Stephen Himes • May 12, 2026

To Fully Implement the HSBP, You Need to Close One Critical Gap

From Platform to Opportunity: The Adapter That Will Migrate Students From High School to Their Post-Graduation Opportunity

Washington's SSB 5243 mandate asks every district to make the High School and Beyond Plan a meaningful tool — not a checkbox activity.  After reading the Washington State Board of Education's 2025 HSBP Recommendations Report, I want to name the gap that most platforms, including SchoolLinks, aren’t designed to close.  If we close this gap, we will be able to show measurable post-graduation impact that supports the broader FutureReady vision for Washington students.  Honestly, it's low-hanging fruit that will amplify the return on your investment.


Let me explain what it is.


The Problem with "Prepare" and "Connect"

In every real-world learning and future-ready framework — including Washington's HSBP — three words are always emphasized: prepare, explore, connect. 


Prepare.  How do we prepare students for post-graduation success?


In part, this depends on the college and career path that’s right for them.  So, we need to provide more opportunities to…


Explore.  We have to build programming outside of core classes for students to explore different paths, which means that eventually they need to…


Connect.  We have to build networks to connect them with colleges and employers.


Here’s the challenge: Connecting students doesn’t actually get them to their post-graduation opportunity.

For our college-bound students, pointing them to scholarship databases, facilitating FAFSA help, and giving students checklists and deadlines all help, but the application is what wins them admissions and financial aid.  For our career-path students, connecting them to Career Connect Washington is a start — but it doesn't get them hired once they walk across the stage at graduation.


This is the key gap in real-world, future-ready style implementation plans.  It’s the step beyond preparing, exploring, and connecting. 


The next verb is "migrate."


We have to teach students how to migrate from your platform to their next one.


The Adapter Problem

Think of your school's HSBP-documented experiences as a platform — one that develops the skills, character, and real-world experiences that will win students admissions and competitive financial aid at the right college, or the credentials and portfolios that will get them hired.  Post-graduation, students migrate from your platform to the next one.  To do that, they need the right adapter that will plug them into that opportunity.


The adapter that connects high school to college is the college application.  The adapter that connects high school to employment is the career application and interview process.  Without it, your students can’t get from one to the other.


This is the gap.  It's a real problem with measurable, material impact — not just on post-graduation outcomes, but on the extraordinary anxiety of senior year.  In the latest NACAC research, over half of students rank the college application as their most stressful academic experience.  That stress is not just emotional — it's a signal that students don't know how to do it.


Why the Application Is the Whole Ballgame

In today's admissions landscape, tests are optional and high school GPAs are inflated.  Students participate in extracurriculars and accumulate service hours.  Many applications are virtually indistinguishable on paper.  What colleges are actually screening for — and what employers increasingly demand — is character, communication, empathy, collaboration, proactivity, and executive functioning.  These are precisely the durable skills that Washington's HSBP and Career Connect experiences develop.


But here's the catch: those experiences only open doors if students know how to leverage them in the precise format of the application.


Think of the college application as grant writing for high school seniors.  It's a storytelling exercise that requires students to explain why they're the right fit for a specific school — translating experiences into essays, activity lists, and recommendation narratives that score well against rubrics most students never see.  Real-world experiences can anchor award-winning applications.  But only if students know how to use them.


The same is true on the career side.  Durable skills and personal narrative are central to career-path applications and interviews — but pointing students to a job fair doesn't teach them how to tell their story.


What "Checklist" Platforms Miss

Here's what NACAC data makes clear: a vast majority of students report feeling overwhelmed by the college application not because they don't know it's due, but because they don't know how to do it.


This is why data aggregation platforms — tools that track who hasn't turned in what — don't solve the real problem.  SchoolLinks gives students a place to document their HSBP journey. AVID provides checklists and structured support. 

These are valuable.  But neither teaches students how to create a compelling application from the experiences they've accumulated.


Even 1:1 advising runs into this wall.  If students don't understand how a college application works before they sit down with a counselor, that precious face time gets consumed with high-level explanations instead of strategic coaching.  Students report not understanding why their advisor is advising them — because they don't understand the underlying system.


The solution isn't more tracking.  It's curriculum.  It's instruction.  It's the same thing that works everywhere else in education: equipping teachers with the right knowledge and professional development to teach students how to do something hard.


The challenge for administrators is finding the time, space, and materials to teach them. Washington's own SBE data shows that 80% of districts deliver HSBP through advisory periods or annual activities, and only 42% embed HSBP activities in a credit-bearing course — and even those are partial embeds that require co-teaching and robust secondary supports.  There is no standardized place where "how to create a college application" gets taught.


The impact is real and measurable.  The Michigan Department of Education found strong post-secondary outcomes — in both college enrollment and college graduation — in schools where college planning, including specific application instruction, is systematically taught.  This is especially true for low-income and first-generation college students: the exact students Washington's equity commitments are designed to serve.


