2013 Exploring Education Professional Administration Support Careers Services Competition Careers Competition INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION ELIGIBLE STUDENTS: High School Students Contest Purpose Specialized instructional-support personnel are critical to education systems. These highly skilled educators provide direct support to students so that they can be successful in school. Some specialized instructional-support professionals include: Speech-Language Pathologist Audiologist Vision Specialist School Counselor School Psychologist School Social Worker Occupational Therapist Physical Therapist Contestants will select one specialized instructional-support professional that works within their school district and will receive permission from the professional to job shadow him/her for a total of eight hours. The eight hours are not expected to be consecutive; rather they are accumulated over a period of several days or weeks and occur when the professional is actively engaged in his/her work. Contestants will complete and submit the following three (3) career-exploration documents: Professional s Verification Form Interview Form Reflection paper This competition is cross-walked with the following Education and Training Career Cluster Knowledge and Skill Statements: EDPB01, EDPB02, EDPB03, EDPB04, EDC02 EDC05, EDC09. Eligibility for Entry A. This competition is open to good-standing FEA members in high school. (Students may or may not be affiliated with an FEA chapter.) B. If you are affiliated with an FEA chapter, there is no limit to the number of students from your chapter who can enter this competition. C. The Exploring Professional Support Services Careers Competition registration form and application materials must be submitted online by NOON (Eastern) on Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. D. Entrants grant PDK International, the sponsoring organization for FEA, the right to use and publish the submission in print, online, or in any media without compensation. Competition Guidelines A. The professional s verification form must be completed and submitted with the other careerexploration documents. B. The contestant must conduct a 15-minute interview of the professional and submit the completed interview form with the other career-exploration documents. C. The reflection paper is to be written at the conclusion of the job-shadowing experience. The paper must range from 300 to 400 words and must be submitted with the other career-exploration documents. The paper must include the contestant s thoughts on the following questions: What are some of the duties the professional performs? How does the professional s work support the work of the teachers?
Competition Guidelines (cont.) How does the professional s work support the students? Would this be a career you might consider in your future? Why or why not? What other reflections from this experience would you like to share? D. All documents must be written in English. Judging and Scoring A. The judges decisions are final. B. Scoring is based on the Exploring Professional Support Services Careers rubric (see Judge s Rating Sheet in this PDF). C. The top three winners will be recognized and awarded at the FEA National Conference. How to Enter A. Students must register and submit all application materials online for the competition by NOON (Eastern) on Jan. 7, 2013. B. Print the confirmation page for your records after completing the online submission form.
Judge s Rating Sheet (Points awarded may range between zero and the maximum number indicated.) A. GUIDELINES Contestant s Name Contestant s School All three (3) entry documents are included in the submission Professional s verification form Interview form Reflection paper If yes, continue with the scoring process. If no, do not continue with the scoring process. YES NO B. PROFESSIONAL S VERIFICATION FORM All sections of the professional s verification form are completed. Score 5 points if completed; score 0 if not completed. The contestant has selected a person who is a specialized instructional-support personnel as based on the professional s job title. Score 5 points if yes; score 0 if no. Contestant completed at least eight (8) hours of job shadowing. Score 5 points if yes; score 0 if no. C. INTERVIEW FORM At least 15 questions were asked of the professional. Score 5 points if yes; score 0 if no. The contestant s additional 10 questions are thoughtful and appropriate. The contestant appears to have thoroughly recorded the professional s responses. D. REFLECTION PAPER The reflection paper is between 300 to 400 words The paper includes thoughts and/or reactions to the following questions: What are some of the duties the professional performs? How does the professional s work support the work of the teachers? How does the professional s work support the students? Would this be a career you might consider in your future? Why or why not? What other reflections from this experience would you like to share? Punctuation is used correctly. Spelling is error free. Grammar is used correctly. 30 pts. TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 100
Professional s Verification Form To be completed by the professional who participated in the Exploring Professional Support. The contestant will submit the completed form with the other competition entry documents. About the Contestant Contestant s name Name of contestant s school About the Professional Professional s name Professional s job title Name of education institution Total number of job-shadowing hours contestant completed Dates during which job shadowing took place Professional s signature Date
Interview Form This form should be completed by the contestant. The contestant is to conduct a 15-minute interview of the professional participating in the Exploring Professional Support. The interview can take place before, during, or after the job-shadowing experience. The contestant will ask the following five (5) questions and will record the responses in the form below. The contestant will write in 10 additional questions and will record the responses. The completed form must be submitted with the other competition entry documents. Date of interview To be asked of the professional support service person: 5. Where did you go to college? 6. What degrees do you hold? 7. Do you hold any certifications or licenses? If so, what are they? 8. How long have you been a {job title}? 9. Have you had any other education jobs before becoming a {job title}? If so, what were they? (CONT.)
2013 Exploring Professional Support Interview Form (cont.) Contestant will write in 10 additional interview questions and will record the professional s responses. Additional questions: