Guidance Assessment - The Career and Postsecondary Encouragement Network

Guidance assessments measure student interest in education and career options, as well as aspirations, intentions, perceived limitations, risk factors, information needs, and more. Combined with a form that collects name, address, and parent name, the assessments enable the building of a powerful database for targeting guidance information and services.

ESI has formed the Career and Postsecondary Encouragement (CAPE) Network, which brings together school and education support professionals in a collective effort to gather, report, and act upon guidance needs. The CAPE Network provides the
Universal Encouragement Program (UEP), a free online guidance needs assessment, reporting, and communication system for students in grades 6-12. For previews and sample reports of UEP assessments and processes, go to www.capenetwork.org/docs.htm.

UEP reporting tools enable creation of guidance reports for use by counselors, student advocates, and parents. UEP reports enable targeted guidance services and focused, data-driven, program development, and informed parental support. Pre/post administrations of the assessments enable tracking the impact of programmatic changes, information campaigns, and other guidance and encouragement efforts.

The UEP includes reporting and communication tools that enable identification of students with specific risk factors and communication with those students and their parent/guardians.

Cost? ESI provides the Universal Encouragement assessment system at no charge to schools and education support programs. Please address inquiries to Scott Gillie, Executive Director.

A second CAPE Network assessment system is under development for use with college students. Termed "Connext," these assessments are useful to high schools and college access programs that wish to follow their students into college and to college advising and retention programs that seek to keep students on track to be successful. The Connext System is now available for beta testing at www.connext.us.

Users and supporters of the CAPE Network assessments congregate in the online community at www.capenetwork.groupsite.com.