Work-Based Learning

WBL is an educational opportunity offered by an educational institution in partnership with a business/employer for on the job training and experience that a student may enroll and participate in during their high school experience.  The primary differences between a WBL placement and an after school job are:

• The time of day it can be performed (students are not allowed to work during school hours under a work permit per the Youth Employment Act of 1978.
• WBL is educational by design (a specified learning plan of skills, tasks, and/or activities must be developed and followed).
• Placement must match your documented career goal in Naviance or your Educational Development Plan (EDP) or your IEP transition plan.
• Training may take place in Hazardous Occupations/Worksites for youth where they cannot under a work permit. (This is a result of additional training, safety instruction, and a bonafide WBL contract between the school district, business/employer, parent, and student).
• Placement Businesses/Employers must carry liability insurance and if a paid work experience, Workers Compensation insurance and be able to supply documentation of their coverage by a recognized insurance carrier.  (Not a verifiable condition of employment for an after school job under a work permit).
• WBL placement agreements cannot be made with sole proprietorship business owned by the parents/guardians of the students.

Through the interaction of academic coursework and work experience, students can enhance their academic knowledge, personal development, and career readiness. Specifically, work-based learning opportunities can help a student:

• Clarify academic and career interests
• Gain academic credit;
• Apply practical theories from classroom work and develop human relations skills through interaction with coworkers;
• Gain exposure to specialized facilities not available on campus
• Develop job-search skills, résumés, portfolios and cover letters
• Identify career assistance programs
• Develop contacts for employment after graduation
• Become permanently employed after high school
• Get employer assisted post secondary training, certifications, or degrees
• These experiences help students develop the confidence and self-advocacy skills needed for success in higher education and challenging careers.
   

WBL can comprise up to one-half of a students overall schedule each semester.  CSHS operates on a six period schedule.  For a full time student, the maximum number of periods assigned to WBL is three, but a full time student who may not have this amount of time available in their schedule due to other course requirements may schedule for just 1 or 2 periods as well. 
 

WBL credit is considered elective credit and does not count towards any core credit nor qualify for any waivers in World Language of Visual, Performing, or Applied Arts (VPA).  Elective credit is awarded based on credit or no credit basis.  No letter grades are awarded and therefore credits are not counted into the grade point average for the student (GPA). These elective credits count towards the required three and a half (3.5) elective credits in order to receive a diploma from Cedar Springs Public Schools by meeting the required 22 overall credits for graduation. 

Students are required to complete a specific number of hours at their worksite and validated by the completion and submission of timesheets signed by the student and his/her direct supervisor.  The learning plan outlining specific skills, tasks, and/or activities created for the placement must be completed to a satisfactory level. Employee reviews conducted during the placement (a minimum of two per semester) must also be satisfactorily completed as well. 

After reviewing your four year plan for academic coursework and where you stand on getting all your REQUIRED courses in by the end of your senior year, the FIRST step to getting WBL as a course request is to sign up for it in PowerSchool during the course selection process generally held in February each academic year.  You may want to speak with your guidance counselor to ensure a timely graduation.

Yes. Once you have signed up for WBL, you need to complete both the WBL Google Survey Form and the Application for WBL document.  Both can be attained by emailing your guidance counselor or the WBL coordinator, Mr. Behrenwald. The finalization of a WBL placement is based upon securing an appropriate business/employer or training facility for the student.  CSPS cannot guarantee a WBL placement for each student but we will work tirelessly to try and find one.  If no placement can be foreseen for a student prior to or during the first two weeks of the semester then the student will be placed back into some other elective course through CSPS.

CSPS is always open to establishing new partnerships with area businesses and employers.  Your institution of placement depends on your career goal, EDP, or IEP transition plan and the job training that the employer can provide directly related to these items. The employer must carry liability insurance and if it is a paid WPL placement, Workers Compensation insurance. The employer cannot directly be your parent (biological or step parent) or a legal guardian.
 

Generally speaking, WBL should be considered in the Junior or Senior year of high school as that is when the greatest opportunity to take elective courses in your high school experience.  That being said, there could be an appropriate situation where WBL could be considered during the sophomore year for one class period a semester.  Students interested in career, college, and life experiences in the middle school or underclassmen years at the high school should consider other short term options such as: job shadowing, take your kid to work day, mentoring, community service, and other single day or after school activities.  CSPS will “field trip”/excuse middle level and high school students to attend documented job shadow experiences with a reflection assessment (up to two days per semester).

No.  WBL placements can be developed for general education students and students receiving special education services working on a transition goal plan.  Certain professionally documented disability designations require specific services and accommodations which may not be appropriate for every workplace setting or for the level of cognitive skill or physical requirements which needs to be performed.  For students with disabilities, work-based learning offers additional benefits. Participating in a work experience can give special education students a chance to determine if they can perform the essential functions of a particular job with or without a reasonable accommodation. It also gives them a chance to practice disclosing their disability and requesting accommodations from potential employers while determining which accommodations work best for them.