Making the grade: Sauk Valley-area students obtain career endorsements, plan futures through Pathways program

STERLING – More than 40 high school graduates from across the Sauk Valley took advantage of a program this year that helped prepare them for careers in the education sector.

Created under the state’s 2016 Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act, the Illinois College & Career Pathway Endorsement Program allows students to earn a formal endorsement on their high school diploma or transcript by completing a series of structured requirements designed to prepare them for life after high school in their chosen career path.

Students choose from one of seven career pathways:

agriculture food and natural resources
health sciences and technology
finance and business services
arts and communications
information technology
human and public services
manufacturing, engineering, technology and trades

According to the PWR Act, to qualify for the endorsement, students must:

complete an individualized learning plan that outlines their college pathway and relates to their career goals and plans for financial aid. They also must include a resume and a personal statement.
complete at least two career exploration activities or one intensive experience before graduating. This can include completing a career-interest survey, attending a career fair, interviewing someone from their chosen career field, participating in a college visit and job shadowing, or visiting a local business.
complete at least two team-based projects with adult mentoring that focuses on solving a problem related to their chosen career field.
complete 60 cumulative hours in a paid or for-credit, supervised career development experience, concluding with an evaluation of their professional skills. This can be completed at any point throughout their four years of high school, including during the summer.
complete two years of high school coursework, or demonstrate equivalent competencies, leading toward a postsecondary credential with recognized labor market value. This includes a minimum of six hours of early college credit that can be earned by taking dual-credit classes, Advanced Placement classes or college classes.
demonstrate college-ready proficiency in English and math by graduation. This can be done in one of several ways, including earning the required scores on the ACT, SAT or college placement tests; achieving the required GPA set by their local community college; or receiving a grade of “C” or higher in transitional English and math classes.

Anji Garza is the director of professional learning and educational services for Regional Office of Education No. 47 in Sterling. She said students who earn an endorsement enter college better prepared and more confident in their chosen career paths, having already explored their interests through real-world experience.

“This allows students to explore their options much more intentionally, as opposed to students who go and maybe don’t have that career in mind, and then they’re exploring those options in college, which we know can be a very expensive career exploration endeavor,” Garza said.

Students with an endorsement also earn a $100 credit at Dixon’s Sauk Valley Community College. In 2021, SVCC – in partnership with ROE 47 – was awarded a $249,000 grant from the Illinois State Board of Education to support career pathways for high school students. It was the first phase of a four-part grant cycle totaling $747,000.

SVCC’s peer academic support services facilitator Celina Benson said the CCPE program offers students exposure to careers in their chosen field that they might not have previously considered.

“When you think about health sciences, the first thing you think of is a doctor or a nurse, but there’s so many other careers within that sector,” Benson said. “Whether it’s [radio] tech or sonography, they might not have been exposed to some of that information. With this program, they get to see it firsthand within those careers.”

Additionally, students who earn their endorsement in the education pathway are advanced to the final round for the Golden Apple Scholarship, which provides the winners with four years of free college tuition and fees.

In 2022, Gov. JB Pritzker signed Public Act 102-0917, which requires all Illinois high school districts to begin offering college and career pathway endorsements. Starting with the Class of 2027, districts must apply to the state to offer at least one endorsement area – either on their own, through a career center or in partnership with other districts.

By 2029, they must add a second endorsement, and by 2031, districts with more than 350 high school students must offer a third.

ROE 47 digital teaching and learning specialist Stacey Dinges said 18 school districts throughout the Sauk Valley currently offer at least one pathway endorsement. Participating school districts are:

As of July 1, all districts must either apply to offer the required number of endorsement areas or have a board-approved plan in place to meet the deadlines. Districts also have the option to opt out by passing a formal resolution through their school board.

“Each school does it a little differently,” Dinges said. “Some students use their community colleges, some districts use their career center, and some do it all in-house. It just depends on the district.”

For more information, call ROE 47 at 815-625-1495 or visit roe47.org.

Making the grade: Sauk Valley-area students obtain career endorsements, plan futures through Pathways program

Brandon Clark