Unlocking Potential for a Different High School Experience
Across the nation, there has been a focused effort to reimagine education for high school students, emphasizing opportunities in work-based learning, industry certifications, and concurrent enrollment.
These initiatives allow students to seamlessly integrate high school, college, and career pathways, providing early career exposure, workforce-relevant skills, and potential cost and time savings toward a degree.1 Colorado has been a leader in expanding such opportunities, by implementing numerous programs designed to increase access to Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) resources, from funding initiatives for schools to robust systems infrastructure.
For nearly two decades, Colorado has been a leader in innovating educational pathways and work-based learning opportunities.
Concurrent Enrollment allows any high school student access to transferable credit at no-cost to them.
Early College High Schools are established, requiring high school students to graduate high school with either an associate’s degree or credential.
Accelerating Students Through Concurrent Enrollment allows concurrent enrollment students to stay enrolled in high school for a 5th year.
Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAP) guides students in the exploration of career, academic and postsecondary opportunities.
The first Talent Pipeline Report is released providing insights and data on the supply and demand of talent in Colorado.
Pathways in Technology Early College Schools (P-TECH) creates publicprivate partnerships with high schools, colleges, and employers.
Career Development Incentive Program (CDIP) provides financial incentives to schools for students who complete industry credentials.
Innovative Learning Opportunities Pilot (ILOP) provides seat time flexibility of schools for out-of-school learning, such as internships.
Career Connected Learning Framework highlights that work-based learning encompasses a variety of strategies including learning about work, learning through work, and learning at work.
The ‘1215 Task Force’ was established and released 13 recommendations for simplifying and expanding access to programs designed to help students access career-connected learning, college coursework, and industry credentials. See page 4 for additional information.
Despite progress, Colorado’s approach has faced challenges, including concerns about the lack of a consistent vision and inequity of access.
To address this, in 2022, the Colorado Legislature established the Secondary, Postsecondary and Work-Based Learning Integration (1215) Task Force. Co-led by the Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Department of Higher Education, Colorado Community College System, and the Colorado Workforce Development Council, the Task Force convened over 18 months to develop strategic recommendations. Guided by the vision that every Coloradan have no-cost access to in-demand industry credentials, college credits on a defined pathway, and high-quality WBL opportunities by age 21, the Task Force released 13 recommendations in December 2023.
Since the 1215 Task Force released its recommendations in December 2023, momentum has continued. In early 2024, the legislature passed HB24-1364, authorizing a financial study to explore funding models and program consolidation to improve student access to PWR opportunities. Additionally, the 1241 Task Force, established in 2023, built on the 1215 Task Force’s work. Released in November 2024, its report recommended updating high school accountability metrics to include completion of college credit, industry credentials, and quality WBL experiences.
Looking ahead, the legislature should consider the recommendations from both task forces and the financial study. Colorado Succeeds believes legislators have an opportunity in 2025 to address three of the recommendations from the 1215 Task Force Report: revising high school accountability to reflect stronger predictors of postsecondary and workforce success, creating sustainable, consistent funding for PWR programs, and streamline program administration under one umbrella - all with an orientation towards ensuring all students have access to college credit on an aligned pathway, an in-demand industry credential, or a quality work-based learning experience.
While optimistic about legislative progress, we acknowledge that systemic change takes time. Our experiences partnering with a variety of Colorado schools, higher education, and industry underscore the importance of sharing successful practices, which is why we’ve developed this report and these case studies. They serve as resources for communities committed to expanding access to meaningful college credit, industry credentials, and WBL opportunities—vital for preparing our future workforce, regardless of state-level actions.
Learning from What’s Working: Fueling Progress
Colorado Succeeds has been on the journey of expanding career-connected learning across Colorado since 2017, driving meaningful change through strategic partnerships and targeted initiatives.
From prioritizing policies that incentivize schools and districts to offer industry certifications, credentials, and college courses to launching the Homegrown Talent Initiative in 2019, we’ve worked alongside many districts to align offerings with the skills and jobs of Colorado’s economy. Our commitment now extends to supporting and empowering chambers of commerce, industry associations, and regional intermediaries to be more ready and willing to seize opportunities for partnership and program implementation, creating a stronger, more connected workforce pipeline.
