The Texas OnCourse Educator Blog

One of the biggest hurdles middle school students face before entering ninth grade is planning their courses for high school. Once a student enters high school, they have the opportunity to revisit their course plans, explore work-based learning options, and take courses for college credit.

To graduate high school, Texas students are required to complete 22 credits as part of the Foundation High School Program. Students can customize their high school experience by completing additional requirements and graduating with an endorsement, the Distinguished Level of Achievement, and performance acknowledgments. It’s really important that students understand their options based on their future goals. For example, the Distinguished Level of Achievement is mandatory for students to be eligible for Texas’ Top Ten Percent program.

Texas students face a competitive and ever-evolving job market. Understanding their course options and putting together a strong graduation plan helps ensure that students will graduate from high school with the resources and knowledge they need to succeed in college or their chosen career. 

This article outlines the basics of academic planning for educators. For more in-depth information, including resources, handouts, and tips for implementing this information in the classroom, check out the Academic Planning badge in the Texas OnCourse Academy.

From the time students are young, we ask them what they want to be when they grow up. Preparing students for a successful postsecondary career is the focus of much of K-12 education. In this article, we’ll cover:

Many of our students have special advising needs. Sometimes these needs are unique or rare. Sometimes they present barriers to educational achievement. Perhaps you have a student who has moved around a lot due to migrant work or a connection to the military. Maybe one of your students is eligible for an athletic scholarship and it’s been a while since you advised a student-athlete. You likely have students with disabilities, who are experiencing homelessness, who are in foster care, or who are undocumented.

Later this summer, we will release a new edition of the Texas OnCourse College and Career Curriculum. In this webinar, we provide a preview of the curriculum changes. We also discuss ideas from school districts on the best ways to engage students on college and career planning in middle school.

Taking a holistic look at our Texas school districts to determine how we can influence college, career, and military readiness (CCMR) is more important this school year than ever. During this professional development webinar, we show how districts around Texas are improving CCMR using Texas OnCourse. In this webinar, you’ll:

The process of selecting a best-fit career assessment can be overwhelming for an educator. There are so many to choose from! Read on to find out how to choose the best assessment for your students. For more info on career assessments, be sure to visit the Texas OnCourse Academy.

A career paths quiz, or career assessment, is a tool designed to help individuals understand how personal attributes impact their potential success and satisfaction with different career options and work environments. Assessments are used to help individuals make more informed career decisions. They are often used by individuals and organizations such as universities, career counselors, outplacement companies, corporate human resources, executive coaches, and vocational rehabilitation counselors.

In Texas, career clusters are organized into related groups to allow students to select complementary endorsements through the Foundation High School Program. Once students determine the cluster that supports their career goals and pathway, the endorsement they will earn becomes clearer. Students can determine the career cluster for them by first exploring clusters and then taking a career cluster quiz or completing an assessment or activity.

In today's economy, students have to show strong skills to enter the workforce. This is especially true in the United States, where industries are growing faster but creating far fewer jobs. Students need to be ready for the increasingly competitive job market. 

Today's high school graduates face a much different economy than graduates in the past did. For example, students now face increased job competition, different skill requirements, and retirement uncertainty.