Education Systems Center at NIU is pleased to announce the appointment of Kyle Westbrook as its new executive director. Kyle brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to educational equity, making him an excellent fit for the organization’s mission.
At the Performance-Based Assessment Design Cohort Showcase on May 18, 2023, we were able to hear the teachers talk about their projects and the process of creating them, and see up close how performance-based assessments can be used across disciplines and with students from a range of backgrounds with a variety of characteristics.
Illinois Math Badging Initiative pilot sites showcased their plans for using badges, demonstrating the flexibility of the badges and incredibly thoughtful ways of employing them.
What are college and career pathways, and why should employers get involved in training the next generation? In their March 27 edition, Crain’s Chicago Business tackled that question through two articles.
EdSystems is pleased to share the launch of a new website, cecids.org, and the first publicly available interactive data maps from our CECIDS partnership.
Education Systems Center at NIU (EdSystems) today announces that Founder and Executive Director Jonathan Furr will be transitioning from his role as of June 2023 after nearly eleven years of building and leading the organization. Jon will be pursuing new professional opportunities, which he will share in the coming weeks.
EdSystems is coalescing around five new goals, which we call our Big Bets, to ensure that our state’s education and workforce systems truly lessen racial inequities and lead to tangible progress for our Black and Latinx students that have for far too long been underserved by these systems.
For the first time, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association Education Foundation, in partnership with EdSystems, is offering a scholarship to Illinois students who graduate high school having earned the College and Career Pathway Endorsement in Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology, and Trades. The scholarship application is now open!
Throughout Illinois, community colleges, alongside their high school counterparts, are creating unique incentives to increase the rate of students earning the College and Career Pathway Endorsement.
EdSystems is proud to announce it has received a three-year, $165,000 grant to strengthen work-based learning and launch an education research collaborative in the Belvidere and Rockford region. The grant was awarded by the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois’ Community Grants Program.
Are you looking for ways to integrate robotics into your broader goals for student learning? Robotics is a machine that will build the people who will change the world and our future for the better.
EdSystems is excited to announce our selection as one of 11 states participating in Launch: Equitable & Accelerated Pathways for All. Launch is a national college and career pathways initiative that strives for every learner to have access to and succeed in high-quality and equitable pathways.
As organizations return to hosting in-person events, how do we acknowledge and design around the challenges communities have faced in recent years while inspiring more people of all ages to pursue high-quality occupations in in-demand fields? EdSystems worked with three Illinois communities to address that question.
Quick Takes is based on results from the Student Voices Evaluation of Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois (SEPI), released in October 2022, which focuses on the perspective of students participating in education pathways.
2022 marked the tenth anniversary of Education Systems Center at NIU. Our portfolio–and the team supporting the work–has expanded significantly in the past decade, and more growth is on the horizon.
A new micro-credential helped competency-based education teachers design performance-based assessments that resonate with students. Download the templates.
Education Systems Center is excited to announce our two newest Model Programs of Study Guides in Human & Public Service and Culinary & Hospitality. The guides were finalized in October 2022.
As part of the Middle Skills Pathways in Chicago project, we’re releasing six new analyses for the sectors of Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources; Architecture, Construction, & Energy; Arts & Communications; Culinary & Hospitality; Finance & Business Services; and Human & Public Services.
At its August meeting, the Illinois State Board of Education extended the CBE pilot for three more years. EdSystems and its partners in the new Future of Learning Coalition urge ISBE to extend supports to both guide and evaluate the pilot sites.
On August 15, 2022, EdSystems and more than 160 partners from across the state delivered a letter to IBHE, ICCB, and Illinois Articulation Initiative to request increased transferability of major coursework for future educators seeking to teach in elementary and secondary settings.
EdSystems is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Illinois Digital Educators Alliance, LEAP Innovations, LUDA, and Teach Plus to advance an innovation ecosystem for equitable, student-centered education in Illinois.
To support the development of high-quality Career Exploration and Career Development Experiences in middle and high schools, ISBE tapped EdSystems to support a one-year pilot program. Check out the pilot’s models, resources, best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations for policy and supports to help better inform the field.
The redesigned site features key resources, guidance and implementation supports, and exemplars for the PWR Act’s four aligned strategies: the Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Framework, College and Career Pathway Endorsements, Transitional Instruction, and Competency-Based Education Pilot.
The results of a 2021 survey, co-conducted by EdSystems, are clear: the vast majority of those surveyed see the benefits for all involved in dual credit, from the schools, educators, students, and families.
