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Renzulli Learning

New Mexico Career Readiness Alignment

A Comprehensive Guide to Integrating Renzulli Learning with State Standards

Renzulli Learning helps New Mexico schools prepare students for college, career, and community life by developing critical thinking, creativity, and executive function (planning, organization, working memory, self-regulation)—the durable skills that drive success in a rapidly changing world.

The College and Career Readiness Bureau (CCRB) at the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) leads the state’s college and career readiness system, integrating academic and work-ready skills so students meet the rigorous demands of college and careers and support New Mexico’s economic development.

New Mexico requires students to complete 24 units to earn a diploma, with recent legislation (HB171) updating graduation requirements and providing more flexibility in how credits are earned—allowing CTE and work-based learning to count toward certain core requirements while maintaining the 24-credit threshold.

A central element of New Mexico’s approach is the Next Step Plan (NSP)—a personal written plan each student develops every year from 8th through 12th grade, aligned to the district or charter graduate profile and completed on a department-approved template. A final Next Step Plan is required prior to graduation.

New Mexico also promotes Career Technical Education (CTE) organized around 16 career clusters and programs of study aligned with state labor-market needs, along with work-based learning (WBL) opportunities coordinated by CCRB and partners to provide meaningful workplace experiences.

New Mexico Frameworks We Support

 

How Renzulli Learning Supports New Mexico's Career Readiness Goals

 

Grade Band

New Mexico Focus

Renzulli Learning Alignment

K–5 Career Awareness & Readiness HabitsCCRB’s mission is to provide a college and career readiness foundation by integrating academic and work-ready skills, with CTE and career clusters giving students an early understanding of the world of work and local labor-market needs.The Renzulli Profiler surfaces each child’s interests, strengths, and learning preferences, helping teachers connect core instruction to New Mexico’s career clusters and community issues. Early project-based learning (PBL) and daily plan–do–review routines build Executive Function (EF) (planning, focus, self-regulation) and habits of curiosity, collaboration, and problem-solving that lay the groundwork for later Next Step Plans and career exploration.
6–8 Career Exploration & Next Step Plan FoundationsUnder state law, the Next Step Plan is a personal written plan developed at the end of grade 8 and updated yearly through high school, documenting coursework, goals, and postsecondary intentions on a PED-approved template. Districts often use 8th grade to introduce structured career exploration and four-year planning.The Personal Success Plan (PSP) in Renzulli functions as an early NSP: students record interests, set goals, and track evidence of growth. EF assessment pinpoints planning/working-memory needs; research and design challenges connect students to New Mexico career clusters, approved programs of study, and regional labor-market data; 21st-century skills activities (creativity, collaboration, communication) support the academic and work-ready skills CCRB emphasizes.
9–12 Next Step Plan, 24-Unit Graduation, CTE & WBLTo earn a diploma, students must complete 24 units (with updated flexibility under HB171) and maintain an annual Next Step Plan, including a final NSP prior to graduation. HB171 allows CTE and work-based learning to count toward core English, math, or science credits, connecting hands-on learning directly to graduation.  CCRB is also developing frameworks for high-quality WBL and capstone projects, tied to graduate profiles and documented within NSPs.Capstones, internships, and Type III projects in Renzulli align seamlessly with CTE programs of study, career clusters, and work-based learning paths. EF reporting supports on-time completion of 24-unit course plans, dual credit, and WBL experiences. PSP artifacts can be mapped directly into the Next Step Plan, documenting coursework, capstones, WBL, and credentials in one coherent story. Creativity (including CTC-aligned tasks) yields industry-relevant products, presentations, and digital portfolios that show mastery of both academic and work-ready skills.
At-Risk / TransitionCCRB emphasizes that integrating academic and work-ready skills is essential for all students, and that high-quality CTE, WBL, and graduate profiles are key levers for improving outcomes. The NM Career Guide and workforce resources further support students as they move into postsecondary education, training, or employment.Leadership and workplace modules in Renzulli build confidence, employability, and self-advocacy. Regular PSP/NSP check-ins give counselors and teams a structured way to support students who are off-track, aligning goals and supports with graduate profiles, CTE pathways, and WBL frameworks. Embedded Executive Function routines reinforce persistence, organization, and adaptability as students transition into two- and four-year colleges, technical programs, apprenticeships, the military, or the New Mexico workforce.

