Starting the 2024-2025 school year, District 225 will implement SchooLinks as a better solution to assist with College and Career planning, Ryan Bretag, Director of Teaching and Learning said. The website will be linked to PowerSchool, along with information, to prepare students for their future in and outside of South, he added.

Planning is crucial to incoming juniors and seniors who are building college applications and beginning to decide their future careers, Bretag explained. In order to find the best college planning platform, Bretag, along with other administrators, surveyed what nearby districts were using and discovered SchooLinks.

While there were no direct problems with Naviance, the district wanted a centralized plan to organize the work of students and counselors, such as course selection, internships, and teacher recommendations, Bretag said. SchooLinks provides an organized platform for students, he explained.

“Students will experience the difference as their four year planning, career and college experiences, and course selection process all occur in one spot,” Bretag said. “Families [can also get] direct support from Schoolinks Monday-Friday.”

Not only do students receive benefits from SchooLinks, the district and teachers can too, Bretag explained.

“[The platform] will allow [South] to better track data on college and career readiness, review student academic level, and monitor student student academic program possibilities,” Bretag said.

SchooLinks offers the same resources as Naviance, but will include other components, Associate Principal Cameron Muir stated. Students can also maintain their account after graduation, allowing them to access transcripts and the alumni network.

“[Additional resources include] four-year plan counseling, career plans, online access to review and select courses, [resources to] create a digital portfolio and resume, virtual reality college campus tours, and much more,” Bretag said.

While students may question whether the switch is necessary, SchooLinks is part of an updated plan to fit the school’s needs, Bretag explained. Bretag worked with Dr. Lara Cummings, Director of Student Support, by researching ways to make this transition as smooth as possible.

“Change isn’t easy for everyone, but once [students] understand and start using the software, I am very hopeful [about SchooLink’s capabilities],” Cummings said.