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Kuder System Fall Enhancements

NCASI continues to improve the Kuder system each year. Check out what's new for 2006-2007.

Making it Easier:
Introducing DYF Online

A new version of Develop Your Future is coming. DYF Online will retain the core features and content of the hard-copy version, but improve ease-of-use in a practical electronic version.

Expanding Our Visions

Learn from world-renowned career development practitioner, Dr. JoAnn Harris-Bowlsbey, about the new expanded career exploration, planning, and development system.

It’s How You Get There!

Read about the successful use of the Kuder system at NorthWest Arkansas Community College.

Updating the Person
Match Pool

Person Match has proven to be a key component to the Kuder Career Planning System. We will need your help updating the Person Match Pool.

Quick News...

ETA announces available online Career Development Facilitator classes.

Learn about new online training opportunities.

iPods, iPods, iPods: The Harrington Foundation continues contest to win a free iPod Nano.

Learn how the Harrington Foundation awarded 26 students with nearly $10,000 in scholarships.

Mark your calendars! See what conferences we will be attending this fall.
Kuder System Fall Enhancements

The new school year brings many changes; the excitement of new classes and meeting new people, the start of football games, cooler weather, and of course, new features and enhancements to the Kuder Career Planning System and all systems powered by Kuder.

The staff at National Career Assessment Services (NCASI) is excited to announce the many changes to the KCPS for fall 2006.

Education Planner
The Education Planner has many added features for the 2006 school year. Now, administrators have the ability to develop an Education Plan template, dividing courses by content area and grade. These features will allow administrators to better organize course templates. Additionally, student users can better manage their education plan by selecting courses according to grade level and subject area.

Time spent exploring the possibilities and setting up a personalized system can greatly benefit and enrich the Education Planner tool for the classroom and your use.

Occupation Exploration
Opening the Occupation Exploration page, users will now see a rotating set of career-specific photos and a new layout of information. With a more thematically-organized page, users begin with the new Occupation “Overview” and can click on “About,” “Characteristics,” “Education,” and “Income” icons to learn about career specifics.

Additionally, within each iconed area, more information on related careers, trends in education, skills and interest breakdown, and additional resources for exploration are now available.

After users have explored their career areas, they can search for employment in their region or across the U.S. with America’s Job Bank. They can also view possible employers and actual job descriptions.

Job Interview Planning
This new feature will help users plan and prepare for professional job interviews. Modeled off of the curriculum in the Take Hold of Your Future guide, this page offers many resources, from interview objectives to interview follow up. The Job Interview Planning also lists common questions asked in interviews, good questions to have prepared for interviews, and the typical stages of interviews.

For individuals at any stage of the job-seeking process, this new tool is very beneficial in aiding with preparation for a successful interview.

Training, News, and Events
NCASI wants to keep you updated on the latest in training and news. With a link on every portal page, users can quickly check on upcoming trainings and conferences in their area, as well as news releases or announcements from NCASI.

Spell Check
After NCASI fielded many requests for a spell check feature, it was a must-have for the 2006 school year. Also added on the administrative side, users can now use the spell check in the resumè builder section, note taker area, and for administrative use when posting messages. This tool will greatly improve the professionalism and content to any piece of writing.

Format and Look
As expectations for engaging visual graphics increases, so has the look for the KCPS. We are excited to bring you updated graphics, colors, and photographs to better enhance your experience.

Post a Message
Previously, once a message was sent or posted through the KCPS, it could not be recalled or edited. Now, with updated technology, we are happy to offer this feature. If a date needs to be changed, or a message recalled, it only takes a few clicks and the modifications are made.

Military Occupation Search
As students consider more and more postsecondary options, it is important that the KCPS offer exploration into different areas, including the military.

Now, by checking the “Include Military Careers” option during the occupation search phase, users can see all the results, separated by military and civilian careers. While the student is not directed to a military site, information on how a specific job is used within the military is given, including physical demands, growth, and provided training.

Kuder Skills Assessment – College and Adult
Use for the KCPS continues to rise, and NCASI finds it important to serve all markets, including those of college students and adults looking to get their future on the right track.

New for 2006, we are happy to now offer the Kuder Skills Assessment – College and Adult. Here, assessment questions and results are more streamlined to the needs and expectations of this age group. After research, NCASI also feels confident in its ability to provide more reliable and valid results to users in this market.

