Testing! That's heard all over America in public schools. ACT, SAT, EDI all acronyms for various tests students have to take for graduation, for college entrance and for money for their schools.

While students need to be accountable for basic academic skills, too much emphasis has been placed on prepping for college. Eighty percent of jobs today do not require a college degree.

Many high school students are not receiving the desired career guidance needed to produce a work force ready for today's challenges.

Instead, with legislation like No Child Left Behind and now Oklahoma's ACE initiative, teachers are bombarded with the increase in testing.

Educators have to dismiss the day-to-day discussions so that they can get through a lesson and get prepared to move onto the next lecture. The school systems are being inundated with tests. But with all this testing, who gets left behind? It's the student.

About 80 percent of the jobs in today's work force require only a high school diploma or GED. Statistics show that fewer than 40 percent of college students who enter as a freshman even become a sophomore. Academic testing does nothing to prepare for those kinds of jobs.

Unfortunately, many high school students are getting their career guidance through television. When CSI, Crime Scene Investigation debuted, colleges and high schools saw an increase in students who wanted to become the next Magnum P.I. and forensic scientists. Is this the proper way high school students should be receiving sound career guidance?

If the show "America's Next Top Model" continues to run, does this mean every girl will become fixated on body image? Or, will everyone soon become the next American Idol hopeful and take up singing careers?

It makes sense to provide career planning and exploration beginning at the eighth-grade and continuing through the senior year to develop a job strategy that fits the individual student profile.

Some solutions could include job shadowing, mentoring, and owner for a day, career guidance at the K-12 level, and career navigators in high schools.

Educational institutions cannot argue the fact that businesses are looking for a work force that is both trained and skilled.

Some businesses request someone they can train, leaving almost 40 percent of jobs needing short term on the job training.

Luckily in Oklahoma, the Career Tech system has proven itself to business across the state. Businesses constantly request specific customized training from the Career Techs and continue to be satisfied with the results. Students receive one-on-one training in the occupational field of their choice.

The instructors incorporate math in sizing up a tool to a machine and use reading to understand diagrams for small engine repair. The students see why they have to do this and how it will benefit their career.

The state is beginning to push for a Career Ready Certificate, or credentialing certificate. This credentialing can be done at any Workforce Oklahoma Center across the state and participants are graded in three levels: reading for comprehension, locating information and mathematics. These three areas have been identified by ACT as the three most areas of comprehension businesses are looking for. Upon completion of the assessment, the scores are tabulated and participants receive a bronze, silver or gold certificate. The state has businesses on board who use this credentialing system and identify their jobs with a specific certificate.

Job shadowing allows the students to understand what they are learning.

Mentoring allows students to receive guidance from professionals who are already well into their career of choice. Letting students become owners or teachers for a day, gives them a sense of ownership in a career choice. Students have to learn to communicate effectively, dress appropriately and learn to deal with the frustrations of what managers deal with day-to-day.

The optimum choice would be to place career navigators in every public school system across the state. They could assess the students and plan a high school curriculum that both meets the expectations of the state and builds career pathways for post high school careers.

They can help youth through transitions by providing the information needed to make decisions, think through available options, and connect with necessary resources, opportunities and supports.

Currently, school counselors are overloaded. Meanwhile, students are lost in the cracks of the curriculum nightmare never receiving the proper guidance for career choices.

These navigators understand the workforce demands and assist the students in making the right choices to get the most benefit. Students could leave high school with a better sense of the word job.

There is probably no right or wrong answer in developing students for the workforce challenges. Someone must take the first step. The words were once said, "The life you live is the lesson you teach."

*Update: Since June 8 Matt Rose has moved from Shawnee and is no longer a member of the Shawnee News Star editorial board.