This fall, a new tab will be opening on students’ screens across Washington state. In place of Xello, the district is utilizing SchooLinks, a comprehensive college and career readiness tool that does more than its predecessor ever did, providing students with even more features and greater opportunities.
Why the Switch?
The transition is driven by changes in state requirements. SchooLinks is now required by Washington State. As part of the rollout, student access to Xello will end on August 1. Students are encouraged to download their Xello profile if they want to save any information from the platform. By fall, SchooLinks will officially be onboard as the district’s High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) platform.
Previously, districts were responsible for finding and funding their HSBP platforms, but this was not equitable. Some schools put more funding toward these platforms than others, meaning not every student had the same access to future readiness tools.
Additionally, students who moved school districts often had to restart these plans from scratch. The state wanted a universal HSBP platform, leading them to SchooLinks. Now, every student from 7 grade to 12 has equal access, regardless of the school they attend or whether they transfer between districts.
Jessica Hall, the Issaquah School District CTE Post-High School Pathways Specialist, said, “We want students to be logging into SchooLinks weekly, not just a few times a year. The goal is for students to use it to figure out who they are and what they can become.”
Not Just a “New Xello”
District officials are clear on one thing: they do not want SchooLinks to be thought of simply as a replacement for Xello. The new platform is designed to do significantly more.
At its core, SchooLinks acts as a central hub where students can plan their futures in one place, starting as early as grade 7. The platform is also built with accessibility in mind, offering translation into multiple languages so that every student in Washington state can use it comfortably.
Three features in particular stand out.
An Opportunity Board that Opens Doors. If there is one feature that separates SchooLinks most clearly from Xello, it is the opportunity board. It is a searchable database of local internships, apprenticeships, job shadows, volunteer positions, and part-time jobs pulled from the student’s school and across the district, all in one place. The idea is not just to collect meaningless activities for resumes, but to make real opportunities easy to find and act on.
There is also a career center where students can explore regional industries, look up what is growing in the local job market, and even submit questions to be answered by professionals in fields they are curious about.
Play the Game of Life. SchooLinks includes a cost-of-living game simulation where students can plug in a career path and get a realistic picture of what their financial life could look like, covering rent, groceries, transportation, and more.
Students can also choose what kind of lifestyle they want to live, and the simulation will let them know if the career they have chosen will be a fit for them, raising financial awareness. It sounds simple, but it is one of the most eye-opening things SchooLinks offers.
District Wide Events Database. SchooLinks includes a school and district-wide events database where upcoming events are posted directly to the platform. Events like college fairs, career nights, and more are all searchable in one place.
The platform can also send students alerts to remind them of upcoming activities in schools around the district, opening them to even more opportunities.
“This new platform is going to be much more adaptive to students’ needs,” said Nila Natarajan, Issaquah School District Student Board Representative. “Instead of rigid features like Xello, SchooLinks lets students pick and choose what they want on their portfolios, whether that is transcripts, job searches, or planning for high school and beyond.”
A Fresh Start
Familiar tools like a resume builder, college and career search, and personality assessments are all still there, but the platform is also built with room to grow.
District officials see it expanding beyond students to staff as well, embedding career readiness into every corner of the school experience. The goal is for students to genuinely engage with their futures through this platform rather than treat it like a chore.
“Student voice matters to us,” Hall said. “As SchooLinks continues to grow, we want to hear feedback from students.”
With room to grow and a district open to feedback, SchooLinks is only getting started.
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