Maryland regulation provides that before grade 9 each student develops an individual academic and career plan and updates it annually. The Maryland State Department of Education calls this the Six-Year Plan. It covers grades 9 through 12 and sets goals for the first two years after high school graduation.

The challenge: a plan without exploration

A plan that reaches two years past graduation asks a lot of a student who is just finishing middle school. The Blueprint for Maryland's Future also brings post-CCR pathways into the high school years. Without real exploration, the Six-Year Plan can become a list of courses instead of a direction the student has chosen.

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

Dual enrollment

Dual enrollment in Maryland

Under the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, dual enrollment is tied to the state's College and Career Readiness (CCR) standard. A joint implementation policy of the Maryland State Board of Education and the Accountability and Implementation Board, adopted for Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026, requires local school systems to cover at least minimum tuition and fees for dual enrollment courses taken by students who have met the CCR standard, and local systems may choose to cover more. Students may enroll in additional dual enrollment courses beyond those their school system covers. Maryland Education Article section 15-127 also addresses tuition for dually enrolled students at public institutions of higher education.

Students who explore careers early, for example through daily exploration on a 13th Year™ kiosk, can choose dual enrollment courses after meeting the CCR standard that fit a clear Post-CCR pathway.

Official program information: Maryland State Board of Education and the Accountability and Implementation Board (joint policy); Maryland State Department of 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 plan is written. The Six-Year Plan is developed before grade 9. Give middle school students time to look at colleges, skilled trades, military service and careers so their first plan reflects real interests.
  • Refresh it every year. The plan is updated annually. Ask students to bring one new option they explored to each update so the plan keeps pace with them.
  • Link exploration to post-CCR pathways. The Blueprint describes post-CCR pathways such as AP, IB, dual enrollment, early college and CTE. Help students connect what they explore to the pathway that fits their goals, alongside the career counseling the Blueprint provides.
  • 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 what they find to their Six-Year Plan. It supports, and does not replace, Maryland's Six-Year Plan process, Blueprint career counseling 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 Maryland high schools, or request a kiosk for your school.