What should a high school diploma signal about student readiness, and what conditions are necessary to ensure all students have equitable opportunities to achieve it?
In Illinois, graduation requirements have evolved over time in response to changing legislative priorities, workforce demands, and educational expectations. As these changes accumulate, stakeholders have raised important questions about how policies are implemented, whether they align with student needs, and how resource disparities affect access to opportunities.
EdSystems has launched a new statewide initiative to consider these questions, examining how current Illinois graduation requirements shape student success, educational opportunities, and postsecondary outcomes. This project brings together education leaders, policymakers, educators, advocates, counselors, students, and employers to gather diverse perspectives, reflect on data, and develop shared values and priorities for high school graduation requirements in the state.
Most recently, SB3070 in the 104th General Assembly illuminated this challenge: in response to frustrations from practitioners on the resource challenges involved with offering at least two years of foreign language to all students, legislators passed a bill allowing students to satisfy the requirement by taking two Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses. While this may prove a relief to some districts, it remains a piecemeal solution to a broader set of challenges. Thus, we remain committed to assessing the universe of requirements to uncover systemic obstacles, scalable innovations, and elevate shared priorities for future policymaking.
To support this work, we invited stakeholders from across the education ecosystem to participate in focus groups and surveys. This critical input will help clarify the realities behind the data: what’s working well, where unintended burdens exist, and how policies can better support student success. We are especially interested in understanding how graduation requirements intersect with issues of equity, access, local implementation, and the growing expectations placed on students and school systems. This stakeholder input, in combination with quantitative analysis and policy models from peer and neighbor states, will inform a white paper for release to the public, policymakers, and agency leads by the end of 2026.
Updated October 19, 2026, to reflect that stakeholder surveys and focus groups have now ended.
