Recently, Tennessee passed a law requiring districts to provide middle schoolers and 9th graders with free interest inventories. The results can be used to inform the student's study plan for high school. Although championed by many educators, many others worry it could be used to track students into specific careers too early in their lives.
Kyle Hartung, associate vice president of JFF, believes schools need to give students exposure to work-based learning opportunities. These assessments should be used as one of many tools and not as a replacement for more hands-on opportunities that help students figure out whether they are suited to a particular career path.
