ISAC Student PortalISAC Communiqué
Volume 34, Number 3C
September 2024
| Messages sent to: | Multiple Subscription Groups |
| High School Counselors/Teachers | |
| ISAC Communiqué |
Welcome to the September 2024 ISAC Communiqué, which is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout September.
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.
Don't Forget to Register for the College Access Symposium!
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 September 30, 2024.
We look forward to welcoming you to one of our four locations for the 2024 College Access Symposium! For registration details, visit the College Access Symposium page.
During the symposium, you will hear about:
- Updates and enhancements to the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid
- How schools across the state are implementing a PaCE Framework
- Resources available to schools to support financial aid application completion efforts
- Resources available to schools to support your PaCE framework implementation
For questions, contact isac.outreachtraining@illinois.gov.
Call for Proposals Has Been Extended!
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 September 25, 2024.
We are pleased to announce that the call for proposals for the College Access Symposium has been extended! The revised deadline to submit a session proposal is 12 p.m. (CT) on Monday, October 7, 2024.
We invite our colleagues from high schools, admissions and financial aid offices at colleges and universities, community-based organizations, and more to submit a session proposal! You will have an opportunity on the session proposal form to indicate the date(s)/location(s) on which you would be available to present your session.
For more information on the symposium, visit the 2024 College Access Symposium page. Send questions to isac.outreachtraining@illinois.gov.
Join Us for Our In-Person PaCE Training!
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 September 23, 2024.
Registration is now open for our half-day trainings on the Illinois Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Framework! This training is free to attend, and registration is open to school counselors, administrators, college and career staff, and others who support students to be college and career ready. The trainings will include time to collaborate with your team and ISAC.
Join us for Part One and Part Two at either:
- Heartland Community College (Normal, Illinois)
- Part One: October 25th, 2024, 12:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.
- Part Two: December 3rd, 2024, 12:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale (Carbondale, Illinois)
- Part One: November 1st, 2024, 12:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.
- Part Two: December 6th, 2024, 12:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.
We thank Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Heartland Community College for partnership and donation of space for this training.
Professional Development and Continuing Education hours will be available to attendees. For more information and registration, visit the Professional Development Offerings page. For questions, contact isac.pace@illinois.gov.
Processing Update for 2025-26 State Scholars (Impacting High School Graduating Class of 2025)
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators and High School Counselors/Teachers on September 20, 2024.
Unless otherwise noted, links in this message are to corresponding pages at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) website (isac.org).
As indicated in a July 29 e-Message, an early announcement option for the State Scholar Program (SSP) is again available this year. The purpose of today's message is to provide details regarding the early announcement process.
You may either scroll through the remainder of this message, or click on the appropriate link(s) to go directly to a specific section:
| Submit Sixth Semester Data as Soon as Possible Online and Batch Submission Now Available; Submit Data by November 1 |
| Early Announcement Processing Data Processing Has Begun; Early Announcements Anticipated to Begin in Early October |
| Corrections |
| Printing Certificates of Achievement |
| Illinois State Scholar Badges |
| Appeals |
| Looking Ahead: Final Announcements |
Submit Sixth Semester Data as Soon as Possible
In order to ensure qualified students are included when determining 2025-26 State Scholars, be sure to submit sixth semester data as soon as possible. The final date through which data will be accepted is Friday, November 1, 2024.
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.
If your high school's sixth semester data has already been successfully submitted (i.e., a confirmation e-mail was received from ISAC's School Services Department), proceed to the Early Announcement Processing section, below.
High schools that still must submit sixth semester data may choose from two available options: the online process, or in batches (via Excel spreadsheets).
Online Process – Now 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).
- Step-by-step instructions for the online SSP system, including sample screen prints, are provided via the SSP Online Processing User Guide, which may be accessed via the GAP Access page.
- An Illinois SSP Sixth Semester Academic Information Request form must be completed and submitted by the high school for any student who should be considered for SSP designation but does not appear on the online SSP system. The form may also be used to notify ISAC of issues that require exceptions processing (i.e., if duplicate student records appear on the online SSP system).
Batches (via Excel Spreadsheets) – Remains Available
- Create an Excel spreadsheet with your students' sixth semester data.
