www.ilpathways.com

Student Pathways to College & Career

Readiness

Sam Nelson, Director of Outreach Development

Sam.Nelson@isac.illinois.gov

800-899-4722 (ISAC) x3103

• Illinois’ College Access & Financial Aid Agency

• Scholarship and Grant Programs

• Online Services

• Professional Development & Training

• Printed Materials

• Near-Pear Mentors – ISACorps

• www.isac.org

• 800-899-ISAC (4722)

Mission: Making college accessible and affordable for Illinois students

Illinois Goal 2025

Increase the proportion of adults in Illinois with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60% by the year 2025

Currently about 41% of the state’s nearly 7 million working-age adults (25-64 years old) hold at least a two-year degree

Illinois P-20 Council • Established by the legislature in 2009

• Fosters collaboration among state agencies, education institutions, local schools, community groups, employers, taxpayers, and families, and to collectively identify needed reforms to develop a seamless and sustainable statewide system of quality education and support

• The "P" represents Preschool and "20" stands for grade 20, education after college.

• http://www2.illinois.gov/gov/P20

College Changes Everything

ISAC’s large-scale advocacy movement to build awareness, collaboration, and public will to pursue and achieve Goal 2025

www.collegechangeseverything.org

College & Career Readiness Framework- P-20 Council

Core content skills • Core academics tied to the Illinois Learning Standards,

including the Common Core • English Language Arts

• Fine Arts

• Foreign Language

• Mathematics

• Science

• Social Science

• Technical knowledge & skills specific to career pathways

and/or

• Technical knowledge & skills specific to in-depth academic pursuits

Thinking skills • Critical and Applied thinking

• Data analysis & interpretation Learning techniques

• Formulating & stating problems

• Research & scientific method

Employability & interpersonal skills • Civic awareness & engagement

• Collaboration & teamwork

• Communication

• Creativity

• Cultural competency

• Independence & initiative

• Information, media, & technology Skills

• Leadership

• Ownership of learning & results

• Self-management

College & career knowledge & navigation • How to transition to/within workplace and across the P-20

spectrum

• Financial literacy and its application to college & career navigation

• Understanding of postsecondary system & how to access

Slide from P-20 Council Report

The Common Core

What are standards?

Standards are what kids need to know

and be able to do at each grade level

Standards

What kids need to know and be able to do

Curriculum

What materials to use (textbooks, books, handouts, etc.)

Teaching

How to transfer the knowledge and help children learn

Check for learning. How do you know kids know it?

Testing

How do the standards relate to the Illinois Pathways Initiative approach to education?

Illinois Pathways Initiative

Provides rigorous academics combined with an engaging, real-world learning environment that will prepare students to excel under the new standards.

Is already aligned with the new Common Core State Standards—with a focus on critical thinking, analysis, and applying knowledge to solve real-world problems.

Is an innovative approach that offers a solution to help students meet the new standards and prepare for whatever path they choose after high school.

Issue

• Far too few Illinois students are graduating with the core content knowledge and broad skill set necessary to meet the challenges of college and career.

• Far too many Illinois jobs are going unfilled.

Mission • As a state, our goal is to have 60% of Illinois adults with high quality degrees and credentials by the year 2025.

What

• A new approach to delivering students with learning opportunities that integrate career exploration, work-based learning opportunities, and rigorous academics to ensure that students leaving high school are better prepared for the real world.

Design

• IPI is a partnership between public schools and private industry sectors to meet mutual needs of both by providing students with real world learning & employers with local and regional talent pipelines.

Community • Pathways brings together disparate stakeholders and aligns on-off systems of support.

Illinois Pathways

Strategy

• Support local career pathway systems development that empower students to explore their academic and career interests in the STEM fields. College and career readiness skills can benefit all students-the knowledge and skills that students gain in Pathways are transferable

Strategy

• Launch new statewide partnerships (between schools, industry, state government and non-profits) known as STEM Learning Exchanges that better coordinate investments, resources, and planning. This strategy provides the opportunity to create community partnerships and take advantage of what's regionally available.

Design

• The Learning Exchanges are a new way to think about education: each Exchange is arranged around a career "cluster" that provides a new infrastructure to help coordinate investments and resources at a statewide level to better connect and serve local programs in a similar career cluster.

Illinois Pathways

13

Illinois Pathways – P-20 STEM Programs of Study Clusters

Illinois Pathways builds off of the National Career Cluster Framework and supports Programs of Study in nine STEM application areas:

Elementary and Middle School

• Foster STEM skills and interest through authentic learning experiences.

• Support personalization through education and career plan development.

Secondary Education 9th and 10th

Secondary Education 11th and 12th

Postsecondary Education and

Careers

• Provide orientation level courses that cut across career clusters.

• Integrate work-based learning activities that support career exploration.

• Provide access to early college courses aligned to career pathways.

• Develop portfolio of academic and employability skills and credentials.

• Manage effective transitions to college and/or employment.

• Continue portfolio development through stackable credentials.

Illinois Pathways – P-20 STEM Program of Study: Key Features

http://ilpathways.com/Pages/HealthScience.aspx

Elementary and Middle School

• Career Awareness

• Career Exploration

Secondary Education 9th and 10th

Secondary Education 11th and 12th

Postsecondary Education and

Careers

• Problem-based Learning/Competitions

• Service Learning

• Job Shadows

• Career Preparation

• Internships

• School-based Enterprises

• Apprenticeships

• Work Experience

Work-Based Learning Opportunities

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Illinois Pathways – Overview of Implementation Efforts

1) Race to the Top Network – Funded through a Round 3 U.S. Department of Education Race to the Top grant to the State of Illinois.

35 school districts building two or more STEM Programs of Study

2) Pathways to Prosperity Network – Participating in a multi-state network led by Jobs for the Future and Harvard Graduate School of Education to implement regional career pathway models.

Chicago – Early College Academies

Aurora – Multi-district partnership

3) The Ready and the Willing…

Rockford

Wheeling High School

North Chicago, Etc…

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Illinois Pathways – STEM Learning Exchanges

Defining STEM Learning Exchanges

• Launched public-private networks in each of the identified STEM

application areas

• Organized to support local implementation of P-20 STEM Programs of

Study by improving coordination and reducing the transaction costs among network partners.

• Available to partner with and support K-12, postsecondary, and

workforce programs statewide.

Manage System Design and Track Performance

Deliver Resources and Supports for

Local Pathway Systems

Outreach Resources

Curriculum

Lab Space & Equipment

Teacher PD

Student Organizations

Expand Quality Work-based

Learning Opportunities

Internships, Job Shadows

Sponsor industry challenges

STEM Learning Exchange Functions

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Illinois Pathways – Learning Exchange Members

• Employers and employer-led

organizations

• Labor unions

• Professional associations

• Secondary and postsecondary

teachers and faculty

• Students and student organizations

• Community colleges and universities

Who makes up a STEM Learning Exchange?

• School districts and regional

• Economic and workforce agencies

• STEM education experts

• Federal labs and research centers

• Local workforce investment boards

• Museums and non-profit

organizations

• Community-based organizations

Organized and coordinated by an industry-supported lead entity