Individual Plan of Study (IPS)
Why are Individual Plans of Study important?
With a workforce increasingly requiring higher educational levels for jobs coupled with a relatively low percentage of students completing a postsecondary credential (certificate through advanced degree), the learning and labor landscape has come to a crossroads. To assist more students to complete a post-secondary credential and be competitive in the labor market, it’s crucial to begin career exploration and planning earlier in students’ educational experience. The Kansas State Board of Education has set an Individual Plan of Study (IPS) for every student beginning in the middle grades as one of their State Student Success Outcomes to help students plan for success after high school.
What is an Individual Plan of Study?
An (IPS) is both the actual product a student develops and a process the school implements to guide students in developing their unique IPS. A student's IPS is developed cooperatively between the student, school staff members and family members and contains a minimum of these four components to fulfill state requirements: 1. A graduated series of strength finders and career interest inventories to help students identify preference toward career clusters. 2. Eighth- through 12th-grade course builder function with course selections based on career interests. 3. A general postsecondary plan (workforce, military, certification program, two-year college, four-year college). 4. A portable electronic portfolio.
IPS Resources
Kansas Post-Secondary Exploration Guide - Resources to help Kansas high school graduates make post-secondary decisions a collaborative tool from Kansas Board of Regents and Kansas State Department of Education
Kansas is home to a variety of training programs! From apprenticeship opportunities to four-year universities, students can choose from a variety of ways to achieve their career goals.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook shows promising careers and trends from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Today's Occupations - Labor Market Services provides a collection of high demand, high wage occupations requiring less than a bachelor’s (4-year) degree