§ 80 — College and Career Pathway Endorsements

(a) College and Career Pathway Endorsements are established to recognize public high school graduates who complete the requirements set forth in subsection (d) of this Section. (b) School district participation in this program is voluntary. (c) As of the 2019-2020 school year, Eligible School Districts may award one or more College and Career Pathway Endorsements on high school diplomas in Endorsement Areas established by ISBE in consultation with the other IPIC Agencies and appropriate stakeholders, including postsecondary institutions and employers. When establishing the Endorsement Areas, the agencies shall consider the Illinois career cluster framework, prevalent models for comprehensive pathway systems in Illinois high schools that articulate to postsecondary institutions and career training programs, prevalent models for guided pathway systems at postsecondary institutions, and the postsecondary institution mathematics pathways established pursuant to this Act. The Endorsement Areas shall also provide for a multidisciplinary endorsement for students that change career pathways during high school while meeting the individualized plan, professional learning, and academic readiness requirements set forth in subsection (d) of this Section. (d) To earn a College and Career Pathway Endorsement, a student shall satisfy all of the following requirements: (1) Develop and periodically update an individualized plan for postsecondary education or training, careers, and financial aid. This individualized plan shall also include student development of a resume and personal statement with student reflection on attainment of Adaptive Competencies. The Eligible School District shall certify to ISBE that its individualized planning process spans grades 9 through 12 and includes an annual process for updating the plan. (2) Complete a career-focused instructional sequence, including at least 2 years of coursework or equivalent competencies within an Endorsement Area or, for students attaining a multidisciplinary endorsement, multiple Endorsement Areas. An Eligible School District must consult with its regional education for employment director on the establishment of the career-focused instructional sequence. For all areas other than for multidisciplinary endorsements, the Eligible School District and a Local Community College shall certify to ISBE and ICCB that the career-focused instructional sequence is articulated to a certificate or degree program with labor market value, with opportunities for ongoing student advancement. ISBE and ICCB may adopt requirements for certifying that the instructional sequence meets the requirements of this paragraph (2). This certification must be re-certified at least once every 5 years thereafter. Commencing in the 2022-2023 school year, students must earn at least 6 hours of credit through early college credit courses within the career-focused instructional sequence. (3) Complete a minimum of 2 Career Exploration Activities or one Intensive Career Exploration Experience, a minimum of 2 Team-based Challenges, and at least 60 cumulative hours of participation in one or more Supervised Career Development Experiences. (4) Demonstrate readiness for non-remedial coursework in reading and mathematics by high school graduation through criteria certified by the Eligible School District and a Local Community College to ISBE and ICCB. The criteria shall align to any local partnership agreement established pursuant to Section 55 of this Act and may allow the demonstration of readiness through various methods, including assessment scores, grade point average, course completions, or other locally adopted criteria. (e) To become an Eligible School District and award College and Careers Pathway Endorsements, a school district shall submit information in a form determined by ISBE and ICCB that indicates the school district's intent to award College and Career Pathway Endorsements in one or more Endorsement Areas and includes the certifications described in subsection (d) of this Section. Either ISBE or ICCB may require supporting evidence for any certification made by the school district in the submission. An Eligible School District must participate in any quality review process adopted by ISBE for College and Career Pathway Endorsement systems, provided that the quality review process is at no cost to the Eligible School District.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 99-674, eff. 7-29-16.)