COUNSELORS AND ADVISERS
Middle School
7th and 8th Grade
Help middle schoolers plan for high school and beyond!
Before they leave your care, your eighth graders will need to choose an endorsement and put together a high school graduation plan. These are some big and exciting changes. We’re here to help you help your students plan a path to their future.
Keep scrolling for middle school college and career readiness resources, including a website where your students can draft their graduation plan, lesson plans aligned with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and our recommended resources from Texas and national organizations.
Boost your knowledge.
There’s a lot to keep up with on graduation requirements, endorsements, career pathways, and other content critical in the middle school years. Make sure you have the most trustworthy and up-to-date info with the Texas OnCourse Academy. Log in or create an account, and find what you need under Career Pathways > Academic Planning.
Find the best-fit endorsements.
In eighth grade, students pick an area of skill or interest (called an endorsement) that they want to focus on in high school. Let us help! Check out information and resources specific to endorsements – including some you can pass along to students and families.
Help your students master grad planning.
Students are gearing up to take more control of their own schedules. First, they may have questions, like what is the Distinguished Level of Achievement? With MapMyGrad, your students can make the right choices and plan their high school personal graduation plan.
Encourage your students to game their way to success.
Some jobs students have heard of – doctor, teacher, lawyer, detective – but some they may not have! They might make a really good actuary or phlebotomist. Our mobile-friendly game, MiddleGalaxy, can help students learn about these options.
Featured Tools for Middle School Counselors and Advisers
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Texas OnCourse Academy
Texas OnCourse Academy provides comprehensive learning on college and career advising to educators.
LESSONS AND CURRICULUM
College and Career Readiness Curriculum
This curriculum includes lesson plans aligned to TEKS for college and career readiness and investigating careers.
JOBS AND CAREERS
MiddleGalaxy
Lead a space voyage in this web and mobile game exploring the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for a variety of careers.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
MapMyGrad
Students zero in on skills and interests to explore careers and endorsements and plan a path through high school.
Important Dates and Deadlines
DEC-
JAN
GRADE 8
Prep for personal graduation planning and high school registration
JAN-FEB
GRADE 8
Choose your endorsement!
FEB-MAR
GRADES 7 & 8
Select your courses for next year!
All Resources for Middle School
Endorsements
Endorsements and Middle School Career Exploration
ENDORSEMENTS
In this webinar, we highlight our career pathways resources for middle school students. We hear best practices from Texas OnCourse leader fellows on teaching endorsements, exploring career clusters, and course registration systems.
MapMyGrad: Using and Implementing the Website in Schools
ENDORSEMENTS
This webinar walks you through using MapMyGrad, Texas OnCourse's interactive website, for endorsement selection and graduation planning. It starts with a simple quiz for your students that reveals their passions, leads to an endorsement, and ends with suggested courses at your actual school! We'll also discuss suggestions for implementing the tool in the classroom and point out some helpful lesson plans that integrate MapMyGrad.
Using MiddleGalaxy in the Classroom
LESSONS & CURRICULUM
This webinar will walk you through setting up and playing MiddleGalaxy, Texas OnCourse's space-themed career exploration game. We'll also discuss suggestions for implementing the game in the classroom and point out some helpful lesson plans that incorporate the game.
Course Planning and Endorsements
ENDORSEMENTS
Find out everything you need to know about effective course planning and endorsement selections for your students. We'll hear from professionals from Keller ISD about their proven best practices in these areas.
The High School Readiness Report
RESEARCH
The High School Readiness Report presents benchmark data from Texas OnCourse regarding middle school students’ knowledge and awareness about endorsements and graduation planning. In general, the findings from this report suggest that students lack knowledge on these topics. Texas OnCourse seeks to bridge this gap.
Roadtrip Texas: Choose Courses for High School!
GRADUATION PLANNING
Exploring your passions in middle and high school is key to making your future plans. In this video, understand how to choose classes for high school, and what the word "endorsement" means for your studies.
MiddleGalaxy
JOBS AND CAREERS
Lead a space voyage in this web and mobile game exploring the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for a variety of careers.
Texas OnCourse Academy
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Texas OnCourse Academy provides comprehensive learning on college and career advising to educators.
