Today, the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and Education Systems Center (EdSystems) are launching a single, unified framework to streamline pathway design across Illinois. Drafts of the first three unified Model Programs of Study Guides are now available, together with a new Overview Guide, and we want your input to refine and finalize them.
This new framework bridges K-12 and postsecondary systems by combining ISBE’s secondary CTE frameworks and ICCB’s secondary-to-postsecondary programs of study into a single, unified tool.
What's New: A High-Level Look at the Changes
The unified framework represents an evolution from previous versions of the ICCB Model Programs of Study Guides and ISBE CTE Model Programs of Study. Highlights reflected in the sector-specific guides for digital technology, education, and physical health include:
- Updated Labor Market Information: Pathways are now grounded in current labor market data, ensuring programs of study reflect real, high-demand career opportunities across the state.
- CTE course mapping starting in middle school: The framework now extends course mapping earlier in students’ academic journeys, creating clearer, earlier on-ramps into CTE pathways rather than starting the conversation in high school.
- Alignment to a new, modernized CTE framework: Programs of study have been restructured to align with the modernized National Career Clusters Framework from Advance CTE.
- Stronger secondary-to-postsecondary continuity: Dual credit and CTE course sequences are more clearly integrated, helping smooth the transition from high school into college and workforce training.
In addition, we are introducing a new Overview Guide that provides the common research, definitions, and frameworks that underpin all sector-specific guides. This is intended as a practical reference for practitioners, complementing the Companion Guide, released in 2025, which helps educators operationalize the model programs of study recommendations.
Your Feedback Shapes the Final Framework
A 30-day public comment period is now open through September 30, 2026, giving the field an opportunity to review the proposed framework in full and share input before it is formally published.
Your practical insights are essential to ensuring these guides serve educators, students, and regional economies effectively. We invite secondary and postsecondary educators, administrators, CTE coordinators, counselors, workforce development professionals, and industry partners to review the drafts and submit feedback during the public comment period.
Thank you for helping us strengthen education-to-career pathways across Illinois!
