Massachusetts describes My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) as a student-centered, multi-year planning tool that gives students ongoing opportunities to plan for their academic, personal/social and career success. In June 2026, the Statewide Graduation Council's final recommendations proposed making a MyCAP part of new statewide graduation requirements. The state has said those recommendations are not yet finalized and are not currently in effect.

The challenge: a plan without exploration

MyCAP is designed to be student-centered. That design depends on students having enough exposure to know what their interests are. Without exploration, a multi-year plan can shrink into a set of tasks to complete each year.

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

Dual enrollment

Dual enrollment in Massachusetts

Massachusetts offers the Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Partnership (CDEP), overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. According to the department, CDEP gives Massachusetts high school students the chance to take college level courses at a discounted price and earn credit toward high school completion and a future college degree. Participation is at the discretion of each participating public college or university, subject to capacity constraints and state appropriation, and students who meet eligibility guidelines are not guaranteed a spot.

Students who spend time exploring careers and majors before junior year, for example through daily exploration on a 13th Year™ kiosk, are better prepared to pick CDEP courses that count toward the path they want.

Official program information: Massachusetts Department 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

  • Feed the Career Development domain. Career Development is one of MyCAP's three domains. Give students regular chances to explore colleges, skilled trades, military service and careers so they have real material to work with.
  • Keep it student-centered. MyCAP is described as a student-centered tool. Let students explore on their own time first, then use school time to reflect on what they found.
  • Build the habit now. The June 2026 final recommendations proposed a MyCAP as part of new statewide graduation requirements, and they are not currently in effect. Schools that make exploration routine today will be well prepared whatever the final rules say.
  • 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 discover to their MyCAP. It supports, and does not replace, the MyCAP 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 Massachusetts high schools, or request a kiosk for your school.