Academic and Career Planning (ACP) is intended to equip students and their families with the tools necessary to make informed choices about postsecondary education and training as it leads to careers.

School District of Janesville Strategic Plan

INSPIRE. EMPOWER. ACHIEVE.

When students attend the School District of Janesville, they gain access to an inspiring and empowering learning environment that encourages them to reach their highest potential. This means bridging educational gaps and transforming schools into exemplary spaces for teaching and learning. 

To drive this critical work, our mission, vision, and core values—outlined in our strategic plan—steer all key decisions and foster continuous improvement, ensuring that every student's journey is supported
and their potential fully unlocked.

SDJ Strategic Plan

Purpose & Contributors

ACP is intended to equip students and their families with the tools necessary to make more informed choices about postsecondary education and training as it leads to careers.

It is part of DPI's overall vision for every student to graduate high school college and career ready. That means students must be competent both socially and emotionally. We want our students to be strong critical thinkers,  collaborate and solve real-world problems, and persevere when things aren’t quite going their way. When put together, it’s about making them productive adults with satisfying careers

An ongoing process to actively engage students to:

• develop an understanding of his or her self
• create a vision of his or her future 
• develop individual goals
• prepare a personal plan for achieving the vision and goals

This is Student Driven & Ongoing

A product that documents and reflects students:

• coursework, learning and assessment results   DYNAMIC & FLEXIBLE
• post-secondary plans aligned to career goals & financial reality
• record of college and career readiness skills.

This is Dynamic & Flexible

Day After Graduation

The purpose of ACP services is to assist students with planning and preparation for opportunities after graduating from high school. These opportunities may include postsecondary education and training that leads to careers.

• Professional and Business Services 328,463
• Other Services (except Government) 154,250
• Financial Activities 156,232
• Government 170,713
• Construction 133,129
• Education and Health Services 697,547
• Leisure and Hospitality 283,992
• Manufacturing 482,173
• Self-Employed and Unpaid Family Workers; all jobs 166,492
• Trade; Transportation; and Utilities 560,145

Below is an analysis of the local, regional, and state labor market needs.

• Rock County 2025 Workforce & Economic Profile
• Economic Overview Q4 2025

In Xello, students learn about the education and training requirements for occupations that will fill these needs.

Rock County's Largest Industries 2025

• Manufacturing
• Government
• Wholesale Trade
• Constrution
• Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
• Management of Companies and Enterprises
• Finance and Insurance
• Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting
• Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
• Utilities
• Health Care and Social Assistance
• Accommodation and Food Services
• Retail Trade
• Transportation and Warehousing
• Other Service (except Public Administration)
• Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Educational Services
• Information
• Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
• Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction

Rock County Job Growth

Top Growing Industries:

• Transportation and Warehousing 1,000+
• Construction 600+
• Manufacturing 500+
• Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 200+
• Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting 100+
• Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 100+
• Utilities 50+
• Management of Companies and Enterprises 10+

Southwest Wisconsin Region Hottest Jobs Through 2032

• Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers up 6.61
• Maintenance and Repair Workers, General up 6.68
• Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts up 18.2
• First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers up 8.59
• General and Operations Managers up 7.91
• Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers up 13.63
• Management Analysts up 8.5
• Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists up 18.08
• Human Resources Specialist up 7.96
• Electricians up 11.24

Labor market data suggests that Education & Training, Trade, Transportation, & Utility, and Manufacturing are the fastest-growing Career Clusters in our area.

• Youth Options
• Dual-Credit Options
• Participate in CTSOs

Work-Based Learning Opportunities:

• Youth Apprenticeships
• State-Certified Co-ops
• Internships
• Mentorships
• Job Shadows
• Industry Tours

Computer & Technology and Healthcare & Support are the fastest-growing clusters in WI.

"Janesville has been identified as one of the top ten cities to live in Wisconsin," from jsonline.com

Economy in Rock County

• Lost cost of living (17% below the national average)
• Affordable homes
• Low unemployment (5.1%)

• Open House and orientation events
• ACP Conferences
• ACP Activities
• ACP Course Guide to inform 4-year plan
• Information on the district website
• Building websites and newsletters

Four stages to successful Academic and Career Planning (ACP)

• Who am I? : Get to  know your interests, skills, & strengths
• Where do I want to go? Explore career pathways and education opportunities
• How do I get there? Set your route! Set goals, choose courses, obtain financing, fill out applications, write resumes

Mission: Empower ALL students to travel the road to adulthood through education and training for careers!

