ISAC Student PortalISAC Communiqué
Volume 34, Number 5C
November 2024
| Messages sent to: | Multiple Subscription Groups |
| ISAC Communiqué |
Welcome to the November 2024 ISAC Communiqué, which is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout November.
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.
2025-26 State Scholars Announced
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators and High School Counselors/Teachers on November 21, 2024.
Unless otherwise noted, links in this message are to corresponding pages at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) website (isac.org).
ISAC is pleased to announce that more than 16,500 qualified Illinois high school students have been designated as 2025-26 State Scholars. Information about the announcement process is below. You may either scroll through the remainder of this message, or click on the appropriate link(s) to go directly to a specific section:
| Generating Reports |
| Public Announcement of Scholars (Certificates of Achievement and Sample Press Release) |
| Student Notifications |
| Illinois State Scholar Badges |
| Corrections |
| Appeals Due by February 28, 2025 |
Instructions for generating reports of the school's State Scholar Finalists and Non-Finalists in the SSP system are provided in the SSP Online Processing User Guide.
Public Announcement of Scholars
(Certificates of Achievement and Sample Press Release)
- Remember that ISAC does not post the names of Illinois State Scholar Finalists on its website, due to the differences in policies among high schools regarding publishing student information online.
- High schools may generate the "Finalists" report in the SSP system by following the instructions provided on pages 13-14 of the SSP Online Processing User Guide.
- High school staff members that do not have access to the SSP system should contact the principal to obtain a listing of State Scholar Finalists at their school.
- Effective beginning with the announcement of 2025-26 State Scholars, ISAC no longer prints Certificates of Achievement. Rather, Certificates of Achievement are printed by the high school.
- Instructions for downloading and printing Certificates of Achievement are provided in the SSP Online Processing User Guide.
- A sample press release, which can further assist schools in announcing State Scholars, may be accessed via the State Scholar Finalists page that is located within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
As part of the early announcement process, ISAC has been mailing individual congratulatory letters directly to State Scholars as they have been named, with the last batch of letters having been mailed in mid-November. You may view a sample of the congratulatory letter in the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area of the website.
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 and then following the on-screen prompts. Complete instructions are available via the ISAC website at isac.org/SSPbadge.
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)."
- Changes to already-submitted data (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 School Services via:
- a fax to 847.831.8549,
- an e-mail to isac.schoolservices@illinois.gov, or
- regular mail to our Deerfield address.
Appeals Due by February 28, 2025
Counselors should carefully review the sixth-semester roster data they submitted to ISAC, in order to ensure there are no errors in the announcement of 2025-26 State Scholars. To assist in the review, details regarding the State Scholar Selection Process are provided within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
- 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 to submit 2025-26 State Scholar appeals is Friday, February 28, 2025.
- Details regarding the appeals process are provided on 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 may be accessed 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.
Invitation to Elevate Equity: Illinois
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, and Community Organizations on November 20, 2024.
The below message is being sent on behalf of IACAC.
Join us for Elevate Equity: Illinois
When: Monday, December 9, 2024
Where: UIC Isadore and Sadie Dorin Forum, 725 W Roosevelt Rd., Chicago, IL
Hosted by: NACAC, The Joyce Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies
Why Attend?
Use your professional expertise to collaborate with elected officials, policy leaders, and other education professionals to advance access to equitable postsecondary options for Illinois students. Please note this event is open to all. You do not need to be a member of NACAC to attend.
Objectives:
- Analyze access issues like FAFSA, recent Supreme Court decisions and others, and their effects on access and recruiting.
- Identify other current challenges to equity.
- Discover best practices in Illinois for access and advising.
- Create actionable steps for improving postsecondary education equity.
Register by: Tuesday, December 2, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET (10:59 p.m. CT)
*You do not need to be a NACAC member to attend*
Agenda & Speakers:
Session #1: Ensuring College Advising Amplifies Student Voice
Students and institutions have changed drastically over the years, and it is important for college advising to keep up. While the Supreme Court's decision in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard/UNC limited what demographic information application readers can see, it does not limit what students or counselors can say about the applicant's background. How can school counselors and college advisors ensure that students feel comfortable sharing the full breadth of their stories? What do colleges and universities feel is the best way to learn about the experiences of applicants as it relates to their racial and ethnic background? There are few other fields where it is more important to meet people where they are than college advising and this session's goal is to yield best practices that can be shared throughout the counseling and advising community.
Speakers: Illinois ACAC representative and admission representatives from UIUC and/or UChicago
Session #2: Ensuring Direct Admissions Works
As some institutions across the country returned to mandating submitting test scores, this is a prime opportunity to engage and learn strategies to ensure direct admissions works for the students of Illinois. This session will allow participants to discuss how direct admissions should be implemented in Illinois. How can institutions, counselors, and policymakers come together and ensure that burdens are, in fact, reduced for students? It will be important to distill principles around communication and engagement as well as establish roles for educational stakeholders to ensure success.
