As the new school year begins, Education Systems Center at NIU (EdSystems) is here to help you bring your college and career readiness vision to life. Whether you’re designing a new pathway, scaling up a successful program, or ensuring students graduate with both academic preparation and career direction, our proven resources and professional learning can help you get there.
To help you get started, consider this practical, five-step approach. Each step connects you with tools, frameworks, and learning opportunities developed in partnership with educators, employers, and state leaders across Illinois.
Your Pathway Success Roadmap
As you launch into the new academic year, here’s your roadmap for strengthening pathway programming with our resources and professional development opportunities:
1. Establish Common Language and Framework
A strong pathway system starts with a shared vocabulary. Without clear, consistent terms, educators, employers, and partners risk talking past each other — and students lose out on opportunities.
Start here:
- Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary – The first-of-its-kind resource that clearly defines terms like “Career Development Experience” and “Dual Credit” while offering real-world examples of how they apply in classrooms, worksites, and community programs.
Why it matters: Consistency in language builds alignment, streamlines collaboration, and ensures students and families receive clear, accurate information about opportunities.
Who benefits most: District and school leaders, CTE directors, counselors, community college liaisons, and employer partners who want to ensure everyone’s working from the same playbook.
2. Create Clear Pathways
Pathway clarity is about more than a course sequence — it’s a vision that connects high school experiences to postsecondary credentials and high-demand careers.
Use these guides:
- Dual Credit 101 – A free webinar on August 25, 12:00 p.m. Learn the policies, program models, and accountability measures that make dual credit work for students.
- Recommended Technical and Essential Employability Competencies – Ensure programs reflect what employers value most.
- State of Illinois Model Programs of Study Guides – Proven frameworks for designing coherent, rigorous pathways aligned with labor market demand.
Why it matters: When students can clearly see how today’s classes connect to tomorrow’s opportunities, they make more informed choices and stay on track toward their goals.
Who benefits most: CTE directors, curriculum leaders, industry partnership coordinators, ROE/EFE staff, dual credit coordinators, and counselors developing or refining program sequences.
3. Design High-Quality Work-Based Learning Experiences
Hands-on, career-connected learning is where pathways come alive. The more students can connect what they’re learning to real careers, the more engaged — and prepared — they’ll be.
Build your toolkit:
- Illinois Work-Based Learning Innovation Network (I-WIN) – Join a statewide community of practice and tap into the Resource Library for sector-specific models, equity-focused quality criteria, and ready-to-use templates.
- Career Development Experience Toolkit – A step-by-step guide plus templates to building rigorous internships, youth/pre-apprenticeships, and apprenticeships aligned to Illinois’ Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act.
- Career Development Experience Toolkit Overview – A free webinar on September 3 at 12:00 p.m. A guided tour and discussion of the available resources.
Why it matters: High-quality, equity-centered work-based learning ensures students graduate with both a diploma and meaningful workplace skills — a game-changer for college, career, and life readiness.
Who benefits most: CTE teachers, work-based learning coordinators, pathway coaches, alternative ed providers, and employer partners looking to create authentic, inclusive career exposure for students.
4. Strengthen Transitional Instruction Offerings
Too many students arrive at college only to be placed in non-credit-bearing remedial courses — a detour that can derail their plans. Transitional instruction helps students master essential skills before they leave high school, boosting their confidence and saving them time and money.
Get started:
- Transitional English Resources – Curriculum, implementation guides, and support for building college-level reading, writing, and communication skills.
- Transitional Math Resources – Instructional resources that prepare students for college-level math pathways, from quantitative literacy to STEM readiness.
Why it matters: Transitional courses improve college placement outcomes, close equity gaps in postsecondary success, and keep students engaged in career-focused learning.
Who benefits most: English and math teachers, counselors, academic support specialists, and postsecondary partners committed to helping students start strong in college-level coursework.
5. Support Local and State Policy Efforts
Lasting pathway change happens when classroom innovation and policy alignment work hand in hand. Staying connected to policy conversations ensures your local successes inform statewide action, and that you can leverage new opportunities as they emerge.
Engage here:
- Success Network Policy Committee Quarterly Meeting – A virtual convening on September 24 at 9:30 a.m. At this forum for educators, policymakers, and advocates, we will share updates, troubleshoot challenges, and shape the future of pathways in Illinois.
- Success Network Dashboard – A dynamic, multi-view data tool that enables communities to visualize trends including postsecondary enrollment, CTE participation, early college course-taking, graduation and remediation rates, and 9th-grade on-track indicators. Users can compare multiple regions or districts, benchmark against state averages or performance quartiles, and download data for analysis and presentations
Why it matters: Strong policies are grounded in accurate, actionable information. The dashboard gives stakeholders a shared, data-driven foundation—empowering them to identify equity gaps, monitor progress, and design context-responsive interventions. Plus, policy conversations rooted in real community data are more persuasive and lasting.
Who benefits most: District leaders, policy coordinators, regional education staff, pathway advocates, and community partners who want to align policy efforts with local realities and drive evidence-based strategy and funding.
Partner with EdSystems on Next Steps
At EdSystems, we believe every student deserves a clear path to college and career success — and we know that educators are the key to making that vision real. Our resources are built from years of collaborative work with schools, colleges, employers, and state leaders, and they’re designed for immediate use in your context.
At EdSystems, we don’t just share resources — we work alongside communities to design and scale pathway systems that work. Whether you need help launching a new pathway, strengthening employer engagement, aligning programs to labor market demand, or building data systems that track results, we customize our support to your community’s goals.