Overall for 2006, NCASI has improved the validity and norming of all the KCPS assessments. To keep up with modern technology and trends, NCASI has also updated some assessments items to meet the needs of all customers.

Super’s Work Values Inventory
Similar to the Person Match component of the Kuder assessments, the Super’s Work Values Inventory Report gives users a list of people with work values similar to their own, based on the scoring system. Work environment, supervision, challenge, and income are just a few of the values the Super’s Work Values Inventory evaluates.

Another feature is the O*Net link on the work values inventory report. Once clicked on, a list of occupations with the user’s work values is returned, sorted by education level.

These tools can be very valuable to users, as it allows them to more accurately match occupations with desired work values and provides additional information on job environment.

Occupation Search
The Occupation Search tool allows a key word, phrase, or Holland code to be typed in and results will be immediately returned. With the added enhancements, it is now easier to find the desired occupation users are looking for, according to Holland codes or Career Cluster orientation.

To learn more about the enhancements and how to use the improved tools and resources, sign up for a student portfolio or administrative database Live Webcast Training Session online. Visit www.kuder.com or your college- or state-specific portal page and click on Training-News-Events to register for a session.

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Making it Easier: Introducing DYF Online

The staff at National Career Assessment Services, Inc. (NCASI) strives to provide its customers with the latest in career development and planning for use among students and clients.

That’s why we are proud to announce the arrival of Develop Your Future® Online. The curriculum series will be available in a downloadable PDF version. It’s a new, easy way to implement the DYF components into everyday classroom planning.

The core features and content of the DYF manuals remain the same. Instructors can still expect to gain a comprehensive lesson plan in each module, but now in an easy-to-use electronic version. Developed by JoAnn Harris-Bowlsbey, Ed.D, and Nancy S. Perry, MSEd, this curriculum takes the tools of the Kuder Career Planning System (KCPS) and implements them into the hands of the students through mini-lectures, discussion questions, classroom activities, and engaging homework activities.

Career Orientation Teacher Ann Hudson at Byrant Middle School in Arkansas uses the DYF manual on a regular basis in her classrooms. “There are a variety of activities for students to do and these activities are real situations for the kids. This program simulates adults decisions, but in a safe environment and with guidance. That’s why I use it. We just love it.”

Currently, two hardcopy versions are available. Develop Your Future I, for students in middle school and junior high school, contains nine modules touching on the most important aspects of career development. Develop Your Future II, for high school students, probes deeper into the options and thought process for future planning. These manuals allow many areas of KCPS to be discussed in concise lessons – a plus for any busy educator.

Adel-Desoto-Minburn Middle School Counselor and Dean Kim Timmerman is a fan of the quick planning tools and structure of the DYF teaching aid. “ADM Middle School utilizes the Develop Your Future text for our extensive Career Planning unit that I do with all the 7th grade students. I have found it to be extremely helpful and saves me so much time in prep time! I like how it is set up in modules and the organization of the entire text. I would recommend it to anyone that does Career Planning at their school!”

The DYF manual adheres to the standards of the Kuder system. Whether DYF is used once a day or once a month, it is always consistent with the online assessment pieces. Students will find the classroom reinforcement to be a further continuation and practical application of their personal findings with the KCPS.

With the electronic version, updates will be done annually, building in all features NCASI adds during the summer months. This component greatly enhances the content educators and career professionals will be able to provide. The latest in research, methods, and KCPS applications continue to grow and evolve. With the purchase of the electronic version, all users can benefit from this.

For more information on bringing the DYF I or II to your school (and on your computer), please contact Inside Sales Manager Kerry Sullivan at (800) 314-8972 or e-mail info@ncasi.com. Don’t wait another day to introduce this great KCPS component into your classroom!

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Expanding Our Visions

JoAnn Harris-Bowlsbey, Ed.D.
Visions Unlimited, Inc. Executive Vice President
of Development
NCASI Senior Advisor

The Kuder Career Planning System is used daily by thousands of students and has been adopted for statewide use by several states including Arkansas, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. From this experience we have heard many accolades and suggestions for additional system content. These requests include a desire for use of additional assessment instruments; a need to foster career exploration in a way that fits more precisely with the state career development model; and addition of content for other populations such as parents, younger students, adults, workforce development professionals, and employers.

