PAES Lab
"Practical Assessment Exploration System"
The PAES Lab is designed to cultivate career exploration and assess employment potential through hands-on learning for high school age students. This class simulates a real-world work environment and exposes students to a broad range of generalized work skills.
The PAES Lab provides foundational basics for school-to-work transition planning. Students learn appropriate workplace behavior, independent problem-solving, and higher-order thinking skills to prepare them for adult life beyond high school.
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Course Work Areas
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Students practice nearly 300 different job tasks spanning across 5 career areas.
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Each career area's tasks are broken down into 8-10 manageable job units.
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Each job unit's tasks range in levels of difficulty from 1 - 6.
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Students work through job unit tasks beginning with the most basic tasks at level one and progress through more challenging tasks to level 6.
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After completing the highest level tasks, students have the knowledge to perform equivalent tasks in entry-level employment.
Simulated Work Environment
The PAES Lab creates a simulated work environment where students become the employee and the teacher acts as the workplace supervisor. Students explore different career interests, identify what skills they enjoy, and which skills they are good at. Students also learn proper workplace expectations and behaviors.
Students clock in and clock out at the beginning and end of their shift, just like real employees. They follow work procedures that guide them through getting their own job materials and the steps to complete the assigned task.
This structure promotes independent task completion and problem-solving skills, asking for the supervisor's help only when necessary.
Assessment of Employment Potential
Upon the completion of PAES Lab, Students and Educators will be provided a performance-based assessment of each student's career potential and employable skills.
This summary can be used to write transition plans and help high school students navigate their next steps as they transition into adult life and the workforce.