SmartFutures.org is an online career planning and career portfolio platform that many school districts and charter schools in Pennsylvania use to 1) meet the new requirements for Career Readiness Indicators that are part of the Future Ready PA Index, 2) integrate career education and social emotional learning curriculum to our students from grades K through grades 12, and 3) provide each student a personalize career plan and portfolio upon graduation.
Future Ready PA Index has prompted school districts and charter schools to meaningfully engage students to develop skills needed to become “Future Ready” workers in the 21st century. Districts purchase an annual subscription that assures all students are engaged in an ongoing process to develop a concrete and personalized plan for their future.
Background: Pennsylvania is the first state in the U.S. to provide a solid framework for career education benchmarks and mandate its delivery for all students throughout K-12. SmartFutures.org is a part of our district’s plan to satisfy the career readiness indicators within the Future Ready PA Index and to comply with federal accountability requirements. SmartFutures.org is directly aligned to Pennsylvania's Academic Standards for Career Education and Work, and the requirement to establish an online career plan and career portfolio. SmartFutures.org is portable. All work that students do travels with them should they leave the district and their plan and portfolio follows the student after graduation.
The SmartFutures.org Solution: Smart Futures has engaged with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to guide the development of SmartFutures.org, an online career planning and portfolio platform built specifically to help schools fully implement the Future Ready PA Index benchmarks into their classrooms. Unlike other off-the-shelf solutions, SmartFutures.org uses the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Career Education and Work as its curriculum blueprint.
How Parents Can Help: Ask your student(s) to login to SmartFutures.org and show you their completed work and progress towards their plan and portfolio. Check out completed activities within each of the 4 grade bands: K-3, 4-5, 6-8 and 9-12. You will see interesting insights about “Who Am I” as well as “I CAN” statements that summarize the ways your student is being empowered by Future Ready PA. Review the career plan which documents the students’ interests in careers, career clusters, programs and majors and post-secondary schools and colleges. And help to expose them to career pathway experiences that they can document in their career portfolio.
