DearColleague,
T
exashasalwayspioneeredinnovativeprogramsthatimprovehowstudentslearnandwhatthey
achieve.Wehavesethighstandardsandexpectationsforeverystudent,andworkedhardtomakesure
schoolsareaccountableforresults.Webelievesignificanteducationaladvancementsoccurwhenwe
breakwithtraditionalwaysofthinking.
It’snowtimetotakethenextstepforwardinTexaseducation.Wearepleasedtointroducethisnew
initiativethatallowsallstudentstoachievesuccessbypreparingthemforsecondaryandpostsecondary
opportunities,careerpreparationandadvancement,meaningfulwork,andactivecitizenship.Thisinitiative
iscalledAchieveTexasanditcentersonestablishingcareerpathwaysystemsinallofourschools.Itisbased
onthebeliefthatthecurriculaofthe21stcenturyshouldcombinerigorousacademicswithrelevantcareer
education.
Careerpathwaysareawayofreorganizinglearningaroundclustersofstudythatwillpreparestudentsto
graduatereadytoworkinanevermorecompetitiveglobaleconomy.InTexas,wehaveadoptedtheU.S.
DepartmentofEducation’sCareerClusters.The16broadcareerclustersand81pathwayssupportthe
Governor'sIndustryClusterInitiative,whichidentifieshigh-growth/high-payingjobsinthe21st-century
Texaseconomy.Thecareerclustersofferaguidancetooldesignedtohelpstudentsplantheireducational
experiencebasedontheircareergoals,andprovideanorganizingtoolforredesigningschools,small
learningcommunities,academies,andmagnetschools.CareerPathwaymodelsrepresentarecommended
sequenceofcoursesbasedonastudent’spersonalinterestsandcareergoals.Theideaistoconnectwhat
studentslearninschooleverydaytowhattheyaspiretodotomorrow,thusincreasingengagementwith
schoolandmotivationtoachieve.
Thisbookletisyourguidetoimplementingapathwayssysteminyourlocalschools.Itintroducesthe
conceptofcareerpathwaysandclustersandoffersyoueightessentialstepstobuildingastrongsystem.At
thestatelevel,wearesupportingthiseffortbyaligningcurricula,standards,andprofessionaldevelopment.
TheEducationServiceCenterswillalsoplayarolebyofferingtechnicalassistanceasyouimplementcareer
pathwaysandclustersinyourschools.
TheTexasspiritistopioneernewideas.weinviteyoutojoinusinthejourneytowardmaking
AchieveTexasareality.Workingtogether,wecanalltakeeducationinTexastoanewlevelofexcellence.
Again,wehopeyouwillsupportourmissionofpreparingthechildrenofTexasforalifetimeofsuccess.
Lifelong Success for All Students
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