Arkansas law calls for each student to have a Student Success Plan (SSP) by the end of grade eight. The plan is developed by school personnel in collaboration with parents and the student, and it is reviewed and updated annually. It guides the student along pathways to graduation and brings together course planning, career exploration and a plan for life after high school.

The challenge: a plan without exploration

The Student Success Plan asks an eighth grader to begin thinking about pathways to graduation and about college and career. Students who have had little chance to explore may choose a direction because it is familiar, not because it fits. Each annual update then repeats the same choice instead of testing it.

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 Arkansas schools. Students could choose more than one answer, and some responded more than once.

Dual enrollment

Dual enrollment in Arkansas

Arkansas high school students can earn college credit through concurrent credit courses. Under state law, institutions of higher education and school districts may not charge an eligible public school student or the student's parent or guardian for tuition, fees or materials for concurrent credit courses. The Arkansas Division of Higher Education administers the ACCESS to Acceleration (A2A) Scholarship, which replaced the repealed Concurrent Challenge Scholarship, is funded by excess Arkansas Lottery proceeds, and pays for up to 15 credit hours per semester and 30 credit hours per academic year for students in grades 9 through 12. Students do not apply for A2A directly; eligible students are identified from enrollment reports submitted to the Division.

Students who explore careers early, for example through daily exploration on a 13th Year™ kiosk, can use concurrent credit hours more deliberately by choosing courses that apply to a certificate or degree pathway they have already started to consider.

Official program information: Arkansas Division of Higher Education →

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 update. Give students time to look at careers, colleges and training options before the Student Success Plan is reviewed each year.
  • Bring families into the discovery. The plan is developed in collaboration with parents and the student. Ask students to share what they explored at home before the conversation.
  • Tie interests to a pathway. Beginning with the ninth grade class of 2024-2025, Arkansas public high school students have the option to earn a diploma through a career-ready pathway. Exploration helps students choose with confidence.
  • 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 Student Success Plan. It supports, and does not replace, the Arkansas Student Success Plan process, the state's LAUNCH for Students platform 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 Arkansas high schools, or request a kiosk for your school.