Overview
Next Steps Idaho is a homegrown, statewide initiative designed to support and guide Idahoans at different stages of life as they seek education, training, career change or advancement, and that “dream job.”
With nearly 2 million sessions since it launched in 2015, the Next Steps Idaho website is a popular destination for adults and students. The Next Steps Idaho Steering Committee has implemented a 3rd party content evaluation process. Organizations hoping to provide their resources through the site can submit projects for review and submissions will be reviewed monthly.
Is Your Content a Fit for Next Steps Idaho?
The Next Steps Idaho Steering Committee evaluates
submissions based on relevance to the Next Steps Idaho
audience and considers whether:
- The content provides actionable options for users through comprehensive, clear, accurate, and up-to-date information
- There is a clear plan for keeping the proposed content up-to-date
- The proposed content adds-to, improves, or complements what is already available on the Next Steps Idaho website
- Next Steps Idaho’s core audiences—students, adults, educators, and connectors—(and which of these specifically) will be served by the addition of the proposed content
- The proposed content is a fit for Next Steps Idaho’s visual and verbal identity and/or if the submitter is willing to do the work needed to bring the content into brand alignment, if needed
- There is a direct or indirect cost to the State of Idaho or to Next Steps Idaho users
Types of content the Next Steps Idaho Steering Committee will review for possible inclusion on the website:
- Links to related content
- Stand-alone content to augment what already
exists on the website - Full new tools that may function within the Next
Steps Idaho website
3rd Party Request Process
STEP 1: Fill out the submission form
STEP 2: Submissions are reviewed at monthly Next Steps Idaho Steering Committee meetings
Evaluation process depends the type of content proposed:
LINKS
- Requests for links to be added will be reviewed and approved/denied at every Steering Committee meeting (once monthly) and notifications of status sent to requestor following each meeting. Requestor will be notified that if the link breaks (reported through our monitoring system) the link will be immediately removed but no notification will occur
- Within a week of approval, steering committee will send follow up email to requestor with a screenshot confirming the link has been added
- Steering committee will add the approved link to the list of current links, with the requestor info and date it was added to the site (for future update purposes)
CONTENT
- Requests for content (as described in essential questions) additions will be reviewed at every Steering Committee meeting (once monthly)
- Requests may either be:
- Approved as is and follow the notification process detailed above
- Approved, but with a request for more information / collaboration with requestor to fulfill the request
- Moved to a status of “for further consideration” that may include:
- Additional primary research by the Steering Committee to determine whether the content is a fit, based on the evaluation criteria / essential questions
- A follow up presentation by requestor to the Steering Committee to aid in its evaluation / decision-making process
- Denied
TOOLS
- Requests for tools (as described in essential questions) additions will be reviewed at every Steering Committee meeting (once monthly)
- Requests may either be:
- Approved, but with a request for more information / collaboration with requestor to fulfill the request
- Moved to a status of “for further consideration” that will likely include:
- Additional primary research by the Steering Committee to determine whether the content is a fit, based on the evaluation criteria / essential questions
- A follow up presentation by requestor to the Steering Committee to aid in its evaluation / decision-making process
- Denied
FAQ's
Resubmission
Any request that has been denied by the Next Steps Idaho Steering Committee is eligible for reconsideration 6-months following the initial denial. However, requestors must demonstrate how their submission has been changed to better meet the requirements for content on the site.
Record-Keeping
From the date this policy is formally adopted by the Next Steps Idaho Steering Committee, records of all submissions and decisions will be kept indefinitely.
Other Types of Requests
Next Steps Idaho regularly reviews calendar and scholarship submissions for inclusion on the site and will accept proposals for additions to the curriculum and directories pages as-needed.