FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2026
www.sde.idaho.gov
Media Contact:
Maggie T. Reynolds
Public Information Officer
208-332-6976
[email protected]
(BOISE) – Idaho students will soon have access to a new tool designed to help them identify and demonstrate the skills they’ve developed during their K-12 careers thanks to grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education (ED).
The Idaho Department of Education applied for and was awarded nearly $4.8 million over three years through ED’s Career Pathways Exploration Grant Program. That funding will support the development of the Idaho Learner Readiness Ecosystem, a comprehensive approach designed to help students connect what they are learning and doing in and out of classrooms today to their goals after high school.
“Here in Idaho, we’ve woven student readiness into every step of a child’s K-12 education, opened up career pathways, and worked to codify the essential link between the system that educates our students and the system that employs them,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield. “Idaho schools already give students incredible opportunities to build skills in the classroom or through athletics, clubs, leadership, and beyond. This investment will help students make meaning from those experiences, recognize the skills they are developing, and learn how to articulate what they know and can do.”
The Career Pathways Exploration Grant Program made $44 million in funding available to state agencies to expand opportunities that expose students to real-life workforce experiences through career pathways aligned with each state’s priorities. Idaho was one of only five projects selected for funding through a competitive grant process.
At the center of Idaho’s project is a student experience portfolio that can be used alongside a traditional transcript or résumé. Students can document learning from experiences like class projects, athletics, jobs, community service, and leadership roles. They will be encouraged to reflect on what they learned and connect those experiences to their goals after high school.
The portfolio is designed to help students see connections across experiences that might otherwise seem unrelated while adding context and evidence to the achievements listed on a transcript or résumé. Most importantly, it will help students explain what they have learned, the skills they have developed, and what they can do.
The project is part of a broader effort at the Idaho Department of Education to help students find meaning and value as they build skills, explore their interests, and prepare for career, college, and life. That work includes Idaho’s updated graduation requirements, the Future Readiness Project, expanded career-connected, work-based learning opportunities, Idaho’s newly updated Career Readiness Competencies, and the Idaho Career Ready Students program.
“As students build on their experiences, they’ll have a record of how their learning has prepared them for what’s next and an appreciation for the learning they’ll embark on after high school,” said Critchfield. “I’d like to thank our federal partners for finding ways to elevate the good work that states are already doing while allowing them to remain in the driver’s seat when it comes to creating programs and initiatives that address the needs of the students and communities they serve.”
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About Idaho Department of Education
The Idaho Department of Education is the state agency that supports and strengthens K-12 education in Idaho. By advocating for Idaho’s families, educators, and schools with funding and educational policy alignment, we support and lead academic achievement to ensure every student is prepared with the skills and job readiness to succeed.