Speakers: Governor's Office representative and Ginger Ostro, IBHE
Session #3: Recovery from Five Years of Upheaval
The first year of the new "Better FAFSA" left many students, families, educators, and institutions confused and frustrated through their FAFSA experience. Some students even opted out of higher education either because they were unable to complete the FAFSA in time, they did not receive their financial aid award letter with sufficient time to cover any gaps, or they were simply turned off by the whole situation. Unfortunately, it wasn't just the FAFSA that caused students from underserved communities to stop out, the COVID-19 pandemic had an outsized effect on students who came from similar backgrounds. What can Illinois, K-12, and higher education do to re-engage students that have stopped out to return to their educational journeys and what can we do to ensure that the effects of the last few years of upheaval are mitigated as soon as possible?
Speaker: Amanda Janice Roberson, Vice President of Operations, Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)
Questions? Contact Gracy Olmeda at golmeda@nacacnet.org or Jennifer Brown at jbrown@nacacnet.org.
Learn more and register today!
Apply Now for an Incredible Opportunity!
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 November 20, 2024.
The below message is being sent on behalf of IACAC.
The Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC) is an association comprised of individuals from high schools, colleges, and service organizations who work with students on postsecondary planning.
IACAC offers the High School Counselor Challenge by sponsoring three high school counselors in Illinois to attend the IACAC Annual Conference in East Peoria, Illinois from April 23-25, 2025! This scholarship covers conference registration fees, lodging on Wednesday and Thursday night (covers half of the room fee, and membership to IACAC for the remainder of the 2024-25 membership year).
The application deadline is Sunday, December 15, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (Central).
For more information and to apply, visit the High School Counselor Challenge page.
For questions, contact IACAC at iacac@iacac.org.
Reminder to Join ISAC 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 November 18, 2024.
This is a reminder to sign up for PART TWO of our two-part, 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 training will include time to collaborate with your team, as well as ISAC representatives.
Join us for Part Two at:
- Southern Illinois University–Carbondale (Carbondale, Illinois)
- December 6, 2024, 12:30 – 4 p.m.
We thank our colleagues at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale and Heartland Community College* for their partnership and donation of space for these training opportunities.
For more information and registration details, visit the Upcoming Professional Development Offerings page. For questions, contact isac.pace@illinois.gov.
Professional Development (PD) Hours & Continuing Education (CE) Credits Available
PD hours and CE credits will be offered to attendees at the rate of one unit per contact hour. To receive CE credits and/or PD hours, attendees must attend the training in its entirety and submit a post-event evaluation.
* The Part Two training at Heartland Community College, originally scheduled for December 3, 2024, has been cancelled.
Registration Open for 12th Annual Success Network Conference — Register Today!
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators and High School Counselors/Teachers on November 15, 2024.
oin colleagues from across the state on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, for the Illinois Education and Career Success Network's 12th annual conference, themed Building the Future We Want: Increasing Equitable Postsecondary Attainment. This year's in-person, one-day conference will be held at I Hotel & Illinois Conference Center in Champaign, Illinois. The conference is an engaging learning opportunity designed for leaders from secondary and postsecondary education, local and state government, community-based organizations, policy advocates, grantmakers, employers, and other stakeholders interested in equitably increasing postsecondary attainment in Illinois.
Early Bird Pricing: A special price of $65 is now available for the first 100 registrants. Prices will increase to $75 once the early bird spots sell out, so register now!
The Illinois Education and Career Success Network (formerly the Illinois 60 by 2025 Network) is a growing network of communities in Illinois that are committed to advancing equitable postsecondary attainment. The Network was launched and is organized by: Advance Illinois, Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University (EdSystems), and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).
Season Two of "First Up" Podcast Series Launches
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Community Organizations, and Public Libraries on November 8, 2024.
In celebration of National First Gen Day, we're excited to announce that we are launching season two of ISAC's first gen podcast series, "First Up"! Make sure your college-bound students know that season one and future episodes can be found at: https://isacfirstgen.podbean.com.
Do you have students who need help with the college going process? Students can schedule free virtual one-on-one meetings with an ISACorps member at www.isac.org/Booking.
Questions regarding this message, or the First Generation Scholars Network, may be directed to ISAC.FirstGen@illinois.gov.
Last Call to Register for ISAC's NEW Curriculum 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 November 4, 2024.
This is a reminder to register for our in-person curriculum training for the Middle School PaCE Framework. 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. Please share this opportunity with your networks!
Join us at Rend Lake College in Ina, Illinois on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. We thank Rend Lake College for their partnership and donation of space for this training.
Registration will close on November 15, 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.
October 2024 ISAC Communiqué
Sent on November 1, 2024.
The October 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 October 2024 ISAC Communiqué include:
- Upcoming Important Dates from ISAC
(sent October 25, 2024) - State Scholar Processing Reminders
(sent October 16, 2024) - Join ISAC for Our Curriculum Training on the Middle School PaCE Framework
(sent October 15, 2024) - Don't Forget to Join Us for Free PaCE Trainings!
(sent October 11, 2024) - Early Announcements of 2025-26 State Scholars Have Begun
(sent October 8, 2024) - Do You Send Paper Transcripts? Make the Switch to Electronic, It's Easy!
(sent October 3, 2024) - FREE Professional Development Webinars This Fall!
(sent October 2, 2024) - September 2024 ISAC Communiqué
(sent October 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.
