Grades 7-8

Middle School

Students explore and investigate Michigan’s 17 Career Clusters to discover which pathway and careers best align with their interests. Through embedded classroom lessons and activities, students start to develop an Educational Development Plan (EDP) and a Talent Portfolio. Career information and postsecondary education data are included within the planning process. During Career Exploration, course selections, investigation of multiple pathways, and refining of the EDP occurs.

The modules above create scaffolded learning opportunities that support academic rigor, knowledge and skill development, social emotional learning, and career exploration. Career Exploration activities are an integrated collection of assessments, skill sets, and experiences intended to define students’ areas of interest and are aligned with core academic, technical, and employability skills. The content in the following modules meet MCDM learning targets and suggested strategies and can be utilized to assist schools in developing a local career development model.

Adapted from the MCDM Definition of Career Exploration