The Career and Academic Assessment Center is responsible for administering the Career and Academic Profile (CAP) to all students, which includes a career assessment (Vita Navis) and placing students into transfer English and math courses; supporting Career Counseling; developing and managing a Career Studio and coordinating the enforcement of the District's prerequisites. The mission is to support career literacy by providing career exploration services to Butte College students through high quality counseling, consultation, and lasting partnerships.
The Center will administer the Career and Academic Profile to over 5,000 students at area high schools, Chico and Glenn County Centers and in an online environment. The Career and Academic Assessment Center has merged with the Career Counseling program to develop services to assist students with identifying a career and academic program, and provide career assessment and counseling services. We assist students in achieving successful outcomes by: a) connecting students' interests, values, skills and personality with the world of work; b) aiding the development of students' interest by exploring various majors and careers; c) listening and helping with personal concerns that relate to career decisions; and d) informing students about Butte College's career assistance services.
Build enclosed office space for Career Counselor
An enlcosed office was built in SAS 110 to merge Career Counseling with the Career and Academic Assessment Center. The office was remodelled in January 2020 and the Career Counselor moved in in early January. The benefit will be to develop career exploration services for targeted student groups on and off campus and to develop a Career Studio.
Operating Budget
The operating budget is necessary to puchase supplies to operate the Career and Academic Assessment Center and Regional Testing Center.
Student Assistants
Student assistants provide most customer service to phone and walk-in contacts. Student assistants provide support to the pre-enrollment process inlcuding assisting students with completing the Career and Academic Profile (CAP) tool and registering for classes. Student workers also provide support to the enforcement of the District's prerequisite process, administer tests in the Regional Testing Center, schedule students for appointments and provide clerical support to the program.
Vita Navis (Super Strong) Career Assessment & Exploration Platform - SEAPAC
Over 4,500 users as of Fall 2019
Cost savings for students enrolled in FYE courses
Used in various on and off campus workshops, including Reg2Go high schools
Reg2Go Seasonal Support
Seasonal proctors are used during Reg2Go to support the Career and Academic Profile Workshops at 40 local high schools. Seasonal proctors are used to support these processes during February, March and April.
The SLO for this cycle is "All students who take the Basic Skills Assessment (BSA) will understand the purpose of the Assessment". With the implementation of AB 705 for fall 2019, the intervention strategy was to develop an online Career and Academic Profile (CAP) tool for all students to complete for placement into transfer-level English and math courses. The CAP tool replaces the Basic Skills Assessment (BSA) process.
The CAP tool, developed in fall 2018 - spring 2019, is an online tool that requires all students to update their academic program and educational goal, self-report college and/or high school gpa and grades in English and math courses. After completing the online CAP tool, students recieve a Career and Academic Profile, which summarizes their self-reported information and highlights the appropriate transfer-level English and math courses based on their selected academic program and goal.
The CAP tool was implemented in March 2019 to all new students applying for fall 2019. Students can complete the CAP tool online or in a workshop environment along with a career interest assessment (Vita Navis). The primary goals of this intervention were to ensure that all students are placed into transfer level English and math, are informed about supports to help them succeed, and to communicate the appropriate math course selection for their academic pathway.
The Career and Academic Assessment Center provides direct and indirect support to the District with meeting it's standards and goals. The Center collaborates with English and math faculty, IT, Counseling and Institutional Research in the ongoing implementation of AB 705 to improve the success rates in "basic skills" classes. In spring 2019, the Career and Academic Profile (CAP) tool was developed to place all students into transfer-level English and math courses and message students about appropriate supports to help them succeed. Research has indicated that completion of transfer-level English and math is a primary contributer towards overall degree, certificate and transfer completion rates. AB 705 implementation impacts both course success rates in English and math and supports degree, certificate and transfer achievement.
1) Implementation of AB 705: The Center collaborated with the AB 705 Hub group to develop the Career and Academic Profile (CAP) tool to message students about placement into transfer level English and math courses based on their academic program and educational goal. This also includes messaging students about supports to help them succeed in transfer level coursework.
2) Implementing Guided Pathways: The Center administers the Vita Navis career inventory to new students to help them explore career and major options. The Center is developing a Career Studio to provide career exploration services for students during their onboarding process and during their 1st year.
3) Closing Equity Gaps: Two Student Success Specialists will be hired to support targeted student groups, focusing on career exploration services for students on the Equity Dashboard.
The Career and Academic Assessment Center conducted their Program Review and Site Visit in early fall 2019. The following recommendations will be addressed in 2020:
1) Develop a Career Exploration Advisory Committee
2) Collaborate with the Dual Enrollment Coordinator and First Year Experience to ensure services are appropriately provided to high school and new students
3) Develop a staffing structure and professional development to support implementation of the Career Studio
- Campaign to increase career exploration and planning services
- Continue to support the implementation and analysis of AB 705
- Professional Development for Career Exploration and Planning
- Increase career exploration services to K12 and community
- Increase career exploration services to students on the Student Equity Dashboard
- Improve collaboration with other departments and services/Advisory Committee
- Launch Career Studio
Strategy 1 - Continue the develop of the Career and Academic Profile tool
The Career and Academic Profile tool was developed in Spring 2019, but will have future iterations. Continue to develop the tool to communicate supports for transfer-level English and math and include student holds (RSA, ORT and fee holds) on the Profile Report. The CAP tool will also need to be re-written and integrated into Student Self-Service application. Develop functionality to have the CAP report in Student Self-Service, including functionality to run reports showing students with low hs gpa for future interventions.