- Formatting specifications for the Excel spreadsheet, along with a 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.
- Once 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.
- After 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.
- Sixth semester data processing has begun, and ISAC anticipates the first round of early announcements being made in early October.
- High schools 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 2024-25 State Scholar announcements.
- For high schools that submit sixth semester data via an Excel spreadsheet, the "Run Selection" checkbox becomes available to check after ISAC has processed the file and resolved any discrepancies.
- An e-mail is 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.
- For high schools that use the online process, the "Run Selection" box will be available immediately. The school simply needs to check the "Run Selection" box once the final sixth semester data has been submitted.
- 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 in late fall.
- Individual congratulatory letters will be sent based on when a student is announced as a State Scholar.
- As 2025-26 State Scholars are named, congratulatory letters will be mailed directly to Scholars.
- If your school does not choose to participate in the early announcement process, congratulatory letters will be mailed directly to your Scholars after the final round of announcements takes place in late fall.
- High schools participating in the early announcement process may print Certificates of Achievement as soon as their Scholars have been named.
- High schools may generate the "Finalists" report in the SSP system after their State Scholars have been announced.
- Once a high school's 2025-26 State Scholars have been announced, corrections to already-submitted data would need to be submitted as follows:
- Changes (for example, correcting the spelling of a name, or reporting that a student was designated as a State Scholar in error) must be submitted in writing to ISAC's School Services Department via a fax to 847.831.8549, via an e-mail to isac.schoolservices@illinois.gov, or via regular mail to our Deerfield address.
Printing Certificates of Achievement
High schools are reminded that – beginning with this year's State Scholar processing cycle – ISAC no longer prints Certificates of Achievement. Rather, all high schools need to print these documents for their State Scholars.
- High schools can download and print Certificates of Achievement as soon as their Scholars have been named.
- Instructions for downloading and printing Certificates of Achievement are provided in the SSP Online Processing User Guide.
Included in the congratulatory letter is information regarding a digital Illinois State Scholar badge issued by ISAC. The badge can be displayed on a State Scholar's online profiles and social media accounts, and shared with high school counselors, prospective colleges, employers, family members and others. Scholars may access their badges by visiting the ISAC Student Portal at isac.org/studentportal/badge and then following the on-screen prompts. Complete instructions are available via at the ISAC website.
Validating a Badge
Those with whom a Scholar shares their badge may wish to validate its authenticity. In order for them to do so, the Scholar will need to provide either a link (URL) to the badge or the badge ID.
- If the link (URL) has been provided: click on the link, which will launch the Badge Verification screen. The badge ID will automatically be populated, so they only need to click on "Check Badge ID."
- To verify a badge without the link (URL): the person will need to access the State Scholar Program Badge area (located within the Toolbox section of the ISAC Student Portal), click on "Badge Verification," enter the Scholar's badge ID, and then click on "Check Badge ID."
A validated badge will display "Badge ID is valid for: (FIRST NAME) (LAST NAME)."
- If a high school counselor feels that a student should have been designated as a State Scholar and was not, ISAC must receive a letter of appeal from the student and/or high school on or before the appeal deadline.
- The deadline for 2025-26 State Scholar appeals will be determined, and all appeals will be considered, after all Scholars have been announced (anticipated for late fall).
- Details regarding the appeals process are provided at the Appeals page of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
- As you counsel students or parents with questions regarding the selection process, you may choose to share with them the student's GPA or class rank data that the high school submitted to ISAC, and explain how that information factors into the eligibility formula. An updated "Formula Used to Determine State Scholar Eligibility" resource will soon be available to access via the State Scholar Program page that is located within the Before College area of the Students & Parents section, under College and Career Exploration and Planning.
Looking Ahead: Final Announcements
- A sample press release, which can assist schools in announcing State Scholars, will be provided at the ISAC website after final announcements have been made.
Register Now for the 2024 College Access Symposium!
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 September 17, 2024.
Registration is now open for the 2024 College Access Symposium! We look forward to seeing you and invite you to join us from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at one of our four locations during October and November.
- Thursday, October 17 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
- Tuesday, October 29 at Lincoln Land Community College
- Wednesday, November 6 at Moraine Valley Community College
- Friday, November 8 at Sauk Valley Community College
We encourage everyone to register as soon as possible, as space is limited. Registration for the symposium is $25 (plus fees) and includes continental breakfast and lunch. Advance registration is required.
