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Westborough committee hears MyCAP update and plans to replace Naviance with School Links
Summary
Alex Follier, Westborough High School director of counseling, told the school committee the district is planning a phased MyCAP (My Career and Academic Plan) rollout and has contracted with School Links to replace Naviance; the district will pursue an implementation grant and stage internships and advisory pilots over multiple years.
Alex Follier, director of counseling at Westborough High School, told the School Committee he and a district committee are planning a district-wide MyCAP (My Career and Academic Plan) program spanning grades 6–12 and intend a measured rollout that will stretch over several years.
"MyCAP is an acronym. It stands for My Career and Academic Plan," Follier said, describing the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education initiative that asks districts to ensure students leave high school with concrete next steps for careers or further education. He said MyCAP defines three domains—personal-social, career development and academic/college planning—and that Westborough’s planning grant work this year focused on how those domains will map across grades 6–12.
Follier told the committee the district reviewed several vendor platforms that can house student artifacts and support planning work and "we've secured a contract with School Links to go forward for next year" to replace the district’s existing use of Naviance. He said the cost of School Links is "very similar" to Naviance and that the district plans to introduce the platform to the current junior class before summer so they can use it during college-application season.
Committee members asked how the curriculum and delivery would be staffed. "Please don't tell me the school counselors because you're very busy," one member said. Follier replied that counselors will continue to lead parts of the work but that the district is exploring advisory models, classroom connections and designated mentors for each student. He said some content will build on existing counseling lessons and pilots already run in advisory sessions, but many elements—career fairs, internships and hands-on job experiences—will be new and require time to develop.
Follier said the district applied this fall for a DESE planning grant and plans to pursue an implementation grant next cycle to support lessons, staffing and internships. Asked about metrics, he said the grant process and neighboring districts’ implementations use postsecondary indicators—graduation rates, continuation into higher education, and subgroup matriculation differences—to measure success.
Why it matters: The MyCAP rollout aims to give Westborough students a more coherent set of experiences and documented artifacts to guide postsecondary decisions. The district’s platform change and grant pursuit set a timetable for when students will begin using a common tool for career and academic planning.
Next steps: Follier said the district will continue stakeholder outreach, develop lessons and finalize rollout plans with a slow, multi-year phase-in. The committee encouraged follow-up communication and data collection plans, including more student-focused survey instruments to gather targeted feedback on career-development programming.