In 2005, National Career Assessment Services, Inc. (NCASI) decided to form a sister company, named Visions Unlimited, Inc. (Visions) The mission of this company remains the same as that of NCASI. However, its goals and capabilities differ. Among its primary goals are these three:

  • To provide a platform on which various state and private agencies may collaborate in funding, developing, and delivering a comprehensive career development and planning system

  • Through this platform (or portal), to serve all citizens in the state – students and adults – without direct fee to those individuals or the organizations with which they may be associated

  • To conceptualize, design, and implement custom-made content as desired by the collaborative entities

In order to achieve these goals, experienced staff has been hired for Visions with extensive career development, technical, marketing, and training expertise.Visions has developed a process for achieving these goals in collaboration with a given state. The steps of this process, after initial interest by a state agency, include the following:

  • Formation of a small, decision-making task force comprised of representatives of the agencies and organizations that wish to collaborate

  • Meetings, typically three or four, of this task force with senior Visions staff to identify the audiences and conceptualize the content of the proposed web site

  • Development of a concept paper and a system mock-up

  • Technical implementation of the proposed system

  • Selection of pilot sites and training of appropriate staff

  • A monitored pilot test of the system with representative target audiences

  • Revision of the system as a result of feedback from the pilot

  • Development of training materials and a plan for marketing

  • Statewide system release for use from any venue with Internet

Visions is currently developing such sites for three states – Nebraska, Missouri, and South Carolina. The Nebraska system, named Nebraska Career Connections, was released for statewide student, parent, and counselor-administrator use on September 1st. This part of the system offers extensive guidance for students including assessment, career exploration, occupational information, development of personal learning plans, search for postsecondary majors and schools, search for scholarships, instruction about resumé writing, and search for jobs. The entire system is built around the concepts of the Nebraska Career Education Model, which promotes career exploration around sixteen industry-based clusters (such as Health Services, Education and Training, Human Services, Transportation and Logistics, etc.) and career specialties within each of these. This model offers one consistent way for students, parents and other adults, administrators, counselors, and employers to view the world of work. It also offers a structure for organizing secondary and postsecondary curricular offerings in a way that has direct linkage to employment.

Additional content and capabilities, designed specifically for use by the Nebraska Workforce Development staff and clients will be piloted this fall and released in 2007 for use by the general adult public. This part of the system offers assessment (of work-related interests, skills, and values), and electronic application for services to adults prior to their face-to-face visit with a counselor in a career center. The system also allows users to search the Nebraska job bank (the online Nebraska JobLink) to find job listings that relate to their assessment results.

With the Missouri task force, Visions staff is developing Missouri Connections, a comprehensive site for students and adults wishing to make career changes. The student system will be piloted this fall and delivered statewide in early 2007. The part of the site developed for adults who are considering a career change is also slated for implementation and pilot testing in late fall. Though many features of this system are like those in Nebraska Career Connections, the exploration of careers by middle school students and secondary students is innovative because of its game-like approach.

With the South Carolina task force, Visions staff is developing Palmetto Pathways. Similar in much of its content to other systems, it features the Individual Graduation Plan, which is developed within the context of district-specific career cluster four-year plans. This system implements many of the requirements legislated by the Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA), which requires that schools organize their curricula around the federal cluster system and that all students develop an Individual Graduation Plan supported by counselors and parents.

All systems feature a broad array of assessment, extensive educational and occupational information, and a user lifelong career portfolio. A fully-featured Database Management System allows authorized persons to identify students with specific interests in order to provide curricular offerings, in-school activities, and extended learning activities that support their career plans. All sites are hosted by Visions, which also provides customer support, training, and assistance with marketing of the systems.

For more information regarding the Visions Systems, contact Angie Overton, Vice President of Customer Relations at 877.847.4667 or overtona@visions-unltd.com.

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Best Practice: It's How You Get There!

Nina M. Soricelli, M.A., NCC
Director of Career Services
NorthWest Arkansas Community College

At NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) in Bentonville, Arkansas, students are receiving the career guidance that many of them desire with the Arkansas College and Career Planning System, powered by Kuder. Nina Soricelli is the director of career services and Eric Vest is an academic and career advisor for the college, and when students approach them needing career assistance, they can’t wait to introduce students to the Kuder system.