Vision: Reimagining K -12 education to equip students with meaningful and supportive adult relationships and the ability to adapt to opportunities and challenges on their personalized journeys to successful lives.

4 Stages to Successful Academic Career Planning (ACP)

1. Know: Who am I? Get to know your interests, skills, & strengths
2. Explore: Where do I go? Explore career pathways and education opportunities
3. Plan: How do I get there? Set your route! Set goals, choose courses, join clubs & activities, obtain financing, fill out applications, write resumes
4. Go! Recalculate as needed.

• Xello Activities - Career & Education Exploration
• Develop a career portfolio
• Career Presentations
• Business/Industry Visits
• Explore Trades, Apprenticeships, and Military
• Pathway Exploration and Interviews

• Complete Xello Activities
• Complete a job search workshop
• Explore an apprenticeship program
• Practice completing job applications
• Practice and take the ACT
• Enroll in Personal Finance 
• Attend a college/training fair
• Attend a career/job fair
• Attend an interviewing skills workshop
• Complete and update your resume
• Take part in community service projects
• Participate in business/industry visits

What is ACP?

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

Why ACP?

Education for Employment was established in 1985 in response to growing concern about the number of youth who failed to make a successful transition from school to postsecondary education. s. 121.02 (1)(m), Wis. Stats., states that every school board shall provide access to an Education for Employment program. Chapter PI 26, the administrative rule for this program, was revised and became effective on July 1, 2004. On June 30, 2013, Wisconsin Statute 115.28(59) was enacted to require the implementation of academic and career planning (ACP) statewide, beginning in 2017-18, for pupils enrolled in grades 6 to 12 in a school district.

It was determined that, rather than creating a new rule addressing ACP, the current PI26 would be updated to include the required ACP components.

The ACP Model Know-Explore-Plan-Go aligns Wisconsin ACP required components with research-based recommendations for incorporating career development across K-12 to support self-exploration, career exploration, and career planning and management.

Self Awareness (KNOW)

• Periodic self-assessment of interests and strengths
• Reflection and goal-setting
• Financial knowledge & understanding of resources
• Academic courses & skill preparation
• Behavioral & employability skill preparation

Career Exploration(EXPLORE)

• Middle School career exploration activities and opportunities
• High School career exploration activities and opportunities
• World of work and labor market needs
• Understanding and comparing different postsecondary education & training Career Planning (PLAN)
• Planning skills
• The Middle School plan
• The High School plan Career Management (GO)
• Executing the plan
• Updating the plan with new information & artifacts
• Conferencing & mentoring
• Transitioning ACP Components

College- and career-ready standards are becoming more popular both at the national and state levels. The U.S. Department of Education says that “students need to be prepared to compete in a world that demands more than just basic skills” – skills that students can use to think critically, solve problems, and be successful in the real world – and that starts with establishing nationwide academic standards and assessments that states can easily follow and implement. According to the Department of Education, many states have begun developing their own standards aligned with national standards to ensure college and career readiness among their students.

In 2009, the Common Core State Standards Initiative was established in an effort to outline standards for what students should know at the end of each grade and to ensure students are equipped with the skills necessary to succeed in college, work, and life.. The standards were designed with college and career readiness in mind, emphasizing college and career expectations, higher-order thinking skills, and student success in the global economy and society.

DPI Academic & Career Panning (ACP)

Academic & Career Planning (ACP)

ACP is intended to equip students and their families with the tools necessary to make more informed choices about postsecondary education, training, and careers for life after high school. It is part of DPI's overall vision for every student to graduate high school academically, socially, emotionally, and life-ready.

Steps to Get Your Schools Started with ACP

• PLAN: ACP Guide, ACP plan-guiding questions
• DO: ACP components and infrastructure rubrics, ACP quality reports, CESA ACP coordinators
• STUDY: Continuous School Improvement Process, ACP data tools
• LEAD to ACT: Develop a school-wide culture of support for student transition to adulthood!

Academic and Career Planning (ACP) is a comprehensive process that engages families and our community to inspire, educate, and support each student in developing interests and creating his or her own plan. Starting in the 2017-18 school year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, through PI-26 legislation, requires all public school districts in the state to provide academic and career planning services to students in grades 6-12.

PI-26 legislation requires the implementation of Academic and Career Planning in all public schools in the State of Wisconsin, and each school district must provide evidence of this implementation.

This document defines how the School District of Janesville is implementing the ACP legislation and its guiding questions.

