Improving Postsecondary Planning with the Texas Effective Advising Framework

For many high school students, the path after graduation can feel unclear, especially when academic decisions, career interests, and postsecondary options are disconnected. In Texas, state leaders set out to change that by strengthening how schools help students plan for life after graduation, so they are prepared for success in college, careers, or the military. That effort became the Effective Advising Framework (EAF), a statewide approach that helps schools connect coursework, career exploration, and postsecondary planning. For the past five years, TNTP has partnered with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to pilot the framework across the state.

The EAF is designed to help students make meaningful connections between the courses they take, the careers they aspire to, and the education or training they pursue after graduation. Rather than treating postsecondary planning as a single event or checklist, effective advising embeds these conversations into students’ ongoing school experiences. 

Defining Expectations for K-12 Postsecondary Advising 

In Texas, the work of ensuring all students are on track to graduate prepared for success in college, careers, or the military doesn’t just begin in high school. To ensure a coherent and aligned approach to postsecondary advising, TNTP worked with state leaders to map out a common set of grade-level expectations (GLEs) for all students from kindergarten through grade 12. Designed to help students make connections between academic choices, career possibilities, and postsecondary education, the GLEs span the following four development areas for individual planning:

Career Development: Students explore interests, connect learning to real-world careers, and gain experiences that prepare them for postsecondary opportunities.  

Academic Development: Students build a strong academic foundation and gain early college and career knowledge that supports postsecondary success.  

Financial Literacy and Aid: Students build financial knowledge and learn how to access and manage resources to support their postsecondary goals.  

Personal and Social Development: Students develop employability skills and the personal and interpersonal skills needed to thrive in postsecondary settings.

Districts use these grade-level expectations as the foundation for their individual student planning system and customize them to reflect the unique strengths and needs of their communities. “The EAF process has helped align and unify us for a focused effort. It allows us to communicate so that students who transition from campus to campus are still in the flow of a common vision for success,” said one high school principal.

Developing Coaches to Support Advising at Scale  

At the heart of the partnership is a focus on building adult capacity. Over the past five years, TNTP has trained EAF coaches, the region-based leaders at Education Service Centers who work alongside schools to strengthen advising practices and systems. These coaches have worked with over 100 district and campus teams to examine advising systems, plan aligned activities across grade levels, and use advising diagnostic data to strengthen career exploration, academic planning, and financial aid awareness.  

“We’re trying to expand all of the students’ understanding of what they can be and how they can get there, because that’s the whole point of coming to school: to leave and be a successful human being,” said one high school counselor. “Part of that is knowing what you’re going to be doing and doing it well.” 

Evidence of Strong Support from Educators 

As the initiative expanded, TNTP and the Texas Education Agency prioritized listening to the staff members who are closest to the work. In May 2026, more than 300 district and campus staff members shared feedback on their experiences participating in the pilot, and 94 percent of staff surveyed reported satisfaction with their EAF coaching experience. Counselors pointed to the value of having dedicated coaching support, practical tools, and protected time to focus on advising as part of their broader counseling programs. Together, this feedback suggests that consistent coaching and protected time help counselors move from siloed activities to coherent advising systems.  

As a district staff member shared, “[Our coach] has helped us to find different avenues through which we can better reach our students and help them understand the support that we are providing to them. As a result, our student outcomes have greatly improved regarding our college, career, and military readiness, both academically and with industry certifications.”  

Results that Make a Difference for Young People 

The most important stakeholders of the EAF program are the students, which is why participating districts gather feedback from students via an anonymous survey each year. Students consistently reported positive changes in their advising experiences: Over three school years (2023–24 through 2025–26), student perceptions improved by 3 to 7 percentage points across all topics, including access to counselors, awareness of pathway options, and postsecondary planning support. 

In Texas, a set of indicators known as College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) measures how prepared students are for postsecondary success. Students demonstrate their readiness by meeting specific criteria, such as earning an approved industry-based certification or completing dual-credit coursework. CCMR scores contribute to each district’s A-F rating on the state’s accountability system.   

The first cohort of EAF-participating districts gained an average of 11 points over two years of working with the program, and the second cohort gained an average of 7 points in just their first year. Both cohorts started at a higher CCMR rate than the state average but still showed the same or higher rate of growth as the state. From 2021-23, EAF districts showed the biggest improvements in students meeting the CCMR indicators of “approved industry-based certificates” and “Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSI) criteria in both [English Language Arts Reading and Math].” 

Advancing a Statewide Vision for Student Postsecondary Success 

By strengthening advising systems and building educator expertise, the Effective Advising Framework helps districts support students as they plan for life after high school. The work empowers students to take ownership of their academic and career decisions while equipping counselors with the tools, structures, and support to guide them.  

As the partnership continues, TNTP and the Texas Education Agency are focused on sustaining and strengthening this statewide model, so more students across Texas can access clear, connected pathways to their futures.