|
College & Career Readiness Newsletter
April 2026
This newsletter will be published monthly to keep North Dakota’s educators and career readiness leaders informed about the latest resources, opportunities, and updates—ensuring strong support for students on their path to college and career success.
This will be the final newsletter for the 2025-26 school year. The department will be evaluating whether to continue publishing the newsletter in the 2026-27 school year.
|
|
College & Career Readiness News in North Dakota
Recent college and career readiness news in North Dakota reads less like a single headline and more like an unfolding story—one where policymakers, educators, and employers are steadily reshaping how students move from school into the workforce.
At the center of this narrative is North Dakota’s continued push to ensure students graduate not just with diplomas, but as Choice Ready—prepared for college, careers, or other pathways. Recent updates from the state show measurable progress, with data indicating gradual improvements in readiness outcomes across K–12 systems.
This progress isn’t accidental. It reflects a coordinated strategy that begins earlier than ever, emphasizing career awareness in middle school and building toward concrete post‑secondary plans by graduation.
One of the most visible developments is the expansion of digital career‑planning tools. Platforms like RUReady now give students personalized guidance, helping them map four‑year plans, explore occupations, and even connect with internships.
More recently, schools have introduced virtual‑reality career exploration, allowing students to step into workplaces ranging from hospitals to energy sites. This immersive approach is designed to make career pathways tangible—especially for young students—while helping shape their interests.
Together, these tools signal a shift: career exploration is no longer a one‑time counseling session but an ongoing, tech‑supported process.
Another dominant theme is the expansion of Career and Technical Education (CTE). Across the state, schools are strengthening partnerships with employers to offer internships, apprenticeships, and simulated work environments.
Taken together, the recent news paints a picture of a state building a fully integrated readiness pipeline.
Dual Credit Interim Committee Hearing Held
The interim committee hearing on April 1, 2026, focused on the dual‑credit program in North Dakota, with testimony from various stakeholders, including university leaders, district officials, teachers, and the State Superintendent. Testimony from Valley City State University, Lake Region State College, and Fargo Public Schools emphasized the value of dual‑credit participation, rural access, and investments in teacher qualifications.
The committee reviewed how dual‑credit courses are offered and paid for, the differences between subsidized and unsubsidized tuition rates, and the funding that accompanies college credit earned by high school students. Members also examined the administration of dual‑credit programs, the per‑credit tuition rates currently in use, and the $1.5 million tuition scholarship for low‑income students administered by the Bank of North Dakota.
Overall, the hearing aimed to clarify delivery models, who teaches dual‑credit courses, how tuition rates differ, the partnerships selected by districts, and the funding formulas and weightings that support the program.
|
|
Rethinking College & Career Preparation in Schools
In February 2026, Avinash Bansal who is the founder of TomoClub, attended a session at the national Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA) conference that highlighted the work happening in North Dakota to support college & career readiness. Following the session, he invited North Dakota to participate in a podcast and share our work. The podcast can be accessed here on YouTube or Spotify.
TomoClub is an organization that provides professional development and resources to help build future-ready human skills together, so students learn how to think, decide, collaborate and lead in an AI-powered world. They prepare students for what's next.
To learn more about TomoClub, click here.
|
 Register for College Application Month 2026
College Application Month is returning this coming October, and registration for your school to host an event is now open. This event offers a great opportunity for your school to focus on its seniors, help them complete a college application (for free), share the importance of completing the FAFSA, and explore ways to pay for college, including savings, scholarships, and more.
Learn more and register your school by May 31, 2026.
For questions, contact BND University & Student Development Coordinator Amanda Woidyla.
|
|
 How to Find Colleges and Their Programs in Compass
Did you know that Compass matches students to colleges and programs, just like it matches them to employers and careers? In fact, everything in Compass is connected, helping students discover careers that interest them, understand what it takes to get there, and explore the schools that can prepare them.
