College and Career Readiness | News

Hobsons Launches Blended Career and College Readiness Curriculum

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 03/11/14

Hobsons has launched the Naviance College and Career Readiness Curriculum in an effort to help schools close the "aspiration gap."

The aspiration gap is the difference between the number of middle school students who say they want to attend college, 93 percent according to an Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) survey cited by Hobsons, and the number who actually attend, which is only 44 percent, according to the same survey.

Designed to expand "students' perspectives while simultaneously driving the necessary behaviors, college knowledge and personal confidence to prepare them for college and career success by high school graduation," according to a company news release, the blended curriculum features 105 multimedia lessons for students in grades 6-12.

Features of the curriculum include:

• Videos produced by Roadtrip Nation with college students detailing how they overcame challenges to reach their goals;
• Grade-specific lessons designed to help develop age-appropriate non-cognitive skills such as time management, goal setting and prioritization; and
• Pre- and post-assessments to help target students in need of additional support.

"The Naviance curriculum presents a scalable opportunity for all middle and high school students in Napa County to explore and prepare for their futures with a single system," said Tammie Holloway, director of career and technical education at Napa County Office of Education, in a prepared statement. "We are thrilled to take part in a program that will help our students and their families stay engaged with the college and career process while providing them with the tools to be successful."

The curriculum has been piloted at schools in California, Minnesota, Texas and Virginia.

More information is available at naviance.com.