ISAC Student PortalISAC Communiqué
Volume 34, Number 1C
July 2024
| Messages sent to: | Multiple Subscription Groups |
| ISAC Communiqué |
Welcome to the July 2024 ISAC Communiqué, which is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout July.
The articles in this electronic Communiqué have been organized according to the Counselor subscription groups to which the messages were distributed.
Questions?
Questions regarding information in this electronic Communiqué can be directed to School Services at 866.247.2172 or at ISAC.schoolservices@illinois.gov. On occasion, you may be directed to a specific contact person or area; when this occurs, we will provide the appropriate information in the individual article or message.
State Scholar Processing Has Begun
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators and High School Counselors/Teachers on July 29, 2024.
Unless otherwise noted, all links in this message may be accessed via the Counselors area at isac.org.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is providing the following information to notify high schools that processing for the State Scholar Program (SSP), for Illinois students who will be college freshmen during the 2025-26 academic year, has begun.
You may either scroll through the remainder of this message, or click on the appropriate link(s) to go directly to a specific section:
| ISAC Accepting Sixth Semester Data |
| Early Announcement Option |
| Reminder Regarding Certificates of Achievement |
| Watch for Further Updates |
ISAC Accepting Sixth Semester Data
The sixth semester data used to determine State Scholars must be submitted via the SSP system. Although you are submitting the sixth semester data now, we will not "process" the student data until early fall.
- For information regarding how to register for GAP Access, visit the Required Sixth Semester Data page within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs section.
- Already registered for GAP Access? Now is the perfect time to verify that the principal and SSP contact information listed for your high school in the SSP system is current. If any updates need to be made, please contact ISAC's School Services Department.
- Remember that two-factor authentication is required for both School User and Administrator accounts every time a user logs in to the GAP Access portal. Refer to the GAP Access Two-Factor Authentication User Guide for instructions.
High schools are encouraged to submit their data as soon as they are able to do so.
Sixth semester is defined as the third semester prior to graduation, which is typically the end of a student's junior year (excluding summer term). The following procedures remain in effect for this year's cycle:
- if a school ranks, unweighted rankings should be provided;
- if a school does not rank, unweighted grade point averages (GPAs) must be provided;
- weighted rankings and GPAs cannot be accepted; and,
- schools are required to submit data for the entire class and to include any applicable disqualification codes.
High schools may choose from two options when submitting the required sixth semester data:
Option One: Batches (via Excel Spreadsheets) – AVAILABLE NOW
- Create an Excel spreadsheet with your students' sixth semester data. All data files must be formatted according to the specifications provided by ISAC.
- Recently-updated formatting specifications for the Excel spreadsheet, along with the SSP File Upload User Guide, may be accessed via the Methods to Submit Sixth Semester Data area of the Required Sixth Semester Data page within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs section.
- A sample template is available by selecting the "Guidelines and Samples" tab from the SSP: File Upload screen in the SSP system.
- When the Excel spreadsheet is ready to submit, log in to the GAP Access portal to access the SSP system, and then follow the on-screen prompts to upload your file to ISAC.
- Once the file has been uploaded, the file validation process will begin.
- The validation process will take several minutes. Be sure to monitor the upload, and click the "Refresh" button to confirm the file has validated.
- After validation has completed, the file will have one of two statuses: "Validated" (no errors); or, "Validation Errors Found" (with errors).
- If the file status is "Validated," no further action is required.
- If the file status is "Validation Errors Found," the errors must be corrected before any students on the file can be considered for State Scholar designation. Instructions for correcting errors are provided in the SSP File Upload User Guide.
- Note that file validation is different from data processing. Validation simply verifies that all records in the file are complete (no missing fields) and formatted correctly. You will be notified later in the year when the data processing cycle, during which State Scholars are named, begins.
Option Two: Online Process – ANTICIPATED FOR EARLY- TO MID-SEPTEMBER
- Once this function is available, student sixth semester data may be provided online via the SSP system. The student list is provided based on students who took one of the standardized tests (ACT or SAT).
The early announcement option continues to be offered this processing cycle. After an announcement schedule has been determined, early announcements – which allow eligible students to be designated as State Scholars prior to the final round of announcements for the academic year – will begin later this year. A follow-up e-Message will be sent once the first round of early announcements has been scheduled (anticipated for early- to mid-September).
- Scholars at high schools choosing to take advantage of early announcements may have more opportunities to list this honorary designation on applications for college admission and merit-based scholarships.
- High schools will choose whether to include their eligible students for consideration in the early processing cycle.