The Washington Opportunity

Washington has built something real with the HSBP.  The experiences students are documenting in SchoolLinks — career exploration, competency-based learning, CTE pathways, community service — are exactly what college application readers and employers say they want to see.  Washington's FutureReady Initiative is building the framework to make this systemic.


The missing link is the adapter.  The districts that build systematic application support now — teaching students how to translate their HSBP experiences into compelling applications — will be the ones who can demonstrate measurable post-graduation outcomes when FutureReady accountability arrives in 2027.  Not scramble to document it after the fact.


That's the work Appliquest™ was built to support: giving every public school student access to the quality of application instruction that has always been a private-school advantage — and giving Washington's HSBP investment the last mile it needs to actually pay off for students.


If you're working through your HSBP implementation plan and want to think through how application support fits, I'd welcome a conversation.


Dr. Stephen Himes is co-founder of Storyboards College Admission Portfolios and a longtime public school educator with expertise in college admissions law and career application support.

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More Than Just Numbers: The True Meaning Behind Test Scores and GPAs

By Stephen Himes • December 17, 2024
We all know that colleges place a lot of emphasis on standardized test scores and GPAs when evaluating applicants. But have you ever stopped to wonder - what do these numbers really tell us? The research is clear - test scores and grades are largely a proxy for one key factor: how likely a student is to graduate. That's it. These metrics don't necessarily reflect someone's true "merit" or "deserving" of a spot in the incoming class. Let me give you an example to illustrate this point. Imagine two students, both strong applicants. Student A scored a 28 on the ACT, thanks to extensive test prep and family resources to support their studies. Student B, on the other hand, scored a 26 using only free ACT prep materials. Does the 28 ACT score mean Student A "deserves" admission more? Not necessarily. Colleges recognize that the 28 score may simply indicate Student A had more access to tools and support that boosted their test performance - not that they are inherently "smarter." Meanwhile, Student B's 26 may actually be a stronger indicator of their true academic abilities and readiness for the rigors of college. If they've demonstrated other qualities like resilience, creativity, and a genuine passion for learning, they could be an even better fit for the school's culture and mission. You see, college admissions isn't just about raw numbers. It's an art and a science, blending quantitative metrics with a holistic assessment of each applicant as a unique individual. Colleges aren't just looking to "rack and stack" candidates by test scores and GPAs. They want to build diverse classes of students who will thrive on their campuses and contribute to the community in meaningful ways. So the next time you're feeling discouraged by your test scores, remember - they don't tell the whole story. Colleges are increasingly looking beyond the numbers to find students who will be successful and make a positive impact. Focus on showcasing your full authentic self, and the rest will fall into place. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic. How have you navigated the college admissions process, and what role have test scores and grades played?

How Colleges Use Test Scores and GPA Data: "Readiness" More Than "Merit"

By Stephen Himes • December 11, 2024
You're probably aware that most colleges have "gone test-optional" in recent years. In the next post, we'll discuss what that actually means. For now, let's talk about how the pandemic changed the way colleges use test scores and GPAs.

Triangulating Student Readiness with Test Scores and GPA

By Stephen Himes • December 5, 2024
Colleges use test scores and GPA data to assess an applicant's "readiness" for their academic environment, not just raw "merit." This involves a process of "triangulation" using multiple data points. First, they look at your GPA - the strongest predictor of college success. They'll consider both your core academic GPA and your overall GPA to get a sense of your preparation. Next, they review your high school's profile to understand the rigor of your curriculum and how your GPA compares to peers. This contextual information helps them evaluate your readiness. Finally, your test score serves as a check on the GPA analysis. It can indicate whether you challenged yourself appropriately or if your grades don't fully reflect your abilities. By considering these factors together, rather than in isolation, colleges can make an educated guess about your likelihood of thriving on their campus. This "triangulation" is more art than science, but it's how they assess "readiness" over pure "merit."  The key takeaway is that test scores and GPA aren't just about ranking applicants. Colleges want to understand if you have the academic preparation to succeed, not just who "deserves" admission the most. As long as your scores contextualize your full application, they can be a helpful part of this evaluation.

The ACT Test is Evolving: What it Means for College Admissions

By Stephen Himes • November 19, 2024
The pandemic has radically transformed the standardized testing industry, breaking the long-standing dominance of high-stakes exams like the ACT. While testing isn't going away entirely, educators now have more flexibility to question the assumptions behind these assessments. This shift is reflected in the recent changes to the ACT itself. The test is scaling back, making the Science section optional and shortening the overall exam "to make the testing experience more manageable for students." The rationale reveals a key truth - ACT scores are largely a function of test preparation, not necessarily academic ability. Mastering the ACT is more about learning the test's idiosyncrasies than demonstrating higher-order skills. This is why colleges are increasingly moving towards "test-optional" policies. The ACT content doesn't strongly correlate with the knowledge and critical thinking needed to succeed in college. Scores have limited utility for admissions decisions beyond triangulating GPAs and high school profiles. For the ACT as a company, this presents a challenge. To stay relevant, they must prove the test provides colleges the data they need. The elimination of the Science section, for example, may be an attempt to make the exam more aligned with the curriculum. Ultimately, the evolution of the ACT signals a broader rethinking of standardized testing's role in higher ed. As the non-profit organization transitions to private ownership, the pressure to monetize and modernize the exam will only intensify. This could accelerate efforts by colleges to collectively develop "best practices" for using test scores. The goal will be ensuring these assessments genuinely reflect student readiness, not just test-taking prowess. It will be an interesting transition to watch unfold.

