In fall 2023, EdSystems began work with Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago to develop five extended model pathways starting from early college through associate and bachelor degree completion for the following industry sectors: health sciences, information technology, advanced manufacturing, IT, and construction.
At I-WIN’s first in-person event, partners toured Panther Credit Union, a banking and finance work-based learning opportunity on site at Oswego High School. Heather Penczak details how the career development experience works and the impact it’s having on students.
How are the Illinois Model Programs of Study Guides being utilized statewide by community colleges and their high school partners? Are the guides useful in helping regions design high-quality college and career pathways? What additional information and support do regions need to better align with the guides? EdSystems and the Illinois Community College Board seek to answer those questions through our new State of Illinois Model Programs of Study Guides: Utilization Report.
EdSystems has released a three-pronged inquiry into evaluating early pathways into the education profession, as conducted by researchers from the College of Education at Northern Illinois University. It includes (1) an evaluation framework, (2) the feasibility of using the ILDS to analyze outcomes, and (3) a pilot study.
The number of school districts implementing College & Career Pathway Endorsements is increasing exponentially. To support statewide scaling, the Illinois State Board of Education has drafted a set of administrative rules that will soon be open for public comment. In this post, we examine the growth of the endorsement system and share our review of the pending rules, which point to a significant level of momentum in Illinois regarding college and career pathways.
Manufacturing has long been a male-dominated field, but the future of this industry depends on inclusivity and fresh perspectives. We gathered insights from manufacturing experts on supporting young women in manufacturing pathways. This collaborative effort has resulted in a resource that offers practical guidance for students at any stage of their career journey.
On October 19, 2023, Success Network Leadership Communities shared lessons learned in implementing learning renewal efforts.
Alongside state and local leaders from across Illinois, we have been engaging in a design thinking process as innovation cohort participants of the Launch initiative. Through this process, we are working to identify systems-level barriers to equitable access and outcomes and develop innovative solutions for pressing challenges in postsecondary transitions and success.
Five early adopters—Illinois Valley Community College, Joliet Junior College, Kaskaskia College, Sauk Valley Community College, and Shawnee Community College—are releasing new incentives to Illinois students who earn a College and Career Pathway Endorsement.
At the State Dual Enrollment Academy, the Illinois team learned about developing equitable student supports and shared our state’s extensive work to promote intentional dual credit experiences for students through aligned policy.
Recent wins for Illinois college and career readiness efforts include legislation to improve the Illinois Articulation Initiative for education pathways, plus budget increases for the evidence-based funding formula, CTE, dual credit, student financial aid, and a teacher pipeline pilot.
The Accelerated Model Pathways for Information Technology (AMP-IT) initiative is expanding to 16 additional Illinois high schools, thanks to support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The first-of-its-kind Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary now includes expanded and updated definitions as well as resources and implementation guidance on a new website, pathwaysdictionary.org.
EdSystems is developing quality criteria to inform the Illinois College and Career Pathway Endorsement and work-based learning implementation and evaluation, to help raise the awareness and profile of these efforts in Illinois and nationally.
To understand the potential impact of the College and Career Pathway Endorsement, EdSystems is engaging in two pathways-related data and evaluation activities: a pathways evaluation framework and an ROI analysis framework.
On October 31, three communities shared their innovative approaches for advising students, especially those from underrepresented groups, as they pursue career pathways.
To support the scaling of high-quality IT pathways in response to employer demand, collaborators in our Accelerated Model Pathways for Information Technology initiative designed a three-tier model giving students the potential to earn 30+ early college credits. Check out our blueprint, what we’ve learned, and how we are engaging student voices in the process.
The new Success Network dashboard will equip communities with robust data tools to help regions identify goals and make informed decisions.
From work-based learning to pathway design to creating currency for students, EdSystems is learning valuable lessons through the Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) initiative, a partnership with the IMA Education Foundation.
To help encourage learners to complete the rigorous requirements and earn the College and Career Pathway Endorsement (CCPE) opportunity, as well as matriculate into postsecondary pathways, EdSystems is supporting the development of equity-centered strategies alongside incentives or currency that will help students and their families.
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.
Find out how your school district or college can support manufacturing pathway students in applying for a new scholarship.
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.
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.
In 2023, EdSystems began supporting Waukegan CUSD 60 and its regional partners with targeted support for alignment to the Illinois College and Career Pathway Endorsement and systems for career exploration.
An overview of resources in the work-based learning continuum for manufacturing pathway students.
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.
An overview of resources in the work-based learning continuum for health sciences pathway students.
Launched in December 2022, EdSystems staffs the Success Network’s Policy Committee to provide space for local practitioners and policy leaders to collaborate and learn from one another, elevate local practice to inform State policy, and support local practitioners to take advantage of policy windows.
The Future of Learning Coalition is an alliance working to advance an innovation ecosystem for equitable, student-centered education in Illinois to better prepare future-ready young people and empower them to realize their greatest potential.
Celebrating the Illinois Education and Career Success Network’s tenth anniversary, join us at the annual conference to be equipped and inspired to advance equitable postsecondary attainment across Illinois.
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.
Together with the Illinois Community College Board, we are supporting a cohort of community colleges to develop competency-based education programs in both welding and industrial maintenance.
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.
An overview of resources in the work-based learning continuum for education pathway students.
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.
An archive of work-based learning blog posts from the Illinois Work-Based Learning Innovation Network.