Compass currently hosts seven postsecondary schools, including four North Dakota colleges, two Minnesota colleges, and a welding school. Thanks to a North Dakota University System grant for Compass, all 11 state institutions and five tribal colleges will soon join those already in the platform.
Career Profiles in Compass are linked to college programs that provide the training needed for those careers. The reverse is also true: college programs link back to related careers. This interconnected experience allows students to easily discover potential next steps and begin envisioning how to reach the careers that interest them.
Here’s how students can explore colleges and programs in Compass through RUReadyND:
- Students log in to RUReady.ND.gov through the ND Education Portal.
- Go to Your Compass Profile >> Opportunities >> Colleges.
- Colleges marked as Best match appear at the top of the list. We encourage students to browse these first and select View Profile to learn more.
- To view programs, students can open a college profile and select Programs. Best matches will appear at the top of the list.
- To view careers related to a specific program, select View More for that program, scroll to the bottom, and review the Career Profile cards. Click any career to learn more.
- Students can also reverse this process. Start with Opportunities >> Career Profiles, select View More for a career, scroll to the bottom, and explore the college program cards linked to that career.
Encourage your students to start exploring colleges and programs in Compass today!
Contact Golden Path Solutions for more information.
 Earn Your Paraprofessional Certificate This Summer with NDCDE CertX
Students interested in working with children and exploring a future in education now have an online path to get started—while still in high school. Through the North Dakota Center for Distance Education’s (NDCDE) CertX program, students can complete two online courses this summer—Introduction to Education and Educational Methodology—and become eligible for the K–12 General Education Paraprofessional Certificate, a state-recognized credential issued by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI). No exam is required, and students may apply for the certificate as soon as both courses are completed.
Students who earn the paraprofessional certificate through NDCDE may also submit it to receive special recognition in the form of a certificate and commemorative pin, celebrating their accomplishment and early commitment to the education profession.
NDCDE’s CertX program is designed to help students earn industry‑recognized credentials that demonstrate real‑world skills to employers and colleges, with some certifications offering potential pathways to college credit. In addition to the Education (Paraprofessional) track, CertX includes pathways in business management, finance, entrepreneurship, architecture, and construction, giving students flexible, online options to explore career interests and build skills on their own schedule.
NDCDE is continuing to expand CertX opportunities and is currently exploring the addition of allied health and hospitality certificate tracks, with potential availability in late summer or early fall. Feedback from schools, families, and students is welcome as these new pathways are developed—please share input or request more information by emailing ndcde.support@k12.nd.us.
|
|
New AchieveWORKS Assessments for Grades 6–12
The AchieveWORKS suite of assessments provides students with a solid foundation of personal insight that will help them uncover their potential, improve study habits, discover career goals, and establish an education plan to achieve their dreams.
The AchieveWORKS suite includes the following four assessments:
-
Intelligences — an assessment of multiple intelligences
-
Learning & Productivity — an assessment of students’ learning styles
-
Personality — an assessment of students’ personality types
-
Skills — an assessment of students’ skills and aptitudes
The AchieveWORKS assessments are accessed through the Learn About Yourself page in RUReady.ND.gov (Career > Learn About Yourself).
Learn More: Upcoming AchieveWORKS Webinar
-
Date: April 20, 2026
-
Time: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDT
-
Register here
-
Join webinar here
 NDOER Conference attendees pose for picture.
ND OER Conference highlights
The 2026 North Dakota Open Educational Resources (OER) Conference brought more than 80 faculty, staff and students together to advance affordable learning across the state. With a theme of “Growing Access, Growing Opportunity,” the event highlighted student perspectives, hands‑on sessions, and keynote insights on copyright and AI. Attendees celebrated progress under State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) Policy 462, which has increased transparency and supported nearly 9,500 marked courses. The day reinforced statewide collaboration and North Dakota’s commitment to expanding access through open, affordable educational resources.