The Career and Academic Assessment Profile tool is used by students to self-report high school and/or college course taking behavior in English and math. The CAP tool communicates the appropriate transfer-level English and math course to take for the students' pathway and provides information on supports to help improve success. The CAP tool is also used by all students to update their progam of study and educational goal.
Strategy 2 - Develop Career Exploration Services
Integrate Career Counseling into the Career and Academic Assessment Center. Develop new services to support students with identifying careers, majors and pathways. Integrate these services into the structure of Guided Pathways.
A primary goal of Guided Pathways is to improve the onboarding experience for students, integrate career counseling into the onboarding process and first year experience, support students with identifying and following an academic pathway, and eliminate equity gaps. New career services will include career assessments, workshops on developing a career plan, developing services to support the five meta major communities.
Strategy 3 - Develop a Career Studio
Establish a Career Studio open lab environment where students can drop in to explore pathways and design a career plan
Career exploration and identifying a career and academic pathway are essential to the goals of Guided Pathways, but practices are still lacking on campus
Strategy 4 - Staff Development
Staff Development is essential to effectively implementing these goals. Staff job responsibilities and roles will be changing and future training and staff development will be necessary to support staff with their new roles and responsibilities.
Staff development is critical to supporting staff in their implementation of best practices. These activities allow staff to improve services to students and support District and statewide outcomes.
Strategy 5 - Develop Marketing and Rebranding Materials
The Center is transitioning from Assessment to the Career and Academic Assessment Center and integrating with Career Counseling. New marketing materials need to be developed to support the rebranding of the Center focused now on career exploration and planning services.
The Center has a minimal operating budget with few resources to develop marketing materials. The goal is to develop targeted marketing materials and information to support students' understanding of new services being offered.
The following non-financial resources are being requested:
$394,536 - District
$211,036 - Categorical (SEAPAC) (Classified Assessment Technician), Student Assistants, Operational Budget), seasonal Reg2Go support
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Career and Academic Assessment Center | Operating Expenses | $17,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Development of a Career Studio | Need to create a supportive multi-use space where more students can access career planning and exploration tools, resources and services. Convert the assessment lab into a studio environment for students to explore career and academic pathways. The following items are requested to create this space: 1) Flat Screen Smartboard - $9000: This smartboard will replace the aging smart classroom technology and be able to be used for presentations and trainings. This ultimately saves the District from replacing the old smart classroom technology. 2) Round tables - $5,200: These tables will replace some of the existing tables to create meeting spaces for one-on-one and/or small group activities. 3) Space dividers - $2,800: Used to divide up spaces within the studio; portable/movable half-walls to create more private spaces for planning and discussion. |
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| 2 | Career and Academic Assessment Center | Operating Expenses | 12.262.709.1.632001 | 54500 | $8,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Operating expenses for the Center | Operating budget for copying, office materials and supplies, marketing materials. In 2019-2020 the Center requested and received $4000 for an operation budget. For 2020-2021 the Center is requesting a one-time augmentation to develop marketing materials and resources for the Career Studio. |
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| 3 | Career and Academic Assessment Center | Personnel | 12.262.709.1.632001 | 52368 | $50,000.00 | $0.00 |
| 5 Student Assistants | To provide customer service and support during the fall, spring and summer periods. Will support the administration of the Career and Academic Profile tool, prerequisite enforcement and supporting Career Counseling services |
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| 4 | Career and Academic Assessment Center | Operating Expenses | 12-262-709-1-632001 | 54511 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 |
| Maintain License to Use Web Based Career Exploration and Develeopment Platform - Vita Navis (also listed in Career Counseling Unit Plan) | Continued access to this career assessment platform as part of the matriculation process will: Enhance early career literacy development and produce informed and timely choices; acquire a comprehensive student educational plan sooner; expand Career Counseling services (the current student to Career Counselor ratio is about 10,000 to 1); increase connection to career services by building a stronger bridge between newly enrolled students and in-person career counseling. Currently using Vita Navis (Super Strong). This augmentation has been approved as ongoing funding through SEAPAC. |
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| 5 | Career and Academic Assessment Center | Personnel | 12-262-701-1-620002 | 52390 | $6,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Seasonal Proctors for Reg2Go | Seasonal proctors are needed from January-May to support the assessment activities for Reg2Go. This includes traveling out to the 40 high schools to administer the Vita Navis career assessment and the Career and Academic Profile tool to support new students as they participate in the Reg2Go program. |
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| 6 | Career and Academic Assessment Center | Operating Expenses | 12.262.709.1.632001 | 55200 | $8,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Professional Development, travel and conference, workshops | This augmentation will provide staff an opportunity to attend the NCTA National Conference and the CCCAA statewide conference. Additionally, these funds will support travel costs that support services at the Glenn County Center and Chico Center locations and other off campus locations. |
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| 7 | Career and Academic Assessment Center | Equipment | 12-239-709-1-632001 | 56411 | $4,000.00 | $0.00 |
| 3 computer workstations for front desk support | The Center has 3 front counter computer workstations for all customer service activities. These stations need to be replaced to continue to provide support to registration activities. |
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