The growing emphasis on post-graduation college and career options within Naperville School District 203 is showing fruitful results, according to officials.
At a school board meeting on Monday, Jan. 22, District 203 administrators gave a data-heavy report on the college and career pathway program and offered up a glimpse of what is ahead for the initiative in the years to come.
According to the district, 97% of all high schoolers this year have taken part in an instrument known as the career interest inventory assessment. In grade 10, 82% of all students have selected a career pathway. And at the highest grade level, 92% of this year’s senior class have set up at least one college application.
The up-to-date statistics come against the backdrop of other above-average statewide statistics. Half of all District 203 students complete a degree within four years of graduating high school, and the number increases to 70% in a six-year span of time.
District following state’s 2032 goal for college and career readiness
Jayne Willard, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said District 203 has a long history of encouraging students to consider college and career opportunities after graduation through a series of multi-pronged initiatives.
But the efforts are picking up steam alongside a goal for school districts across Illinois. By 2032, state public education officials have set a 90% college and career readiness goal.
“This is no longer just a ‘nice to have’ for students, but a ‘must have,’” Willard said. “In fact, the measure makes up 6.25% of our annual school report card.”
With the state goal and more localized efforts in mind, District 203 has been adjusting its overall philosophy toward getting students across all grade levels to think about what they might want to pursue after graduation — and how they can go about achieving their goals.
“The question for our students has shifted from, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ to ‘What do you want to do with your life and what do you want your future to be like?’” Chala Holland, assistant superintendent for administrative services, said.
‘Responding to the evolving needs’
Throughout the recent hour-long presentation at the board meeting, Holland, Willard and other District 203 officials said nimbleness has been — and will continue to be — a key component to helping students chart a course for life after high school.
“It’s about responding to the evolving needs of our students,” Willard said. “An educational system truly fulfills its purpose when it actively cultivates conditions that align with the changes that our students are calling for, both explicitly and implicitly.”
Current college and career readiness programs are delivered to District 203 students through a number of avenues. Career Motive-8, for instance, is offered to eighth-graders and is an opportunity for students to attend a career exploration day as a primer for high school.
Individual learning plans and work-based learning programs are among some of the opportunities for high schoolers as they begin delving deeper into potential career options.
District 203 School Board gives its support
The goal, according to administrators, is to begin planting the seeds of career opportunities at a young age. This led to questions from several board members about what protocols are in place if and when students decide to go in a different direction.
Willard said such pivots are an understandable, natural part of navigating career exploration through different activities.
“I think it’s just as important for them to figure out what they don’t want to do as it is for what they do want to do,” Willard said. “We absolutely work with them to help them figure that out early.”
Board member Donna Wandke lauded administrators for working vigorously to refine the college and career readiness program offerings, as needed.
“You are light years ahead of where the state wants you to be,” Wandke said. “I love that we embrace change and embrace being an architect to what students need.”
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