In 2023, after years of supporting career-connected learning implementation, Colorado Succeeds released “Elevating Rural Colorado,” co-authored with our implementation partners Colorado Education Initiative, Lyra Colorado, and Empower Schools. We sought to highlight and share insights from rural communities that have started, scaled, and created conditions to sustain success with career pathways. While this report focuses on the financial strategies of communities implementing career pathways, including those outside of rural Colorado, we realize that the common themes we found in our Elevating Rural Colorado report are true in these communities as well. Leaders looking to learn from the financial sustainability strategies we identify in this report should also learn from the following:
Lead with Local Vision
Many communities began their efforts in this work with local leaders coming together to imagine new ways to offer more opportunities for students within regions aligned with labor market needs. Regional visions and goals became an important catalyst to drive shared partnership across K-12, postsecondary, and workforce. We observed that in many cases, there was a visionary leader who took ownership over building such a vision, including leading on challenging financial decisions that needed to be made
Partner Across Systems and Sectors
In several instances, especially rural, there were small seed investments from philanthropic partners to enable new collaboration by entities that do not typically partner. Funding often supported school district leaders, school board members, students, families, local business owners, local government officials, and postsecondary partners came together to build unique plans to provide real-world experiences and skill development for students based on the strengths and needs of local communities - creating positive impacts on educational and economic outcomes.
Learning from What’s Working: Fueling Progress (cont.)
Adopt Aligned Local Policy
State policy conditions enable much of this work but we see in many districts that local policy changes are also necessary: school districts changed their schedules, updated graduation requirements, and expanded concurrent enrollment offerings to enable increased student engagement in career – connected learning experiences – all changes made possible the direction of the local school board.
This work helps us understand that every region in Colorado has distinct strengths and challenges, yet a shared determination consistently emerges: to embrace careerconnected learning as a transformative tool for expanding partnerships, raising the quality of learning, and unlocking opportunities for young people.
As this work gets built out, communities have tapped into diverse funding streams— grants, local bonds, mill levies, and state and federal resources—to drive scale and strategy forward. This report is not a checklist of those resources, rather, it outlines the critical mindsets, priorities, and leadership needed to attract resources, scale solutions, and dismantle barriers.
Our call to action is clear: prioritize students and communities that have been historically underserved, challenge assumptions, find unique partners, and learn from successes and setbacks alike, ensuring every learner has access to meaningful pathways to their future.
Strategies
Building Bridges: K12-College Collaboration for Student Success
Northeast BOCES reimagines the role of educational intermediaries to transform offerings for small districts. 1 2 4 5 3
Colorado Mountain College and Summit School District share lessons on aligning resources to support college completion.
Maximize Career Pathways with a Four-Day Week
Pueblo Community College partners with K12 districts to deliver CTE and industry credentials.
Tech-Driven Work-Based Learning Expansion
Poudre School District, its partner school districts, and local industry redefine collaboration through an innovative digital platform.
Empower Educators as Postsecondary Readiness Leaders
Cañon City School District embeds career planning as every educator’s role in a whole-school approach
Streamline Career Pathways in Rural Schools With Existing Entities
Building Bridges
Collaboration between community colleges and K-12 schools allows for resource-sharing and seamless support to help students achieve college completion
History & Context
Two years ago, Colorado Mountain College (CMC) joined a design process with Jobs for the Future to explore innovative education practices. At the same time, Summit County School District was aligning its mission to better serve all students, creating an opportunity for collaboration. With an existing concurrent enrollment (CE) partnership, both institutions decided to focus on improving CE opportunities for their students.
An analysis of data showed that 43% of Summit County students in concurrent enrollment took courses without intention, leading the district to build seven aligned pathways.
Course offerings were based on educator expertise rather than alignment with career pathways, and participation favored students with social capital. This misalignment contradicted both institutions’ commitment to equitable access.
