Colorado High Schools Share Lessons from Implementing College & Career Navigation Courses
Across Colorado, schools are working to ensure every student has access to clear, connected pathways from high school to college and career. The On-Ramps to Postsecondary Transitions (OPT) project is helping them do just that.
OPT is a statewide effort to reimagine how students navigate college and career readiness, empowering schools and communities to design innovative systems that support all learners. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education and supported by Colorado Succeeds, Jobs for the Future (JFF), and NORC at the University of Chicago, the OPT initiative engages thirteen districts representing nineteen diverse high schools across Colorado.
OPT provides these schools with the resources, flexibility, and support to test new approaches and share what works. Together, these schools are building more connected systems for college and career readiness focused on three goals:
- Helping students build skills, explore careers, and understand postsecondary options starting in ninth grade
- Expanding access to concurrent enrollment courses that earn college credit in high school
- Growing work-based learning (WBL) opportunities that link classroom learning to real jobs
Now in its second year, the three-year initiative follows the same student cohort through eleventh grade to measure progress and refine best practices.
Year One
In the first year, participating schools launched College and Career Navigation Courses (CCNCs) for ninth-grade students. These courses ensure students have opportunities to explore postsecondary options and early career awareness experiences. CCNCs serve as the foundation for future work-based learning and concurrent enrollment opportunities that students will access along their pathway. And, importantly, the CCNC model is not prescriptive – schools could modify and enhance existing structures or build an entirely new curriculum.
Through CCNCs, students are:
- Exploring postsecondary options and the pathways to access them, including degrees and credentials tied to good jobs
- Developing skills for success in high school and beyond
- Building career-aligned goals through ICAP integration
- Connecting to local career pathways, mentors, and community resources
Lessons Learned
Now in year two, schools are refining their navigation courses and preparing to expand work-based learning (WBL) and concurrent enrollment opportunities. A new blog post from JFF highlights key lessons from the first phase, including what’s working in classrooms and districts across the state.
Schools found that early teacher engagement, flexible master scheduling, and collaborative curriculum design were essential for success. Districts that co-developed CCNC content also reported stronger teacher buy-in and more consistent quality across schools, offering a promising model for scalability.
What’s Next
Through the strategic components of the OPT model and beginning with effective college and career navigation, students are making more informed, confident choices about their education and career paths. With that foundation in place, the next phase of OPT will focus on expanding high-quality, equitable work-based learning systems and concurrent enrollment offerings in a relevant and codified postsecondary pathway.
