WOIS News

What's NEW This Week from WOIS?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:50:00 -0800

WOIS is continually enhancing our system to meet the needs of schools, colleges, agencies and businesses in Washington. You ask, and we work hard to deliver.

So What's New for this week? Pathways and Reality Check!

Pathway descriptions and occupations are now found in each of the WOIS Cluster descriptions. Now when you go to Occupations by Cluster, then choose a Cluster to explore, you will see each of the Pathways found in the cluster with a brief description of the Pathway, and a list of occupations that relate to that Pathway.

Thank you to Vancouver School District for this request.

The other exciting feature added this week, Reality Check, is a tool that allows a person to decide how much money they will need to live independently, and how well the salaries for their selected careers will meet their expense requirements. Reality Check offers several different ways to relate a monthly budget to career choices. Reality Check is found both in the Assessment section of the WOIS website, and the Occupation section.

Enjoy these new features, and watch for more announcements in the weeks to come. If you want a hint of the new features that will be added soon, send an email to tami@wois.org.

WOIS/The Career Information System is Washington State's most comprehensive career and educational planning resource and is used in over 900 sites in the state of Washington. WOIS has provided career assessment tools, detailed information about occupations, educational programs, and postsecondary institutions, along with supporting activities and resources, for more than 35 years. WOIS provides complete, accurate and up-to-date information for Washington State and NOW also provides national wage, outlook, and college information. As a non-profit organization, our goal is to provide these resources, and related training and technical support, at the lowest cost possible, to the institutions and organizations in Washington State.

NEW WOIS Portfolio Feature

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:40:00 -0800

Now your students/clients can enter their career research directly into the WOIS Portfolio!

If you have used the "Research a Career" worksheet, found in the activities section of the WOIS website, and had students/clients upload the worksheet to their portfolio in the past, now they can enter their responses to the career research questions directly in the Career Research section of the WOIS Portfolio!

Your students/clients simply log into their Portfolio, click on Career Research, then click on Add New Career Research.

By entering this directly in the portfolio, it's easy for you or the student/client to view and/or print reports on the research.

Thank you to Kari Farnsworth at Shadle Park High School for this fantastic idea!

We are working on more great ideas from WOIS users. Stay tuned!

If you have questions about this, or any other WOIS function, call us at 1-800-700-WOIS or email tami@wois.org.

WOIS is a non-profit organization that provides the most comprehensive career and educational planning tools available in Washington. WOIS is used in nearly 1,000 sites in Washington State, including more than 260 public high schools, more than 100 middle schools and junior highs, and many agencies, libraries and private businesses.

Strategies for Engaging Students from Dr. Cal Crow

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:25:00 -0800

Stated by a workshop participant on 10/1/2009 -- "Great discussion! Great strategies for implementation and great handouts to help us succeed at implementation! This was a fantastic workshop!"

Discover how to create schools, advisories, and classrooms where students are engaged in learning by attending Creating Schools with Heart and Soul (where students want to be).

Presented by Dr. Cal Crow, from the Center for Learning Connections, you will learn strategies for getting to the heart and soul of the student. Discussion and activities center around providing relevance to learning, creating student-centered schools, and building resiliency and self-efficacy in all of your students.

Join us on November 17 at South Seattle Community College or December 1 at Columbia Basin College.

Workshop cost is $149 and 5.5 clock hours are provided.

Receive more information and register today!

NEW WOIS Portfolio Features!

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:30:00 -0800

Do you have customized links in your WOIS portfolio system? If so, there is a new way to organize those links! You can now create headings for groups of links (for example College Planning Links, or Financial Aid Links) and organize the appropriate links under each special heading. Headings can also be added to your Culminating Project links in the Culminating Project section.

AND you can choose whether you want your links to continue at the top of the student Portfolio Main Menu, OR if you want your links to be in a separate box on the right side of the Portfolio Main Menu.

Try it -- you will love it! If you look at the options (click on Links in your Portfolio Administration), read the instructions, and still need more help, call us at 1-800-700-WOIS.

We've also added a column on the Detail View Report in the Portfolio Administration that allows you to see the total number of volunteer hours each student has added to the Work and Community Experience section of their Portfolio. If your school requires that students have a certain number of hours -- this allows you to see at a glance if the students are reaching their required community service hours.

Thank you to Puyallup School District and South Bend School District for these great ideas!

Hold on to your hats! There's more to come in the next few months!

Creating Schools with Heart and Soul Workshops

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:21:00 -0800

Stated by a workshop participant on 10/1/2009 -- "Great discussion! Great strategies for implementation and great handouts to help us succeed at implementation! This was a fantastic workshop!"

If you want to discover how to create schools and classrooms where students are engaged in learning, you need to attend this workshop.

Presented by Dr. Cal Crow, from the Center for Learning Connections, you will learn strategies for getting to the heart and soul of the student. Discussion and activities will center around providing relevance to learning, creating student-centered schools, and building resiliency and self-efficacy in all of your students.

