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.
On Tuesday, December 5, 11 a.m.: Learn how to use ChatGPT to explore diverse perspectives and prompt innovative solutions for work-based learning.
On Wednesday, November 8, 11 a.m.: Hear from communities working with their school’s master scheduling team on flexible options to incorporate professional learning experiences.
On September 19, 2023, the Iowa Department of Education shared strategies for integrating work-based learning within coursework and tracking the activities.
Examining the key areas of alignment between the Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE), College and Career Pathway Endorsement (CCPE), and College and Career Readiness Indicator (CCRI) frameworks.
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 Tuesday, October 31, 2 p.m.: Hear from three communities using innovative approaches for advising students, especially those from underrepresented groups, as they pursue career pathways.
EdSystems is applying its experience and knowledge of long-term system building efforts to support Elgin Community College as it seeks 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.
Education Systems Center at NIU is pleased to announce the appointment of Kyle Westbrook as its new executive director. Kyle brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to educational equity, making him an excellent fit for the organization’s mission.
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 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.
Illinois Math Badging Initiative pilot sites showcased their plans for using badges, demonstrating the flexibility of the badges and incredibly thoughtful ways of employing them.
We shared best practices, community models, and resources for supporting young women to pursue experiences in manufacturing. This session also shared insights and feedback gathered from female high school and college students on what they want to see in these efforts.
Leaders from Ridgewood High School, Triton College, Waubonsee Community College, and Elgin Community College shared how they are hosting regional team-based challenges in education, manufacturing, and health sciences.
Collinsville Area Vocational Center shared how it facilitates Career Development Experiences through school-based enterprise models in building trades, auto mechanics, food service, education, and health sciences.
Students in the CBE Welding Technology Program at Lewis and Clark Community College, a frontrunner in competency-based education, provided valuable insights into the value of a CBE framework and how to help students be successful.
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.
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.
Education Systems Center at NIU (EdSystems) today announces that Founder and Executive Director Jonathan Furr will be transitioning from his role as of June 2023 after nearly eleven years of building and leading the organization. Jon will be pursuing new professional opportunities, which he will share in the coming weeks.
Find out how your school district or college can support manufacturing pathway students in applying for a new scholarship.
EdSystems is coalescing around five new goals, which we call our Big Bets, to ensure that our state’s education and workforce systems truly lessen racial inequities and lead to tangible progress for our Black and Latinx students that have for far too long been underserved by these systems.
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!
Over the past few months, the Illinois Community College Board and Higher Learning Commission each published sets of rules for public feedback that will shape dual credit implementation in Illinois. How? Read our thoughts and public comment to ICCB:
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.
Are you looking for ways to integrate robotics into your broader goals for student learning? Robotics is a machine that will build the people who will change the world and our future for the better.
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.
2022 marked the tenth anniversary of Education Systems Center at NIU. Our portfolio–and the team supporting the work–has expanded significantly in the past decade, and more growth is on the horizon.
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.
A new micro-credential helped competency-based education teachers design performance-based assessments that resonate with students. Download the templates.
Learn how the Valley Education for Employment System (VALEES) is engaging employers in their region to be prepared to host and support young people in work-based learning opportunities, including internships.
Learn from three Illinois communities that piloted a multigenerational Health Sciences Career Exploration event this past year. These events were designed to provide information on education and career opportunities for both students and families.
This study, conducted by the P-20 Research and Data Collaborative at Northern Illinois University for Education Systems Center, focuses on understanding the perspectives of high school students who were currently enrolled in education pathways as part of the Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois initiative.
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.
Learn about the continuum of work-based learning, including a mentor program and internship opportunities available through Clairemont High School in San Diego.
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.
We seek to make advancing racial equity our custom, our habit — a central organizing principle that becomes part of every EdSystems internal practice and every project in our portfolio. Learn how we’ve worked to model action-orientated racial equity this past year.
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.
At its August meeting, the Illinois State Board of Education extended the CBE pilot for three more years. EdSystems and its partners in the new Future of Learning Coalition urge ISBE to extend supports to both guide and evaluate the pilot sites.
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.
An archive of work-based learning blog posts from the Illinois Work-Based Learning Innovation Network.
There are many different components of successful Career Development Experiences, but with the battling priorities that educators face daily, there is one that you cannot miss: mentorship.
EdSystems is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Illinois Digital Educators Alliance, LEAP Innovations, LUDA, and Teach Plus to advance an innovation ecosystem for equitable, student-centered education in Illinois.
