Oregon's diploma rule, OAR 581-022-2000, requires school districts to develop a process that gives each student the opportunity to develop an education plan and build an education profile in grades 7 through 12 with adult guidance. The Education Plan and Profile (EPP) is reviewed and updated at least annually and is supported by the district's Comprehensive School Counseling Program. The Oregon Department of Education describes it as a road map that guides student learning through secondary education and into life after high school.

The challenge: a plan without exploration

The education plan asks a student to identify personal and career interests and set tentative educational and career goals. That is difficult for a student who has seen only a few options. Without real exploration, the annual update can become a course list, and the profile a record that is filled in and set aside.

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

Dual enrollment

Dual enrollment in Oregon

Oregon's Expanded Options Program, administered by the Oregon Department of Education under ORS Chapter 340, lets eligible public high school students take courses at eligible postsecondary institutions. Under the statute, an eligible student is enrolled in an Oregon public school and is in grade 11 or 12 or at least 16 years old at enrollment, and a district may allow students in lower grades to take part. The school district and the institution negotiate a financial agreement for the actual instructional costs, including tuition and fees. The Higher Education Coordinating Commission sets statewide standards for high school based college credit, including dual credit, sponsored dual credit and assessment-based learning credit, under ORS 340.310 and OAR 715-017-0005.

Students who spend time early on exploring careers and programs can choose Expanded Options or dual credit courses that build toward a specific certificate or degree, and regular exploration (for example on a 13th Year™ kiosk) makes that choice easier.

Official program information: Oregon Department of Education (Expanded Options); Higher Education Coordinating Commission (accelerated learning standards) →

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 each annual update. The Education Plan and Profile is reviewed at least once a year, beginning in grade 7. Give students time to explore colleges, skilled trades, military service and careers before each review, so the update reflects new thinking.
  • Link interests to career-related learning. Oregon's Personalized Learning Requirements also include Career-Related Learning Experiences and the Extended Application. Students who know what interests them can choose experiences that fit their plan.
  • Pair exploration with the Higher Education and Career Path Skills credit. Students graduating on or after January 1, 2027 complete 0.5 credit in Higher Education and Career Path Skills. Self-directed exploration gives them real options to work with in that course.
  • 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 who have explored their options bring clearer interests and goals to the Education Plan and Profile. It supports, and does not replace, Oregon's Education Plan and Profile, a district's Comprehensive School Counseling Program 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 Oregon high schools, or request a kiosk for your school.