- Applied Learning: projects that require knowledge and skills to be used in new and unexpected ways.
- Career Readiness: the essential knowledge and skills critical to students achieving access to and success in entry level work positions and upward mobility in viable career paths.
- Career Research: a process that helps young people understand the educational preparation they will need to enter specific industries and specific occupations within those industries.
- College and Career Readiness: the essential skills and knowledge students need for both college and career and how to transition into productive adulthood.
- College Readiness: the essential skills and knowledge critical to students achieving access to and success in postsecondary programs following the completion of their high school degrees.
- Degree: an academic credential an individual receives from a college or university after successfully completing a course of study.
- Education and Career Plan (ECP): a document that aligns students’ college and career goals with the education, training, and experiences needed to achieve them.
- Industry-Recognized Credentials: certificates or badges awarded to recognize mastery of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to enter and advance in jobs in specific sectors and industries.
- Multicultural Competence: an appreciation and respect for diversity and the beliefs or practices of others.
- Navigator: A person who guides youth through the twists and turns on the road to becoming college and career ready. Whether playing a formal or informal role, these college and career readiness navigators are critical to helping young people map out the journeys toward the futures they want for themselves. The role can be held by but is not limited to teachers, counselors, advisors, youth workers, family members, mentors, and other advocates.
- Postsecondary Success Asset Mapping (PSAM): uses the researched-based PSAM survey and set of tools to help schools determine, implement, and continuously improve strategies and supports to better guide ALL students, especially those underserved, toward successful college and career pathways.
- Project-Based Learning: an instructional strategy that uses real-world challenges and problems to help students acquire knowledge and skills.
- Work-Based Learning (WBL): is an educational strategy that provides students with real-life work experiences where they can apply academic and technical skills and develop their employability.
- Work Experience: the experience a person gains while working or volunteering for a period of time in a field or occupation.