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Career Online High School Pilot Grant

Washington State Library is seeking to pilot Career Online High School in public or tribal libraries across Washington State.

Career Online High School Pilot Grant

Logo of the Washington State Library                    Logo of Institute of Museum and Library Services

This project is made possible in part by funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.

WSL is offering to pilot Smart Horizons Career Online High school in several public or tribal libraries across Washington State.

What is Smart Horizons Career Online High School?

  • Online high school for all ages with a career focus.
    • Self-Paced, FT or PT, up to 18 months to complete with no strict time limit (extensions available).
    • Prior earned credit hours are counted towards graduation.
    • SHCOHS provides support from certified teachers and mentors.
    • Students have access to additional resources like career counseling, job placement assistance, and college preparation to achieve long-term goals.

How Does This Grant Pilot Work?

  • This is a competitive grant specifically aimed at Public and Tribal Libraries, with emphasis on those serving rural, and/or distressed communities. Please see scoring rubric for details.
  • Libraries may request seats for 1-5 students per system.
  • The state library has a total of 14 seats to allocate to interested libraries.
    • This grant does not require reimbursement. WSL will purchase and award seats to libraries directly.
    • Should WSL be unable to award the entirety of seats requested, additional seats may be purchased by the library for $1095 per seat.

How do I know if my library is a good fit for this Pilot?

  • Hosting a SHCOHS program will require staff to:
    • Engage with and recruit interested patrons age 20 or older.
    • Provide technical assistance to learners if needed.
    • Assist learners in sourcing a laptop and wi-fi access via community partners if needed.
    • Provide encouragement, and regular check-ins with learners.
    • Complete required IMLS reporting document & ensure your learners complete an IMLS required reporting document.
    • Read up on how Sedro-Woolley piloted Smart Horizons Career Online High School in their branch!
  • WSL hosted a live Q & A session with Career Online High School & Both Central Skagit  and Upper Skagit Libraries, who both have experience with the program, to provide more information about how libraries have used this resource in different settings to help people of all ages meet this life-changing goal.  
  •  This session took place October 26th and the recording is available to view HERE
    • Session Slides are available below: