Individual Plans of Study (IPS) are gaining traction as a promising way to help students connect their interests to future goals. While it makes intuitive sense that giving students more voice in the planning for college and careers will boost their engagement, what do we know about what happens in practice, and how much does implementation matter?
From 2022 through February 2025, Mathematica supported IPS implementation, partnering with the Kansas State Department of Education to help districts implement evidence-based IPS practices, better understand student participation through student-centered data collection, and learn more about outcomes to drive improvement.
Using individual plans of study to support college and workforce readiness
In 2014, Kansas required all districts to implement IPS for students in grades 8–12, citing not only their potential to improve college and career readiness, but to close postsecondary success gaps and align with the state’s accreditation model. The Kansas State Department of Education is also committed to supporting cost-effective, scalable implementation across districts. Here’s what we learned from working with the Kansas State Department of Education to support the implementation of IPS across partner districts.
“It is our responsibility as educators to provide resources and information…that guide students to develop their future plans. Robust IPS implementation means that each student is planning their future collaboratively with school staff, family members, and each other.”
Natalie Clark, Kansas State Department of Education
Goal setting lays the foundation for career success
When students set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timebound) goals, they’re more inclined to stay motivated, track their progress, and make informed decisions about their future. Additionally, when students are allowed to personalize and create goals that are relevant to their own aspirations—not just school requirements—they’re more likely to complete activities that contribute to achieving that goal. Schools in Kansas embed goal-setting activities into advisory periods and classroom instruction, which encourages students to reflect on their strengths and interests while mapping out academic and career pathways. Student-led conferences, where learners present their goals and progress to families and educators, further reinforce accountability and self-direction—key skills for career success. These opportunities to explore potential careers and set goals aligned with their envisioned futures have enabled students in Kansas to develop more purposeful and informed postsecondary plans. Systems can also use student-centered data collected through IPS to foster partnerships with industry leaders, expanding pathways to postsecondary and career success.
E-portfolios capture and support continued growth
E-portfolios are dynamic tools that can empower students to document and reflect on their career development. These digital collections—featuring resumes, reflections, research projects, and records of work-based learning experiences—serve as living records of students’ growth and help students build a narrative of their readiness for life after high school. These evolving portfolios become a launchpad for college and career readiness, equipping students with curated content for college essays, job applications, and interviews.
In Kansas, educators integrating e-portfolios into weekly routines to support goal tracking, career research, and personal reflection, helping students draw clear connections between their academic experiences and future plans. By capturing both academic achievements and extracurricular milestones, e-portfolios empower students to tell a cohesive, confident story about who they are and where they’re headed.
Embedding career-connected learning in class time equips students with real-world skills
Career exploration embedded in class time is the cornerstone of Kansas’s IPS approach. Through hands-on activities like job shadowing, client-connected projects, and senior capstones, students gain exposure to real-world careers while developing critical skills such as problem-solving, communication, and collaboration. These projects often ask students to identify real issues for local employers and business owners, design a solution, and present their case to the employers, their fellow students, and community leaders. Research shows that these types of experiences strengthen students’ confidence in making career decisions and increase their understanding of job requirements.
Kansas districts are also innovating through exploration-based programming, such as internship bootcamps and community-based projects that connect students with local professionals. All school districts offer work-based learning opportunities, and some districts coordinate with employers to connect students to internships with local businesses, train them on skills needed to apply, enter, and excel in internships, and reflect on their experiences. These opportunities build career knowledge while also fostering critical thinking, collaboration, and communication—skills essential for success in today’s workforce.
Powering pathways to career success
Through our work in Kansas, we helped educators conduct student-centered data collection (through focus groups and pilot surveys) to understand what aspects, if any, of IPS were valuable. Here’s what we found:
- Data from a pilot survey conducted in 2024 revealed that 77 percent of students in the sample had created a postsecondary plan, with 63 percent of those students planning to attend college and the remaining 37 percent pursuing a specific career.
- Students praised the personalized nature and the power to create a postsecondary plan that was aligned to their specific goals.
- Of the administrators surveyed, 70 percent agreed or strongly agreed that IPS are effectively preparing students for the future.
These findings highlight both the promise of IPS to prepare students for life after high school and the need for continued research on their impact.
At Mathematica, we believe that data and evidence are essential to designing programs that work and deliver meaningful, real-world results. Through our work with state education agencies, we help identify and scale promising practices like those in Kansas. Our research, technical assistance, and evaluation expertise empower educators and policymakers to make informed decisions that improve outcomes for students.
Connect with us to learn more.
