Utah State Board of Education rule R277-462 calls for a Plan for College and Career Readiness for students in grades 7 through 12. The student, the student's parent and the school counselor develop it together. The rule describes a four-year plan that starts at the beginning of seventh grade, or within a student's first year in those grades, and it is supported by individual and group conference meetings.

The challenge: a plan without exploration

Conference time with a student and parent is limited, and it goes quickly. If a student arrives without having looked at any colleges, trades or careers, much of the meeting is spent on first questions instead of decisions. Without exploration between conferences, the plan can become a document that is updated but not really used.

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

Dual enrollment

Dual enrollment in Utah

Utah's statewide dual enrollment program is Concurrent Enrollment, which state law requires the Utah State Board of Education and the Utah Board of Higher Education to establish and maintain (Utah Code ยง 53E-10-302). Concurrent Enrollment courses count toward both high school and college credit, and state guidance lists public school students in grades 9, 10, 11, or 12 as eligible, subject to the requirements of the participating college or university. State law generally bars institutions from charging tuition or fees for a concurrent enrollment course, with limited exceptions set in statute.

Students who explore career and degree options early can choose Concurrent Enrollment courses that build toward a specific goal, and daily exploration (for example on a 13th Year™ kiosk) can help them narrow those choices.

Official program information: Utah State Board of Education and Utah Board of Higher Education (Utah System 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 each conference. Utah's rule builds the plan around individual and group conference meetings. Students who explore beforehand bring specific interests to the table.
  • Give parents something to react to. The plan is developed collaboratively by the student, the student's parent and the school counselor. A student who can name programs and careers of interest gives a parent a real starting point.
  • Start in the middle grades. The plan begins in seventh grade. Early, low-pressure exploration helps students grow into the plan across grades 7 through 12.
  • 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 explore on their own time bring more to each Plan for College and Career Readiness conference. It supports, and does not replace, Utah's Plan for College and Career Readiness, the 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 Utah high schools, or request a kiosk for your school.