To address this, CMC and Summit High School reviewed degree and certificate programs, aligning them with high school courses to create clear pathways. The goal was to integrate high school and college learning, ensuring all CE courses supported careerfocused pathways, eliminating the “Skittles approach,” as described by Yessenia Silva Estrada, CMC’s Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives.
CASE STUDY: Colorado Mountain College
Student Programming
Summit High School undertook a multi-step process to identify career pathways based on local labor market data from O*NET and Frisco Workforce Center. These pathways prioritize high-demand, living-wage careers with workforce capacity. Input from students, parents, staff, and industry stakeholders was gathered through bilingual surveys to ensure alignment with community needs and values.
As a result, Summit School District established seven career pathways:
• Business, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship
• Engineering/Advanced Manufacturing
• Health Sciences
• Computer Sciences
• Natural Resources/Outdoor Leadership
• Skilled Trades
• Education and Human Services
Many courses in these pathways offer concurrent enrollment (CE) credit through CMC, with over 50 CE courses taught within the district by adjunct instructors.
Funding Model
CMC and Summit School District are building sustainable infrastructure to support career pathways and student success.
Summit School District used a CDE Concurrent Enrollment grant to fund educators’ advanced degrees, enabling them to become certified adjunct instructors for CMC. This initiative benefits educators with potential salary increases and adjunct teaching opportunities while expanding CMC’s pool of qualified faculty to teach pathway-aligned courses.
CMC, funded by local taxpayers, focuses on returning value to the community by aligning courses with career pathways that address labor market needs and sustain the local economy. This mission involves collaboration across departments to design programs that meet workforce demands, as emphasized by Yessenia Silva Estrada: “We have an opportunity to provide a clear mission and vision for concurrent enrollment aligned to what students want and need.”
The partnership also leverages shared resources, including programming space and potential shared positions, to enhance academic advising and work-based learning (WBL) support. These efforts aim to streamline student transitions between high school and college.
By utilizing state funding, pooling resources, and aligning efforts, CMC and Summit School District are creating sustainable, cost-effective career pathways that ensure students achieve educational and career success while strengthening the local workforce.
Four-Day Week Innovations
Allow students to access CTE courses and earn industry credentials through community college partnerships with those K-12 institutions on a four-day school week
History & Context
Four-day school weeks have become a standard in rural Colorado, with 119 districts statewide adopting this model. In Southwest Colorado, seven out of nine school districts in Region 9 have transitioned to a four-day week, leaving Fridays open without structured education. Identifying this gap through its collaboration with the Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative, Pueblo Community College Southwest (PCCSW) saw an opportunity to offer educational programs on Fridays for student benefit.
Student Programming
PCCSW used student interest surveys, industry data, and feedback from school districts to establish five Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways for its Friday Academy:
• Automotive Technology
• Building Trades and Construction
• Engineering and STEM
• Certified Nurse Assistant
• Business Administration
Courses within these pathways are available on Fridays, either in-person or online, and are hosted on the PCCSW campus in the morning. This scheduling ensures students can participate without transportation barriers and still engage in afternoon or evening sports and activities.
The Friday Academy enables students to progress through a sequence of stackable courses leading to industry certifications and, potentially, an associate degree.
The shift to a four-day school week has opened avenues to overcome traditional scheduling conflicts between K-12 schools and community colleges, which often hindered students’ access to concurrent enrollment programs. The Friday Academy has eliminated alignment challenges such as transportation and bell schedules, making course access more feasible.
119
Four-day school weeks have become a standard in rural Colorado, with 119 districts statewide adopting this model.
7 9 out of
In Southwest Colorado, 7 out of 9 school districts in Region 9 have transitioned to a four-day week
Funding Model
PCCSW has leveraged the state’s concurrent enrollment funding model to sustain the Friday Academy. By closely monitoring student interest and enrollment, the college strategically offers courses that maximize participation. Additionally, PCCSW is exploring ways to recruit more students into its regular Monday-Thursday programs, helping offset Friday Academy costs.
