District 211 outlines plan to deepen college-and-career readiness with Maya Learning

Township High School District 211 officials presented an update on their five‑year strategic plan’s Goal 7 on college and career readiness, describing tools and targets meant to give every student a clear post‑high‑school plan.

"District 211 is committed to preparing every student for their future," Josh Shoemaker, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, told the board, outlining a two-part presentation that focused on specific indicators, strategies and targets tied to the Illinois Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PACE) framework. Michelle Napier, director of college and career readiness, joined Shoemaker in describing how the district has embedded attendance, grade monitoring and four‑year planning alongside PACE benchmarks.

The district has adopted Maya Learning as its primary college‑and‑career readiness platform, Shoemaker said. Maya Learning, he said, provides interest profilers and personality assessments and allows students, parents and staff to collaborate on a personalized four‑year plan. District leaders said they have provided professional development to staff for three years and created parent resources to increase engagement.

Napier said Maya Learning includes accessibility features—enlarged text, line readers and playback speed controls—and that students with IEPs complete the same interest profilers with support from their IEP teams. "They have the additional support also of their IEP team," Shoemaker said, noting counselors and IEP teams help develop college and career goals.

Officials outlined a "Pathway to Your Future" guidebook, which walks students and families through a four‑step process—awareness, exploration, experiences and a four‑year plan—and ties district coursework and extracurriculars to seven state career pathways and 16 national career clusters. Strategy 7.3, the presenters said, aims to increase student participation in career exploration experiences (guest speakers, field trips, job fairs, job shadowing, internships) by roughly 3% annually from an established baseline.

Board members asked for specifics on timing and inclusion. Miss Cavill asked when freshmen typically complete the interest profiler; presenters said it occurs within the first three weeks of school during a counselor‑led period. Mister Dombrowski pressed on how the district handles goals that may not be immediately achievable; Shoemaker and Napier described a mix of broad group instruction and individualized counselor meetings to refine goals and identify supports.

Napier said the district has sought student feedback: a post‑rollout survey of the four‑year guide yielded about 180–200 student responses that the district found "really positive" and useful for improvements. The presenters also highlighted programs and events—Harper College campus visits, a military fair, career panels, and a student‑built homes open house—as ways students get exposure to career fields.

The presentation concluded with board praise for community partnerships and requests for continued parental engagement in off‑site events. The board meeting record shows no policy action on the presentation itself; the update was informational and will feed into ongoing implementation work, including targets for the 2024–25 school year.

Next steps: district leaders said they will continue to expand participation targets in 2024–25, refine supports for students with IEPs, and use survey feedback to adjust outreach to families and classroom staff.