 

Core Capabilities (K–12)

  • 21st-Century & Durable Skills
    Structured activities strengthen creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, adaptability, and professionalism—the same broad competencies highlighted in New Mexico’s CTE and career-readiness work, which integrate rigorous academics, workplace competencies, and career exploration to ensure students are genuinely career-ready.

  • Executive Function (EF)
    Built-in assessment and growth routines for planning, organization, working memory, and self-regulation help educators scaffold the habits students need to succeed in 24-unit graduation requirements, CTE sequences, work-based learning, and capstone experiences being formalized through CCRB frameworks.

  • Personal Success Plan (PSP) / Next Step Plan Alignment
    Goal-setting, reflection, and evidence of growth in PSP align directly with New Mexico’s Next Step Plan requirements for grades 8–12. PSP provides a student-friendly way to track interim and final NSP goals, course choices, WBL and CTE participation, and postsecondary plans—making NSPs true living documents instead of one-time forms.

  • Project-Based Enrichment
    Student-driven investigations connect to New Mexico’s industry sectors, regional labor-market needs, and community issues, pairing naturally with career clusters, CTE programs of study, and emerging WBL/capstone frameworks. Artifacts from these projects can be referenced in Next Step Plans, graduate profiles, and local portfolio reviews.

  • Profiler-Powered Personalization
    Interests, strengths, and learning styles from the Renzulli Profiler guide differentiated enrichment and pathway planning so students choose courses, clusters, CTE programs, work-based learning, and postsecondary routes that truly reflect who they are—supporting CCRB’s goal of a student-centered, career-ready system that meets both learner and labor-market needs.

Research Evidence & Long-Term Outcomes

  • SEM foundation, career-relevant gains
    Enrichment-oriented models like the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM)—the foundation of Renzulli Learning—are associated with improved academic performance, more students choosing rigorous coursework (including STEM), and greater entry into high-value postsecondary fields, all strong indicators of college and career readiness.

  • High-Quality CTE & Pathways
    National and New Mexico policy work highlight that high-quality CTE programs and structured pathways improve engagement, graduation, and postsecondary outcomes, especially when aligned to labor-market needs and coupled with dual credit, WBL, and clear quality frameworks, priorities reflected in PED’s high-quality CTE and innovation zones discussions.

  • Executive Function as the engine
    EF assessment plus project workflows build self-management, focus, and perseverance—skills central to success in 24-credit graduation, Next Step Plan implementation, CTE/WBL participation, and capstones tied to graduate profiles, and critical to CCRB’s vision of preparing students for the rigorous demands of college and careers.

Why New Mexico Districts Choose Renzulli Learning

Aligned & Documented

Direct support for New Mexico’s College and Career Readiness system, including Next Step Plans, 24-unit graduation requirements, CTE programs of study and career clusters, work-based learning, and emerging capstone frameworks—all within a coherent, student-centered platform that makes it easier to show evidence of career readiness.

Measurable Skill Development

Actionable Executive Function data, creativity assessment and growth, and 21st-century skill rubrics help schools demonstrate impact on the academic, technical, and work-ready skills that CCRB and partners emphasize in New Mexico’s CTE, WBL, and graduation redesign work.

Future-Ready & Human-Centered

Renzulli Learning builds uniquely human strengths—creativity, critical thinking, leadership, collaboration—that complement AI and automation, positioning New Mexico students to thrive in a dynamic labor market while remaining closely aligned to local economic needs and career clusters.

Ready to Implement New Mexico Career Readiness Standards?

See how Executive Function, creativity, and 21st-century skills translate into stronger Next Step Plans, CTE and work-based learning participation, and postsecondary success for New Mexico students.

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