MapMyGrad
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Students zero in on skills and interests to explore careers and endorsements and plan a path through high school.
High School Endorsements and Career Paths
ENDORSEMENTS
Prepare students to select high school endorsements with labor market and career information.
Grad Requirements
Webinar: K-12 Updates from the 87th Texas Legislative Session
MONTHLY WEBINAR SERIES
View this webinar for an overview of the 2021 Texas education bills passed during the 87th Regular Legislative Session.
Advising Students with Unique Needs and Circumstances
GRAD REQUIREMENTS
Have you ever wondered how to best advise Texas students with unique needs and circumstances? Discover best practices from the pros in this Texas OnCourse webinar.
An Introduction to Advising Highly Mobile Students
COLLEGE PLANNING
Students who move frequently, including children of military families or migrant workers, face unique needs and challenges. In this webinar, we walk you through our free online module to help you advise and support highly mobile students all over the U.S.
Roadtrip Texas: Choose Courses for High School!
GRADUATION PLANNING
Exploring your passions in middle and high school is key to making your future plans. In this video, understand how to choose classes for high school, and what the word "endorsement" means for your studies.
Texas OnCourse Academy
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Texas OnCourse Academy provides comprehensive learning on college and career advising to educators.
MapMyGrad
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Students zero in on skills and interests to explore careers and endorsements and plan a path through high school.
High School Endorsements and Career Paths
ENDORSEMENTS
Prepare students to select high school endorsements with labor market and career information.
DataDive
DATA AND ACCOUNTABILITY
View and compare Texas school performance and college readiness data at the click of a button.
Jobs and Careers
Advising and Teaching Career Pathways
LESSONS & CURRICULUM
In this webinar, we explore resources to support instruction on career clusters. Lori Knight of the Texas Workforce Commission discusses helping students research and select career pathways.
College and Career Advising in Texas
RESEARCH
Texas OnCourse administered a survey to K-12 counselors and advisers throughout Texas to better understand the state of college and career advising. Feedback from school counselors is crucial to maximizing the impact of our counseling and advising resources. Texas OnCourse is committed to using the data supplied in this survey to maximize the services we provide to our community.
The College and Employment Outcomes of Career and Technical Education (CTE) Concentrators
RESEARCH
We investigated how college and employment outcomes vary based on whether students concentrated in CTE and on what discipline they focused.
MiddleGalaxy
JOBS AND CAREERS
Lead a space voyage in this web and mobile game exploring the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for a variety of careers.
Texas OnCourse Academy
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Texas OnCourse Academy provides comprehensive learning on college and career advising to educators.
MapMyGrad
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Students zero in on skills and interests to explore careers and endorsements and plan a path through high school.
Roadtrip Nation
JOBS AND CAREERS
Students travel across the nation to talk to their heroes and job crushes and understand college and career decisions along the way.
College Planning
College and Career Advising in Texas
RESEARCH
Texas OnCourse administered a survey to K-12 counselors and advisers throughout Texas to better understand the state of college and career advising. Feedback from school counselors is crucial to maximizing the impact of our counseling and advising resources. Texas OnCourse is committed to using the data supplied in this survey to maximize the services we provide to our community.
MiddleGalaxy
JOBS AND CAREERS
Lead a space voyage in this web and mobile game exploring the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for a variety of careers.
Texas OnCourse Academy
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Texas OnCourse Academy provides comprehensive learning on college and career advising to educators.
College for All Texans
COLLEGE PLANNING | FINANCES
Find out your options on how to pay for college education costs. Understand tuition and fees, financial aid, and scholarships and loans.
Roadtrip Nation
JOBS AND CAREERS
Students travel across the nation to talk to their heroes and job crushes and understand college and career decisions along the way.
Applying to College
Texas OnCourse Academy
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Texas OnCourse Academy provides comprehensive learning on college and career advising to educators.
Finances
Texas OnCourse Academy
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Texas OnCourse Academy provides comprehensive learning on college and career advising to educators.
College for All Texans
COLLEGE PLANNING | FINANCES
Find out your options on how to pay for college education costs. Understand tuition and fees, financial aid, and scholarships and loans.