ISAC Student PortalISAC Communiqué
Volume 34, Number 8C
February 2025
| Messages sent to: | Multiple Subscription Groups |
| ISAC Communiqué |
Welcome to the February 2025 ISAC Communiqué, which is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout February.
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.
Updates Regarding Access Security
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators and High School Counselors/Teachers on February 26, 2025.
This message announces three new ISAC Gift Assistance Programs (GAP) Access portal procedures. ISAC has strict security and confidentiality policies and procedures in place to protect the integrity of student records, and these procedures are being implemented to further protect the safety and integrity of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and data.
GAP Access Passwords Must Be Changed Every 30 Days
Effective immediately, all GAP Access passwords (for Users, Administrators, and Primary Administrators) must be changed every 30 days. All users need a valid GAP Access ID and password to access the system. As a reminder, password resets can be done through the GAP Access portal without contacting ISAC. Passwords must be a minimum of eight characters, and include at least one upper-case letter, one lower-case letter, one numeric digit, and one special character {!@#$%^&+=}.
- GAP Access password resets can be completed via the GAP Access login page by any current user that is not locked out of the system. Please use the "Forgot Password/Forgot USER ID" link on the User Login page.
- If an account is in Active status and the user last changed their password over 30 days ago, they will be prompted to change their password upon logging in and will not be allowed to access data before it is changed.
- To change a password, the user will need to provide the security question responses that were entered when first creating the GAP Access account.
- Users that do not know their security question responses should contact ISAC's School Services Department for assistance.
- If a GAP Access user is locked out of their account and unable to reset their password, Primary Administrators and Administrators can provide a temporary password that allows the user to update their password. This function can be found on the "User Administration, Users View" screen in GAP Access.
- To unlock a user, the Primary Administrators or Administrators would select the KEY ICON next to the user's name which will send a temporary password to the user that is locked out.
- After receiving the temporary password, the user can then set a new password upon logging into the GAP Access system. The user will be prompted to change their password as soon as they sign in and will not be allowed to access data before it is changed.
- Further details are provided in the GAP Access user guides.
Individual GAP Access User Accounts Will Be Locked after 60 Days of Inactivity
Also effective immediately, any GAP Access account (User, Administrator, or Primary Administrator) that is not accessed for a period of 60 consecutive days will be locked.
- As noted above, should a user account become locked because of not being accessed for a period of 60 days, the Primary Administrator at the institution, high school or facility may reactivate the account by following the same steps taken to activate new accounts (see the GAP Access user guides for further details).
- If the Primary Administrator has been locked out of their account, please contact ISAC's School Services Department for assistance.
Annual User Agreement: GAP Access Data Security and Data Protections Annual Review
Effective immediately, all GAP Access Users, Administrators, and Primary Administrators must annually review and agree to ISAC's data security and protection policies, which are outlined in 23 IL Admin Code 2700.55 and the GAP Access Guidelines. If you would like to review this information before logging into GAP Access, you may do so via the following link:
- Once a user has successfully completed the two-factor authentication and has logged into GAP Access, they will be presented with the GAP Access Data Security and Data Protections Annual Review agreement. The user must review and select that they agree with the terms to proceed.
- Following the submission of the user agreement, the user will receive e-mail verification that they have reviewed and agreed to the policies, and a copy of the policies will be provided for the user's records. Once this process is completed, the user will not see this screen again until it is time to endorse the agreement again the next year.
Once updated, the GAP Access user guides will include additional details about this process.
GAP Access Reminders
- GAP Access has three levels of authorization, with a single Primary Administrator at each institution, high school or facility who is responsible for determining and authorizing the appropriate level of access for other users (if any).
- Other users who can perform program functions within GAP Access are:
- Administrators, who can grant privileges, reset passwords and update and view applicant records, and
- Users, who can update and/or view applicant records.
- Other users who can perform program functions within GAP Access are:
- Primary Administrators are able to provide access and assign or update privileges in GAP Access without the need to interact with ISAC.
- When a Primary Administrator receives a request to approve a new user or to update user privileges, the Primary Administrator completes the necessary steps within the GAP Access portal and finalizes the request.
- System-generated e-mail messages are automatically sent throughout the process, as applicable, to the Primary Administrator and/or to the staff requesting privileges.
- ISAC staff need to be involved in completing the registration process only when it is necessary to register a new Primary Administrator or switch the Primary Administrator role to a different staff member.
- Further details regarding use of the GAP Access portal (including GAP Access user guides) are provided in the GAP Access area of ISAC's website (isac.org).
- If additional assistance is needed, please contact ISAC School Services by sending an e-mail message to isac.schoolservices@illinois.gov or calling 866-247-2172.
Don't Forget to Register for ISAC's Training on the PaCE Middle School Curriculum
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 February 11, 2025.
This is a reminder to join us at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois on Thursday, February 20, 2025, from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Registration will close on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, or when full capacity is reached.
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. This training is open to both middle and high school practitioners. Please share this opportunity with your networks!
For more information and registration, visit the Professional Development Offerings page. For questions, contact isac.pace@illinois.gov.
2025-26 Financial Aid Application Completion Data Available
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators and High School Counselors/Teachers on February 6, 2025.
Effective today (Thursday, February 6, 2025), 2025-26 Financial Aid Application Completion Initiative functionality is available in the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs (GAP) Access portal.
All Illinois senior students at a public high school are required to complete a financial aid application – either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) or the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) – as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma. Students and/or parents who choose to not complete either the FAFSA or the Alternative Application may submit the Financial Aid Application Nonparticipation Form.
ISAC's Financial Aid Application Completion Initiative is available to public and private high schools to help identify students who have completed a financial aid application, as well as those who have opted to complete the Nonparticipation Form. Completion data is available every day in GAP Access.
Operational details are provided in the Financial Aid Application Completion Initiative – Access and Agreement User Guide.
Senior Class Rosters for Public and Private High Schools
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) provides ISAC with all public high school senior class roster information to match with financial aid applications and Nonparticipation Forms. Therefore, public high schools do not need to upload their 2025-26 senior class rosters.
Private high schools can upload their Class of 2025 rosters into GAP Access to have the information matched with completed financial aid applications. Private high schools must complete a Student Record Upload for the Class of 2025 by July 31, 2025.
Financial Aid Application Nonparticipation Form
Students and parents can complete the Nonparticipation Form via the Program Applications & Status Checks area of ISAC's Student Portal. A student or parent will need to create a Student Portal account to complete the form. Once the form has been completed, the opt-out box will auto-populate with a check mark next to the student's name in GAP Access.
How ISAC's Training Team Can Help
ISAC provides support and assistance for the Financial Aid Application Completion Initiative and other college-going activities to both students and partners:
- ISACorps™ members are available to support your outreach activities for students and parents. Submit an Outreach Request Form for your next spring/summer event.
- Learn about training that is offered for professionals through our Upcoming Professional Development Offerings page.
January 2025 ISAC Communiqué
Sent on February 3, 2025.
The January 2025 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 January 2025 ISAC Communiqué include:
- Reminder: Register Now – Success Network Conference
(sent January 30, 2025) - Join ISAC for PaCE Middle School Curriculum Training
(sent January 28, 2025) - Upcoming Important Dates from ISAC
(sent January 24, 2025) - Do You Send Paper Transcripts? Make the Switch to Electronic, It's Easy!
(sent January 16, 2025) - Free PaCE and Professional Development Webinars this Spring!
(sent January 14, 2025) - Register Now – Success Network Conference
(sent January 10, 2025) - Become Certified in Financial Aid!
(sent January 8, 2025) - December 2024 ISAC Communiqué
(sent January 2, 2025)
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.
