ISAC Student PortalISAC Communiqué
Volume 34, Number 9C
March 2025
| Messages sent to: | Multiple Subscription Groups |
| High School Counselor/Teachers | |
| ISAC Communiqué |
Welcome to the March 2025 ISAC Communiqué, which is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout March.
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.
Reminder to Register for ISAC's Spring PaCE Framework Trainings
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Community Organizations, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, and Public Libraries on March 31, 2025.
This is a reminder to register for our upcoming spring Illinois Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Framework trainings! These trainings are free to attend, and registration is open to middle school and high school counselors, administrators, college and career staff, and others who support students to be college and career ready.
Join us for a full-day 4-part PaCE Module training. This PaCE Training will provide an opportunity to bring people together from across Illinois to share and learn how schools, districts, and communities are collaborating and advancing postsecondary and career readiness efforts through the Illinois PaCE Framework.
You may join us at:
- Waubonsee Community College: Tuesday, April 8, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Registration will close on Friday, April 4, 2025.
Join us for a half-day training on the 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. This training will be held at Elgin Community College in Elgin, IL on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. Registration will close on Monday, April 14, 2025.
For more information and registration, visit the Professional Development Offerings page. For questions, contact isac.pace@illinois.gov.
We thank our community college partners for their partnership and donation for space for these trainings.
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 March 13, 2025.
The ISAC Transcript Exchange is available and 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 Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is highlighting the importance of every high school in Illinois developing and submitting a “school profile” as part of a new initiative from the state of Illinois aimed at helping Illinois students apply to colleges and universities. Research shows detailed information in a profile can help admission officers more fairly evaluate students’ accomplishments, thus promoting more equitable admission outcomes. You can learn more about this initiative and access the ISBE School Profile Toolkit on ISBE’S website.
ISAC can assist in having your school profiles submitted to colleges and universities directly through the ISAC Transcript Exchange.
The ISAC Transcript Exchange - Parchment Preview
Join us on Thursday, April 10, from 10-10:45 a.m. (CT) to learn about the ISAC Transcript Exchange, how to navigate the student and administrator dashboards, and gain efficiencies by switching from paper to electronic transcripts. Attendees will hear directly from a school professional 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 on ISAC's Transcript Exchange, contact Lenore.Smith@illinois.gov.
Note: ISAC will not be offering Continuing Education or Professional Development hours for this webinar.
Register Now for ISAC's Spring PaCE Framework 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 March 12, 2025.
Registration is now open for our spring Illinois Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Framework trainings! These trainings are free to attend, and registration is open to middle school and high school counselors, administrators, college and career staff, and others who support students to be college and career ready.
Join us for a full-day 4-part PaCE Module training. This PaCE Training will provide an opportunity to bring people together from across Illinois to share and learn how schools, districts, and communities are collaborating and advancing postsecondary and career readiness efforts through the Illinois PaCE Framework. The trainings will also include time to collaborate with your team and ISAC.
You may join us at either location:
- Waubonsee Community College: Tuesday, April 8, 2025, from 8:30am-3:30pm
- Sauk Valley Community College: Friday, May 2, 2025, from 8:30am-3:30pm
Join us for a half-day training on the 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. This training will be held at Elgin Community College in Elgin, IL on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, from 8:30am-12pm.
For more information and registration, visit the Professional Development Offerings page. For questions, contact isac.pace@illinois.gov.
We thank our community college partners for their partnership and donation for space for these trainings.
Reminder to Join ISAC for Free PaCE and Professional Development Webinars this Spring!
Sent to 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 March 4, 2025.
This is a reminder to register for our free webinars happening this Spring. Please share these offerings with colleagues and partners! Professional Development and Continuing Education hours will be available.
FAFSA Q&A with ISAC PD:
Join us on Tuesday, March 18, from 11 - 11:45 a.m. (CT) for a webinar on the latest updates on the 2025-26 FAFSA and any open issues with possible work arounds. Attendees will have the opportunity to have questions answered live from ISAC's Professional Development team.
