Louisiana students have an Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) by the end of grade 8, built with a parent or guardian and the school counselor. The plan is then reviewed, updated and signed each year until graduation. Following the 10th grade year, a student may choose to work toward a Jump Start TOPS Tech Pathway, pursue the TOPS University Pathway, or choose both.

The challenge: a plan without exploration

The IGP asks students to map coursework toward a diploma pathway, and that choice carries real weight. A student who has not yet seen what a skilled trade, a campus or a branch of service looks like is choosing with little to go on. Without exploration, the annual review can turn into a signature instead of a conversation.

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

Dual enrollment

Dual enrollment in Louisiana

Louisiana law defines dual enrollment as a high school student's enrollment in a postsecondary course for which both postsecondary and high school credit may be earned, and the Louisiana Board of Regents sets a Statewide Dual Enrollment Policy for public colleges and universities, with a Dual Enrollment Framework Task Force under the Board of Regents created in La. R.S. 17:2922.1. The state's TOPS Tech Early Start award, administered by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance under La. R.S. 17:5081, helps pay tuition for eligible 11th and 12th grade students at Louisiana public high schools. Students must remain in good standing and keep a 2.00 GPA on all high school courses attempted, and funding is contingent on legislative appropriation.

Students who explore technical careers early, for example through daily exploration on a 13th Year™ kiosk, can choose TOPS Tech Early Start or other dual enrollment courses that lead to a credential they actually want.

Official program information: Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (TOPS Tech Early Start); Louisiana Board of Regents (dual enrollment policy) →

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 first IGP. The plan is completed by the end of grade 8. Give students time to look at colleges, skilled trades, military service and careers before they sit down to build it.
  • Prepare for the pathway choice. Following the 10th grade year, students may choose a Jump Start TOPS Tech Pathway, the TOPS University Pathway, or both. Encourage ninth and tenth graders to explore options on each side so the choice reflects their own interests.
  • Bring families into the annual review. The IGP is reviewed, updated and signed each year. Ask students to share what they have explored with a parent or guardian before the review.
  • 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 that thinking to their IGP and pathway choice. It supports, and does not replace, Louisiana's IGP 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 Louisiana high schools, or request a kiosk for your school.