Download drafts for the Illinois Model Programs of Study Guides in Culinary Arts and Hospitality and Human and Public Services plus a newly revised Education Guide.
Governor Pritzker signed Public Act 102-0917 (HB3296) into law on May 27, 2022. HB3296 builds from the 2016 Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act and many years of dedicated work by communities statewide to develop and implement high-quality college and career pathways systems that ensure students are prepared for whatever comes after high school.
As part of EdSystems’ Health Sciences Career Exploration and Career Development Experience Pilot, Rush Education and Career Hub and Chicago Public Schools piloted a new Career Exploration event designed with inclusion in mind.
EdSystems is proud to announce our participation in Accelerate ED: Seamless Pathways to Degrees and Careers, an initiative that seeks to blur the lines between high school and higher education and career learning experiences, allowing students to earn a career-aligned credential or degree by the end of one additional year after high school.
Executive Director Jon Furr shared on the journey of Illinois’ pathway systems at the 2022 Hawai’i P-20 Summit plenary session.
JFF’s podcast welcomed Jon Furr as a special guest to discuss addressing equity barriers in college and career pathways.
The City of Chicago announced the launch of the Chicago Early Childhood Integrated Data System (CECIDS), a project co-led by EdSystems.
Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois (SEPI) introduces a third cohort of communities, a new mentor model, and expanded research into student perspectives and experiences in education pathways.
On February 28–March 3, 2022, the Illinois Education and Career Success Network delivered high-quality content to a record-setting attendance of 767 educators, administrators, policymakers, students, and leaders.
Illinois’ leading postsecondary attainment network announces a new name, the Illinois Education and Career Success Network.
The Illinois Postsecondary Profiles Project is a user-centered resource for learning about postsecondary institutions through comprehensive data collected directly from Illinois Higher Education agencies and institutions.
As we look back on 2021, we remain hopeful that change is possible and is, indeed, happening here in Illinois.
In collaboration with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Education Systems Center has released a new Career Development Experience Toolkit Companion Piece to address the needs of stakeholders outside of a traditional high school setting.
The Chicago Equity-Centered Innovation Forum’s fall convening built on the ongoing work CPS is doing to support its competency-based education (CBE) schools to incorporate adaptive competencies into the curriculum and integrate social-emotional learning instruction.
We are proud to announce that we are a partner in Building Equitable Pathways, a national coalition of leading intermediaries to unlock more equitable postsecondary and career outcomes for Black and Latinx youth and young people who are experiencing poverty.
Through the launch of the Illinois 60 by 25 Network Student Advisory Council, the EdSystems team is learning first-hand the importance of lifting up student voices as we design and refine resources and policies that support student success.
EdSystems’ Pathways School Readiness Framework and accompanying Tracker are designed to support school districts, intermediary organizations, and school leaders to develop action plans for implementing college and career pathways in a deliberate and sustainable manner.
An analysis of the initial implementation of the Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois initiative, with input from the first cohort of collaboratives. It was undertaken to understand how the components of the education pathway were being executed in practice and to collect promising practices and lessons learned.
EdSystems applauds the adoption of the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s new 10-year strategic plan, A Thriving Illinois: Higher Education Paths to Equity, Sustainability, and Growth.
Our conversations with five established Transitional Math Local Advisory Panels across Illinois have resulted in a document that is intended to provide guidance at all phases of establishing and running a Local Advisory Panel.
The Career Development Experience Toolkit Companion Piece is designed for stakeholders outside of a traditional high school setting including workforce development organizations, community-based organizations, and alternative high schools.
High school intern Edith Lizardo compares in-person and virtual networking events and shares the importance of teaching students to network.
The support Rockford Public Schools receives from Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University, thanks to the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, is helping to drive aligned college and career pathways forward, including the Law and Public Safety pathway.
In collaboration with leaders of Chicago Public Schools, school leaders of competency-based education (CBE) pilot schools, and other interested stakeholders, EdSystems will support the implementation of innovative instructional models as strategies for dismantling systemic inequities in traditional educational approaches.
Through a partnership between EdSystems and Practera, Illinois communities have free access to pilot the platform through SY21-22. Practera is a customizable, web-based application that
To help combat the teacher shortage, Sauk Valley Community College is offering every student entering the college with a College and Career Pathway Endorsement (CCPE) a $100 credit. Sauk Valley is the first community college in the State to offer an award based on the CCPE.