Spring to Action: Increasing FAFSA Completion:
Join us on Tuesday, April 15, from 11 - 11:45 a.m. (CT) for a call-to-action webinar to learn more about how ISAC can support your students and families with free year-round assistance. Learn more about the latest updates to the FAFSA, best practices for navigating financial aid completion, FAFSA corrections and verification processes. Take action to ensure your students have the assistance and support they need.
Supporting Students Transition to College:
Join us on Tuesday, May 6, from 11 - 11:45 a.m. (CT) for a webinar that addresses the impact of summer melt. As the academic year concludes, many students face a critical juncture: the transition from high school to college. However, this transition period, often referred to as "summer melt," presents numerous challenges that can hinder students' enrollment in higher education institutions. Join this webinar to explore effective strategies for supporting students through this delicate phase.
For registration details and more information, visit the Professional Development Offerings page.
For questions, contact ISAC.Outreachtraining@illinois.gov.
HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS/TEACHERS
2025-26 MAP Start-up Formula Is Being Revised to Keep Awards at 2024-25 Levels
Sent to High School Counselors/Teachers on March 12, 2025.
Consistent with usual practice, the FY26 MAP Start-Up Formula that was approved at ISAC’s September 19, 2024 Commission Meeting was a carryover of the prior year's (FY25) MAP Recompute Formula, which had an $8,400 maximum annual award amount. However, as ISAC has been monitoring 2025-26 FAFSA application volume and comparing FY26 data to FY25 data, there continue to be indications that FY26 application volume may be higher than FY25, along with expectations that enrollment levels will remain at the increased levels we are seeing in FY25.
As a result, ISAC is announcing that the Start-Up formula for the 2025-26 academic year will be adjusted to remain at the current FY25 level (announced in December for 2024-25), maintaining the FY25 4 percent reduction factor. Thus, FY26 annual MAP awards will be calculated with a 4 percent reduction factor. The effective maximum annual award for 2025-26 will be reduced from $8,400 to $8,064.
Keeping the Start-Up formula at the current FY25 level will allow the program to serve a greater number of eligible applicants than would otherwise receive grants, without sacrificing significant purchasing power.
The 2025-26 Start-Up Formula will be implemented in the GAP Access portal, beginning after 4 pm on Friday, March 14. Updated award amounts are expected to be available to institutions in the MAP system on Monday, March 17, 2025. The GAP Access system and Student Portal will be unavailable while the updates are made.
The maximum annual award amount set by the revised MAP Start-Up Formula will continue to be an estimated amount based on analysis and projections. Until the state’s budget is approved by the Illinois General Assembly and signed by the Governor later this spring or in early summer, the maximum annual award amount is not considered to be a final, approved amount.
As colleges send out award notifications, it’s important to identify MAP as "State of IL MAP Grant (Est)" and to ensure that the 2025-26 Required School-Issued Award Notification Letter is provided to students when they are notified of their eligibility for a MAP award.
The next phase in the 2025-26 MAP cycle will be the Recompute Formula, which will be based on the MAP appropriation in the finalized state budget and presented for approval at the June 26, 2025 Commission Meeting.
At this time, a 2025-26 MAP suspense date has not been announced.
ISAC truly appreciates your partnership and support as we navigate the phases of the MAP cycle and the state budget process during these changing and uncertain times. We will continue to monitor application volume, claim rates, and enrollment trends, and provide you with future updates as soon as we possibly can.
February 2025 ISAC Communiqué
Sent on March 3, 2025.
The February 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 February 2025 ISAC Communiqué include:
- Updates Regarding GAP Access Security
(sent February 26, 2025) - Reminder to Join ISAC for PaCE Middle School Curriculum Training
(sent February 11, 2025) - 2025-26 Financial Aid Application Completion Data Available
(sent February 6, 2025) - January 2025 ISAC Communiqué
(sent February 3, 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.
