Knowing yourself and your goals
Students take stock of their interests, strengths, and habits. They start thinking about what kind of work and life they want after high school, and what it will take to get there.
What does a student learn in
This is the year career thinking gets real. Students map a path beyond graduation, lining up their interests with the schooling, training, or jobs that could actually get them there. Along the way they practice the habits adults rely on every day: showing up on time, working with people who think differently, handling money, and communicating clearly in writing and in person. By spring, students can explain a plan for after graduation and point to the skills they are building to support it.
- Career planning
- Workplace habits
- Teamwork
- Communication skills
- Personal finance
- Problem solving
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
- 1
- 2
Communicating and working with others
Students practice speaking and writing clearly for different audiences, from a class presentation to a job email. They also work on teams with people whose backgrounds and viewpoints differ from their own.
- 3
Thinking, researching, and problem solving
Students dig into real questions, find trustworthy sources, and weigh what they learn. They break hard problems into smaller steps and stick with them long enough to find a workable answer.
- 4
Using tools and creating new ideas
Students learn to pick the right tech tool for the job and switch to new ones as they appear. They also try out original ideas and adapt familiar tools to do something fresh.
- 5
Acting with integrity and impact
Students think about how their choices affect their health, money, community, and environment. They practice ethical leadership and consider the wider impact of their decisions before they act.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 12.
Career Ready Practices
Career Ready Practices
- High School
Plan an education and career path aligned to personal goals, interests
Students map out the courses, training, and jobs they want to pursue after high school, weighing their interests against what schools and employers actually require. The plan connects where they are now to where they want to go.
- High School
Use technology to enhance productivity, communication
Students learn to pick the right digital tool for the job, whether that means writing a report, sharing work with a team, or solving a problem. They also practice switching to new tools when better ones come along.
- High School
Work productively in teams while using cultural and global competence to…
Working in a team means listening to people who think or live differently than you do. Students learn to get real work done with a group, even when teammates have different backgrounds, habits, or points of view.
- High School
Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee, taking personal…
Students take personal responsibility for their actions at school, at work, and in the community. That means owning mistakes, following through on commitments, and understanding how their choices affect the people around them.
- High School
Apply appropriate academic and technical skills learned through career and…
Students take skills from their classes, like math, writing, or lab work, and use them to solve real problems outside of school. This is the bridge between classroom learning and work that actually matters.
- High School
Attend to personal health and financial well-being and make decisions that…
Students make choices about health and money that hold up over time, not just for the moment. That means weighing the tradeoffs in everyday decisions, from what to eat to how to spend or save.
- High School
Communicate clearly, effectively
Students practice adjusting how they write, speak, and post online based on who they're talking to and why. A work email sounds different from a class presentation, which sounds different from a social media post.
- High School
Consider the environmental, social
Before making a plan or building something, students think through how their choices affect the environment, the people around them, and the money involved. A good decision accounts for all three, not just the most obvious one.
- High School
Demonstrate creativity and innovation by generating new ideas and approaches…
Students come up with original ideas and find new ways to use familiar tools to solve problems they haven't seen before.
- High School
Employ valid and reliable research strategies to gather, evaluate
Students find and compare information from multiple sources, check whether each source is trustworthy, and pull the best details together into a clear picture of a topic they are researching.
- High School
Use critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them…
When students face a problem they can't solve right away, they break it into smaller pieces, look at their options, and keep working until they find a way through.