Participating school districts finance transportation using state transportation mileage reimbursements. They also benefit from Career Development Incentive Program (CDIP) funding when students earn industry certifications through the program.
Overall, PCCSW’s Friday Academy addresses the educational challenges posed by four-day school weeks, providing students with critical career opportunities and enhanced academic pathways.
CASE STUDY: Poudre School District
Tech-Driven Solution
Utilize technology platforms to bring regional work-based learning opportunities into the classroom
History & Context
Over seven years ago, Poudre School District made a strategic investment in systems to boost students’ confidence in their career readiness after high school. This commitment led to a comprehensive review of existing systems and the adoption of a collaborative, industry-driven approach to implementing work-based learning (WBL) opportunities through innovative technology.
While evaluating technology platforms, Poudre leveraged its partnership with the Northern Colorado Sector Partnerships to incorporate industry feedback. Recognizing the importance of early and ongoing industry engagement, Poudre collaborated with Thompson School District, focusing on branding and industry collaboration to ensure students had access to meaningful WBL experiences. These efforts laid the groundwork for NoCo Inspire, a platform that connects students and industry partners with WBL opportunities across Weld and Larimer counties.
This initial collaboration spurred continued alignment among school districts, institutions of higher education (IHEs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and workforce centers, all utilizing NoCo Inspire. Presentations from Poudre and Thompson on the platform’s early success, and the creation of a WBL Navigator position through the Sector Partnerships, attracted widespread support.
Today, 16 school districts, including charter schools, four IHEs, and 10 CBOs, actively use the platform.
To strengthen sustainability, the local chamber of commerce now oversees NoCo Inspire and has appointed a K-12 WBL Business Liaison to coordinate WBL initiatives across educational sectors and industry. An advisory group, composed of representatives from each participating district, meets regularly to guide and ensure accountability for these efforts.
Clearly defined roles have been crucial for this collaboration’s success. K-12 institutions focus on student recruitment for WBL opportunities, while the Chamber of Commerce engages businesses and curates opportunities for students. Each district participating in the platform employs a WBL Coordinator responsible for connecting students to opportunities. In the Poudre School District, these coordinators are Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers who visit Level 1 classes, advise on course selection, and recruit students directly for new WBL opportunities as they arise.
Student Programming
Students in Poudre can earn one elective credit for every 15 hours of WBL, with a maximum of 45 credits. Since NoCo Inspire’s inception, over 1,100 Poudre students have earned WBL credits. The platform features more than 650 registered businesses, with a continually growing and diversifying array of opportunities. The platform’s one-stop-shop model has significantly enhanced engagement between small and large industry partners and the K-12 student population.
1,100+ 650
Since NoCo Inspire’s inception, over 1,100 Poudre students have earned WBL credits
The platform features more than 650 registered businesses
Funding Model
The multi-district WBL platform was developed through strategic collaboration and leveraging intermediary resources. Each district pays a subscription fee and funds WBL Coordinator positions to support student recruitment. Poudre School District utilizes general operations and Perkins funding, restructuring CTE teaching roles into reimbursable WBL Coordinator positions. The K-12 WBL Business Liaison at the Chamber of Commerce is currently funded by a joint grant awarded to Poudre and Thompson school districts, ensuring financial support for the next two years.
CASE STUDY: Cañon City School District
Empower Educators
Embed postsecondary and workforce readiness through a whole-school approach in partnership with all teachers, school leaders, and educators in the building
History & Context
Cañon City School District recognizes the rapidly changing world and sees it as their responsibility to build adaptable programs that meet evolving industry needs while serving all students. This vision drives the district to continually modernize curriculum, empower educators, and support system-wide infrastructure for students’ Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) journeys.
Nine years ago, Cañon City restructured its approach, forming committees led by educators and students to revamp the district’s course schedule, graduation requirements, and offerings. The result was a four-year ICAP experience integrated into advisory courses at each grade level, with new graduation requirements mandating an internship and capstone project.
