My student still won’t pick a career. She is in 10th grade and sees herself as not being smart enough for college. she feels she isn’t ready.

To bring seniors to the level of graduation.

There are definite concerns with the number of seniors who are no longer on track to graduate. We started the year with only a few and that number has grown exponentially. We have found placement for some with credit recovery schools such as Citrus and Butterfield (lower credits required). Others have been put in multiple periods of credit recovery that is built into our schedule. Problem is, many of them are not doing the credit recovery work. The long‐term picture is the scariest. Underclassmen are falling behind at alarming rates, if we cannot get them back in person by the fall, we will need to consider lowering our grad credit requirement as a district.

I have limited experience with the graduation rate.

Students in their final year of high school are more disconnected due to a variety of factors. Many have taken on additional responsibilities at home like caring for siblings, or getting jobs. Beyond the opportunity and motivation to earn a high school diploma, up until now we have been unable to offer the usual incentives that keep seniors engaged, such as sports, dances, and senior activities like grad night. The hands‐on learning options kids have had, especially CTE, are also not widely available like before. The result of all these factors is that we have many students with poor grades who are falling behind on credits for graduation.

We are a wall‐to‐wall pathway which college and career is the expectation.

We struggle with career exposure. Kids who in a pathway get these opportunities. Those who are not, get nothing. We are trying to give kids who are not in pathways the same experience but it is very hard. The man‐power is not there. Our plan next year is to put them all in the pathway. It might not be popular, but we are going to try it. Pathways work.

.Our focus at the elementary level is on college and career readiness. Each year our school participates in the district wide College Day by dressing up in our favorite college swag or in the attire that depicts our future career. Before COVID, some of our teachers would schedule fieldtrips to local colleges as well. Faculty that remained on campus would create activities that educated students on different college and career opportunities. In addition, PIQE has been integral in providing college and career education to our families. The unfortunate part is that not very many families have participated in the past, so we are trying to brainstorm ways to make it more enticing to participate. In addition, the Pathways provide important experiences and information to our intermediate students.

The hands‐on aspect of CTE programs, along with opportunities for cross‐curricular integration, which both greatly enhance student engagement and support college and career readiness, have both been impacted during distance learning. With these options curtailed, some students have withdrawn from the Pathway, and even left the school, since the Pathway was what brought them to the school in the first place.

Provide support and intervention so we get students to the finish line.

My hope is that counseling, and being exposed to various career will make my daughter see the bigger picture.

We need to offer as much credit recovery as possible in our schedules and in summer school. It is preferable that as we move forward, these options are in person. These are kids who do not respond to large online classes. We need small groups with teachers who can motivate.

I believe parent and student education at a young age about college and career readiness would have a huge impact on graduation rates.

We have made many adjustments to support students so that they can stay on track for graduation. Teachers have modified their gradebooks, which had been set up at the beginning of the year under the assumption that students would have returned to in‐person instruction much sooner, in order to better reflect the kind of work being done now by students. Teachers have also been more flexible with due dates and the amount of work assigned. Students also have more credit recovery options using the online platform, Edgenuity, during the school day so that they can catch up on credits. Finally, school staff have been regularly communicating with students and parents to both encourage and to keep them updated about graduation status.

Make it relevant.

PUSD has the pathways to support college and career along with AVID. We need to maximize those two programs for all kids. We also would like to bring in more career focused support. Not all kids are going to college and there are great opportunities for careers and military that we need to start looking at. Our biggest barrier is not having a career consultant or someone who can help us make these connections. Networking would really help us.

A district program that teaches families about college and career readiness, starting in Kindergarten, where they can start the map to a college and/or career with their student with just basic building blocks to start. Example: 90% attendance rate and reading at home nightly could be the two goals the family works on together to begin their map, and then we add two more goals the next year and so on.

Praises were given towards PUSD’s Pathways at the Middle School level. Shared that she researched to find an aptitude test (as she called it) for her MS son so that they could make a decision about a Pathway.

One participant related graduation rates to attendance. Shared the topic of how to motivate students to attend school in the first list. Mentioned electives as a way to motivate students.

Deciding to graduate needs to be early.

Praised Pathways; indicated they were doing a great job. Shared that one size doesn’t fit all.

Target 9th graders so they know what the expectations are such as A through G requirements and the formula for being college‐ready.

Parents being proactive in helping their children choose a Pathway is beneficial. It shouldn’t be left to the student to turn in their application.

A student shared how some schools would offer Saturday school and how we need more support, especially with literacy.

It would be beneficial if teachers were better able to engage students.

A student commented on how Pathways offers student internships and real‐world experiences.

Pathway‐like opportunities & experiences should be offered to all students who are not in a Pathway.

A student talked about her experience being in an internship and how that lead to an internship outside of school.

A student discussed how Career Pathways give them a clear idea of what to do.

Several students commented on their positive experiences with internships.

One Pathways student said she liked the interviews with adults when they go around asking questioning to each student.

It is beneficial when counselors inform students about the classes they need in order to attend college. A parent shared that her daughter had been assigned a class that she didn’t really need. Her daughter asked her mom if she could go speak to the counselor because felt that the counselor would not listen to her and more to mom.

A parent praised Parent Square and said it was a great way to communicate.

A parent noted that their role’s responsibility to support their child with preparing them for college, and shared that they can’t just rely on the school.

A parent shared how her daughter had just come to the U.S. two years ago.

A parent was pleased about the Pathway choices offered and that her son was debating between two different pathways and chose PMA.

A parent talked about how some students choose to turn their cameras off. Noted how students are waking up two minutes before their Zoom starts, wearing their pajamas, not brushing their teeth. Said that students should take it as if they are actually attending school.

A parent shared her experiences being in school and how she had been involved in clubs, would go to see the counselors, and was doing good overall. Then she didn’t further her education because she didn’t know what to do after high school.

A parent concluded the discussion by asking if during this time of distance learning the district was offering any kind of support and workshops for parents like on the FAFSA.