For more information and to register, visit the College Access Symposium page. For questions, contact isac.outreachtraining@illinois.gov.
Announcing ISAC Webinars on ECACE Scholarship Program
Sent to College Admissions Counselors and Community Organizations on September 13, 2024.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), in partnership with the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA) and Chicago Early Learning Workforce Scholarship (CELWS), will offer the A Review of the 2024-25 Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program and Other Financial Aid Options for Early Childhood Education Students webinar on the following dates:
- Wednesday, September 18, 2 p.m.
- Wednesday, September 25, 10 a.m.
These webinars are intended for anyone who works with or supports students who are pursuing a degree or credentials in early childhood education, which may include faculty, financial aid staff, counselors, institutional staff, employers, and navigators.
The webinars will begin with ISAC providing an overview of the ECACE Scholarship Program and changes made to the program for the 2024-25 award year as it transitions to a state-funded program, followed by a review of other state and federal financial aid options for students. Representatives from ISAC, INCCRRA and CELWS will be on hand to share information and answer questions about their programs.
We encourage you to please forward this information to any colleagues who you think may be interested in learning more about these programs.
The webinars are free and registration is not required. You may join by using this link: https://illinois.webex.com/meet/kimberly.eck. A copy of the webinar presentation, as well as additional connection information, will be provided on ISAC's Partner Training page in the e-Library at isac.org on the day of each webinar.
Questions may be directed to Kim Eck at kimberly.eck@illinois.gov or Stephanie Claudio at stephanie.claudio@illinois.gov.
Do You Send Paper Transcripts? Make the Switch to Electronic, It's Easy!
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, and Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants on September 12, 2024.
The ISAC Transcript Exchange is available for free to all
Illinois public and private high schools!
Join ISAC for a webinar to hear about this great opportunity!
The ISAC Transcript Exchange, powered by Parchment, provides the opportunity for high school students to request their transcripts and other credentials be sent electronically to the college(s) of their choice, the Common App, and other organizations requesting transcripts (e.g., scholarship providers and third-party verifications).
The ISAC Transcript Exchange – Parchment Preview
Join us on Thursday, October 10, from 10-10:45 a.m. (CT) to learn about the ISAC Transcript Exchange, including how to navigate the student and administrator dashboards and gain efficiencies by switching from paper to electronic transcripts. Attendees will hear directly from a Student Services Director on how the ISAC Transcript Exchange has made a difference at their school and for their students.
To register, visit the Professional Development Offerings page.
For questions, contact Lenore.Smith@illinois.gov.
Note: ISAC will not be offering Continuing Education or Professional Development hours for this webinar.
Save the Date for the College Access Symposium
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 September 10, 2024.
Submit a proposal today!
We are excited to invite you to the 2024 College Access Symposium, and look forward to seeing you at one of the locations being offered in October and November! Registration will open soon, and we encourage everyone to register as soon as possible since space is limited.
- Thursday, October 17 in Carbondale, Illinois
- Wednesday, November 6 in Palos Hills, Illinois
- Friday, November 8 in Dixon, Illinois
The College Access Symposium is a one-day event, being offered on three dates in three locations. Join us at the event most convenient for you to learn about how high schools and organizations across the state are supporting students to become postsecondary and career ready by learning how financial aid plays a critical role for their postsecondary success.
We invite representatives from high schools, community-based organizations, colleges and universities, and more to submit a session proposal! You will have an opportunity on the session proposal form to indicate the date(s)/location(s) on which you would be available to present your session. The deadline to submit a session proposal is 11:59 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, September 25, 2024.
For more information on the symposium, including access to the session proposal form, visit the 2024 College Access Symposium page.
For questions, contact isac.outreachtraining@illinois.gov!
Back to School in Full Swing? Join ISAC for FREE Professional Development Webinars in September!
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 September 4, 2024.
We are excited to share the free webinars happening in September. For registration details and more information, visit the Professional Development Offerings page. Please share these offerings with colleagues and partners! All webinars below are in Central Time.
Professional Development Continuing Education hours will be available. For questions, contact isac.outreachtraining@illinois.gov.