- Checking the "Run Selection" box (located on the "State Scholar Program: Search By School: Results" screen of the SSP system) allows the high school's students to be included for consideration in the next round of 2025-26 State Scholar announcements.
- The "Run Selection" checkbox will become available to check after ISAC has processed the high school's Excel spreadsheet and resolved any discrepancies.
- An e-mail will be sent to the high school's Primary Administrator (principal) and the School Contact (as listed in the SSP system's "State Scholar Program: Search By School: Results" screen) to indicate when the "Run Selection" box is available to check.
- Before checking the box, be sure to review all submitted student data for accuracy.
- Students whose high schools submit sixth semester data, but are not included for consideration in an early announcement round (i.e., the "Run Selection" box is not checked), will be considered for State Scholar designation when the last announcement round takes place later in the academic year (anticipated for the fall).
Reminder Regarding Certificates of Achievement
Beginning with the announcement of 2025-26 State Scholars, ISAC no longer prints Certificates of Achievement – all high schools need to print Certificates of Achievement for their State Scholars.
Watch for additional updates – including availability of the online option to provide/review individual records, and scheduling of the first round of early announcements – via the standard communication methods (i.e., the Counselor Message Board, the State Scholar Program News section, and ISAC's e-Messaging service). Processing updates will also be communicated via a yellow highlighted box that appears on the "State Scholar Program: Search By School: Results" screen.
Join ISAC for Our New Training on the Middle School PaCE Framework!
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, Community Organizations, and Public Libraries on July 23, 2024.
We are excited to offer another opportunity to attend a half-day training on the recently developed Illinois Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Curriculum for 6th through 8th grade. During this training, you will gain an understanding of how student engagement with the curriculum helps meet the Illinois PaCE benchmarks for middle school, as well as learn about the structure and content of the curriculum.
Join us at Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC) in Oglesby, Illinois on Thursday, August 15, 2024, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Registration is now open, and the training is free to attend. This training is open to both middle and high school practitioners. Please share this opportunity with your networks!
Registration will close on August 12, 2024, or when full capacity is reached. For more information and registration details, visit the Upcoming Professional Development Offerings page. For questions, contact isac.pace@illinois.gov.
Limited Seats Left – Secure Your Spot at CCE
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, Community Organizations, and Public Libraries on July 11, 2024.
July 18, 2024 – Tinley Park Convention Center
CCE 2024 – Community Health
If you haven't registered, don't delay – register today for the 2024 College Changes Everything® (CCE) conference. Join your colleagues from across the state as they come together to share and learn how we can work together better in helping students achieve success and our state reach its Goal 2025. In addition to hearing from Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel, author of Design Social Change: Take Action, Work Toward Equity, and Challenge the Status Quo, interest session topics include: first gen students; supporting marginalized learners; adult education; dual credit; PaCE Framework; minority serving institutions; foster youth; technology, AI, and Chat GPT; culturally inclusive interventions; addressing food insecurity; career development; and much more. Please see the agenda available through the conference website.
Registrations are filling up and space is limited. Don't miss out on this important college access and success career readiness convening – Register now! Please share this e-Message with your colleagues and others in your network so they can register, too. More information about the conference is available on the conference website. See you in Tinley Park!
2024 College Changes Everything Conference Planning Committee
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission
- Illinois Board of Higher Education
- Illinois Community College Board
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Illinois Department of Employment Security
- Illinois State Board of Education
- Illinois College Access Network
- Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
- Advance Illinois
- Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University
- ACT Now
- Women Employed
- iCan Dream Center
by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
Helping Illinois reach its Goal 2025: to increase the proportion
of adults in Illinois with high-quality college degrees and
postsecondary credentials to 60% by the year 2025.
Don't Forget to RSVP for CCE Conference
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, Community Organizations, and Public Libraries on July 8, 2024.
July 18, 2024 – Tinley Park Convention Center
CCE 2024 – Community Health
We hope everyone had a fun and safe Independence Day holiday. We look forward to seeing you at the 2024 College Changes Everything® (CCE) conference. At all levels of the education system and across all workforce sectors we have a shared responsibility to create and support healthy communities. We are nearing our attendance limit and will be monitoring to see when we will have to close registration. So don't delay – register today!
