Everett to adopt state——School Links for High School & Beyond Plan; district will include sixth grade
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Summary
The board heard a district plan to transition from Naviance to the state's School Links platform starting fall 2026, with local configuration, FAFSA and NSC data uploads, and district-specific lessons; Everett plans to include sixth grade even though the state rollout does not require it.
Dr. Willard presented the district——High School & Beyond Plan transition to School Links and described the timeline, features and local implementation approach. "With the passage of Senate Bill 5243, School Links was selected as the state's universal High School & Beyond Plan platform," Dr. Willard said, and the district is in pre‑implementation rostering and data uploads.
Nut graph: School Links is the state-selected platform; Everett will migrate from Naviance and aims to begin the new tool on the first day of the 2026 school year. The district said it is preparing data (FAFSA, National Student Clearinghouse records, roster photos), redesigning scope and sequence materials, and forming a School Links Champions group composed of counselors and CTE staff to provide feedback.
Dr. Willard highlighted School Links features that matter to counselors and students: career inventories, a counselor dashboard, CTE pathways, transcript requests, and a closer FAFSA integration. A short video introduced the student experience: onboarding, a personalized dashboard, career clusters, and a task-driven to‑do list.
On customization, board members asked whether Everett students——would have the same experience as students elsewhere in the state. Dr. Willard said required tasks will be standard but the district is building additional Everett‑specific lessons and a scope and sequence that preserve local practices and extend the state tasks: "The experience you would have in our district is gonna be unique," she said. The district also committed to purchase sixth grade access to preserve its existing sixth‑grade programming even though OSPI's default rollout does not include sixth grade.
Board members and student representatives raised implementation concerns such as family engagement and staff professional learning. Dr. Willard said the district will provide family communication and training for counselors and teachers, and Everett has participated on OSPI advisory councils to shape statewide lesson plans.
What happens next: pre‑implementation work (rostering, data uploads, champion group meetings) will continue through spring and summer; the district expects students to access School Links in fall 2026.
Ending: board members expressed support and interest in monitoring the rollout and training plans.
