Welcome to Indiana Graduates Prepared to Succeed (GPS)

We know that students are more than a single test score. In addition to academic mastery, Indiana GPS will elevate a number of key characteristics essential to preparing Indiana’s students for their futures, whether they choose employment, enrollment, or enlistment leading to service.

What defines an Indiana Graduate Prepared to Succeed?

As we work to blur the lines between preK-12, higher education, and the workforce, we set out to identify the knowledge and skills every student should have by high school graduation.

Extensive feedback from educators, families, communities, and employers consistently told us the following characteristics truly matter:

Academic Mastery
Career & Postsecondary Readiness: Credentials & Experiences
Communication & Collaboration
Work Ethic
Civic, Financial, & Digital Literacy

And when it comes to equipping students with these key characteristics, every grade level counts, from early learning through graduation and beyond.

PreK-Grade 2

Expanding quality, affordable, and accessible early learning

Grades 3-8

Delivering educational fundamentals: emphasis on reading and STEM

Grades 9-12

Providing seamless transitions for Indiana students

Graduation and beyond

Supporting Indiana students for a brighter future

As the global economy changes and technology advances, we must work together to ensure every student develops knowledge and skills throughout the K-12 years and forges connections to college and career pathways so they are prepared for life beyond high school.

PreK-Grade 2: Where do we start?

Expanding quality, affordable, and accessible early learning opportunities

A student’s access to early education is an essential first step in their academic and overall development. Measuring kindergarten readiness, as well as a student’s PreK-2 literacy progress, can provide key indicators of future success across the K-12 continuum.

Students who participate in Indiana's On My Way Pre-K program perform better on general school readiness skills, including language and literacy skills in kindergarten.

Source: Purdue University

Grades 3-8: What are the essential building blocks?

Delivering educational fundamentals: emphasis on reading and STEM

Knowledge and skill development continues in elementary and middle school as students build literacy and math skills, which lay the foundation for future learning and problem-solving. This is also a time for students to begin exploring and engaging with career opportunities, illuminating the range of possibilities available to them.

Students who pass the IREAD-3 assessment by grade three are roughly 35% more likely to graduate high school.

Source: Indiana Department of Education

1 out of every 5 third graders in Indiana is not proficient in key literacy skills.

Source: Indiana Department of Education

Early mathematics instruction focuses on concrete concepts before transitioning to more complex ideas after grade six. Students who are meeting growth goals at this critical juncture have a leg up on future math and science learning.

Source: Indiana Department of Education

33% of Indiana sixth graders are meeting their math growth goals.

Source: Indiana Department of Education

Grades 9-12: How do we re-think high school?

Providing seamless transitions for our students

Our work continues through high school, where in partnership with higher education and employers, we are expanding access to intentional college credit opportunities that allow students to earn transferable, stackable credentials before graduation, as well as high-quality work-based learning experiences.

Through Graduation Pathways, Indiana's class of 2023 was the first to individualize their graduation requirements to align to their future goals of employment, enrollment, or enlistment leading to service. This includes the following requirements:

Earn credits necessary for a High School Diploma

Core 40, Academic Honors, Technical Honors, and General

Learn and Demonstrate Employability Skills

Project-Based, Service-Based, and Work-Based Learning

Demonstrate Postsecondary-Ready Competencies

Nine total options, including a locally created pathway

89^% of Indiana students complete their graduation requirements.

Source: Indiana Department of Education

Increased education levels are positively correlated to labor participation, wages, and overall net worth.

Source: Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Today, 64% of high school students earn college credit, placing them one step closer to completing a credential beyond a high school diploma. Almost 6% of these students earn a college or career credential before graduation, opening doors of future opportunity.

Source: Indiana Department of Education

Graduation and beyond: What comes next?

Supporting students for a brighter future

We know that education positively impacts a person’s quality of life, health, employment, and living wage. The future of our students, our communities, and our state depend on a K-12 system that helps everyone succeed, whether their post-graduation plans include employment, enrollment, or enlistment leading to service. We measure the long-term success of each Hoosier by examining indicators such as median income and sustained employment.

99% of new jobs created since the Great Recession (2008/2009) go to Americans with some education beyond high school.

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

Over the course of a lifetime, Hoosiers with education beyond high school are likely to earn $1,000,000 more than those with only a high school diploma.

Source: Indiana Commission for Higher Education