SR1078LRB101 21075 LAW 71430 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Approximately half of Illinois high school
3graduates enrolling as full-time freshmen in Illinois public
4community colleges require remedial education; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Illinois employers report that recent high school
6and postsecondary institutional graduates often lack the
7critical skills necessary to succeed in high-demand and growing
8occupational areas, and that they are unable to find qualified
9workers to meet their industry's needs; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Student readiness for postsecondary education and
11careers cannot be reduced to a single metric but must instead
12be understood as a multifaceted set of knowledge, skills, and
13abilities that allow students to successfully meet the
14challenges of postsecondary education and career in order to
15live healthy, productive lives; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Enabling high school students to engage in career
17and postsecondary education development activities and
18incentivizing achievement in career-oriented education,
19particularly in high-demand industry sectors, promotes
20postsecondary and career readiness and facilitates
21better-informed postsecondary education decisions; and
 

 

 

SR1078- 2 -LRB101 21075 LAW 71430 r

1    WHEREAS, Aligning support from State agencies, school
2districts, postsecondary education providers, employers, and
3other public and private organizations will lead to the
4development and implementation of a robust and coordinated
5postsecondary education and career readiness system in
6Illinois; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Illinois Postsecondary and Workforce
8Readiness Act establishes a voluntary system for school
9districts to award college and career pathway endorsements on
10high school diplomas; the endorsement demonstrates students'
11readiness for college and careers, completion of instruction
12and professional learning experiences in a selected career
13interest area, and incentivizes career exploration and
14development, particularly in high-demand career fields; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Illinois Postsecondary and Workforce
16Readiness Act takes a student-centered and competency-based
17approach to create four strategies to help students prepare for
18postsecondary and career opportunities, which include offering
19a Postsecondary and Career Expectations framework (PaCE),
20piloting competency-based high school graduation requirements,
21supporting students to avoid remediation in college through
22targeted math instruction during their senior year, and
23creating a new system for school districts to award college and
24career pathways endorsements on high school diplomas; and
 

 

 

SR1078- 3 -LRB101 21075 LAW 71430 r

1    WHEREAS, The Postsecondary and Career Expectations
2framework outlines what students should know and actions they
3should take from middle school through 12th grade to select the
4right postsecondary option, prepare for careers, and access
5financial aid opportunities; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Illinois enacted the Postsecondary and Workforce
7Readiness Act to deploy a number of strategies to prepare more
8students for meaningful career opportunities by supporting
9postsecondary and career planning, promoting and incentivizing
10competency-based learning programs, reducing remedial
11education rates, increasing alignment between K-12 and
12postsecondary education systems, and implementing college and
13career pathway systems; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
15ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we encourage high
16schools across the State to participate in the Postsecondary
17and Workforce Readiness Program to help address key barriers to
18the successful transition of Illinois high school students into
19college and careers.