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 primary purposes and goals for the Model Programs of Study are to provide guidance and exemplars for local programs to adopt or customize as they develop programs of study for approval as part of the Perkins V Plan; establish a framework for State agencies to develop and implement program supports; identify priority dual credit courses that are foundational to the industry area and well-situated for statewide scaling and articulation; define the competencies that should be sequenced across a program of study course sequence to prepare students for the future of work in that industry area; and identify entry points for employers to support coursework and related experiences.
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.
This resource page is designed for secondary and postsecondary educators incorporating virtual and/or in-person work-based learning in their curriculum, with a focus on creating equitable opportunities for students.
I-WIN supports employers, educators, and students to leverage innovative and equitable models for scaling high-quality work-based learning, virtually or in person, in school districts and community colleges across the State.
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.
This report captures the impact of the Illinois 60 by 25 Network from 2013–2020. Communities in the Network are driving State policy implementation, deepening and validating collaboration by using the organizing principles of collective impact, increasing cross-sector collaboration, and enhancing leadership and governance structures within their communities.
Covid-19 “disruptions” can offer new opportunities for moving toward personalization and competency-based approaches.
As communities move to remote learning, we can also continue developing valuable employability skills through virtual work-based learning.
How quarantine proved personalized, project-based learning and competency concepts can provide frameworks for doing school better.
Learn more about the need to elevate competency-based education districts with the shift to remote learning.
The competencies set forth in this document were developed through an iterative process involving public-private steering committees established pursuant to the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act in order to implement College and Career Pathway Endorsements.
A 2-part Systems Sessions podcast series diving into the Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois initiative, a collaboration to build streamlined teacher career pathways.
The Career Development Experience Toolkit, aligned to the PWR Act, supports scaling high-quality career pathways and work-based learning.
Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois (SEPI) guides communities in creating streamlined teacher career pathways.
The Model Programs of Study Guides were developed in consultation and collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education through a process led and facilitated by Education Systems Center.
EdSystems’ role with the Illinois Advanced Apprenticeship Consortium is implementing a Manufacturing Pathway aligned to the College and Career Pathway Endorsement system for students that meets the expectations and requirements of the PWR Act.
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.
Education Systems Center worked with public and private stakeholders to define key competencies for the College and Career Pathway Endorsements and is now working with community networks to support implementation of endorsement systems in line with the PWR Act.
The Career Development Experience (CDE) Toolkit, released in Fall 2019, adheres to the framework of the PWR Act for College and Career Pathway Endorsements. The guide and online resources are designed to serve any organization that seeks to provide rigorous work-based learning opportunities to youth. Career Development Experiences are part of Illinois’ broader work-based learning continuum and refer to a broad array of experiential learning that addresses the components included in the statutory definition of the Career Pathways Dictionary.
Illinois 60 by 25 Network supports communities to increase meaningful and equitable postsecondary attainment and civic engagement.
Since 2016, EdSystems has provided the Great Lakes College and Career Pathways Partnership with strategic expertise and technical assistance.
EdSystems worked with Liberian partners to launch the Liberian nongovernmental organization and the U.S. based nonprofit organization.
The Model Partnership Agreement guides local partnerships between high schools and colleges necessary for the successful implementation of quality dual credit courses and related student supports.
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.
Career pathways in Illinois are administered by a variety of private, state, and local entities; and thus several state education and workforce committees, including an extensive base of stakeholders, developed agreed-upon definitions to ensure alignment across agencies, legal frameworks, and initiatives.
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.
The new College and Career Placement Endorsements address the disconnect between what’s taught in the classroom and what employers need.
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.
The Illinois 60 by 25 Network’s Cradle to Career Community Dashboard helps Leadership Communities analyze regional information on education and workforce system characteristics; track progress on postsecondary education attainment and education-to-career objectives,; and benchmark community efforts against state averages.
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.
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.
Access PWR Act resources from Advance Illinois and Education Systems Center. Learn about the Act’s components and the latest updates on implementation.
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