This is the stretch when school work starts pointing at life after graduation. Students map out a plan that connects their interests to real jobs, colleges, or training programs, and they practice the habits that hold up in a workplace: showing up, communicating clearly, working on a team, and thinking through problems. They also learn to weigh money, health, and ethics when making decisions. By spring, students can talk through a realistic next step after high school and explain why it fits them.
Students start the year by acting like the adults they're becoming. They show up on time, follow through on what they said they'd do, and take responsibility when something goes wrong at school, at a job, or in the community.
Students practice writing emails, speaking in meetings, and presenting ideas clearly. They also work on teams with people who don't think or live like they do, which is what most workplaces actually look like.
Students take on messy, open-ended problems and break them into smaller parts. They research using sources they can trust, weigh tradeoffs, and try new ideas instead of giving up when the first attempt doesn't work.
Students map out what comes next, whether that's college, a trade, the military, or a job. They look honestly at costs, requirements, and their own interests, and they pick up the tech skills the next step will expect.
Students learn to take care of themselves for the long haul. They practice budgeting, making decisions about health, and thinking about how their choices affect their community and the world around them.
Students map out their next steps after high school by connecting what they actually enjoy and value to real options in college, training programs, or the workforce. The plan accounts for what those paths actually require.
Students learn to pick up new apps, software, and digital tools quickly and use them to get work done, communicate clearly, and solve problems on the job.
Students practice working in teams with people from different backgrounds, adjusting how they communicate and collaborate to get the work done. The skill is about getting along and producing results across real differences.
Students take ownership of their choices at school, at work, and in the community. That means following through on commitments, owning mistakes, and showing up as someone others can count on.
Students take what they've learned in class and apply it to real problems they'd actually face in a job. The skills aren't just for tests; they're the same ones employers expect on day one.
Students learn to make everyday choices about their health and money with the long run in mind. That means thinking through decisions like what to eat, how to exercise, and how to save or spend.
Students learn to match how they speak, write, and communicate online to whoever they're talking to and why. A presentation to a boss calls for different words than a text to a friend.
Before acting on a plan, students think through how that plan affects the environment, other people, and money. They use that thinking to shape what they build, decide, or do.
Students come up with original ideas and find new ways to use familiar tools to solve problems at work or in a project.
Students learn to search for trustworthy information, judge whether sources hold up, and pull findings together into a clear picture. This applies across school subjects and real work situations.
Students break a tough problem into smaller parts, look at their options, and keep working even when a first attempt doesn't pan out. This is how most real workplace challenges actually get solved.
Students practice doing the right thing in school projects, jobs, and community work, then step up to guide others with honesty. This standard is about how students act when no one is watching and how they lead when others are.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Plan an education and career path aligned to personal goals, interests High School | Students map out their next steps after high school by connecting what they actually enjoy and value to real options in college, training programs, or the workforce. The plan accounts for what those paths actually require. | IL-CDOS.CRP10.9-12 |
| Use technology to enhance productivity, communication High School | Students learn to pick up new apps, software, and digital tools quickly and use them to get work done, communicate clearly, and solve problems on the job. | IL-CDOS.CRP11.9-12 |
| Work productively in teams while using cultural and global competence to… High School | Students practice working in teams with people from different backgrounds, adjusting how they communicate and collaborate to get the work done. The skill is about getting along and producing results across real differences. | IL-CDOS.CRP12.9-12 |
| Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee, taking personal… High School | Students take ownership of their choices at school, at work, and in the community. That means following through on commitments, owning mistakes, and showing up as someone others can count on. | IL-CDOS.CRP1.9-12 |
| Apply appropriate academic and technical skills learned through career and… High School | Students take what they've learned in class and apply it to real problems they'd actually face in a job. The skills aren't just for tests; they're the same ones employers expect on day one. | IL-CDOS.CRP2.9-12 |
| Attend to personal health and financial well-being and make decisions that… High School | Students learn to make everyday choices about their health and money with the long run in mind. That means thinking through decisions like what to eat, how to exercise, and how to save or spend. | IL-CDOS.CRP3.9-12 |
| Communicate clearly, effectively High School | Students learn to match how they speak, write, and communicate online to whoever they're talking to and why. A presentation to a boss calls for different words than a text to a friend. | IL-CDOS.CRP4.9-12 |
| Consider the environmental, social High School | Before acting on a plan, students think through how that plan affects the environment, other people, and money. They use that thinking to shape what they build, decide, or do. | IL-CDOS.CRP5.9-12 |
| Demonstrate creativity and innovation by generating new ideas and approaches… High School | Students come up with original ideas and find new ways to use familiar tools to solve problems at work or in a project. | IL-CDOS.CRP6.9-12 |
| Employ valid and reliable research strategies to gather, evaluate High School | Students learn to search for trustworthy information, judge whether sources hold up, and pull findings together into a clear picture. This applies across school subjects and real work situations. | IL-CDOS.CRP7.9-12 |
| Use critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them… High School | Students break a tough problem into smaller parts, look at their options, and keep working even when a first attempt doesn't pan out. This is how most real workplace challenges actually get solved. | IL-CDOS.CRP8.9-12 |
| Model integrity, ethical leadership High School | Students practice doing the right thing in school projects, jobs, and community work, then step up to guide others with honesty. This standard is about how students act when no one is watching and how they lead when others are. | IL-CDOS.CRP9.9-12 |
Students practice the habits adults use at work and in daily life. That includes showing up on time, working on a team, solving problems, using technology, communicating clearly, and starting to plan what comes after high school. It is less about one job and more about being ready for many.
Talk about work and money in front of students. Walk through a paycheck, a bill, or a job posting. Ask what they would do if a coworker missed a deadline or a customer was rude. Five minutes of real conversation does more than a worksheet.
No. Most students this age do not know yet, and that is the point of these years. Encourage them to try a club, a part-time job, a volunteer shift, or a class outside their comfort zone. Each one rules something in or out.
Front-load the basics in ninth and tenth grade: showing up, working in groups, communicating, and using common workplace tools. In eleventh and twelfth grade, shift toward planning, research, and decision-making about life after high school. Revisit the habits constantly so they stick.
Graduates should be able to write a clear email, work with people they did not choose, research a question and judge what they find, manage their own time, and explain a realistic plan for the year after high school. The plan can change. The skill of making one is what matters.
Email and phone communication, follow-through on long tasks, and weighing trade-offs in a decision tend to need the most practice. Students often have the technical skill but not the judgment around it. Build in low-stakes chances to fail and try again before grades attach.
Students look at how choices about sleep, money, stress, and health shape work and school. Practical examples land best: a budget for a first apartment, the cost of a car, the price of skipping breakfast before a test. Tie it to choices students are already making.
Anchor a few assignments to real audiences and real decisions. A research paper can compare two career paths. A group project can mirror a workplace team with assigned roles. A reflection can ask what the student learned about themselves, not just the content.
Hand over a real task. Let students plan a family meal on a budget, book a doctor appointment, or research the cost of a trip and present a plan. Stay nearby but do not take over. The mistakes are part of the learning.