The latest issue of NASBE’s State Education Standard features a deep dive into Illinois’ efforts to prepare students for postsecondary success, written by Policy Director Emily Rusca.
EdSystems is supporting SWIC and its school district and employer partners in developing high-quality, comprehensive college and career pathways leading to regionally in-demand occupations.
What if there was a way to make math education more inclusive, engaging, and responsive to students’ needs? The Illinois Math Badging Initiative is about improving math outcomes while engaging and empowering students to demonstrate their learning in a variety of contexts. Check out our lessons learned in our first two years.
The May 9, 2024, showcase of the Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) initiative featured participating collaboratives from regions across Illinois sharing how they are creating high-quality and equitable manufacturing pathways to help meet the demand for skilled manufacturing workers in Illinois.
In partnership with JFF and College of Lake County, EdSystems is supporting the design and implementation of a new dual enrollment hub to help improve educational outcomes for high-need high school students.
In their ongoing commitment to enhance college and career pathway development, EdSystems is supporting Joliet Junior College in designing and implementing equitable work-based learning opportunities for high school students throughout the region.
The Success Network Policy Committee convened a workgroup to explore work-based learning transportation challenges and is now publishing the first of two memos, which shed light on the significant transportation-related barriers students face in accessing work-based learning opportunities. This resource identifies and analyzes challenges impacting in-school youth at the school district, local, and system levels.
The Success Network Policy Committee convened to look deeper into the Illinois Report Card 2022–23 data and other data surrounding the state’s P-20 pipeline.
In 2023, the Illinois Education and Career Success Network continued to expand its reach and impact through thoughtful convenings, growing the Network, engagement with students, new supports and funding opportunities for Leadership Communities, re-launching the data dashboard, and exploring policy and practice with the Policy Committee.
Review the recording and resources from the December 6, 2023 meeting of the full Success Network Policy Committee.
EdSystems supported City Colleges of Chicago in designing extended model pathways from high school through college degree completion and developed student-facing resources to support recruitment.
The Illinois Math Badging Initiative (IMBI) is piloting an alternative credentialing in math that allows for equitable student outcomes and certifies student learning through a variety of methods. Teach Plus Illinois assembled a group of math educators to understand how IMBI will alter the delivery of math and to provide suggestions to schools for supporting teachers.
At I-WIN’s first in-person event, partners toured Panther Credit Union, an on-site banking and finance work-based learning opportunity at Oswego High School. Heather Penczak details how the career development experience works and its impact on students.
On November 10, 2023, a faculty panel shared pain points and epiphanies from the recent CBE Backward Design Community, plus ICCB and EdSystems shared student insights and findings from the upcoming Lessons Learned report.
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.
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.
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.
Review the recording and resources from the September 13, 2023 meeting of the full Success Network Policy Committee.
EdSystems supported Elgin Community College in its efforts to better serve its students with experiences in the carceral justice system.
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.
Review the recording and resources from the June 6, 2023 meeting of the full Success Network Policy Committee.
Teachers in the performance-based assessment pilot shared their projects and the process of creating them, highlighting how performance-based assessments can be used across disciplines and with students from a range of backgrounds with a variety of characteristics.
To help encourage learners to complete the rigorous requirements and earn a College and Career Pathways Endorsement and matriculate into postsecondary, EdSystems is supporting the development of equity-centered strategies and incentives for students.
Review the recording and resources from the March 23, 2023 meeting of the full Success Network Policy Committee.
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.
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.
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.
The Success Network Policy Committee reviewed data, including secondary measures and postsecondary transition measures at an annual data deep dive convening on January 25, 2023.
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.
In 2022, the Success Network expanded its reach and impact through thoughtful convenings, engagement with students, new supports and funding opportunities for Leadership Communities, and the launch of a new policy committee.
Review the recording and resources from the December 14, 2022 launch meeting of the full Success Network Policy Committee.
EdSystems staffs the Success Network’s Policy Committee to foster collaboration and peer learning, elevate local practice to inform state policy, and support local practitioners.
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.
A new micro-credential helped competency-based education teachers design performance-based assessments that resonate with students. Download the templates.
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.
To understand the long-term outcomes of pathways students in the Rockford region, the Rockford Regional Education Research Collaborative has designed a data infrastructure that leverages both state- and local-level data.
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.
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 led a pilot project to support healthcare workforce development through intergenerational work-based learning.
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.
STAMP serves secondary districts in implementing manufacturing pathways that align to the College and Career Pathway Endorsement, with a particular focus on historically marginalized students.
Launched in 2022, the Chicago Early Childhood Integrated Data System (CECIDS) integrates data across systems and programs to empower timely and actionable data analyses and products for families, program administrators, funders, advocates and policymakers.
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.
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
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.
EdSystems supported the Plainfield community to engage community, school district, and higher education stakeholders in college and career pathways design.
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.
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.
Competency-based education means different things at different schools, but at Benito Juarez Community Academy, a Chicago neighborhood public high school, it means a focus on equity—and that means prioritizing social-emotional skills, or developmental/adaptive competencies, as well as academics.
The Chicago Equity-Centered Innovation Forum promoted models of personalized instruction, competency-based approaches, performance assessments, and project-based learning.
Resources to support innovative education models for addressing systemic inequities such as student-centered personalized instruction, competency-based approaches, and performance assessments.
EdSystems conducted a deep landscape analysis of middle-skills pathways in Chicago that lead to priority occupations.
The CEIF kick-off on May 27, 2021, explored options for extended learning using competency concepts as a more equitable strategy for credit recovery.
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.
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.
Join us February 22–25, 2021, for “Forward Together – Navigating Uncertainty and Advancing to 60% by 2025,” a free, virtual conference.
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.
To help stabilize and grow the local economy, community partners in Peoria are working with EdSystems to design and implement GPEAK, which translates the state’s ten competencies into a practical system to prepare individuals for meaningful and fulfilling careers.
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.
I-WIN helps educators, work-based learning coordinators, and employers leverage innovative models for scaling high-quality work-based learning opportunities in school districts and community colleges across the state.
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.
Since 2015, EdSystems has provided strategic counsel and technical assistance to Rockford Public Schools, Belvidere District 100, and Rock Valley College as they build and expand their college and career pathway systems.
In the first year of Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois, Education Systems Center launched 9 collaboratives representing 22 school districts.
This two-part Systems Sessions podcast series shares the background and work of the Illinois 60 by 25 Network.
A 2-part Systems Sessions podcast series diving into the Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois initiative, a collaboration to build streamlined teacher career pathways.
Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois (SEPI) guided communities in creating streamlined teacher career pathways.
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.
Illinois Education and Career Success Network supports communities to increase meaningful and equitable postsecondary attainment and civic engagement.
To support Success Network Leadership Communities, the dashboard serves as a single stop for data to inform community decisions in advancement of equitable postsecondary attainment.
EdSystems provided the Great Lakes College and Career Pathways Partnership with strategic expertise and technical assistance.
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.
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.
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.
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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