This handbook is designed to help counselors take leadership in providing comprehensive career development activities for students in grades 9-12. The guidelines are intended as a tool for counselors to use in working with their colleagues to develop realistic and workable counseling and placement program strategies. A five-phase schema is presented for introducing, implementing, and periodically reviewing the typical phases of lifelong career development: individual assessment, career exploration, career/life planning, career (educational/occupational) preparation, and transition: educational/occupational placement. The checklist format is intended to assist program review and ongoing planning. Each phase is composed of three components. The first component, individual competencies for students, lists what students will be able to do as a result of the implementation of career development programs. The second component, program strategies, is a list of responsibilities of school staff. Space is provided to indicate date/grade implemented and by whom. The third component, suggested activities for students, is a checklist of activities in which students engage to develop the competencies listed. Appendixes include an article on the impact of the Carl Perkins Act on counselors, pertinent sections of the Colorado Accountability and Accreditation Act, and the student outcomes from the Colorado Unified State Plan. (YLB)