The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has launched a universal online statewide platform to support the state’s High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) initiative.
The HSBP initiative requires all K-12 public school graduates to have a High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) in order to earn a diploma. The plan, which students begin in the 7th grade, is designed to help connect students’ career interests with their classes, and their classes with career training or college majors.
The new platform follows a move by the 2023 Legislature to direct OSPI to facilitate a transition to a universal online HSBP platform. The OSPI is now announcing the launch of that transition.
The move to a universal online platform is a response to the more than a dozen HSBP platforms being used across the state. OSPI said in a press release that the platforms vary broadly in the kinds of tools and resources that they offer students, families, and schools. Additionally, because of differences in the functionality of different platforms, a student’s HSBP may not follow them if they move.
“The High School and Beyond Plan is a powerful platform that guides students to resources, course options, and other tools in support of their career and college exploration,” State Superintendent Chris Reykdal said. “Every student needs a postsecondary plan for their success and the success of our state. Our goal for this project is to ensure all Washington students have access to a platform that offers the most comprehensive suite of tools and resources, and that provides real-time data and information to students, parents, guardians, and counselors.”
Following a competitive process, OSPI selected SchooLinks as the vendor for the universal online tool in May of last year. OSPI explained that students in grades 7–12 will get annual access to SchooLinks to support their progress toward graduation and achieving goals such as entering a college or university, apprenticeship program, industry-standard certificate program, military training, internship, or on-the-job training after high school.
According to OSPI, the online platform will give Washington’s students and their schools customizable tools to set, track, update, and achieve their postsecondary goals. The platform includes activities related to goal setting, course planning, career exploration, financial aid information, and resume building. The platform provides access for families and educators and implements high standards of security and privacy to protect sensitive student and school information.
During this initial launch, OSPI will be partnering with SchooLinks to support 156 school districts, technical colleges, state-tribal education compact schools, and charter schools across the state that’ve committed to implementing the SchooLinks platform in the 2025–26 school year. These districts are joining the 45 districts that launched SchooLinks during the 2024–25 school year. The remaining school districts will make the transition in the 2026–27 school year.
“I’m grateful for our pilot school districts’ participation in the initial launch, and for the Legislature’s investment in supporting our students’ postsecondary success in this way,” Reykdal said. “I’m looking forward to building a consistent statewide approach to postsecondary planning. Our students and families will be well served by this innovation.”
