The Senate Early Learning & K‑12 Education Committee heard an update from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) on a new statewide High School and Beyond Plan platform that OSPI says will standardize how students plan courses, careers and post‑secondary steps.

Chair Wellman opened the work session and asked OSPI to present the platform. Becky Wallace, assistant superintendent at OSPI, and Kim Reykdal, director of OSPI’s graduation and pathway preparation team, told the committee the state selected School Links after a competitive process. “Our contract was finalized with School Links in September,” Wallace said during the presentation.

OSPI staff said the High School and Beyond Plan — required statewide and expanded over time — is intended to guide students’ four‑year course plans, yearly educational goals and transition work such as resumes and financial aid steps. Reykdal said the plan ‘‘is really considered to be the guiding framework’’ for graduation requirements and stressed that consistent tools help counselors advise students amid high counselor‑to‑student ratios.

OSPI described the rationale for a single platform: districts previously used more than a dozen different tools, which makes transfers and statewide reporting difficult. The agency said it received 22 vendor proposals, ran a multistage vetting process and conducted 11 “listen and learn” sessions and five advisory councils with more than 100 participants to inform customization. Reykdal said OSPI expects the platform to reduce duplicative work, enable district and state‑level analytics, and link to existing course data in CDARS.

OSPI outlined an implementation timeline that allows districts to choose a launch in fall 2025 or fall 2026; the agency expects a two‑year onboarding window with the goal that all students in grades 7–12 will be on the platform by June 2027. Districts have been asked to signal their intended launch year via a survey due on the 22nd; OSPI said it will run a March–August pre‑implementation phase for districts that choose fall 2025.

Committee members pressed OSPI on specific access and equity issues. Senator Wilson asked whether students in state institutions and detention would be included. Reykdal acknowledged access challenges where institutional internet is restricted and said the agency would pursue solutions and learn from prior pilots in correctional settings. Senator Cortez, speaking from her experience as a special education teacher, raised duplication concerns for students on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Reykdal said OSPI has been working to align the IEP transition plan and the High School and Beyond Plan to avoid duplicate processes.

OSPI also addressed language access and data privacy. Reykdal said the platform includes a Google Translate baseline and that OSPI is working to translate the platform into the state’s top two languages and eventually expand human translation to the top 10 languages. On data use, OSPI said reporting will be at school or district levels and will comply with student‑privacy laws.

OSPI officials described platform features during the demonstration: a career center that combines state and national labor data; a course planner that flags missing graduation requirements in real time; mass notification capability for targeted student groups; resume and financial‑aid supports (including direct sends to FAFSA/WAFSA); and analytics for district and state planning. Reykdal said the tool will help building leaders, counselors, teachers and families access and approve course plans.

OSPI asked the committee for follow‑up on implementation funding. Chair Wellman said the committee would schedule additional time to discuss fiscal details. OSPI officials promised continued outreach to districts, including a cohort of rural districts working with Educational Service District 171 to model rollout.

OSPI concluded the briefing by offering to provide detailed cost and implementation follow‑up and by noting the agency’s intent to present recommendations in August about possibly extending the platform to grade 5.

The presentation did not include any committee vote; OSPI officials asked for further committee follow‑up on costs and rollout support.