College & career readiness in Iowa
Iowa requires every student in grades 8–12 to have an ICAP covering career exploration, postsecondary options, and course planning, supported by the state's career information system.
ICAP — Individual Career and Academic Plan
Work-based learning & financial aid in Iowa
Work-based learning
Iowa's statewide Work-Based Learning Clearinghouse connects classrooms to employer projects, and Senior Year Plus (dual credit, PLTW) is deeply established.
FAFSA & financial aid
No FAFSA graduation mandate; Future Ready Iowa's Last-Dollar Scholarship makes FAFSA filing pay for high-demand programs.
Atlara ↔ ICAP
Plans that track themselves
Readiness Plans auto-complete requirements from real activity — course plans, assessments, applications, FAFSA — so compliance reporting is a byproduct, not a project.
Career + college exploration built in
Interest inventories, a 900+ career library with real O*NET and BLS wage/outlook data, 3,200+ colleges with U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard data, and majors exploration cover the exploration expectations most state frameworks start with.
Work-based learning tracking
Employer partners, placements, hour logs, and competencies — with student portfolios and resumes that assemble themselves.
Counselor + family visibility
Caseload dashboards with early-warning flags, printable conference one-pagers, and a family portal with its own logins and approvals.
Policy details above are a planning summary, not legal guidance — confirm current requirements with the Iowa Department of Education.