To increase the number of high school graduates placed into college-level reading and communications courses without the need for remediation, the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Community College Board, and Illinois Board of Higher Education have adopted the Statewide Transitional English Course Parameters, Competencies, and Policies.
Northern Illinois University’s College of Education and Education Systems Center at NIU are proud to announce new incentives for Illinois students graduating with the College and Career Pathway Endorsement (CCPE) in Education.
EdSystems is excited to announce an additional six collaboratives to be funded through SEPI, representing 16 school districts, 25 high schools, and 12 colleges/universities throughout Illinois.
The 2020 GLCCPP By the Numbers report examines community capacity as well as student experiences and outcomes. This report also reflects on process learnings as we conclude the GLCCPP.
For the first time, Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois and EdSystems are partnering to offer a unique advantage for students earning a College and Career Pathway Endorsement in education.
As schools across Illinois continue to navigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EdSystems team is pleased to share a new resource for guiding the development of information gathering systems in remote and blended learning environments.
The first four Model Programs of Study Guides focus on the following industry sectors: Education, Health Sciences and Technology, Information Technology, and Manufacturing and Engineering.
As students across the state return to school, many high school students are now working towards earning a College and Career Pathway Endorsement. Ridgewood High School, located in the Chicago suburbs and a leader in the pathways approach, was the first in Illinois to award the College and Career Pathway Endorsements to Class of 2020 graduates who successfully completed the Education and Manufacturing and Engineering pathways.
The Greater Peoria Essential Abilities and Knowledge (GPEAK) is a regional essential skills program to provide work-based learning opportunities.
The new Illinois Work-Based Learning Innovation Network (I-WIN) will support work-based learning educators in school districts and community colleges across Illinois.
In the first year of Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois, Education Systems Center launched 9 collaboratives representing 22 school districts.
As communities move to remote learning, we can also continue developing valuable employability skills through virtual work-based learning.
The Postsecondary Workforce Readiness Act’s Transitional English Course Parameters and Competencies are now available for public review.
Led by an NIU team funded by a federal grant, this early childhood project links data across state agencies to establish unduplicated counts of children.
Through collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Education Systems Center has released a Career Development Experience Toolkit aligned to the frameworks established in the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act and embedded within Illinois’ broader strategies around scaling high-quality career pathways and work-based learning.
With the help of Education Systems Center, Illinois recently achieved a major milestone in its efforts to expand dual credit access and offerings with the adoption of the Model Partnership Agreement by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB).
The Illinois P20 Council, The Joyce Foundation, and Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University have partnered to launch Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois (SEPI) to help address the teacher shortage in Illinois.
How District 100 aligned its CTE programs with career-focused course sequences in partnership with Rock Valley College, as part of the College and Career Pathway Endorsement framework.
The Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary includes terms that pertain to—or deeply impact—multiple programs across state agencies and apply to programming with funding from multiple federal agencies.
The Illinois Longitudinal Data System (ILDS) Governing Board has released its 2018 Annual Report & Plan.
To support the implementation of College and Career Pathway Endorsements at the local level, EdSystems has awarded funding to sixteen 60 by 25 Network Leadership Communities.
A new report details College and Career Pathway Endorsement competencies in health sciences, IT, manufacturing engineering, and finance and business services.
One of the PWR Act’s four components is the College and Career Pathway Endorsement, an innovative way for school districts to validate the hard work of students preparing for life after high school.
On behalf of the Illinois 60 by 25 Network, EdSystems has awarded ten Leadership Communities grants of up to $14,000 each over two years to support implementation of the PWR Act.
As part of its goal to drive Liberia’s economic growth by preparing students for jobs that are available in the economy, Liberia Career Pathways (LCP) in collaboration with the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, conducted a career pathways train-the-trainer workshop for teachers from nine schools in two counties.
The Illinois Longitudinal Data System (ILDS) Governing Board has released its 2017 Annual Report & Plan.
On May 11, 2017, the Illinois Science and Technology Institute (ISTI) and Education Systems Center at NIU hosted an employer summit to bring employers together to talk about building effective learning partnerships between employers and schools through problem-based learning, titled Employer Summit: Building Effective Learning Partnerships.
EdSystems staff spent time in Liberia strategizing with key stakeholders on how to fund and implement a BMET training program locally.
To support the implementation of the PWR Act at the local level, Education Systems Center, on behalf of the Illinois 60 by 25 Network, awarded six Leadership Communities grants of $7,500 each.
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