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Emerging in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the concept of individual student planning developed as a component of school guidance counseling programs. The underlying significance of these plans, such as the Individual Career Plan (ICP), is that "it gives [students] a chance to tell and develop their story" (N. Gysbers, personal communication, December 7, 2010). According to Gysbers (2008), ICPs allow students to work closely with school counselors, and this in turn begins a process of goal setting that gives students concrete direction and purpose. This leads to increased academic achievement when ICPs are included in guidance counseling programs. This paper discusses the following: (1) the roots of the ICP; (2) the relationships of ICPs to guidance counseling and advising; and (3) how ICPs should be implemented. Examples of ICPs are also included.

Contextualized Teaching and Learning (CTL), also known as Contextualized Instruction, is defined as a "diverse family of instructional strategies designed to more seamlessly link the learning of foundational skills and academic or occupational content by focusing teaching and learning squarely on concrete applications in a specific context that is of interest to the student" (Mazzeo, 2008, p. 3; see also Medrich, Calderon, & Hoachlander, 2003). In other words, CTL is a process built on the recognition that some students learn more effectively when they are taught in a hands-on, real-world context rather than in an abstract manner. The primary goal of CTL is to utilize the "context supported by traditional academics to drive instruction" thus engaging students in active learning to assist them in making meaning (N. N. Badway, personal communication, August 1, 2010). Cross-curriculum integration is an important part of CTL that connects academic and career and technical education (CTE). The primary benefit of this strategy is that "students experience the subject matter as connected and reinforcing, rather than separate and unrelated" (Chernus & Fowler, 2009, p. 6). This paper discusses the following: (1) theoretical roots and implications of CTL; (2) the relationship of CTL to Programs of Study (POS) and Career Pathways; (3) challenges of implementing CTL; and (4) recommendations for CTL implementation.

According to Sears (1982), career development is "the total constellation of economic, sociological, psychological, educational, physical, and chance factors that combine to shape one's career." This definition was advanced by the Illinois Career Development Task Force that engaged in more than a year of deliberation. Career development is grounded in career theory, including Super's (1957) life-span career theory. Applied to career development, the significance of Super's (1957) theory is that it emphasizes career development as an ongoing process that continues throughout an individual's life. Career development programs and services can assist to "improve individual career awareness, exploration, choice, preparation, and management". Successful, ongoing career development helps individuals of all ages to make a variety of transitions throughout their lifetimes: between different levels of education, from education to work, and between work and education. This paper discusses the integral role of career development in supporting programs of study and career pathways. This paper discusses the following: (1) the importance and benefits of career development; (2) organization and implementation of career development; (3) how career development relates to programs of study and career pathways; (4) the roles of career development; Programs of Study (POS), and Career Pathways; (5) the integration of career development, POS, and Career Pathways; (6) career services providers' role in career development; (7) the challenges to career development; (8) the challenges to guidance counselling; (9) the national standards aligning school counselling and career development; and (10) the next steps to the implementation of a comprehensive career development system.