Putting Your High School Transcript in Context for Colleges

By Stephen Himes • October 22, 2024
Gone are the days when you could simply plug your test scores and GPA into a matrix to predict college admissions odds. Post-pandemic, test data has become less reliable and colleges are questioning its value altogether. Grades, on the other hand, remain the top factor in admissions decisions. But interpreting those grades requires understanding the full context of your high school experience. There's a misconception that certain grading scales and weighting systems create inherent advantages. 4.0 vs. 4.0 weighted, letter grades vs. percentages, even "ungrading" systems - colleges know these are just different ways schools choose to evaluate student learning. The key is that grades only have meaning within the context of your particular high school. Colleges collect data on how students from your school have historically performed in college. They read your school profile closely, especially if many applicants come from there. So while grades are extremely important, colleges don't simply "rank" applicants by the numbers. They use that data, along with other application materials, to assess your overall "readiness" in a more holistic, contextual way. If there are any dips or anomalies in your transcript, you can provide that context in the Additional Information section or through your school counselor. Colleges recognize that the learning process is more important than perfection.  The bottom line is that your high school record needs to be understood in light of your unique circumstances and environment. Focus on developing your skills and knowledge, not just optimizing your GPA. That's what will truly prepare you for success in college.

The Rise of Experiential Learning: Boosting Your College Application

By Stephen Himes • October 3, 2024
With the loosening of high-stakes testing under ESSA, and the pandemic further disrupting standardized assessments, colleges are seeking new ways to evaluate applicants beyond just grades and test scores. Enter the rise of "experiential learning" - hands-on, project-based approaches that go beyond traditional classroom instruction. Things like internships, community-based research, and interdisciplinary "ungrading" programs are gaining traction. Colleges recognize these experiences develop crucial real-world skills like collaboration, independent work, and problem-solving. They signal an applicant's readiness to thrive on campus and contribute meaningfully. So if you've participated in these types of learning opportunities, be sure to highlight them in your application. Mention them in your Activities List or Additional Information section. Show how they've shaped your interests, skills, and personal growth.  Admissions teams will use this to complement your transcript and gauge your overall preparedness. And if your school district has profiled these offerings well, colleges will understand the unique value you can bring to their community. The bottom line is that experiential learning is becoming a key differentiator in a crowded applicant pool. Showcase these experiences to help admissions officers envision you as a successful, engaged student on their campus.

Don't Just List Extracurriculars - Show Their Impact

By Stephen Himes • September 19, 2024
Colleges today aren't just looking for a long list of club memberships and positions. They want to see the real-world skills and experiences you've developed through your extracurriculars. Gone are the days of "gunning" for activities just to pad your resume. Admissions teams can spot that a mile away. Instead, they're looking for depth - how you've made a tangible impact through the things you're passionate about. On your application's Activities and Honors sections, focus on conveying your skills and accomplishments, not just titles. What did you actually do, and what did you deliver? Demonstrate your ability to organize, lead, and create change. And remember, extracurriculars aren't just school-based clubs. Anything you do outside the classroom that reveals your character, identity, and real-world responsibilities is fair game. Caring for family, creative hobbies, even a part-time job - these all speak to the qualities colleges value. The key is to show admissions officers how your experiences have shaped you as a person and prepared you for the academic and social demands of college. Don't just list your activities - let them see the impact you can have on their campus.

Craft an Impactful Professional Statement for Your Resume

By Stephen Himes • August 20, 2024
When writing resumes, we teach students to include a 2-3 sentence "Professional Statement" at the top. This concisely answers: Who you are What you're seeking Your key qualifications Relevant experiences Here are some examples: "I'm an aspiring medical student looking to learn medicine by mentoring with hospital professionals. I have STEM achievements and developed organizational skills in high-pressure environments."  "As an aspiring humanities scholar, I seek to mentor with professional researchers in archives. My humanities honors, STEM research skills, and independent project experience prepare me well." This framing transforms the resume from just a list to an argument for your fit. It guides what content to prioritize and how to present it strategically. In college apps, the Professional Statement can also serve as a thesis for your entire application. It succinctly conveys who you are, your goals, and your readiness. After completing your Activities and Honors, transform that information into a focused, compelling resume. This working document can then inform your college essays.