The State of Illinois has adopted a new Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) framework that outlines what students should know and actions they should take from middle school through 12th grade to select the right postsecondary option, prepare for careers, and access financial aid opportunities. Through the action of their governing boards, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) have all adopted the framework and will be using it to support and advance their efforts in these areas. Grade level learning standards help teachers, students, and parents make sure that students are on track when it comes to learning academic concepts. But when it comes to what a student should know about life after high school—concepts like how to choose a college or what to look for when exploring careers—there has not been a similar set of grade level milestones addressing what students should know and when.

The PaCE framework is one of four key strategies included in the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act (Public Act 99-0674) (PWR Act), which unanimously passed the Illinois House and Senate in May 2016 and was signed by Governor Rauner in July 2016. The PWR Act takes a student-centered and competency-based approach to assist Illinois students to prepare for and select the right postsecondary option, and ultimately obtain meaningful employment. The PaCE framework provides an important foundation for the three other strategies implemented by the PWR Act: a new system for school districts to award college and career pathways endorsements on high school diplomas, supporting students to avoid remediation in college through targeted math instruction during the senior year, and piloting competency-based high school graduation requirements. The framework is intended to be used by communities to organize their activities around postsecondary education and career readiness and financial aid supports. While the PWR Act does not require school districts to adopt it, state agencies will use PaCE to organize their supports in these areas to local communities. While PaCE was not officially adopted until this month, some Illinois school districts have already begun to implement it. The official PaCE framework is available at https://www.isbe.net/Documents/PaCE_Revisions.pdfResources for PaCE and other aspects of the PWR Act are available at wwww.pwract.org.