The School District of Janesville frequently partners with businesses and corporations as part of our Academic and Career Planning. We not only work with individual businesses to schedule job shadowing, internships, and site visits, but also with the community as a whole by planning job fairs, post-secondary site visits, and guest speakers. Working together with the Janesville community will help strengthen the school and the community as a whole.

Academic Readiness

• Relevant academics
• Connected sequence of courses
• College credit rigor

To best prepare students for successful college and career experiences, CTE needs to:

1. Be accessible to all students
2. Be aligned with the needs of the workforce
3. Be linked to real-life learning and career experiences

Career readiness includes such important topics as

• communication
• critical thinking
• emotional intelligence
• financial literacy
• time management
• stress management

If students can not think of an actual job that they may like to do, try answering some of the following questions:

• What world/community problem would you like to solve someday?
• What is interesting to you? What are your hobbies? Look at the skills and interests in these areas and how they could relate to possible future jobs.
• What are your favorite subjects in school? Could you see yourself doing something in that area in the future?
• What motivates you? What inspires you?

“College readiness” refers to the level of preparedness for academic work beyond high school.

This definition broadly encompasses all post-secondary education or training, including career certificates and two-year associate’s degrees through community colleges, as well as bachelor’s degrees from colleges and universities.

College readiness goes far beyond simply acquiring subject-matter knowledge. Learning skills and cognitive strategies are also important, according to University of Oregon professor David T. Conley, Ph.D., and author of College and Career Ready: Helping All Students Succeed beyond High School.

Conley says:

• Key cognitive strategies include: problem-solving, conducting research, interpreting results, speaking and listening, writing in a variety of genres, mathematical reasoning, precision, and accuracy. The ability to learn academic content / subject matter knowledge (whether in core school subjects like English, math, and science, or career-related information) requires cognitive skills. Therefore, Conley argues that cognitive skills are equally important as subject-matter knowledge.

• Key learning skills and techniques include: time management, study skills, note-taking, information retention, strategic reading, collaborative learning, goal setting, self-awareness, persistence, and student ownership of learning. The ease with which knowledge is acquired increases with strong learning skills and techniques.

Conley also stresses the importance of post-secondary aspirations and career awareness.

Academic preparation should align with career goals

• CTE student organizations
• Career-based learning
• Work-based learning
• Industry-recognized certifications

• Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and employability skills are intertwined.
• In the classroom, workplace, and out-of-school-time programs, through free-standing lessons, general teaching practices, integration of skill instruction, and guidance to adult stakeholders
• Career-based and work-based learning experiences

Xello is the electronic tool our district has chosen to support students in 6th through 12th grade with Academic and Career Planning (ACP). Students will utilize the software to build self-awareness, explore potential career choices, plan and schedule coursework, and determine next steps after high school. Xello is one of many tools SDJ will use to help our students create a personal, attainable post-secondary plan. Parents are encouraged to engage in conversations with their child about their academic and career plans as their child begins exploring options. To make it easier for parents to stay connected to Xello, you can log in through the parent portal to view your child’s account.

Students will utilize (login) Xello to engage in career-related exploration. Students will complete interest inventories, career research, set academic and personal goals and do reflections with the support of faculty and staff.

Students will be exposed to a variety of hands-on experiences to help them begin narrowing the focus of possible career options.

Questions about your child's ACP experiences? Having difficulty logging in? Contact your child's teacher or school counselor.

Edison Franklin Marshall Craig Parker

The skills gap refers to “a fundamental mismatch between the skills that employers rely upon in their employees, and the skills that job seekers possess,” according to the Brookings Institution. This gap makes it difficult for both individuals to find jobs and for employers to find skilled employees – employers are simply not interested in spending time and effort teaching employees the skills and knowledge they should bring to the job themselves. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, there are stark contrasts between how employers perceive students entering the job market and how students perceive themselves entering the workforce. For example, “employers often rate the proficiency of recent college graduates lower than do the students themselves,” suggesting that employers see a major skills gap where college students don’t.

The skills gap widens when schools fail to prioritize teaching students career readiness skills before they graduate. By incorporating career-readiness education into their curriculum, schools can help close this gap by teaching students real-world skills that prepare them to land jobs after school.

A career-readiness curriculum should cover a range of subjects and skills for the real world, including problem-solving, career exploration, career-readiness assessment, and other soft skills. In addition to these higher-order thinking skills, career readiness should include STEM, with a focus on critical math, science, and career concepts. Today, STEM skills are used across every industry, so all students benefit from learning them as part of their career-readiness education. That’s why it’s vital to incorporate both real-world and STEM skills into career readiness – that way, students are prepared to enter the workforce and can avoid getting stuck in the skills gap.

