A Case Study of Technology-Assisted Advising Tools in Five High Schools
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| Title: | A Case Study of Technology-Assisted Advising Tools in Five High Schools |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Sarah Salimi, Shelley Rappaport, Crystal Nuñez, MDRC |
| Source: | MDRC. 2025. |
| Availability: | MDRC. 16 East 34th Street 19th Floor, New York, NY 10016-4326. Tel: 212-532-3200; Fax: 212-684-0832; e-mail: publications@mdrc.org; Web site: http://www.mdrc.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 16 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Institute of Education Sciences (ED) |
| Contract Number: | R305A200307 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education Grade 9 Junior High Schools Middle Schools Grade 10 |
| Descriptors: | Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Career and Technical Education, Career Exploration, Career Guidance, High School Students, Grade 9, Grade 10, Program Effectiveness, Teacher Role, Counselor Role, Barriers, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, School Counselors, Counselor Attitudes |
| Abstract: | Recently, many states have adopted legislation that facilitates easier access to career and technical education (CTE) pathways and career exposure in high school. Technology-based advising tools offer assessments designed to help students measure their own aptitudes and explore career and educational pathways aligned with those aptitudes. To determine if these tools truly enhance the number and quality of options students are presented with when considering career-aligned courses, college options, and careers, and if students put the same stock into personalized recommendations from the tools as they do those from counselors or teachers, MDRC conducted an implementation study of two tech advising tools, Xello and YouScience, in ninth- and tenth-grade classrooms during school years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. This brief follows five implementing schools where students completed assessments and received their results in the form of guidance on CTE courses and career recommendations. The study team conducted interviews and focus groups with teachers, counselors, and students in the five schools over two years. From these conversations, interviewers hoped to glean what students and school staff members thought of the tools, how students and staff members reacted to tool-generated career recommendations, and whether students considered these results when selecting courses for the following academic year. Findings suggest that while online advising tools seem like a promising (and potentially bias-free) innovation that can allow schools to provide more workforce advising to students without needing to hire more teachers or counselors, they still require meaningful engagement from teachers or counselors to resonate with students and they cannot supplant personalized, human advising. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| IES Funded: | Yes |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED674269 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Recently, many states have adopted legislation that facilitates easier access to career and technical education (CTE) pathways and career exposure in high school. Technology-based advising tools offer assessments designed to help students measure their own aptitudes and explore career and educational pathways aligned with those aptitudes. To determine if these tools truly enhance the number and quality of options students are presented with when considering career-aligned courses, college options, and careers, and if students put the same stock into personalized recommendations from the tools as they do those from counselors or teachers, MDRC conducted an implementation study of two tech advising tools, Xello and YouScience, in ninth- and tenth-grade classrooms during school years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. This brief follows five implementing schools where students completed assessments and received their results in the form of guidance on CTE courses and career recommendations. The study team conducted interviews and focus groups with teachers, counselors, and students in the five schools over two years. From these conversations, interviewers hoped to glean what students and school staff members thought of the tools, how students and staff members reacted to tool-generated career recommendations, and whether students considered these results when selecting courses for the following academic year. Findings suggest that while online advising tools seem like a promising (and potentially bias-free) innovation that can allow schools to provide more workforce advising to students without needing to hire more teachers or counselors, they still require meaningful engagement from teachers or counselors to resonate with students and they cannot supplant personalized, human advising. |
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