(1) Each student must have a high school and beyond plan informed by a career interest and skills inventory administered by seventh grade to inform eighth grade course-taking. By the end of the eighth grade, each student will have begun a high school and beyond plan that includes a plan for course-taking in the first year of high school that aligns with graduation requirements and the student's high school and posthigh school goals.

(2) Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, each school district must have an electronic high school and beyond plan platform available to all students who are required to have a high school and beyond plan. Within two years of completion of a universal online high school and beyond plan platform in alignment with the requirements in RCW 28A.230.215, school districts must provide students with access to the adopted universal platform.

(3) Required elements of all high school and beyond plans must at minimum include:

(a) Identification of career goals and interests aided by a skills and interest assessment.

(b) Identification of secondary and postsecondary education and training goals.

(c) A four-year plan for courses taken in high school that satisfies state and local graduation requirements and aligns with students' secondary and postsecondary goals that may include education, training, and career preparation.

(d) Identification of options for satisfying state and local graduation requirements, including:

(i) Available advanced course sequences per the school district's academic acceleration policy, as described in RCW 28A.320.195.

(ii) Dual credit courses.

(iii) Career and technical education courses and programs, including career and technical education equivalency courses that can satisfy core subject area graduation requirements under RCW 28A.230.097.

(iv) Work-based learning opportunities that can lead to technical college certifications and apprenticeships.

(v) Mastery-based credit opportunities, including options for earning the Seal of Biliteracy.

(vi) If applicable, opportunities for credit recovery and acceleration, including partial and mastery-based credit accrual to eliminate barriers for on-time grade level progression and graduation per RCW 28A.320.192.

(e) A current resume or activity log that provides a written compilation of the student's education, any work experience, and any community service, and how the district recognizes community service pursuant to RCW 28A.320.193.

(f) Evidence that the student has received information on federal and state financial aid programs that help pay for the costs of postsecondary programs, including evidence that the student has received information about the following:

(i) The college bound scholarship program established in chapter 28B.118 RCW, the Washington college grant created in RCW 28B.92.200, and other scholarship opportunities.

(ii) Documentation necessary for completing financial aid applications, including at a minimum the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Washington application for state financial aid (WASFA).

(iii) Application and submission deadlines.

(iv) The importance of submitting applications early.

(v) Information specific to students who are or have been the subject of a dependency proceeding pursuant to chapter 13.34 RCW.

(vi) Information specific to students who are, or are at risk of, experiencing homelessness.

(vii) Information specific to students whose family member or guardians will be required to provide financial and tax information necessary to complete the application.

(viii) Opportunities to participate in sessions that assist students and, when necessary, their family members or guardians, in filling out financial aid applications.

(ix) A sample financial aid letter and a link to the financial aid calculator created in RCW 28B.77.280.

(x) Information provided on the Washington student achievement council website concerning each of the state and federal financial aid applications in this subsection, in accordance with RCW 28A.300.815.

(g) As established by RCW 28A.230.097, if a student completes a career and technical education equivalency course that is transcribed as a core subject area course to meet graduation requirements, then a record showing that the career and technical education course was used to meet a core course must be retained in the student's high school and beyond plan. This record may be useful if the student pursues education, training, or a career in the same or related field as the career and technical education course.

(4) High school and beyond plan process and development.

(a) By seventh grade, each student must be administered a career interest and skills inventory that will help inform the student's eighth grade course taking and initial identification of their education and career goals.

(b) By eighth grade, each student must have begun development of a high school and beyond plan that includes a proposed plan for first-year high school courses aligned with graduation requirements and secondary and postsecondary goals.

(c) Seventh and eighth grade students must be informed of the college bound scholarship program established in chapter 28B.118 RCW. Students who are or have been the subject of a dependency proceeding pursuant to chapter 13.34 RCW, students who are or who are at risk of experiencing homelessness, and ninth grade students who may be eligible must also be provided with information on the program. Students in the college bound scholarship program should be reminded about program requirements to remain eligible and provided with information about filling out a financial aid application in their senior year.

