Xello empowers Poudre School District to offer an ambitious and successful CCR program
The Challenge
Poudre School District aims to thoroughly prepare their K-12 students for all post-secondary pathways. Their ambitious college and career readiness (CCR) program includes dual enrollment courses that allow high school students to earn college credits, Work-Based Learning, including apprenticeships and internships in the community, and custom lessons designed to build self-knowledge and an awareness of future possibilities.
“We think of CCR like a pyramid. What [learnings] does every student need as they move through school? How do we get more specific in career development throughout their education?” said Tanya Alcaraz, director of CCR & Innovation at Poudre School District in Northern Colorado.
“For example, kids who are ready for an automotive apprenticeship in high school know how to get there because they learned what an apprenticeship was early on. Career readiness was part of their education.”
Today, their multiple CCR initiatives are well-integrated and flourishing. But it wasn’t always this way. To achieve their robust programming goals and make CCR user friendly for everyone, they needed a software solution that offered lessons for all grade levels and features that would boost their CTE efforts.
District
Location
Problem
Solution
The Solution
When reviewing RFPs for a new CCR solution in 2017, Alcaraz says the district was initially most interested in the Xello (then Career Cruising) lessons for elementary students. “At that time, we only had a CCR platform for high school students and we wanted to expand into middle school.”
“We were intrigued by the possibilities of involving younger students, as well as connecting our local employers and industry partners. We wanted to be able to showcase opportunities for student job shadowing, apprenticeships, and internships.”
Over the last several years, the district has leveled up with Xello. In addition to offering lessons to middle school and high school students, they’ve recently rolled them out to 5th graders who are enthusiastic to use the program. “This grade level has had a great introduction to Xello and careers and has expanded their CCR vocabulary,” said Alcaraz.
“We want to start them earlier so there’s some familiarity and consistency with the program and CCR in general. By the time they get to high school, they’ll know what the platform is for, why it’s valuable, and how to use it.”
She says excitement for lessons is generally highest starting in 5th grade and extending throughout middle school. “There’s more energy for the platform from counselors, students, and parents at earlier ages, when they’re still discovering CCR and don’t have to make any imminent decisions.”
The number one draw of Xello for older students is the Work-Based Learning Module. “A lot of students are using it to discover WBL opportunities in the community and, while they’re there, they’re looking at colleges and Xello’s Resume Builder too,” said Alcaraz.
WBL stats for Poudre:
- 24,000 High school students eager to participate in Work-Based Learning
- 550+ Active Work-Based Learning opportunities posted in Xello
- 1,636 requests by students for Work-Based Learning experiences in 2023/24, representing a 20% increase year over year
- 34% of CTE students participated in Work-Based Learning experiences
As well, the district uses Xello’s Scholarships tool and hopes to expand it in the near future. “We used to have a paper packet for local scholarships, but now that we have this platform, we’re looking at using it to scale the program more – to innovate and update our national and local scholarship process,” said Alcaraz.
Xello Course Planner is also available to every high school student; two district high schools even use it for their registration process.
The Results
The student engagement results are exemplary:
12,000+ students completed assessments, which led to expansive Xello usage:
- 84% of all students logged into Xello in 2023/24, paired with nearly 1,300 staff members
- Over 4,000 students completing all core lessons in Xello Lessons
- More than 2,200 students created 4-year plans in Xello Course Planner
- 3,000+ students created Portfolios in initial push through Work-Based Learning classes
- 4,000 Students earned a college credit last year through the concurrent enrollment program
In addition to being able to offer an expanded CCR program throughout the district that better engages students in planning their futures, Alcaraz says Xello has helped build connections.
“It has helped strengthen the connections between students and anyone who is supporting them. It helps them have conversations about their future. And if you’re a teacher and you want to get to know your students better, you can review a student’s Xello profile and learn about them before they even walk into class. It facilitates social-emotional learning, belonging, and contributes to positive mental health,” said Alcaraz.
“When a kid walks in and a teacher says, ‘Hey, you like the Lakers!’ it’s a neat way to connect.”
Counselors and teachers are also using Xello in creative ways. For example, a district middle school holds a conference every Fall and Spring where students showcase their Xello profiles to parents, including what they’re learning and samples of their work.
High school students use Xello independently to do college and career research and ACT test preparation. “It’s become a huge resource that students opt to use on their own,” said Alcarez.
When it comes to launching a new CCR program, she stresses that it takes a strong team. “I recommend being collaborative and having champions at every level in the schools that are doing the work. That’s a big learning I’ve had: lean into those champions and those early adopters to learn from them on how to use the platform in a way that works for them and their students,” she said.
That was Poudre School District’s success story—now it’s time to write yours. Learn how Xello can help students at your district get college and career ready. Book My Demo
About the District
About the Educator