Two more dates and locations are set up for 2009. November 17 at South Seattle Community College and December 1 at Columbia Basin College.

Receive more information and register today!

Agenda and Registration Available for Transitions, Learning and Work

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:20:00 -0800

The Transitions, Learning and Work conference is scheduled for February 1, 2010. Join us for an exciting program, with Keynote Speaker Dr. Kenford Nedd and Luncheon Speaker, Dr. Cal Crow.

Agenda and Registration can be found here.

Updated WOIS Website is Up and Running

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:53:00 -0800

We hope you had a wonderful summer and are refreshed and ready for the new school year! The WOIS website is ready for you, with the updated release up and running as of yesterday.

Many enhancements have been added to WOIS this year. The most notable is the ability to get National College information for every WOIS educational program and our link with StudentEdge for PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP, and ASVAB practice tests -- and more. These two enhancements are included in the license for all full WOIS system subscribers. Other enhancements have been made to the WOIS portfolio system, and online administrative tutorials are now available.

New site keys for the year have been assigned. If you haven't seen yours (most were sent via snail mail), send email to tami@wois.org or call WOIS at 1-800-700-WOIS.

FREE Basic WOIS training has been set up so far in Pasco, Spokane and Olympia. Register for training here. Registration for Creating Schools with Heart and Soul and Dependable Strengths for Educators workshops can also be found at this link. Watch the WOIS website for more training opportunities throughout the fall.

WOIS and The Center for Learning Connections have teamed up to provide the Transitions, Learning and Work conference on February 1, 2010. This was formerly the Worforce conference. Find more information and register at the Transitions, Learning and Work website.

WOIS customers can also take advantage of training at the comfort of their own computer. WOIS is offering a Basic Training Webinar on September 24. More webinars for basic and advanced training will be scheduled throughout the year. Register here.

If you haven't renewed, you no longer have access to WOIS. Please contact the WOIS office as soon as possible to make sure WOIS is up and running when you are ready to help your students and clients make solid, well-informed career and educational plans. Remember, WOIS is the ONLY system that provides complete and accurate information for EVERYONE, whether they want to go directly into the workforce, enter into a short- or long-term training program, or plan to pursue a Ph.D. As we enter our 36th year of service to Washington State citizens, we thank all of our customers for your continued support.

Become a Fan of WOIS on Facebook

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:48:00 -0800

Visit WOIS on Facebook for current trends and information about careers and education. Enter into our Discussions, or start one of your own. Become a member of the WOIS Facebook network to stay connected!

You can link to WOIS on Facebook from the WOIS homepage at www.wois.org. The Facebook link is on the lower right-side of the page.

WOIS Awards Three Scholarships

Mon, 11 May 2009 14:46:00 -0800

The WOIS Executive Committee recently reviewed nearly 40 WOIS scholarship applications and chose three students to each receive $750 toward their postsecondary education.

The three scholarship recipients were:

David Yu, Colfax High School

Jessica Hutton, Eisenhower High School

Rebecca Campbell, Olympic High School

David Yu described his career search process and use of WOIS in the process as follows:

"High school has been called a crossroads of life. If so, WOIS has been the sign posts helping to point me down the right road. At the beginning of senior year, I still didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. WOIS uncovered patches of hidden talent and interest I never would have imagined, through its unique Career Interest Areas, Interest Profiler, and Skills tests. I found my interest in medicine and technology, which helped me select my classes for senior year and contemplate a major in college. WOIS has enabled me to follow up on my interests, providing droves of detailed information about careers, from education requirements, to current market outlook, to specific responsibilities. It helped me substantiate my senior presentation about interning at the hospital and the requirements for the professions there.

"Furthermore, WOIS has fit in flawlessly with my other senior final projects and materials. Utilizing my online portfolio to store my tests, activities, and college research, I built on online file system I could access from anywhere, a privilege I found invaluable in writing personal evaluations and preparing college applications. I also incorporated WOIS with my senior portfolio for organizing my materials and presenting it in an efficient, systematic way. From my career research project to deciding my destination next year and beyond, WOIS has added control and peace of mind to a frenetic senior year.

"At this key junction of my education, I highly appreciate my school's subscription to WOIS to guide me, to provide a roadmap in my crossroads of life."

Congratulations to all three WOIS scholarship recipients!

New Query Function for Post-High School Plans

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:52:00 -0800

Now WOIS Portfolio administrators can Query the Post-High School Plans and Occupational Goals for students who have entered these details in the Education Planner section of the WOIS Portfolio.

This can be useful if you have a career speaker (let's say a Physical Therapist) coming to the school and you want to know which students have indicated Physical Therapist as an Occupational Goal.

It may also come in handy when you have a college (maybe Washington State University) visiting. You can query the portfolios and get a list of the students who have indicated WSU as a college of interest.

After the query identifies the students who have indicated the selection, the administrator can send a note to each student (via the portfolio) to let them know the visitor will be at the school.

