Academic and Career Planning

ACP Field Trips - 2023-24 (in-person opportunities)

Don't put your career plans on hold! Designed for students in grades 10-12. View informational flyer.

Academic and Career Planning, or ACP, is a student-driven, adult-supported process in which students create and cultivate their own unique and information-based visions for post secondary success, obtained through self-exploration, career exploration, and the development of career management and planning skills.

What ACP Means for GBAPS:
Academic and Career Planning is a student’s journey to develop awareness of self through exploration and collaboration with parents, educators, and mentors, opening the doors to endless possibilities.

Why ACP?
Wisconsin public school districts are required to provide Academic and Career Planning services to all students in grades 6-12 beginning in the 2017-18 school year. It is a District priority to ensure each student has a personalized academic and career plan to prepare them for a post-secondary world.

Academic and career planning provides a platform for all students to develop an awareness of self as it relates to their interests, skills, and strengths. This awareness of self sets the foundation for ongoing exploration of in-demand career pathways and relevant educational opportunities.

Through ongoing and collaborative conversations with parents, educators, and community members, students will be empowered to develop an academic and career plan that documents and guides their journey through grades 6-12 and beyond.

As each student navigates through this process, they will be exposed to many different possibilities along with information and skills necessary to explore these possibilities.

District educators are trained to support students down whatever pathways they explore. The ACP process supports our state and District mission of equipping all students with the knowledge, skills, and habits to be college, career and community ready, inspired to succeed in our diverse world.

Implemented in 2017-18, this vision will be fully realized by the time the current sixth grade class graduates in 2022-23. Learn more about the long-range goals for 2022-23.

Four Stages of a Student’s Academic and Career Planning
The Department of Public Instruction has defined the four stages of Academic and Career Planning. GBAPS is ensuring that all students have the opportunity to explore each of the stages as it relates to their individual journey. Follow each of the links to discover what we are doing to support a student's career development in grades K-12.

Roles throughout ACP Process

ACP and Xello:

GBAPS will be utilizing Xello in grades 6-12 to help students gain awareness of self, explore postsecondary and career options, document their academic and career plans, and review and revise their plans, as needed. Students are able to sign into Xello through their launchpad once they sign into their Google accounts. All students own their own Xello account beginning in grade six through grade twelve and beyond. Xello allows students to travel through the four stages of academic and career planning while documenting and saving important aspects of their journey.

Student’s Role: Student’s own and control the direction of their ACP process. Students are ultimately responsible for completing the portfolio requirements within their ACP, and following through with the goals and directions they establish within their plan, all with the support from parents, educators, and mentors along the way.

Educator’s Role: Educators will help bring a student’s ACP to life through expanding and opening the doors of the classroom to the community and exposing students to careers and opportunities that enhance student learning across all content areas. Educators also play a mentor/advisory role in collaborating with students on their ACP progress annually.

Parent’s Role: Parents play an important and ongoing role in supporting students throughout his/her ACP journey. Parents have the opportunity to support their child in diving deeper into each of the four stages of ACP (Know-Explore-Plan-Go). A couple ways you can participate in the ACP process are through ongoing conversations with your child regarding their Xello portfolio activities and ACP progress, and participating in their child’s ACP conference in grades 8, 9, and 11. Stay tuned for more opportunities to participate in this process with your child in the 2017-2018 school-year, as we will ensure that you are informed, updated and invited to participate throughout your child’s ACP journey.

Business/Community Role: Business and community partners play an important role in collaborating with each other, with schools, and with students to ensure that all students have access to opportunities K-12 within the community, which support and enhance students ACPs. Businesses also plays a role in building awareness of the opportunities available within their organizations and supporting and growing the pathways that will help students gain the employability skills necessary to be successful in the workforce.