Career readiness as defined by Applied Educational Skills, is the process of preparing students of any age with the essential skills they need to find, acquire, maintain, and grow within a job.

Career readiness includes such important topics as

• communication
• critical thinking
• emotional intelligence
• financial literacy
• time management
• stress management

Preparing students for life after school also includes both in-class instruction and apprenticeships, internships, externships, and co-ops, which encourage students to put their newly acquired skills into practice and even pick up new real-world skills they can’t necessarily acquire in a classroom.

Career-readiness education is critical in schools because it prepares students for life after college as they begin their careers, equipping them with the skills to navigate the workforce. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, career readiness skills, or what they refer to as transferable or employability skills, “provide students with a competitive edge during interviews and internships for current and future careers” and “can differentiate a good employee from a great one.” These critical skills, which are often not prioritized in schools, give students the edge they need to land jobs.

Careers have been organized into 16 clusters based on common knowledge and similar skill requirements. Within each cluster there are pathways that break those careers down further into smaller groups.

Choosing a career path can feel like a daunting process at times and that is why it is important to consider what career clusters could be a good fit and explore on a broader scale first, sort of like testing the water before getting in.

Career clusters are a framework that allows us to examine areas of interest without having to choose a specific career right away. More information on Career Clusters and Pathways can also be found on the Career Outlook website.

The Career Clusters are:

• Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
• Architecture & Construction
• Arts, A/V Technology & Communications
• Business Management & Administration
• Education & Training
• Career Path for Future ECE Teachers
• Finance
• Government & Public Administration
• Health Science
• Hospitality & Tourism
• Human Services
• Information Technology
• Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security
• Manufacturing
• Marketing
• Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
• Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

KEY MESSAGES FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS

• College is for people like you.
• College is relevant to your career interests.
• College is attainable (academically and financially).
• College is fun and an opportunity to learn, try new things, and meet new people.
• You can start preparing for college now.

5th Grade UW - Whitewater College Visits

All 5th-grade students will take a college visit to UW-Whitewater at Rock County.

• Campus tour
• Hear from a professor
• Learn what types of jobs college graduates have and how the college will help them find one
• Career discussion with college students
• Campus Scavenger Hunt

• Career Exploration
• Self Assessment
• Budgeting
• ACP Reviews
• College and Career Research
• Community Service
• College and Career Reflections
• Pathway Development
• College and Industry Tours

Questions about your child's ACP experiences? Contact your child's teacher or school counselor.

Edison Franklin Marshall

• Complete Career Matchmaker
• Complete Learning Styles Inventory
• Save Careers in Xello
• Identify Hobbies and Interests
• Participate in ONE extracurricular activity
• Review Portfolio
• Write a reflection in journal
• Participate in career activities
• Attend a Career/Job Fair
• Complete Interest or Ability Testing
• Discuss Career Options with your Advisor/Counselor

• Complete Career Matchmaker
• Save Careers in Xello
• Identify Hobbies and Interests
• Participate in ONE extracurricular activity
• Identify Skills and Abilities
• Review Portfolio
• Write a reflection in a journal
• Participate in career activities
• Complete Interest or Ability Testing
• Discuss Career Options with your Advisor/Counselor

• Complete Career Matchmaker
• Complete My Skills
• Complete Learning Styles Inventory
• Save Three Careers (minimum) in Xello
• Select a Career
• Save Postsecondary Schools (ONE minimum)
• Identify Career and Life Goals
• Identify Hobbies and Interests
• Participate in TWO extracurricular activities
• Identify Skills and Abilities
• Review Portfolio
• Write a reflection in a journal
• Participate in career activities
• Attend a skill, career, or tech center
• Complete Interest or Ability Testing
• Discuss Career Options with your Advisor/Counselor

Advanced Placement and Honors courses are available in all academic areas for students who want a more challenging academic experience. The AP Program is a cooperative educational endeavor between high schools and colleges that offers college credit for college‐level courses taken while in high school. In most cases, colleges require students to earn a 3 or higher on the exam to receive credit for a comparable college course. Minimum scores vary by college and by program. Specific information is available on the AP Students webpage.

Payment: The high school student is responsible for the exam fee.

Transcripted Credit agreements allow high school students the opportunity to take actual Blackhawk Technical College courses at their local high schools. Classes offered for Transcripted Credit are free to students and taught by high school teachers certified by the Wisconsin Technical College System.

