District adopts YouScience career‑aptitude tool with three‑year grant funding
Summary
Administrators described YouScience, a computerized aptitude and interest inventory, and told trustees the district’s three‑year subscription is covered by grant funding from the governor’s initiative; the board also approved a temporary Sheridan High School bell schedule change to accommodate use of the tool.
Sheridan County School District #2 trustees received a presentation on YouScience, a career‑aptitude and interest inventory that combines skill assessments and interest surveys to help students explore pathways, and learned the district has secured a three‑year subscription through state grant funding associated with the governor’s workforce initiative.
District staff explained YouScience uses timed “brain games” and interest inventories to match students’ aptitudes with career clusters; staff emphasized the tool pairs aptitude (which is relatively stable) with interests and that results are intended to guide student conversations with counselors and families. A district slide shown to trustees contrasted aptitude and interest data for local students in areas such as health sciences and advanced manufacturing.
Administrators said the district joined a multi‑district cohort and will use state WIP (Workforce Innovation Program) money allocated through the governor’s initiative to pay for the three‑year subscription. Staff said Sheridan College and a regional partner (Whitney) are collaborating on the initiative and that the vendor has represented that student results are not sold to third parties. The superintendent said the subscription funding currently exists but the district will examine future funding options when grant money expires.
District staff described a rollout plan that emphasizes exposure and experience across grades: introductory exposure in earlier grades, focused exploration in junior high and early high school, and increasingly hands‑on experiences such as job shadows and internships in later grades. The district also plans to increase internship support: staff noted next year the district’s internship coordinator role will shift to a fuller focus on arranging internships and employer partnerships.
Trustees asked about parental access and how results are used. Staff said results are not sold and are intended to inform counselors’ guidance conversations; they encouraged parental involvement in reviewing results. The board later approved a change to the Sheridan High School bell schedule (a 15‑minute session) so YouScience assessments can be administered during the school day; the change will be included in the 2025–26 student handbook.
No formal vote was required to accept the YouScience presentation itself; trustees approved the handbook amendment and asked staff to continue coordinating with Sheridan College and regional partners on rollout logistics.