Illinois PaCE Overview
Join us on Friday, September 13, from 11 – 11:45 a.m. for an overview of the Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Framework, the steps involved with creating and implementing your own school/district specific PaCE-aligned Framework, and PaCE support and resources.
The State of Education in Illinois
Join us on Thursday, September 19 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. for a discussion about how the pandemic impacted the K-12 system and where Illinois high school graduates are enrolling for their postsecondary journey. You will also learn about the demographic and enrollment trends of higher education and how students are affording their postsecondary option.
HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS/TEACHERS
2025-26 MAP Start-up Formula Approved
Sent to High School Counselors/Teachers on September 23, 2024.
The following highlights some of the agenda items included at the September 19, 2024 meeting of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and any action taken. A listing of the agenda items is provided in the September 19 Agenda Book, which can be accessed from the ISAC's Governing Board: The Commission section of the About ISAC area of ISAC's website.
FY26 (2025-26 Academic Year) MAP Start-up Formula Approved – Agenda Item 5
Because the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) state budget process has not yet begun, when developing the proposed start-up formula, staff assumed that the Monetary Award Program (MAP) will receive $711.6 million, which is level with the FY25 appropriation. Following the FY25 recompute formula, staff recommended and the Commission approved using the following in the start-up formula for 2025-26 MAP grants:
- 2021-22 reported tuition and fees;
- the 2021-22 Pell Grant Payment Schedule;
- a $5,200 living allowance; and,
- an $8,400 maximum award.
In addition, as necessitated by FAFSA Simplification, the 2025-26 MAP start-up formula continues to mirror the federal methodology that allows students with a negative or zero Student Aid Index (SAI) to receive the same maximum Pell amount.
The approved start-up formula is outlined in the MAP section within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area of the website.
Encourage Students to Submit 2025-26 FAFSA® or Alternative Application, Once Available
High schools should encourage college-bound seniors to submit the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) or the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) as soon as possible after the applications become available. For the 2025-26 FAFSA cycle, Federal Student Aid has announced plans for a "limited soft launch" on October 1, 2024, with the intention of discovering and fixing issues through November and providing full FAFSA form access to all students by December 1, 2024. ISAC plans to release the 2025-26 Alternative Application to coincide with the date that the FAFSA is fully made available to all students in December. ISAC staff monitors application volume throughout the year to ensure that MAP awarding is in line with the available funding.
Additional Items
The following additional items were presented to and approved by the Commission:
- 2025 Meeting Dates – Agenda Item 1
- College Illinois!® Prepaid Tuition Program Updates – Agenda Item 7
Next Meeting
The next Commission meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
Commission Meeting Thursday, September 19
Sent to High School Counselors/Teachers on September 13, 2024.
The next regular meeting of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, September 19, 2024. Those interested in attending the meeting in person may do so at either the ISAC Deerfield or Springfield office location; see below for addresses. There will be no videoconference access to the meeting from ISAC's website.
Some of the items on the tentative agenda are:
- 2026 meeting dates and locations
- Fiscal year 2026 Monetary Award Program (MAP) start-up formula
- College Illinois!® Prepaid Tuition Program investment and program updates
The Agenda Book, providing the complete listing of agenda items, is available via the 2024 Agenda Books page, which is located within the ISAC's Governing Board: The Commission section of the About ISAC area of isac.org. The online Agenda Book will be updated within 1-2 days following the meeting to reflect action taken.
Deerfield office
1755 Lake Cook Road
Conference Room 3030, 3rd floor
Deerfield
Enter through the east door and check in at the desk
Springfield office
500 West Monroe
Conference Room, 3rd floor
Springfield
Enter from the rear parking lot through the east door, use the elevator or stairs
August 2024 ISAC Communiqué
Sent on September 3, 2024.
The August 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 August 2024 ISAC Communiqué include:
- Upcoming Important Dates from ISAC
(sent August 27, 2024) - ISAC Transcript Exchange – Back to School Webinar
(sent August 20, 2024) - Don't Forget to Register for ISAC's NEW Training on the Middle School PaCE Framework!
(sent August 5, 2024) - July 2024 ISAC Communiqué
(sent August 1, 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.