The query only works on entries in the Education Planner section of the WOIS Portfolio.

Generate Reports from Portfolio Admin

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

Each section of the Electronic Portfolio has a report associated with it that can be used to print the contents of that section - Assessments and Tests, Career Research, etc. Now, Portfolio administrators and group managers can print batches of reports from the administrative side of the Portfolios. Just select the Portfolios you want to print reports for from any Portfolio "List" page, like the Student List or Detail View, click "Generate reports" at the bottom of the page, and choose the report to generate.

Career Explorer & Electronic Portfolio

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

The WOIS Electronic Portfolio has been added as an option for middle schools and junior highs using Career Explorer. Students can save their Career Explorer assessment results, save links to the occupations they explore, and start building their electronic portfolio with student activities, results from other tests, resumes, essays, educational plans – everything that is available in the high school version of the WOIS Electronic Portfolio. Then the Electronic Portfolio can seamlessly follow the student to the high school.

The cost to add the WOIS Electronic Portfolio to your Career Explorer subscription is only $230 for this year. If you are not currently a Career Explorer subscriber, and want Career Explorer and the Electronic Portfolio, the cost is $405 for this year.

To order Career Explorer and/or the WOIS Electronic Portfolio, e-mail Tami Palmer, call 1-800-700-WOIS, or send your purchase order to WOIS, 1415 Harrison Avenue NW, Suite 201, Olympia, WA 98502.

New Product: Career Trek!

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

Career Trek is a career awareness curriculum designed to teach students about the world of work. Career Trek helps teach the importance of personal responsibility and good work habits, the development of skills to interact with others, an understanding of how to make decisions, and the development of skills to comprehend and use career information. Appropriate for 4^th-6^th graders and above, Career Trek helps children broaden their career awareness and discover the importance of school.

The Career Trek kit includes...

Teacher’s Guide with 60 learning activities, targeted at fourth through sixth grade students. Overheads and worksheet masters are included and can be printed as needed. This guide is provided on a CD.
Occupation Card Deck with 190 cards that use descriptions, symbols, and illustrations to present occupational information. The cards can be used for classroom and small-group activities.
Dictionary of Occupations is a book of descriptions for the 190 Career Trek occupations.

Career Trek is only $50, plus shipping and tax, one-time purchase. This is something every 4^th, 5^th and 6^th grade classroom should have! For more information, see the Career Trek brochure.

To order Career Trek, e-mail Tami Palmer, call 1-800-700-WOIS, or send your purchase order to WOIS, 1415 Harrison Avenue NW, Suite 201, Olympia, WA 98502.

New Workshops from WOIS

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:33:00 -0800

Registration is now available for three new workshops sponsored by WOIS.

The three workshops are:

Dependable Strengths for Educators
Creating Schools with Heart and Soul (Where Students Want to Be)
How the WOIS Electronic Portfolio Supports Advisories, Navigation 101 and Culminating Projects

Details about each workshop are listed below. [More]

Welcome to WOIS 2008-09

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:04:00 -0800

The WOIS website is ready to be updated on September 1, 2008 – just in time for the start of the school year. All Occupations, Educational Programs and Schools have been updated. New features have been added to the Electronic Portfolio, including the ability to assign students to multiple groups, send notes to students, store and monitor culminating projects, and much more.

Remember, your site key changes on September 1. If we have received your order, your site coordinator has been mailed the new site key.

Fall Training has been scheduled and registration is available at www.wois.org. Basic Training is free to all WOIS user sites. Topics covered include Electronic Portfolio setup and usage; Assessments; WOIS Occupation, Educational Program, and School Information; other resources; and basic site administration.

Advanced Portfolio training is also offered, for people who want in-depth experience in setting up and using the WOIS Electronic Portfolio. A small fee is required for the advanced portfolio training.

Register early for training, some sites are already almost full. Clock hours are available for all WOIS training sessions.

WOIS would like to welcome the following sites that are new to the WOIS system in the past year, or are returning after trying something else for a few years. If I’ve missed anyone, I apologize. WOIS continues to be the most used career and educational planning system in the state of Washington, with nearly 80% of the public schools, all but one of the community colleges, most of the 4-year colleges and universities, more than 150 libraries and 300 agencies and private businesses using the WOIS system.

Welcome to:

Cheney High School
Mead School District
Ferndale High School
Clearview High School
Bellingham School District
Clover Park High School
White River High School
Offender Employment Services – statewide
Davenport High School
East Valley High School in Yakima
Kingston High School
Granger High School
North Beach Jr-Sr High School
Mary M. Knight School
Skykomish High School
Sunnyside High School
Walla Walla High School
Wellpinit High School
Wilbur High School
Cowlitz Indian Tribe
Catholic Family & Child Services
People for People
Bock Consulting
The Great Northern Consulting Company
Lincoln Alternative High School
Meridian Parent Partnership Program
HomeConnections
Cascade Christian Schools
Highland Christian School