South Fayette students to work on career development goals
Pennsylvania’s mandated District 339 Plan is making its way into the South Fayette School District, and for counselors like Justina and Michael Perrott, it’s an opportunity to get closer to the curriculum and the students.
Justina Perrott addressed the school board at its Nov. 15 meeting to discuss the plan, which brings focus to students’ individual career goals and shift their attention life after graduation.
The 339 Plan aims to get students thinking about post-graduate plans earlier, hoping that an understanding of what post-secondary training is necessary for their career will alleviate the strain on unfulfilled skilled trade jobs and the number of college graduates unable to find employment in their field.
“It changes the end game,” Michael Perrott said. “The end game is not just getting into a college, but really getting into a college that will prepare you for a career.”
To do this, South Fayette officials are analyzing their curriculum grade by grade as it relates to career development. Once the plan is in place, which the Perrotts hope will be by this spring, students starting in eighth grade will set career goals to be revisited every year. The counseling department will also be setting active, building-level goals to help students achieve post-graduate success. Finally, an advisory counsel of educators, students, parents, community members and post-secondary education representatives will be formed to guide the process, keeping the student in mind.
“We look at the 339 Plan as an opportunity to get better, to enhance,” Justina Perrott said.
Also during the meeting, the school board discussed a proposed school bus route for the new Hastings development. The plan is not finalized and no buses will enter the development until the majority of construction is complete, but the board was mostly satisfied with the proposed plan. Transportation Director Donna Harshman wants to make sure that the route remains in one loop and that future residents are aware that buses won’t be making the tight squeeze down cul-de-sacs.
The board also discussed conducting a trial run of Girls Who Code. The club, which aims to bring gender equity to computer sciences, would be brought to the intermediate, middle and high schools. Girls and boys interested in learning more about coding would work together to identify a problem in the community that could be solved with code.
“They may decide to design an app,” Innovation Coordinator Stephanie DeLuca explained to the board. “They may decide to design a website to raise awareness of the problem. It’s a really application-based program and it seems like a really exciting opportunity.”