How Xello Supports the EDP & Michigan CDM

See how you can use Xello to support the Michigan Career Development Model. This resource lays out the specific activities for students at each grade level.

Setting the Lesson Sequence

Your lesson sequence—which lessons students at each grade level are expected to complete—should reflect your goals. It should capture what you want students to do and how progress is measured. Xello’s embedded interactive lessons cover an array of future-readiness topics with age-appropriate activities that connect the activities they’re doing in Xello and deepen students’ learning.

Custom lessons allow you to address topics and activities not specifically included in Xello’s lessons. You can learn more about creating custom lessons and see some examples of custom lessons specifically for Michigan that support the EDP.

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Building a Team

Career development is a team sport. Xello is most effective when different departments and specialties work together to build out the curriculum scope and sequence. There are many people who can be part of your Xello implementation:

School counselors
CTE Teachers
Subject Area Teachers
College & Career Readiness Coordinators
Special Education Teachers
Library and Media Center Specialists
Principals & Vice Principals
District personnel
Social workers
Parents and supportive adults
Student leaders
Community members

Finding the Time

The school day is already packed, so making time for future-readiness instruction can be a challenge! Here are some strategies that schools have used to integrate Xello into their schedule. Find the ones that work for your schools:

• Use Homeroom time for Xello activities with the homeroom teachers
• Advisory periods, ideally dedicating scheduled sessions ahead of time
• Integrate Xello into a dedicated careers course
• Bring counselors into core subject classes like Language Arts, Social Studies, or Math
• Delegate instruction to core subject area teachers with pre-created lesson plans
• Use Xello during one-on-one and small group counseling sessions
• Focused exploration in CTE classes
• Have future-readiness units embedded into every course
• Schedule a specific time each week or each month to Xello, e.g. 1 hour every second Wednesday
• Connect Xello to school events like career days, FAFSA information sessions, curriculum nights, and college visits
• Use Xello as part of work-based learning programs

Create and Share Your Career Development Timeline

Knowing who’s involved, what students are doing, and when and where they’ll be working on Xello, you can create and share a comprehensive plan to keep everyone in the loop. Your career development timeline lays out all of the activities involved in your career development program, including Xello activities, identifies the lead for each activity, and approximately when students would participate in them.

Here’s an example of an 11th Grade Timeline:

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Building awareness that Xello is available and providing clear expectations and opportunities with the program is critical. Educators and students need to know how to access Xello and what they can do with it. Here are some ideas to get the word out:

• If your students are using single sign on, like Google, Clever, or PowerSchool, create and share a short video to show students where to find Xello.
  Here is an example from Appleton East High School
  In the Classroom: If you have a digital or video production class, make this an early assignment for them.
• Set aside time for educators to actually use Xello and collaboratively discuss their questions, concerns, and ideas about how to use the product with students. We recommend assigning our Student Experience Walkthroughs for Xello 6-12 to educators as a way for them to explore Xello’s key features
  Dashboard & Orientation to Xello
  Assessments & About Me
  Explore Options
  Lessons
• In each school, assign specific parts of Xello for different educators to become familiar with, and then ask educators to teach each other about their own knowledge areas.
• Include Xello on your district website and post related resources there.
• Leverage existing staff meetings and communications to make sure educators know about Xello and know how they can and should use it.
• Let parents and guardians know about Xello. You can use our pre-made templates or you can craft your own message.
  Parent Letter
• Put up posters around your district to let educators and students know that Xello is coming.
  English Promotional Posters for Xello 6-12
  Spanish Promotional Posters for Xello 6-12

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Educators can help students see that the work they do in Xello is about them and that they have agency in creating their own future.

• When introducing Xello, communicate to students how Xello fits into existing goals of that classroom or counseling setting. How does Xello connect to what they’re already doing? Establishing relevance will help get student buy-in.
• Educators can use Xello’s lesson resources to find ways to integrate introducing Xello into a full lesson.
  Lesson Resources for US Educators
• Educators can introduce Xello by doing a demo using their student demo accounts. They can take on a student persona, or do the demo using their own experiences and interests. Get students to collaborate in going through the demo.
• Educators can share stories about their own career journey with students as a way to connect with students. Educators can also share examples of others in their lives who have changed careers--respecting individuals’ privacy of course.
• Teachers can use information on students’ interests to tailor work in core classes to create relevancy for class work
  Run Reports on Students’ About Me Profile
  Run Reports on Students’ Saved Options
  Run Reports on Student Portfolios
• Some teachers play music while students are working in Xello to foster a calm and positive environment.
• Develop a scavenger hunt for students to explore the areas of Xello you want them to investigate and engage with. This works particularly well with middle school students.
• Embed Xello activities directly in core subject curriculum. This is a win-win by clearly identifying how Xello is relevant to what they’re learning and establishing how what they’re learning is relevant to their future.

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• Make sure educators know about Xello Support. It’s got lots of resources, video, and downloadables to help them make the most of Xello with their students.
  Xello Support
• Create an Advisory Committee to plan and monitor the implementation of Xello across and within schools.
• Add Xello as an agenda item to regular meetings with people in key roles. Review how your schools are doing in meeting the targets you’ve identified for student activities within Xello.
• Keep an eye on your reports in Xello to make sure educators and students alike are on track.
  Run Reports on Lesson Completion
• Archive year end reports to see how your schools are performing year over year.
• Schedule periodic shareback sessions with educators so they can provide feedback, ask questions, and share experiences. Try to schedule these before Success Calls so results can be shared.
• Review your lesson sequence each year with people from the departments involved with using Xello like Counseling, CTE, Special Education, and Curriculum.
• Actively seek student feedback from students about Xello and the college and career readiness program overall through surveys and conversations.