The Individual Plan of Study (IPS) is now required to graduate any high school in the state of Kansas, this decision is about as well thought out as the state funding for public schools.

In the state of Kansas an IPS is to be completed before a student graduates.  It’s supposed to be used as a “roadmap to success” for students grades eight through twelve, to help them plan their career beyond high school.  This is because after thorough investigation it was decided that it was in grade eight that a person knows exactly what career they want to pursue.  Before they can drive, vote, buy rubber cement, buy lottery tickets or see an R rated movie without a parent they know exactly where they want to go in life.

The IPS also helps students track things like their name, their parent’s name, what languages they speak, and even where they go to high school; all very helpful for the forgetful student.  It also helps them track their end of semester grades and grade point averages, something already on a student’s transcript.

The IPS also has a section for work experience, community service and school activities respectively.  The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) is still researching how to make days 72 hours long so the student can complete all these things daily without complaining.  (They still don’t know the earth goes around the sun, nobody has told them since they got riled up about evolution.)  They expect the student to take a challenging course load, hold a job, volunteer and participate in school activities such as sports or clubs-in fact both.  Do it all.

The KSDE even made a video (which can be found on YouTube) which describes “what it [the IPS] is” and “what is isn’t”.  What it isn’t, is helpful, productive, nor educational.  The IPS is about as popular as Kansas Governor Sam Brownback at the 2015 Wichita State University versus University of Kansas basketball game.