To learn more, read the full article here.
|
|
New CareerViewXR Field Trips Released
Two new immersive field trips are now available for all North Dakota K–12 students free of charge through RUReady.nd.gov. Students can simply log into their RUReady account and visit the Career Planning page to access CareerViewXR at any time from a phone, tablet, computer, or other device.
The Aerospace Engineer experience takes learners behind the scenes with technicians at Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing, a North Dakota–based producer of aircraft components. The Child Care field trip brings students into a real classroom with teachers and teaching assistants at the Missouri Valley Family YMCA.
As an added bonus, these new field trips feature an enhanced, more accessible layout, including improved keyboard navigation, collapsible menu elements, and more.
Learn more about North Dakota’s CareerViewXR access here and find ready‑to‑use lesson plans and worksheets here.
|
What Defines a Quality Readiness Assessment?
A valid assessment reflects real classroom instruction, aligns with current standards and college‑readiness expectations, and measures what students are actually taught. A reliable assessment links scores to real outcomes—such as college course performance and persistence—using outcome research and research‑based benchmarks.
At the core is the idea of a valid, reliable assessment: one that is aligned to what students learn today and is predictive of success after high school.
A new one‑page infographic from ACT highlights two essential questions every college and career readiness assessment should answer:
- Does the test accurately measure what students learn in school?
- Can the test predict postsecondary success?
Access the infographic here.
|
|
 Choice Ready Updates
The Choice Ready subcommittee, established in 2017, continues to meet three times a year to ensure the framework remains current and aligned with student needs. The group met most recently on March 19, 2026.
During the meeting, members reviewed a new Choice Ready communication plan designed to provide a coordinated approach for building statewide understanding, alignment, and support for the Choice Ready framework. The committee also approved a new Choice Ready graduation recognition.
Representatives from the military presented recommended updates to the Military Ready pathway, reflecting the expanding menu of online course options. Subcommittee members unanimously approved these recommendations. The proposed changes will now be presented to the ESSA Committee on April 20, 2026. Following their review, updates will be shared with the field.
Choice Ready Report
The Choice Ready report for the 2025–2026 school year has been open all year, and school personnel should be actively working to complete it. The final submission deadline is June 30, 2026, and the report is available on the EdPortal.
It is essential that every public high school in North Dakota complete and submit the Choice Ready report to earn points in the accountability system. The Choice Ready indicator accounts for 21% of the overall accountability report and is worth 129 points.
Please ensure your Choice Ready report is submitted by the deadline so your school receives credit for its Choice Ready students.
The week of April 26 through May 2, 2026, is National Apprenticeship Week (NAW). The theme for NAW 2026 is America at Work: Making America Skilled Again through Registered Apprenticeship.
Throughout the week, we will also have daily NAW themes:
-
Monday, April 27: Registered Apprenticeships Building America at 250
-
Tuesday, April 28: Registered Apprenticeship Drives Growth and Innovation Across Critical Industries
-
Wednesday, April 29: Expanding AI in Registered Apprenticeship
-
Thursday, April 30: Realigning Education and Workforce Systems Around Registered Apprenticeship
-
Friday, May 1: Youth Pathways to Registered Apprenticeship
NAW Event Planning Toolkit provides a range of helpful resources to support organizations in planning successful NAW events.
Some of these tools are highlighted below.
-
Event Planning Checklist: Whether you’ve already submitted a NAW event or are considering hosting one, this checklist will help you get started.
-
Sample Event Agenda: Use the sample agenda and mock run-of-show as a resource to finalize event logistics.
-
Invitation Tips: These tips will help you build your invite list, and the sample invitation can serve as a template or inspiration for creating your own.
-
Messaging: Use these NAW facts and messages to reinforce the “why” behind Registered Apprenticeship or to help prepare event presenters.
-
How to Submit an Event: Visit the Submit a NAW Event link on Apprenticeship.gov.
|
|
|
|
|