In addition to working with currently enrolled NWACC students, Nina serves as the Kuder main contact for 46 other local schools that include middle, junior, and senior high schools, private schools, and one other postsecondary technical school. “I have to give the credit to some of our schools. In Arkansas, the public school system requires all 8th grade students to enroll in a Career Orientation course where the majority of the students are introduced to the Kuder system. And, by the time our local students are ready to enter college as freshman, many of them are very familiar with the system,” Nina says.

While many local students who enroll in NWACC as freshman are acclimated to the Kuder system, some are not. “As career counselors and advisors, I feel that it is our job to promote this service to our students, and let them know that there are resources like the Kuder system to assist with career decision-making,” says Eric.

As for working with currently enrolled NWACC students, Eric and Nina meet with students individually and in groups. The Career Services office is housed in the Learner Development Center, commonly known to students as the Advising Center. Because both Eric and Nina provide academic advising to students, finding those students who are undecided in their career and educational choices isn’t difficult. According to Eric, “we realize that not all of the undecided students find their way to Career Services, so we try to find our way to them.”

One way that has proven successful for Nina and Eric is to spend two class periods with students enrolled in the Successful First Year Student course. This course is available for all students and provides them with a “crash course” in what it takes to be successful in college. Topics covered in the course are time management, study skills, a career component, and related issues. “That’s where we come in,” Nina says. “When Eric and I visit the Successful First Year Student classes, we hand each student a login instructions sheet and with each student at a computer, we walk them through the Kuder system registration process. If we have time, we let them start an assessment and answer any questions that may arise.”

Students are typically given a week to two weeks to finish the assessments, research occupations, and print their results. In addition, students are given an educational/career plan packet to be used as a supplemental activity with their results. They fill out the plan packet after they have completed all of the assessments, but before the second session begins. “The idea behind the educational/career plan packet is to encourage students to at least begin to formulate some career choices by writing them down. For some, writing out their goals and seeing them on paper can be a very powerful technique,” Nina said.

Regarding the second session, Nina goes on to say, “The second session is always the fun one! Eric and I first give students an overall interpretation of the results, such as what’s the difference between an interest and skills inventory. After that, we ask the students to get into small groups to discuss their results with each other. Finally, after 10 minutes or so of group work, we talk about the results as a class.”

The Kuder system classroom sessions tend to result in one of two scenarios: students generally feel better and more secure in their career choices that they are “on the right path,” or students tend to become more intrigued by the career decision-making process and choose to frequent Career Services for individual counseling and advising. Eric says, “No matter which way it impacts students, we find that most of the students we work with using the Kuder assessments are nonetheless impacted, enlightened, and changed by their results in some way or another.”

Eric and Nina continue to utilize the Kuder assessments nearly everyday. “We’re always learning new things from our different experiences,” says Nina. Eric and Nina find helping students is the most satisfying part of their job. “Working with these students and helping them discover who they are makes us feel good about what we do,” says Nina.

Both Eric and Nina believe that the Arkansas College and Career Planning System, powered by Kuder, allows them to provide the resources necessary for students to succeed! Remember, Kuder…it’s how you get there!

We Want to Hear From You
Submit your comments, article ideas, and best practices by e-mail to news@ncasi.com. Selected best practices submissions are awarded $50!

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Updating the Person Match Pool

As part of the Kuder Career Search with Person Match, users can view career profiles from people with similar interests. This allows users to read up on an occupation and gain an insight as to what a normal day entails, how the person got their job, and what they like and dislike about it. Person Match has proven to be a key component to the Kuder Career Planning System.

As we continue to develop and enhance the Kuder system, we are updating our Person Match inventory. If you know someone who finds their career to be personally fulfilling, we want to know them, too.

Watch for more information on how you can earn extra dollars and help us with the Person Match Pool.

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Quick News...

Online CDF Classes Now Available

Announcing the availability of online Career Development Facilitator (CDF) classes from Educational Training Associates, Inc. (ETA), sister company to NCASI. Participants complete the 20-week online course at home and are only required to attend one three-day face-to-face (FTF) session.

