A universal, student-facing pipeline that prepares students with disabilities and underserved youth — including neurodivergent, justice-impacted, and students in temporary housing — with employability skills, portfolios, and supports for WBL participation, pre-apprenticeships, and successful transition to employment and independent living.
Overview
This pathway is structured to deliver the Earnables Scope & Sequence and is delivered by StudentUnion Mentors in school-day, advisory, and after-school formats.
Curriculum focuses on progressing SWD through engaging skill-building in SEL, executive functioning, problem-solving, independent living, STEM, and employability — while building a Pathway Portfolio of micro-accomplishments within the Earnables Scope & Sequence.
Related Instruction scaffolds age- and ability-appropriate building blocks that engage students in Pathway Portfolio micro-achievements, with early introduction to and connection with ongoing community supports through elementary, middle, and high school — and through transition to postsecondary independent living.
Connected supports include school- and community-based WBL coordinators and social workers, DYCD WBL intermediaries for worksite placements and pay, TCAC / ACCESS-VR / TAYS / Pre-ETS transition counselors and services, and CBO programs for ongoing community-based wraparound supports and family engagement.
The Earnables Scope & Sequence is the backbone of K–12 Pathways — a scaffolded micro-achievement system that guides students from engagement and goal-setting through portfolio completion and workforce readiness. Each milestone builds toward real WBL participation and earn-and-learn outcomes.
Pathway Mentorship
The mentors system guides and supports students from K to 12 and beyond, toward increasing readiness to engage in WBL, pre-apprenticeship, and independent living — with connections to ongoing supports built into the progression.
College students, early career professionals, and community-based volunteers and professionals who are trained and supported in coaching students — grade-by-grade — from engagement, to goal-setting, to micro-achievements and Earnables portfolio completion.
Older students trained and supported to help lift younger peers through the Earnables progression of skill, portfolio, readiness, and support-building — creating a culture of achievement and peer accountability within the program.
Trained in StudentUnion's Ready to RAP program to support SWD in on-site WBL and direct entry into RAP-aligned pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship, ensuring employer-side readiness and structured supervision for every placement.
Grade-Level Programs
A scaffolded progression of programming, mentorship, and supports from kindergarten through postsecondary transition, aligned to the NYCDOE Work-Based Learning continuum: career awareness → exploration → preparation.
Introduces career awareness and foundational skill-building, helping students explore a wide range of careers and build academic, social, and communication skills required in the workplace. Students engage in fun, structured STEAM-based activities that begin building their Pathway Portfolio.
Students engage in structured experiences including job shadowing, mentorship, and project-based learning tied to real industries — identifying best-fit pathways aligned to their interests and strengths through the Earnables progression.
Intensifies into career preparation embedding internships, applied projects, and employer-connected experiences. Experiences are credit-bearing and credential-aligned, with progressively rigorous work experiences supported by training plans, mentorship, and performance evaluations that mirror real workforce expectations.
Extends Pathways beyond traditional school settings with specialized programs for students in alternative situations, ensuring no student is left without a structured pathway to employment and independent living.
Specialized Pathways
For students who need more than the standard progression, Pathways offers five specialized tracks tailored to distinct circumstances and needs.
Structured employability skill-building and agency coordination for students not yet internship-ready. Bridges the gap between school-based learning and workplace participation with intensive, supported preparation.
Extended supports for young adults ages 18–24 focused on employment, independent living skills, and coordinated agency connections. Integrates OPWDD Life Plan alignment and Medicaid Waiver-funded support access.
Accelerated portfolio completion, Earnables tracking, and WBL alignment for overage and under-credited students — ensuring students re-entering the system have a clear, achievable pathway to credentials and employment.
Re-engagement for justice-impacted youth through structured skill-building, employer exposure, portfolio documentation, and supported WBL placement — with dedicated mentorship and agency coordination throughout.
Mentor-driven career navigation and facilitated employer access for youth in temporary housing and unaccompanied youth. Combines intensive wraparound supports with structured Earnables progression to ensure stability and career momentum regardless of housing situation.
System Alignment
All activities are mapped to CDOS standards, CTE program requirements, and NYCDOE-approved WBL activities — integrating into existing systems without adding administrative burden.
Long-Term Independence
For SWD, Pathways extends beyond school-based programming by integrating with Care Coordination Organizations (CCOs) — the backbone of New York State's OPWDD system.
WBL and employment goals formally recorded in the student's Life Plan, unlocking access to state-funded supports such as job coaching after graduation. CCOs include Care Design NY, Tri-County Care, and ACANY.
Pathways supports schools and families in navigating OPWDD eligibility — connecting families to the "Front Door" process and ensuring Pathways activities are embedded in the student's Life Plan.
Students are positioned to access Medicaid Waiver-funded supports that sustain employment pathways after school exit — transforming Pathways into a long-term, state-supported pipeline.
Career readiness activities connect to adult service systems ensuring alignment across education, employment, and independent living planning — not just school-based programming.