Recognizing that investing in educators is key to a relevant high school experience, Cañon City prioritizes professional development. The Teacher Leadership Committee, composed of educators, tailors, and leads support for implementing a comprehensive ICAP curriculum aligned with high school courses. To expand concurrent enrollment offerings, the district funds teachers’ master’s degrees in specific subjects, providing stipends for the additional effort. Upon completing these advanced degrees, teachers receive higher salaries.
By investing in teacher qualifications and transitioning from a four-block to a five-block semester schedule, students have access to 10 additional courses throughout high school.
This structure means half of the teaching staff serve as adjunct professors for Pueblo Community College, with Advanced Placement (AP) courses also counting as concurrent enrollment. Instructors receive a $25 stipend for every student who passes a concurrent enrollment course, incentivizing high-quality instruction.
Student Programming
The district’s focus on updating curriculum to align with industry needs creates flexible, career-relevant pathways. Educators participate in industry externships each summer, learning the latest technology and equipment and integrating this knowledge into their courses. This equips students with skills for the future job market.
All graduating students engage in meaningful work-based learning experiences, completing an ICAP-aligned capstone project to reflect on their skills and journey. The relevance of their education is evident, and the outcomes are impressive. With the revised schedule:
• 35 students graduated with an associate’s degree.
• 50 students earned industry-standard certifications.
• The top graduate earned 100 transfer credits, entering college as a senior. All these achievements were accomplished at no cost to families.
Results: Since implementing these innovations, Cañon City School District has seen:
• Graduation rates increase from 76% to 93% over six years.
• Matriculation rates rise from 40% to 76%.
• Improved test scores, moving from the yellow to the green category in the state’s accountability framework.
While growing its offerings to students, Cañon City has also joined the Freemont Multidistrict Initiative, a regional collaborative in Freemont County that allows students across four school districts to access career-connected learning opportunities across district lines. Many of the programs offered in Cañon City are available to students through the Freemont Multidistrict Initiative.
Funding Model
Program costs, including concurrent enrollment fees and industry certifications, are covered by existing education funding streams such as CDIP, ASCENT, and Perkins funding. P-TECH funds support course materials, equipment, and educator investments, including advanced degrees and concurrent enrollment stipends. Additionally, grant funding has been secured for start-up expenses related to new programming.
Cañon City strategically reviews and aligns courses with student interests each year, ensuring offerings are necessary and relevant. This approach optimizes financial resources by investing only in essential courses. Administration efforts included restructuring roles, adjusting teaching schedules, and reassigning duties to manage program development.
Existing Entities
Leverage intermediaries to create efficiencies in small districts and expand offerings
History & Context
Northeast BOCES (NE BOCES) serves 12 rural districts, supporting areas like special education, health, wellness, and career readiness. Five years ago, a new executive director prioritized expanding career pathways in line with new state graduation guidelines. The initial assessment highlighted a strong college-bound pathway structure but identified gaps in career pathways for students directly entering the workforce.
Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) enable school districts to pool resources for cost-effective and efficient shared services, such as special education, staff development, technology support, and grant facilitation.
Colorado is home to 21 BOCES, each legally recognized as Local Education Agencies (LEAs).
Acting as an intermediary, NE BOCES has supported the expansion of career-connected learning by identifying district commonalities and securing funding for foundational infrastructure. Districts have since aligned work-based learning platforms and developed community-driven “portrait of a graduate” profiles. NE BOCES also facilitated a regional internship handbook, and are currently supporting schools in strengthening the ICAP processes across all schools.
In partnership with Morgan Community College (MCC) and Northeastern Junior College (NJC), NE BOCES offers concurrent enrollment courses, expanding options for students whose career interests aren’t covered within their home district. NE BOCES has also worked closely with Destination Careers Academy, an online school operated through Julesburg School District, that offers CTE programs alongside a mobile learning lab. This partnership has opened the door to offer even more online course offerings available to students throughout the NE BOCES districts.