The Facilitation Guide supports communities through the process of creating and maintaining successful Career Development Experiences.
Please join our next community of practice on Monday, July 18 from 10:30–11:30 a.m. We will focus on experiences along the work-based learning continuum in the business sector. Learn how District 214, along with their industry and school partners, support and design opportunities in their business pathway.
At the I-WIN convening on June 27, 2022, leaders from California-based Climate Action Pathways for Schools shared their model for inspiring and implementing climate education programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while saving money for school districts.
To support the development of high-quality Career Exploration and Career Development Experiences in middle and high schools, ISBE tapped EdSystems to support a one-year pilot program. Check out the pilot’s models, resources, best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations for policy and supports to help better inform the field.
Recordings of professional learning sessions for administrators, teachers and counselors to help prepare for implementation of transitional math and state portability submission.
The redesigned site features key resources, guidance and implementation supports, and exemplars for the PWR Act’s four aligned strategies: the Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Framework, College and Career Pathway Endorsements, Transitional Instruction, and Competency-Based Education Pilot.
An brief on HB3296/Public Act 102-0917, signed into law on May 27, 2022, that advances the Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Framework and the College and Career Pathway Endorsements.
A statewide resource bank featuring models and related resource from the ISBE Career Exploration or Career Development Experience pilot.
The results of a 2021 survey, co-conducted by EdSystems, are clear: the vast majority of those surveyed see the benefits for all involved in dual credit, from the schools, educators, students, and families.
In 2021, a team including EdSystems conducted a broad survey of key secondary and postsecondary stakeholders about dual credit in Illinois. Download the three survey briefs which include quantitative and qualitative findings.
High school intern Eni shares their personal journey on deciding what to do after graduation plus three tips for high school seniors to consider.
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.
Governor Pritzker signed Public Act 102-0917 (HB3296) into law on May 27, 2022. HB3296 builds from the 2016 Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act and many years of dedicated work by communities statewide to develop and implement high-quality college and career pathways systems that ensure students are prepared for whatever comes after high school.
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.
In partnership with XQ Institute and Student Achievement Partners, EdSystems is launching an initiative to create an Illinois high school math badging system as an alternative credentialing mechanism wherein students can certify learning gained through a broad range of sources including coursework, independent study, summer school, and work-based learning.
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.
This master metrics list includes data metrics recommended or employed by members of the Northern Illinois University P-20 Research & Data Collaborative (RDC) across their portfolio of collaborative, college-and-career-readiness-related (CCR) projects.
Chicago Public Schools’ CBE pilots has released “Shifting Chicago Narratives,” a four-part series of student-produced videos aimed at shifting the narrative from a focus on all that students lost through the pandemic to what they gained.
On June 2, 2022, CBE teachers from Chicago Public Schools shared how they have designed performance-based assessments that address real-world and real-community inequities that resonate with students.
Launched in 2022, the Chicago Early Childhood Integrated Data System (CECIDS) is integrating data across systems and programs to enable creation of more timely and actionable data analyses and products that serve families, program administrators, funders, advocates and policymakers.
Executive Director Jon Furr shared on the journey of Illinois’ pathway systems at the 2022 Hawai’i P-20 Summit plenary session.
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…”
The City of Chicago announced the launch of the Chicago Early Childhood Integrated Data System (CECIDS), a project co-led by EdSystems.
This resource shows Illinois universities’ current participation status and related placement processes for transitional math courses in two of these pathways – STEM and QL / Stats.
Hear experiences and learnings from communities participating in ISBE’s Career Exploration and Career Development Experience Pilot.
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.
This convening featured how Science Olympiad and their industry and school partners support and design opportunities in IT.
View the webinar recording for the Model Programs of Study Guide in Finance and Business Services, sponsored by ICCB.
View the spring webinar on competency-based education in Illinois community colleges, hosted by ICCB and EdSystems.
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.
This convening focused on experiences along the work-based learning continuum in the manufacturing sector, with guest presenters from Ridgewood High School and the Illinois Manufacturer’s Association.
The Illinois Postsecondary Profiles Project is a user-centered resource for learning about postsecondary institutions through comprehensive data collected directly from Illinois Higher Education agencies and institutions.
View the webinar recording for an overview the Model Programs of Study Guide in IT, sponsored by ICCB.
An exciting initiative underway in Chicago Public Schools’ Competency-Based Education schools is engaging students through multi-media platforms to tell their stories and shift the narrative on pandemic experiences.
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