During the morning session we'll be hearing from Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel, author of Design Social Change: Take Action, Work Toward Equity, and Challenge the Status Quo. Dr. Noel is Dean of the Faculty of Design at the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD), Canada's largest and most comprehensive art, design, and media university. She is a designer, researcher, and educator with research interests focusing on those traditionally excluded from research, design-based learning, and design thinking. She practices primarily in social innovation, entrepreneurship, education, and public health. In her research, she highlights the work of designers outside Europe and North America. She designed The Designer's Critical Alphabet, a deck of cards to help introduce designers and design students to inclusive design concepts. She also designed Empathy Games for Children, a deck of cards with activities to help children empathize with each other. Dr. Noel is the co-founder and co-chair of the Pluriversal Design Special Interest Group of the Design Research Society, and she is a co-editor of The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression and Reflection.
The CCE annual conference is the state's preeminent college access and success and career readiness event and brings together stakeholders to help Illinois reach its Goal 2025 – to increase the proportion of adults in Illinois with high-quality degrees and postsecondary credentials to 60% by the year 2025. Since the first CCE conference in 2011, equity has been an underlying tenet of the annual convening as it brings together caring professionals who want to ensure all students have opportunities for college access and success and are career ready. Please share this e-Message with your colleagues and others in your network so they can register, too. More information about the conference is available on the conference website. See you in Tinley Park!
2024 College Changes Everything Conference Planning Committee
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission
- Illinois Board of Higher Education
- Illinois Community College Board
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Illinois Department of Employment Security
- Illinois State Board of Education
- Illinois College Access Network
- Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
- Advance Illinois
- Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University
- ACT Now
- Women Employed
- iCan Dream Center
by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
Helping Illinois reach its Goal 2025: to increase the proportion
of adults in Illinois with high-quality college degrees and
postsecondary credentials to 60% by the year 2025.
Message of Thanks and Support from U.S. Senators
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers,Community Organizations, and Public Libraries on July 5, 2024.
United States Senators from Illinois, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, have penned a message to Illinois school counselors, as a thank you for supporting Illinois students through the challenging rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) for the 2024-25 academic year, following implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act.
In the letter, posted to our website home page in the "Featured" area, the Senators share several resources from the U.S. Department of Education, ISAC and other national organizations to encourage continued assistance to students completing the FAFSA this summer, to "prevent 'summer melt' and ensure students arrive on college campuses this fall".
Please follow the above link to read the Senators' letter in its entirety.
Beat Holiday Rush – Register for CCE Conference
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, Community Organizations, and Public Libraries on July 2, 2024.
Before heading off for the Independence Day holiday, be sure to register now to attend the 2024 College Changes Everything® (CCE) conference. Please take advantage of this valuable professional development opportunity as the annual event provides a day of important conversations to explore how we can tackle shared challenges in new and different ways. The conference fosters an ecosystem with multiple sectors coming together as a community of concerned stakeholders to learn and work together to support college access and success and career readiness for student success. We invite you to take advantage of this opportunity to be part of this community of change makers. More information about the conference is available on the conference website. Please share this e-mail with your colleagues and others in your network so they can register, too.
2024 College Changes Everything Conference Planning Committee
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission
- Illinois Board of Higher Education
- Illinois Community College Board
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Illinois Department of Employment Security
- Illinois State Board of Education
- Illinois College Access Network
- Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
- Advance Illinois
- Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University
- ACT Now
- Women Employed
- iCan Dream Center
by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
Helping Illinois reach its Goal 2025: to increase the proportion
of adults in Illinois with high-quality college degrees and
postsecondary credentials to 60% by the year 2025.
June 2024 ISAC Communiqué
Sent on July 1, 2024.
The June 2024 edition of the ISAC Communiqué is now available for your review, and may be accessed via the Partner e-Messages & Newsletters section of the e-Library for Partners at isac.org. This electronic version of ISAC's newsletter is a compilation of information provided to Counselor partners via ISAC's e-Messaging service over the past month.
Topics covered in the June 2024 ISAC Communiqué include:
- Space Is Filling Up – Register for CCE Conference
(sent June 18, 2024) - Countdown to June 30: Navigating Federal Student Loan Debt Relief
(sent June 17, 2024) - ISAC Program FY25 Funding – Budget Bills Approved
(sent June 11, 2024) - Don't Forget to Register for Our NEW PaCE Training on the Middle School PaCE Framework!
(sent June 4, 2024) - May 2024 ISAC Communiqué
(sent June 3, 2024)
Encourage Your Colleagues to Sign Up for e-Messaging
ISAC's e-Messaging service is our primary means of communicating information to Counselor partners.
Encourage your colleagues who have not done so to subscribe through the Counselors e-Messaging sign-up page at isac.org today, so that they won't miss future announcements or updates from ISAC.