Student Programming
NE BOCES developed the Wide Area Virtual Education Service Network (WAVES), enabling local educators to teach virtual concurrent enrollment courses across all partner districts. A master schedule coordinates these offerings with career pathways, fostering a collaborative model that has yielded positive results. Under the Rural Coaction and Opportunity Now grants, NE BOCES districts will soon share pathways in:
• Coding
• Health
• Construction
Innovative initiatives include:
Phlebotomy Program: Delivered virtually, with clinical hours facilitated through a traveling mobile van, benefiting students from six districts.
Construction Programs: Akron and Plateau districts engage students in hands-on projects like home renovations and building tiny homes, investing profits back into their programs.
• Educator Training
• Commercial Driving License (CDL)
Certified Nursing Aide (CNA) Program: Previously only available at NJC, now expanded to a second location in Yuma.
Commercial Drivers License Pathway: A traveling NJC professor teaches inperson CDL courses, now expanded to serve more students, with projections of 50 participants this year.
NE BOCES helps districts prioritize pathways using local workforce data and student interests. Students now have access to 22 industry certifications, which increase employability and lower industry training costs. These career pathways prepare students for living-wage careers, benefiting both students and the local economy.
Funding Model
Initial funding from grants has been crucial for equipment, teacher credentialing, and knowledge building. NE BOCES has strategically focused on sustainability, ensuring districts understand how to use CDIP and CTE funding. As infrastructure is built out, costs will decrease, mainly covering salaries and supplies. Local industry engagement is growing, with companies contributing to pathways like CDL through sponsorships and donations, reinforcing the vision of sustainable financial support.
Like other regional collaboratives (such as the Freemont Multidistrict Initiative referenced earlier), NE BOCES’s shared resource model effectively broadens career opportunities for students across rural districts, positioning them for successful post-secondary careers and community contributions.
Conclusion
Accessing college credit, industry certifications, and work-based learning experiences in high school sets students up for future success and our future workforce.
These are experiences that can make high school more relevant for students who are at risk of dropping out, and can help students find their passions and see a path forward. We must do more as a state to ensure all students have access to these opportunities.
Colorado Succeeds recognizes that multiple funding sources have supported this important work. We see significant opportunities to optimize these funds moving forward, align them more effectively with proven outcomes, and expand access by streamlining processes for districts to adopt and sustain these practices. At its core, this approach supports high schools to not do this work alone, but rather find authentic partners with higher education and industry to ensure that students are better prepared to thrive in Colorado’s dynamic economy.
As an organization with a robust policy-to-practice feedback loop, Colorado Succeeds seeks to learn from the work happening in the field to ensure that best practices are shared widely and that we partner with the legislature to remove barriers and improve systems so all Colorado’s students are set on a path to economic mobility. The strategies conveyed in this report must be paired with bold leadership at all levels, legislative action, and commitment to equity if we are to unlock the potential of all of Colorado’s students.
Acknowledgments
This report was authored by Jessica Morrison and Sarah Swanson. The authors wish to extend their gratitude to colleagues at the Colorado Education Initiative, Empower Schools, and Lyra Colorado for their expertise, insight, and editorial leadership, and Chad Scroggins for their design work.
The authors also wish to thank everyone who participated in interviews for their valuable contributions, which were instrumental in shaping the content of this report, including:
Tanya Alacaraz Director Career & Innovation, Poudre School District
Travis Amonson Principal, Epic Campus
Dr. Kevin Aten Interim Campus Administrator, Pueblo Community College, Southwest
Beth Best Industry Partnership Coordinator, Epic Campus
Dr. Reece Blincoe Superintendent, East Otero School District
Cathy Benton Assistant Principal, Epic Campus
Dr. Karen Cheser Superintendent, Durango 9-R School District
Shari Culver Associate Dean, Arapahoe Community College
Tamara Durbin Executive Director, Northeast BOCES
Bill Gilmore Director of Postsecondary Readiness, Summit School District
Cindy Nguyen Associate Director of Sturm Campus, Arapahoe Community College
Yesenia Silva Estrada Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives, Colorado Mountain College
Kyle Stumpf Superintendent, Holyoke School District
Bill Summers Principal, Cañon City High School