A statewide resource bank featuring models and related resource from the ISBE Career Exploration or Career Development Experience pilot.
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.
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.
The Health Sciences Career Exploration and Career Development Experience Pilot project is designed to support healthcare workforce development in the State of Illinois.
Resources to orient educators to the College and Career Pathway Endorsement (CCPE) system and its implementation.
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.
The AMP-IT initiative is engaging school districts and their community college and employer partners to design and launch an accelerated IT pathway.
Through a community of practice and technical assistance to regional teams, STAMP serves secondary students enrolled in manufacturing pathways that articulate to community college programs and employment opportunities, with a particular focus on under-represented students with one or more barriers to education, training, and employment.
JFF’s podcast welcomed Jon Furr as a special guest to discuss addressing equity barriers in college and career pathways.
In support of the OneGoal team and their Postsecondary Leadership Series, the EdSystems team is providing two primary services: capacity-building for OneGoal staff and advising for partner-facing content relating to college and career pathways, early college credit, transitional instruction, work-based learning, and data.
From Senior Fellow Ginger M. Reynolds, PhD: I admit that the phrase “college and career ready” gives me pause, particularly with respect to students who aren’t well served through our current system. I like the analogy of Monopoly…”
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.
View the webinar recording for the Model Programs of Study Guide in Arts and Communications, sponsored by ICCB.
View the webinar recording for the Model Programs of Study Guide in Finance and Business Services, sponsored by ICCB.
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.
View the webinar recording for an overview the Model Programs of Study Guide in IT, sponsored by ICCB.
View the webinar recording for the Model Programs of Study Guide in Architecture, Construction, and Energy, sponsored by ICCB.
View the webinar recording for the Model Programs of Study Guide in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, sponsored by ICCB.
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.
New rules ensure alignment of CTE to existing policy frameworks such as the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act and that implementation embodies the spirit and intent of the articulated State Plan components. This clarified focus on college and career, with an emphasis on quality and equity, will ensure that Illinois’ students are empowered to succeed.
View a webinar overview of the Model Programs of Study Guide in Manufacturing & Engineering, sponsored by ICCB.
EdSystems is working with the East St. Louis community to engage community, school district, and higher education stakeholders in deep racial equity work in the context of college and career pathways
View the webinar overview of the Model Programs of Study Guide in Education, sponsored by ICCB.
On September 28, 2021, the Illinois 60 by 25 Network Organizers and partners discussed strategies to engage adult learners to increase postsecondary attainment equity in Illinois.
View the webinar recording for the Model Programs of Study Guide in Health Sciences and Technology, sponsored by ICCB.
Learn how Illinois students earning a College and Career Pathway Endorsement in education can access a unique Golden Apple Scholar opportunity.
EdSystems supports the Plainfield community to engage community, school district, and higher education stakeholders in college and career pathways design.
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.
An archive of past convenings of the Illinois Work-Based Learning Innovation Network.
We applaud the US Department of Education for acknowledging the pandemic’s impacts on schools and build from innovative practices. We join USEd in seeking to re-envision how we educate young people and dismantle barriers that stand in the way of success for students of color for far too long.
The Chicago Equity-Centered Innovation Forum promotes models of personalized instruction, competency-based approaches, performance assessments, project-based learning, and other emerging innovations that provide promising education frameworks.
Designed for district, intermediary, and school teams to identify the status, responsibility parties, and timelines for various aspects of pathway implementation.
In this second episode in our Systems Sessions podcast series, Designing College and Career Pathways, hear lessons learned from CPS.
Beginning in 2020, EdSystems is conducting a deep landscape analysis of middle-skills pathways in Chicago that lead to priority occupations.
In this first episode in our Systems Sessions podcast series, Designing College and Career Pathways, hear lessons learned from D214.
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.
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.
Through a partnership between EdSystems and Practera, Illinois communities have free access to pilot the platform through school year 2021–22. Practera is a customizable, web-based
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.
The Education Omnibus Bill results in sweeping changes to Illinois’ P-20 education and workforce systems, spanning from home visiting programs serving Illinois’ youngest children to expectations for community colleges and universities.
Join us February 22–25, 2021, for “Forward Together – Navigating Uncertainty and Advancing to 60% by 2025,” a free, virtual conference.
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.
In response to the U.S. Department of Education’s RFI on Expanding Work-Based Learning Opportunities for Youth, the EdSystems team offered public comments based on the PWR Act and community interests, examples, and concerns gathered from our I-WIN members.
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.
With the support of Crown Family Philanthropies, CPS brought in EdSystems to provide strategic counsel and support of the OCCS pathways vision framework and Student Success Roadmap.
Elgin’s Alliance for College Readiness engaged EdSystems to support alignment to the new College and Career Pathway Endorsement system and the State’s new Perkins V plan.
EdSystems staff and their partners led a multi-year process to develop and enact the PWR Act in close collaboration with a broad range of education and workforce stakeholders.
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.
The Illinois State Board of Education recently released the 2019–20 Illinois Report Card, and student readiness for postsecondary appears to be rising overall across the State—dual credit enrollment is rising, remediation rates are falling, and graduation rates are growing.
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.
I-WIN supports employers, educators, and students to leverage innovative and equitable models for scaling high-quality work-based learning in school districts and community colleges across the State.
Explore resources to support innovative and equitable work-based learning opportunities, including a statewide resource bank of team-based challenges.
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