- High School
Model integrity, ethical leadership
Students practice honest decision-making and follow through on commitments at school, at work, and in the community. They lead by example and take responsibility when things go wrong.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Plan an education and career path aligned to personal goals, interests High School | Students map out the courses, training, and jobs they want to pursue after high school, weighing their interests against what schools and employers actually require. The plan connects where they are now to where they want to go. | NJ-CDOS.CRP10.9-12 |
| Use technology to enhance productivity, communication High School | Students learn to pick the right digital tool for the job, whether that means writing a report, sharing work with a team, or solving a problem. They also practice switching to new tools when better ones come along. | NJ-CDOS.CRP11.9-12 |
| Work productively in teams while using cultural and global competence to… High School | Working in a team means listening to people who think or live differently than you do. Students learn to get real work done with a group, even when teammates have different backgrounds, habits, or points of view. | NJ-CDOS.CRP12.9-12 |
| Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee, taking personal… High School | Students take personal responsibility for their actions at school, at work, and in the community. That means owning mistakes, following through on commitments, and understanding how their choices affect the people around them. | NJ-CDOS.CRP1.9-12 |
| Apply appropriate academic and technical skills learned through career and… High School | Students take skills from their classes, like math, writing, or lab work, and use them to solve real problems outside of school. This is the bridge between classroom learning and work that actually matters. | NJ-CDOS.CRP2.9-12 |
| Attend to personal health and financial well-being and make decisions that… High School | Students make choices about health and money that hold up over time, not just for the moment. That means weighing the tradeoffs in everyday decisions, from what to eat to how to spend or save. | NJ-CDOS.CRP3.9-12 |
| Communicate clearly, effectively High School | Students practice adjusting how they write, speak, and post online based on who they're talking to and why. A work email sounds different from a class presentation, which sounds different from a social media post. | NJ-CDOS.CRP4.9-12 |
| Consider the environmental, social High School | Before making a plan or building something, students think through how their choices affect the environment, the people around them, and the money involved. A good decision accounts for all three, not just the most obvious one. | NJ-CDOS.CRP5.9-12 |
| Demonstrate creativity and innovation by generating new ideas and approaches… High School | Students come up with original ideas and find new ways to use familiar tools to solve problems they haven't seen before. | NJ-CDOS.CRP6.9-12 |
| Employ valid and reliable research strategies to gather, evaluate High School | Students find and compare information from multiple sources, check whether each source is trustworthy, and pull the best details together into a clear picture of a topic they are researching. | NJ-CDOS.CRP7.9-12 |
| Use critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them… High School | When students face a problem they can't solve right away, they break it into smaller pieces, look at their options, and keep working until they find a way through. | NJ-CDOS.CRP8.9-12 |
| Model integrity, ethical leadership High School | Students practice honest decision-making and follow through on commitments at school, at work, and in the community. They lead by example and take responsibility when things go wrong. | NJ-CDOS.CRP9.9-12 |
Common Questions
What is this subject really about in high school?
Students learn the habits that hold up at a real job: showing up, working with people who think differently, communicating clearly, and managing money and time. It is less about picking one career and more about practicing the skills every career asks for.
How can I help my teenager think about life after high school?
Ask open questions about what they liked and disliked this week, and connect those answers to real jobs. A short conversation about a relative's work, a news story about an industry, or a quick look at pay and training for a job they mention goes a long way.
Does my teenager need to know what career they want by graduation?
No. Students are expected to have a plan, not a final answer. A plan can be a short list of fields they want to try, the classes or training that match, and one or two backup options if the first idea changes.
How should I sequence these practices across four years?
Front-load the basics in ninth and tenth grade: responsibility, communication, teamwork, and research habits. Save the heavier planning work, ethical decision-making, and financial decisions for eleventh and twelfth, when students have more context and more real choices in front of them.
Which practices usually need the most reteaching?
Clear written communication, evaluating sources, and persevering when a problem gets messy. Most students can describe these skills but struggle to use them under time pressure, so plan repeated low-stakes practice rather than one big project.
How can I help at home if my teenager hates group projects?
Treat it as a real workplace problem instead of a school complaint. Ask what each person was supposed to do, what actually happened, and what they could say next time. Naming the breakdown is the skill, not avoiding the group.
What does money and health have to do with a career class?
Students practice making decisions about budgeting, saving, sleep, and stress before the stakes get high. Talking about a paycheck stub, a phone bill, or a doctor's appointment at home gives students concrete examples to bring back to class.
How do I build in technology skills without turning every lesson into a tech lesson?
Pick two or three tools students will actually use after graduation, such as a shared document, a spreadsheet, and a presentation tool, and require them across assignments. The goal is fluency and judgment about which tool fits, not coverage of every new app.
How do I know a senior is ready for work or college?
A ready senior can hold a short professional conversation, write a clear email, work through a problem without giving up at the first wall, and explain a plan for the next two years with realistic costs and steps. If those four show up consistently, the rest tends to follow.