HISD eighth-graders choosing high schools and their career and education pathways now have a simple, one-stop way to do that on the district’s “Plan Your Path” website.

A chart showing paths and “endorsements” at each campus is now online at www.houstonisd.org/planyourpath.

It features breakdowns of which school offers each of the five endorsements – or areas of focus – that have been created under recent state legislation that is reinventing high school to emphasize both college and career readiness:

• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
• Business and Industry
• Arts and Humanities
• Public Services
• Multidisciplinary

The new, personalized learning system requires next year’s entering ninth-graders – the class of 2018 – to work with their families and counselors to create a Personal Graduation Plan and customize it with endorsements and a pathway that will reflect their career interests and goals for additional education or training beyond high school.

When it comes to endorsements, HISD students have plenty of high school choices. Of the 43 campuses required to operate under the new plan, 26 are offering all five endorsements, and 12 are offering four.