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A. District boards of education, in fulfillment of the Core Curriculum Content Standards, shall develop and implement a comprehensive guidance and counseling system to facilitate career awareness and exploration for all students.

1. District boards of education shall implement a developmental career guidance and career awareness program, linked to the Core Curriculum Content Standards, which:

1. is infused throughout the K-12 curriculum as appropriate for all students;
2. is supported by professional development programs; and
3. takes into consideration the Career Development Standards of the National Standardss for School Counseling Programs of the American School Counselor Association.
2. District boards of education shall provide developmental career guidance and career awareness, linked to the Core Curriculum Content Standards, designed to:

1. assist students in making and implementing informed educational and occupational choices, including opportunities to change career focus;
2. develop a student's competencies in self-management, educational and occupational exploration, and career planning;
3. make students aware of the relationship among personal qualities, education, training, and the world or work;
4. encourage students to create and maintain portfolios consisting of student accomplishments related to the Cross-Content Workplace Readiness Standards; and
5. acquaint students with the relationship between achieving academic standards and the attainment of career goals.
3. District boards of education shall, for students with disabilities age 14 through 21 (or younger, if determined appropriate by the IEP team), incorporate transitional services, including career guidance and counseling, into each student's IEP.

B. District boards of education, in fulfillment of the Core Curriculum Content Standards, shall develop and implement a system of career exploration, for all students, which:

1. Offers students the opportunity to more fully explore career interests within, but not limited to, one or more of the following clustered disciplines liked to the Core Curriculum Content Standards and as measured by the statewide assessment system according to N.J.A.C. 6A:6-4:

1. Arts and Humanities;
2. Business and Information Systems;
3. Mathematics, Science, and Technology; and
4. Health and Human Services
2. Allows districts to select the appropriate format for offering career-exploration activities based on district resources, community needs, and student interest;
3. Allows districts to select the delivery format that may include:

1. An integrated curriculum, based on the Core Curriculum Content Standards, that provides students the opportunity to acquire information about their career interest and/or take advanced courses linked to their career interests; or
2. The development of specialized programs that reflect the needs of students and the community;
4. Instills the concept of the need for continuous learning throughout one's life.

C. District boards of education shall offer all high school students opportunities to more actively experience career exploration by participating in structured learning experiences linked to Core Curriculum Content Standards.

1. District boards of education shall design structured learning experiences as rigorous activities, integrated into the curriculum, and linked to the Core Curriculum Content Standards.
2. Interested students may voluntarily select structured learning experiences that are:

1. Co-curricular or extra-curricular activities; or
2. External experiences such as volunteer activities, community service, paid or unpaid employment opportunities, or participation in an apprenticeship program.
3. District boards of education shall ensure that students participating in school-sponsored, paid external structured learning experiences:

1. Are supervised by school personnel in accordance with the requirements for cooperative education (N.J.A.C. 6:43);
2. Are conducted at sites registered with the Department of Education via the Worksite Registration System; and
3. Conform to federal and state law.
4. The Commissioner shall establish a mechanism to recognize the contributions of students who engage in a structured learning experience that involves volunteer and/or community service activities.

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