To help communities enhance their work-based learning programs and ensure equitable access for schools with varying capacities, EdSystems is releasing the new “Scaling Work-Based Learning: Quality Criteria for Continuous Improvement and Equity” resource.
With generous support from the Walton Family Foundation, EdSystems assembled a diverse statewide advisory group to create criteria for districts to improve their professional learning offerings in line with the College and Career Pathways Endorsement. The document is now final after several months of development from October 2023 to April 2024 and a month-long public comment period in May 2024.
The advisory committee provided varied perspectives to develop criteria, resources, and equity considerations across the work-based learning continuum, resulting in a high-quality criteria document covering career awareness, career exploration, team-based challenges, career development experiences, and work-based learning systems and processes. Equity insights and student “I can” statements from EdSystems youth apprentice Emily Won were also incorporated.
The criteria provided are best practices to advance work-based learning programs equitably, not mandatory requirements. Practitioners should tailor the criteria to their unique school populations, external partners, and environments. The work-based learning quality criteria complement the new quality criteria for college and career pathways.
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Read more about our process for engaging the advisory committee and hear highlights from committee members at an I-WIN session.
