to make sure students are prepared for their next step after high school.