Is “Option B” a Viable Plan B? School Counselors’ Sensemaking of a Dual Enrollment Policy in Georgia

Leveraging the state’s dual enrollment program, Georgia policymakers introduced a novel postsecondary pathway called “Option B” that allows students to bypass many traditional high school graduation requirements by completing sub-baccalaureate credentials for career and technical education instead. Given the distinctiveness of this policy, high school counselors play an important role in its implementation as “street-level bureaucrats.” Drawing on sensemaking theory, this qualitative study examines how counselors consider the feasibility of the new pathway and for whom it serves best. Results suggest that there is disagreement between policymakers and street-level bureaucrats regarding the appropriate extent of postsecondary expansion for high school students.