Access M/J Civics and Career Planning   (#7821023)

Course Standards

General Course Information and Notes

Version Description

Access Courses: Access courses are intended only for students with a significant cognitive disability. Access courses are designed to provide students with access to the general curriculum. Access points reflect increasing levels of complexity and depth of knowledge aligned with grade-level expectations. The access points included in access courses are intentionally designed to foster high expectations for students with significant cognitive disabilities.



Access points in the subject areas of science, social studies, art, dance, physical education, theatre, and health provide tiered access to the general curriculum through three levels of access points (Participatory, Supported, and Independent). Access points in English language arts and mathematics do not contain these tiers, but contain Essential Understandings (or EUs). EUs consist of skills at varying levels of complexity and are a resource when planning for instruction.

General Notes

Career and Education Planning – Per section 1003.4156, Florida Statutes, the Career and Education Planning course must result in a completed, personalized academic and career plan for the student, that may be revised as the student progresses through middle and high school; must emphasize the importance of entrepreneurship and employability skills; and must include information from the Department of Economic Opportunity’s economic security report as described in Section 445.07, Florida Statutes.  The required, personalized academic and career plan must inform students of high school graduation requirements, including diploma designations (Section 1003.4285, Florida Statutes); requirements for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship; state university and Florida College System institution admission requirements; and, available opportunities to earn college credit in high school utilizing acceleration mechanisms.  For additional information on the Middle School Career and Education Planning courses, visit http://www.fldoe.org/academics/college-career-planning/educators-toolkit/index.stml.

Career and Education Planning Course Standards – Students will:

1.0  Describe the influences that societal, economic, and technological changes have on employment trends and future training.

2.0  Develop skills to locate, evaluate, and interpret career information.

3.0  Identify and demonstrate processes for making short and long term goals.

4.0  Demonstrate employability skills such as working in a group, problem-solving and organizational skills, and the importance of entrepreneurship.

5.0  Understand the relationship between educational achievement and career choices/postsecondary options.

6.0  Identify a career cluster and related pathways through an interest assessment that match career and education goals.

7.0  Develop a career and education plan that includes short and long-term goals, high school program of study, and postsecondary/career goals.

8.0  Demonstrate knowledge of technology and its application in career fields/clusters.

English Language Development ELD Standards Special Notes Section:

Teachers are required to provide listening, speaking, reading and writing instruction that allows English language learners (ELL) to communicate information, ideas and concepts for academic success in the content area of Social Studies.  For the given level of English language proficiency and with visual, graphic, or interactive support, students will interact with grade level words, expressions, sentences and discourse to process or produce language necessary for academic success. The ELD standard should specify a relevant content area concept or topic of study chosen by curriculum developers and teachers which maximizes an ELL’s need for communication and social skills. To access an ELL supporting document which delineates performance definitions and descriptors, please click on the following link: https://cpalmsmediaprod.blob.core.windows.net/uploads/docs/standards/eld/ss.pdf.

Additional Instructional Resources:
A.V.E. for Success Collection is provided by the Florida Association of School Administrators: http://www.fasa.net/4DCGI/cms/review.html?Action=CMS_Document&DocID=139. Please be aware that these resources have not been reviewed by CPALMS and there may be a charge for the use of some of them in this collection.

General Information

Course Number: 7821023
Course Path:
Abbreviated Title: ACCESS M/J CIV & CP
Course Length: Year (Y)
Course Attributes:
  • Class Size Core Required
Course Status: Course Approved
Grade Level(s): 6,7,8

Educator Certifications

One of these educator certification options is required to teach this course.


Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this course.

Original Student Tutorials

Where Have All the Scrub-Jays Gone?:

Investigate the limiting factors of a Florida ecosystem and describe how these limiting factors affect one native population-the Florida Scrub-Jay-with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Yes or No to GMO?:

Learn what genetic engineering is and some of the applications of this technology. In this interactive tutorial, you’ll gain an understanding of some of the benefits and potential drawbacks of genetic engineering. Ultimately, you’ll be able to think critically about genetic engineering and write an argument describing your own perspective on its impacts.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Arguing Mars:

Practice identifying and examining the evidence used to support a specific argument. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read several short texts about the exploration of Mars to practice distinguishing relevant from irrelevant evidence. You'll also practice determining whether the evidence presented is sufficient or insufficient.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Parent Resources

Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this course.