(d) With staff support, students must update their high school and beyond plan annually, at a minimum, to review academic progress and inform future course-taking, including the potential impact of course selections on postsecondary opportunities. The review may include in-school or out-of-school opportunities that would help prepare students for their career or educational goals, such as summer learning opportunities, internships, student leadership organizations and clubs, and community service.

(e) The high school and beyond plan must be updated in the tenth grade to reflect high school assessment results in RCW 28A.655.061, ensure student access to advanced course options per the district's academic acceleration policy in RCW 28A.320.195, assess progress toward identified goals, and revised as necessary for changing interests, goals, and needs.

(f) School districts shall involve parents and legal guardians to the greatest extent feasible in the process of developing and updating the high school and beyond plan. The plan must be provided to the student and the student's parents or legal guardians in a language the student and parents or legal guardians understand and in accordance with the school district's language access policy and procedures as required under chapter 28A.183 RCW, which may require language assistance for students and parents or legal guardians with limited-English proficiency.

(g) School districts must annually provide students in grades eight through 12 and their parents or legal guardians with comprehensive information about the graduation pathway options offered by the district and are strongly encouraged to begin providing this information in sixth grade. School districts must provide this information in a manner that conforms with the school district's language access policy and procedures as required under chapter 28A.183 RCW.

(h) School districts are strongly encouraged to partner with student-serving, community-based organizations that support career and college exploration and preparation for postsecondary and career pathways. Partnerships may include high school and beyond plan coordination and planning, data sharing agreements, and safe and secure access to individual students' high school and beyond plans.

(i) Students who have not earned a score of level 3 or level 4 on the middle school math state assessment must include in their plan taking a math course in each of ninth and tenth grade. The math courses may include career and technical education equivalencies in math, established in RCW 28A.230.097.

(j) For students who have not earned a level 3 or level 4 on their middle school English language arts exam or their middle school science exam, districts are encouraged to inform students of supports and courses that will address students' learning needs and be considered in students' course-taking plans.

(k) The high school and beyond plan must be updated annually at a minimum to address:

(i) High school assessment results and junior year course-taking.

(ii) A student's changing interests, goals, and needs, including identification of the graduation pathway option(s) the student intends to complete to meet their educational and career goals.

(iii) Available interventions, academic supports, and courses that will enable students to meet high school graduation credit requirements and graduation pathway requirements.

(l) For students meeting graduation requirements in WAC 180-51-068 and 180-51-210, the students' high school and beyond plans should be used to guide the choices of the third credit of high school math and the third credit of high school science. These credits may be earned through career and technical education courses determined to be equivalent to math and science courses as established in RCW 28A.230.097.

(m) A student's high school and beyond plan must inform the student's choice of their graduation pathway option or options in accordance with WAC 180-51-230.

(5) For a student with an individualized education program (IEP), the student's IEP and high school and beyond plan must align. Students with an IEP transition plan, which begins during the school year in which they turn 16, may use their transition plan in support of, but not as a replacement for, their high school and beyond plan. The process for developing and updating the student's high school and beyond plans must be similar to and conducted with similar school personnel as for all other students. The student's high school and beyond plans must be updated in alignment with the student's school to postschool transition plan.

(6) Any decision on whether a student has met the state board of education's high school graduation requirements for a high school and beyond plan shall remain at the local level. A district may establish additional, local requirements for a high school and beyond plan to serve the needs and interests of its students and the purposes of RCW 28A.230.090.

(7) Districts may offer core and elective courses that embed required elements and processes of high school and beyond planning and are encouraged to provide annual credit-bearing options for the delivery and completion of high school and beyond plan elements. Conversely, a high school and beyond planning course or courses may be counted as core or elective credit, as defined in WAC 180-51-210, if the learning standards of the content area are addressed.