Students and Plans in Xello 6-12
userEducator Xello productXello 6-12 Time3 minutes

Not all students want to head straight into a four-year college program. That's where Plans in Xello comes in. With different pathways such as apprenticeships, going straight to work, joining the military, or college or university, all students can feel prepared for what happens next.

TipTip: To help introduce Plans in Xello to your students, download and share this quick guide: Plans in Xello (also available in Spanish). Add it to an Assignment or send it in a message.
Learn how students

Access their plans

Students access the Plans feature by clicking Plans in the top navigation.

Student account in Xello. The Plans menu is open and the cursor is selecting Plans
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Student account in Xello. The Plans menu is open and the cursor is selecting Plans

Choose between a career or education path

When students start making a plan, they can choose to begin with a Career or pick a path they want to take after high school by clicking on Education. In either case, as they build their plan, they'll later be encouraged to add a career to an education plan or a pathway to a career plan. Additionally, students can make as many plans as they want, so they can always try a new starting point later.

Student account in Xello. The first page of a student building a plan. There are two starting points to choose from: career or a post-high school path that starts with education
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Student account in Xello. The first page of a student building a plan. There are two starting points to choose from: career or a post-high school path that starts with education

If students choose to start with a career, they'll pick one of their saved ones. If they haven't saved any careers, or they want to build a plan for a new one, they can search to find it. After they chosen a career and clicked Done, their plan is in the works!

Student account in Xello. The student is choosing one of their saved careers to begin building their plan.
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Student account in Xello. The student is choosing one of their saved careers to begin building their plan.

If they choose to start with education, the next page will be a list of pathways they can choose from after they've finished high school. The options include 4-year college, apprenticeship, military, gap year, and more.

Student account in Xello. A student is building a plan and this is the add Pathway after school page.
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Student account in Xello. A student is building a plan and this is the add Pathway after school page.

A helpful Learn more about pathways link at the bottom of the list will open brief explanations of each pathway, plus a chance to read a full profile. They'll be able to watch a short video, view sample careers typical to that pathway, and view any finances or education required.

Student account in Xello. The pathway profile of Apprenticeship is open. There is a video called What is an apprenticeship?
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Student account in Xello. The pathway profile of Apprenticeship is open. There is a video called What is an apprenticeship?

Depending on the pathway they choose, they'll be prompted to add more information. For example, if they choose 4-year college, they'll need to choose a credential or training, such as bachelor's degree, master's degree, doctoral degree (PhD), or professional degree. Then they'll need to select a school (one of their saved ones if they offer the credential or they can search for a new one). Once they've completed any prompts and clicked Done, their pathway plan is ready for finessing!

Build out their plan

Now they can add more steps to their plan. If they chose education as a starting point, here's where they'll be able to add a career. Alternatively, they can add a pathway to a career plan.

Each plan comes populated with a To-do list to remind students that even a big plan for what to do after high school can start with small steps today. These can include reminders to make sure they meet the requirements to apply, encouragement to talk to someone in their career choice, prompts to research skills and interests their career or pathway might include. Every To-do list, regardless of whether the student chose career or education as the starting point, comes with a list of additional suggested tasks specific to their choice. Students can click Need suggestions? to check these out.

Student account in Xello. A student's plan is open with a focus on the To-do list. Items on the list include "Find out the edcuation requirements for this career"
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Student account in Xello. A student's plan is open with a focus on the To-do list. Items on the list include "Find out the edcuation requirements for this career"

To help personalize their plan, students can click the pencil icon in any section to change their answers, including the title of the plan itself. There's also a section for them to keep notes and add links as they work towards completing their plan.

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Rank their plans

Encourage students to return to their plans or build new ones as they learn more about themselves, explore careers and schools, and complete the tasks on their list. As they create more plans, they'll be prompted to rank them. This helps them to prioritize the plans they most want to achieve, promotes intentional decisions, and helps show educators what their students are most interested in.

Student account in Xello on the Goals & Plans page. There are two plans. One has a prompt on it that says, "Drag and drop your plans to rank them."
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Student account in Xello on the Goals & Plans page. There are two plans. One has a prompt on it that says, "Drag and drop your plans to rank them."

To rank their plans, students can either drag the plan and move it to where they'd it in the list. Or they can click the three-dot menu and select whether they'd like to move it up or down on the list.

Student account in Xello on the Goals & Plans page. There are two plans. The cursor has clicked the three-dot menu on one and is selecting Move up.
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Student account in Xello on the Goals & Plans page. There are two plans. The cursor has clicked the three-dot menu on one and is selecting Move up.

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Additional resources

  • pdfShort video
    Short videoPrepare for your future with Plans

    Use this video to learn about the benefits of creating a flexible, actionable plan in Xello, and how students are supported in any future path (also available in Spanish).

  • pdfPDF
    PDFPlans in Xello - student guide

    This guide will walk your students through how to use Plans in Xello.

  • pdfPDF
    PDFActivity lesson plan resource - My plans

    Students learn about different pathways available towards their plan for the future. They consider which may be best for them even if they don’t know exactly what they want to do yet.

  • pdfPDF
    PDFInstructional Plan - Planning for the future

    Students understand how making a plan can help them achieve their future goals, learn about different options and pathways, and set tasks to help them accomplish their plans.

  • live webinarRecording
    RecordingXello 6-12 Plans: All students, all pathways