SDJ currently offers over 33 options to students. This is an important first step for students wanting to take college-level courses. Students should consider taking at least one of these courses before taking the next step in the Start College Now/Early College Credit Program.

Upon successful completion of the class, students receive an official BTC transcript recognized by all technical colleges in Wisconsin. Available courses are listed in the high school academic and career planning guide.

Payment: District is responsible.

Advanced Standing courses are equivalent to a BTC course and are taught by high school teachers. Classes offered for Advanced Standing credit are free of charge to the student and are taught in the local high school. Students who receive a "B" or better are awarded technical college credit only when they enroll in a program at BTC. Available courses are listed in the high school academic and career planning guide.

Payment: District is responsible.

Contact for more information: Students should contact their school counselor.

UW-WHITEWATER PARTNERS IN EDUCATION (PIE)

The PIE program allows high school students to earn college credit while still in high school. Qualified high school teachers lead a course with an approved university syllabus, allowing students to experience the pace, rigor, and expectations that they will find on a college campus. PIE course grades appear on a UW-Whitewater college transcript and are accepted as college credit at UW-Whitewater or transferred to any other accredited college or university.

Current course offerings are TC Advanced Computer Science AB, JAVA, and TC Math 143 Finite Mathematics.

Payment: High School Student is responsible for tuition. Tuition for the PIE courses is currently 1/3 of regular university tuition (currently $100.00 per credit). Students will be billed via Infinite Campus.

Contact for more information: Students should contact their school counselor.

Students must select one program, as they cannot be enrolled in both a Start College Now class and an Early College Credit Program class at the same time. In both cases, all application materials are due to Chris Maedke's office by the February 1st (summer), March 1st, and October 1st deadlines.

There are many reasons to encourage qualified high school students to apply for these programs; below are just a few advantages of college credit for high school students:

• Prepare for the rigor of college courses
• Acclimate to life on a campus
• Earn your degree sooner
• Save money on overall college expenses
• Discover programs
• Might help fulfill a student's high school graduation requirements

Students must select one program, as they cannot be enrolled in both a Start College Now class and an Early College Credit Program class at the same time. In both cases, all application materials are due to Chris Maedke's office by the February 1st (summer), March 1st, and October 1st deadlines.

START COLLEGE NOW

Students who want to take courses at Blackhawk Technical College must enroll in the program Start College Now. These rules will look most like the former Youth Options; however, this program only applies to the Wisconsin Technical Colleges. 

Deadlines (March 1st and October 1st)

• Only for students in grades 11 and 12.
• No summer courses are allowed for the technical college system.
• Payment: The district is responsible for tuition and books. Any additional supplies or materials are the students' responsibility.

Explore Blackhawk Technical College 

Potential Start College Now Courses
Below is a list of 30 courses that have been taken statewide through Start College Now over the
last two years. Please know this list is only a sampling of courses a student might take, and
students ARE NOT limited to these courses. In addition, please know that not all courses are offered
at all colleges. When considering what course to take, think about first courses in a program
and/or general education courses that is not offered at your high school.
In addition, please check with your local Technical College; many of them have a listing of
Potential course offerings on their website and will assist when making decisions

EARLY COLLEGE CREDIT PROGRAM, 9-12 GRADE STUDENTS EARLY COLLEGE CREDIT PROGRAM

The Early College Credit Program applies to any UW System institution, any Wisconsin Private College, and any tribal college in Wisconsin. This is now open to students in 9th-12th grades; however, they must meet the UW System admissions requirements to be eligible.

Deadlines (February 1st (summer), March 1st, and October 1st).

Current SDJ students must take advantage of SDJ courses before enrolling in UW courses. SDJ will not approve comparable courses.

Here’s what your student will need to apply to the program:

1. An undergraduate application for admission as a high school Early College Credit student
2. A completed UW System Early College Credit Form
3. High school transcript, which should include GPA, class rank, and standardized test scores

Payment: The district is responsible for tuition and books. Any additional supplies or materials are the students' responsibility.

• Explore UW-Whitewater 
• Explore UW-Whitewater at Rock County 

There are many reasons to encourage qualified high school students to apply for these programs; below are just a few advantages of college credit for high school students:

• Prepare for the rigor of college courses
• Acclimate to life on a campus
• Earn your degree sooner
• Save money on overall college expenses
• Discover programs
• Might help fulfill a student's high school graduation requirements