Upcoming Classes:

  • Course dates: 10/10/06 to 2/27/07; FTF session 12/1-3/06 in Columbia, South Carolina

  • Course dates: 10/17/06 to 03/06/07; FTF session 12/8-10/06 in Nashville, Tennessee

  • Course dates: 11/14/06 to 4/3/07; FTF session 1/5-7/07 in St. Louis, Missouri area

  • Course dates: 12/05/06 to 4/24/07; FTF session 1/26-28/07 in Columbus, Ohio

  • Course dates: 01/02/07 to 05/22/07; FTF session 2/23-25/07 in Houston, Texas

Check out the Course Catalog for more dates and locations, get more information on CDFs, and sign up today at www.etainc.com.

More Online Trainings Available

Please visit our new event calendar by clicking on Training-News-Events from www.kuder.com or any state- or college-specific portal page. Register for an upcoming online training sessions and read about conferences we will attend. We encourage you to visit this area regularly or add this site to your RSS news reader because information is being added and updated frequently.

Another Year, More Chances to Win an iPod!

Last year, we had such a great response to the iPod drawings with over 10,000 individuals registering to win an iPod, the Harrington Foundation will continue the drawing this year!

A winner will be chosen each month during the academic year beginning with September. To register to win an iPod Nano, students will need to set up a free Kuder account at www.kuder.com or their state- or college-specific portal page. If they already have an account, they can simply log into their Kuder Career Portfolio and click on the iPod image (seen above).

Foundation Selects Scholarship Recipients

In June, The Harrington Foundation announced the recipients of the 2005-2006 Harrington Foundation Scholarships. The Foundation awarded nearly $10,000 to 26 students from across the United States. For a complete list of the recipients, visit www.theharringtonfoundation.org.

The Foundation will offer the scholarship again this year. Continue to check the web site for more information at www.theharringtonfoundation.org.

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Look for Us at These Upcoming Conferences

September

  • Sept. 13-15: South Carolina Association Assistant Principals Conference, Greenville, SC

  • Sept. 19-20: Forum for Excellence, Springfield, IL

  • Sept. 24-26: Superintendents Study Council, Gaitlinburg, TN

  • Sept. 28: Gulf Coast Tech Prep Regional Conference, Houston, TX

  • Sept. 28-29: Nebraska Counseling Association Fall Conference, Omaha, NE

October

  • Oct. 5-6: Ohio Appalachian Center for Higher Education/West Virginia Access Center for Higher Education Conference, Zanesville, OH

  • Oct. 15-17: Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges Fall Conference, Hot Springs, AR

  • Oct. 18-20: Tennessee Education Leadership (LEAD) Conference, Nashville, TN

  • Oct. 19-20: National Indian Education Association Conference, Anchorage, AK

  • Oct. 21-24: National Council for Workforce Education Conference, Albuquerque, NM

  • Oct. 22-25: Conference on Information Technology, Charlotte, NC

  • Oct. 25-26: Career Guidance, Exploration, and Prep Conference, Hot Springs, AR

November

  • Nov. 1-3: All Ohio Counselor’s Conference, Columbus, OH

  • Nov. 1-4: National Tech Prep Network Conference, Dallas, TX

  • Nov. 2-4: National Middle School Association Conference, Nashville, TN

  • Nov. 4: South Carolina Independent School Association State Teacher’s Conference, Columbia, SC

  • Nov. 5-6: Tennessee Association of Independent Schools State Biennial Conference, Memphis, TN

  • Nov. 5-7: Missouri School Counselor Association Conference, Osage Beach, MO

  • Nov. 11-14: National Career Academy Coalition, San Francisco, CA

  • Nov. 12-14: Building Bridges Conference, Osage Beach, MO

  • Nov. 15-16: National Academy Career Coalition, Rancho Mirage, CA

  • Nov. 15-17: Virginia Counselors Association Conference, Williamsburg, VA

  • Nov. 16-17: Arkansas College Personnel Association Conference, North Little Rock, AR

  • Nov. 30 - Dec. 1: Association for Career and Technical Education Conference, Atlanta, GA

Learn more about these conferences from our Conferences and Conventions Calendar in the new Training, News, and Events area.

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Kuder User News is published by National Career Assessment Services, Inc.
www.ncasi.com • 800.314.8972 • support@ncasi.com
Editor: Dr. Donald G. Zytowski, Director of Research
Writer/Designer: Bethney Larson, Director of Communications
Writer: Laura Dillavou, Communications Coordinator

Kuder® is a registered trademark of National Career Assessment Services, Inc.