Implementing myBlueprint across a school board— Eastern Shores School Board (QC)
myBlueprint is a comprehensive education and career/life planning program (K-11+) implemented in over 350 school boards across the country, which now includes Quebec!
myBlueprint can be used to support Academic and Career Guidance Content, to build reflective, digital portfolios that showcase growth from year to year, and to provide your students with all the resources they need to make more informed decisions about life after high school.
This year, we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with several school boards in Quebec to support students with career/life planning, including Eastern Shores School Board (ESSB).
Over the past few months, ESSB has embarked on the first year of their 3-year implementation plan for myBlueprint (Grade 5 — Sec V).
Eastern Shores School Board Implementation Strategy
It is with much excitement that ESSB generously shared their first-year roll-out strategy and “pro tips” with the myBlueprint Support Team in hopes of inspiring other Quebec educators to join the myBlueprint community, and continuing to develop a community of practice within the province!
ESSB currently licenses the following myBlueprint programs:
Here are some of the ways in which myBlueprint supports ESSB’s Curriculum and Programming Needs:
- Digital Portfolios (ESSB students have the ability to document their learning by creating reflecting on their experiences through the creation of e-portfolios across multiple subject areas)
- Career Exploration (ESSB students have limited access to counselling services in schools — myBlueprint has filled that gap by providing easy access to post-secondary and occupation search to all students. Psst… myBlueprint is a bilingual program, which means that our students can access the tools in French or English at school or from home!)
- Course-specific implementation: Personal Orientation Project (POP), Work Oriented Training Path (WOTP), Academic and Career Guidance Content (ACGC), Entrepreneurship, Financial Education Sec 5, and much more!
Now that you have a better understanding of how myBlueprint supports ESSB’s needs, here is an outline of their 3 roll-out plan:
Eastern Shores School Board’s 1st Year Roll-Out Strategy
Year 1 Objectives:
- Education planner (Sec III — V), 2018–2019
- Targeted the POP class (all POP teachers invited to join myBlueprint)
- Selected five high schools for the Year 1 roll-out
- ESSB’s Academic Training Counsellor, RECIT, and Librarian visited the POP class(es) in every high school during the fall to introduce myBlueprint to both students and teachers*
During this introduction period with students, there are a lot of discussions about high school course selection and how myBlueprint High School Planner can help identify potential college programs. Then, students will start with the Who Am I surveys. The academic counsellor followed up with a discussion based on students’ survey results to reinforce the students’ profile strengths and related occupations. Students are also given time to explore these related occupations. Finally, it is suggested that students to start to build a master resume with my Resume Builder, so in they can tailor it in the future when they are applying for a job, stage, etc.
- *PRO TIP FROM ESSB: Involve students in the introductory process! Rather than meeting with the teacher independently, run a classroom session with students to walk them through the account creation process and their first activity. Students are very tech savvy and can help teachers with the use of the program!
Education Planner has sparked conversations with students that would have never started without access to such an engaging career exploration tool! — Academic Training Counsellor, ESSB
2. All About Me Portfolio (Grade 5–6), 2018–2019
- Targeted two elementary schools
- Board leads participated in myBlueprint’s online Drop-In Webinars to better understand the elementary portfolio program
- ESSB’s Academic Training Counsellor, RECIT, and Librarian visited the grade 5 and 6 classes and ran an introductory session with students and their classroom teacher* to help them document and reflect on the Academic and Career Guidance Content (ACGC) areas
*PRO TIP FROM ESSB: Don’t be afraid to let your teachers know that myBlueprint Support Team is available to answer their technical or implementation questions!
Thanks to myBlueprint Support for their excellent, consistent service! — Librarian Consultant, RECIT & Academic Training Counsellor, ESSB
Ongoing Support:
Regular support continues for both elementary and secondary levels during the school year by the board’s academic training counsellor and librarian consultant.
Year 3 Objectives:
By the end of year 3, the goal is for all secondary students (sec. 3–5) to have learned and been using myBlueprint, and for students to have created an All About Me portfolio in Grade 5/6 so that they are familiar with myBlueprint when they enter high school (Sec I).
Contact our amazing Support Team at support@myBlueprint.ca. We are always happy to help.
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