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Ohio Excels Applauds New Statewide Framework and Redesigned List of K-12 Industry-Recognized Credentials

July 21, 2026


FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Jim Lynch, (614) 832-7295


 

Ohio Excels Applauds New Statewide Framework and Redesigned List of K-12 Industry-Recognized Credentials


Business community played a key role in connecting credentials to employer needs and career opportunities


COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new statewide framework announced this week will change how Ohio evaluates K-12 industry-recognized credentials—certificates, licenses and other qualifications that demonstrate a student has gained knowledge or skills valued by employers. The framework will give students, families, schools and employers clearer information about the outcomes each credential represents and the career opportunities it can support.


Ohio lawmakers set the work in motion through the last state budget bill, which eliminated the former credential point-value requirement and directed the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s (DEW) industry-recognized credentials committee to establish criteria for how students can use credentials to help qualify for a high school diploma. The committee will continue reviewing additional credential applications for stand-alone credentials, approved bundles and bundle-eligible credentials using the new evaluation criteria into the fall and beyond.


“Ohio Excels applauds DEW and is proud to have co-led this work,” said Lisa Gray, president of Ohio Excels, a business-backed education advocacy organization. “We thank Ohio lawmakers for authorizing the redesign through the last state budget bill and giving the department, with the industry-recognized credential committee, the authority to modernize the system.”

“Employers and industry organizations helped define what makes a credential valuable, validate its connection to real career opportunities and ensure the final framework reflects the skills Ohio companies need,” said Gray. “That involvement gives the framework credibility with employers and makes it more useful to students, families, and educators.”


“This new approach recognizes that credentials can provide value in different ways,” Gray added. “Some prepare students for specific occupations, while others demonstrate foundational skills or readiness across an entire career field. The final framework gives Ohio a more thoughtful and transparent way to reflect those differences while helping more young people build pathways to meaningful careers.”


The framework and redesigned list are the final products of the evaluation and redesign phase of a three-year initiative co-led by DEW and Ohio Excels, in partnership with Watershed Advisors and Accenture. This work has been supported by a State Implementation Fund grant from Accelerate, a national nonprofit that helps states turn strong evidence into real results for students by aligning research, policy and practice.


The project analyzed Ohio’s existing credential list and labor-market and workforce data and engaged employers, industry organizations, educators and more than 1,000 other stakeholders to evaluate credential quality, relevance and workforce value.


"Too often, students earn credentials that look good on paper but don't lead to strong careers," said Kevin Huffman, CEO of Accelerate. "Ohio is taking a different path, building a rigorous evaluation system grounded in workforce data and employer input. Accelerate is proud to have partnered on work that ensures the credentials students earn lead to meaningful economic opportunities and in-demand jobs aligned to local workforce needs."  For more information, visit www.accelerate.us. 


According to Ohio Excels, the redesign is about improving quality, not reducing opportunity. Ohio is moving from a system that simply counted credentials to one that better recognizes that credentials must demonstrate meaningful workforce readiness, strengthening the value of Ohio’s diploma. The new list is an initial step in a broader cross-sector implementation effort, with additional guidance, technical assistance, and other supports for schools and communities to follow as the framework is rolled out.


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About Ohio Excels: Ohio Excels is a non-partisan, non-profit organization created in 2018 by leaders of Ohio’s business community who are committed to helping improve educational outcomes for Ohio’s students and ensuring that all K-12 schools prepare students for success in the next step of their lives, whether it is higher education, the military or the workforce.

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