Arizona requires an Education and Career Action Plan (ECAP) for every student in grades 9 through 12 under State Board of Education rule R7-2-302.05. Schools develop the plan in consultation with the student, the student's parent or guardian and designated school personnel, and it is updated at least annually. The Arizona Department of Education describes four ECAP components: academic, career, postsecondary and extracurricular.

The challenge: a plan without exploration

Each of the four ECAP components asks a student to name goals. Students who have not yet explored what is out there often have little to write, and the annual review can turn into a quick update of last year's answers. School counselors then have less time for the conversations that give the plan direction.

What students tell us

Across the 13th Year™ network, students are most open early, and their options narrow as graduation gets closer:

  • 32%of 9th graders are weighing more than one path after high school. By 12th grade, 16% are.
  • 53%of 9th graders are interested in more than one career field, compared with 33% of seniors.
  • 11%of 9th graders say they are not sure yet what comes next. Only 2% of seniors say so.
  • 23%of students planning on college are also considering another path, such as the skilled trades, the military, work or a business of their own.

For planning, that means the most valuable exploration happens in the first years of high school, while students are still open to what they find.

Figures come from more than 3,800 responses students submitted at 13th Year™ kiosks and school links across the 13th Year™ network in 2026, not only Arizona schools. Students could choose more than one answer, and some responded more than once.

Dual enrollment

Dual enrollment in Arizona

Arizona's dual enrollment law, A.R.S. 15-1821.01, allows a community college district governing board to authorize its colleges to offer college courses that count toward both high school and college requirements. Each offering is set up through an intergovernmental agreement or contract between the community college district and the school, which must address funding arrangements, student tuition and financial aid policies, including whether scholarships or grants are awarded, and the responsibilities of each party. The statute also states that homeschooled students may fully participate in dual enrollment, including receipt of college credit.

Students who explore careers early, for example through daily exploration on a 13th Year™ kiosk, are better positioned to choose dual enrollment courses that transfer toward a university major or count toward an occupational certificate they want.

Official program information: Community college district governing boards, through agreements with schools →

What students need before the planning meeting

The most productive planning conversations happen when a student walks in with something to talk about: a career they read about, a program that surprised them, a question about the military or an apprenticeship. That kind of curiosity comes from exposure, and exposure works best when it is frequent, self-directed and part of the school day.

Practical ways to build exploration into the year

  • Explore before the annual review. Give students time to look at colleges, careers and training options before the ECAP is reviewed each year, so updates reflect new thinking.
  • Feed all four components. Ask students to bring one discovery for each ECAP component: academic, career, postsecondary and extracurricular.
  • Start in grade 9. The ECAP covers grades 9 through 12, so early exploration gives students four years to refine their goals instead of one.
  • Make exploration self-serve. Let students explore on their own time, so counselor time goes to the conversations that need it.

Where the Student Pathway System™ goes

13th Year™ places an interactive college and career kiosk in a school's hallway, a modern guidance resource students use before, during and after school. Students can explore colleges, skilled trades, military service, scholarships and careers on their own time, then bring those interests to their ECAP. It supports, and does not replace, Arizona's ECAP process and school counselors.

For administrators, the questions are usually privacy and workload. The 13th Year™ platform is FERPA aligned and designed with student privacy considerations in mind. It does not access the high school's student information system, and no student data is sold. Kiosks come at no cost to the school, and 13th Year™ delivers, installs and supports every kiosk, so it is built to support your counselors, not burden them.

See how 13th Year™ supports Arizona high schools, or request a kiosk for your school.