How do we know a high school student is prepared for their career, whether they’re going to college or straight into the workforce? Well, typically it’s a high school diploma or GED.
But, what about more specifically? How can we say, "This high school grad is well-prepared to pursue a career in computer science or teaching?"
In Illinois, students can now earn a College and Career Pathway Endorsement. It’s a literal stamp on their high school diploma that says -- by completing a series of steps to prepare them for their career path -- that they’ve demonstrated mastery in that area.
But what exactly are those steps? Heather Penczak can explain. She’s the Director of Innovation and Implementation at the Education Systems Center housed at Northern Illinois University. They work with state agencies, schools, and employers to facilitate work-based learning opportunities.
“They've completed an individualized learning plan," she said. "They've engaged in career-focused courses, they've participated in work-based learning, and they've also demonstrated readiness for college-level reading and math."
They complete internships, team-based courses & early college credit.
This pathway endorsement framework started back in 2016 with the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act. The state board of education developed the system and school districts built each component part and, finally, in 2020, the first Illinois student earned the seal.
Since then, it’s been growing fast. In Illinois, 47 students across 5 districts were awarded an endorsement in 2021. For the class of 2022 that jumped to almost 600 students in 36 districts, and last year, over 1,000 students in 39 school districts received them.
Penczak expects another leap this year too.
Bryce Shen is one of those students this year. He just graduated from Naperville North High School with an endorsement in business entrepreneurship and is headed to the University of California - Berkeley to study business in the fall.
2023 was the first year anyone at his school district graduated with an endorsement. About 100 students earned one last year, and nearly 100 more this year.
With the pathway program, a few days a month, instead of going to school, Shen got to go into the city of Chicago. And when he wasn’t in class, his friends would, naturally, ask where he was.
“I would tell them, I was up in Chicago for my internship," he said, "and they'd be very shocked."
The internship was one step towards earning his endorsement in business entrepreneurship. Every pathway student graduates with at least 60 internship hours.
Shen’s school district, Naperville District 203, has invested a lot in the pathway system. Jill Hlavacek is the district’s Director of Innovation and Learning.
“We," she said, "actually have six different pathway endorsements that students can earn."
They have two in agriscience: one in plant and one in animal science. Two information technology pathways, one in business and one in education. They’re planning to add even more next year.
It’s so ingrained that their course catalog maps out how each class connects to the pathways -- and even how extracurricular clubs and activities fit in.
Hlavacek says their process starts early.
“We start," she said, "with conversations formally through curriculum in sixth grade."
By eighth grade, they want students to start understanding their options and what they’re interested in. In eighth grade, that’s when they hold, what Hlavacek calls a “career fair on steroids.”
“We have over 100 business partners attend,” said Hlavacek. “Students get to sample the different career cluster areas, and then they come back and talk about what they saw, what they learned, and how that relates to their next step of high school.”
Just before high school, they start building a four-year plan. Hlavacek says their goal is to make sure every student has identified a pathway of interest by Sophomore year, so they have time to check out opportunities like internships.
Now, you might be thinking, "Geez, 8th grade? Isn’t this all a bit early to lock young students onto a path? What if they want to change their mind?" Well, they do revisit the plans every year.
Helena Ilic says having these work-based opportunities early actually allows for more flexibility and exploration, instead of making you feel stuck in a box. She just wrapped up her first year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She was part of the first cohort of Naperville 203 students earning endorsements. Hers was in computer science.
“It solidified that I actually want to do this in a work environment," she said, "because I think there's a really big disconnect between, ‘Oh, I like taking a course in this’ versus ‘I actually like doing this for a job,’ because a lot of the work you're doing is different, even though the expertise might be the same.”
She says there’s an advantage to finding that out early before you’re in college and before you’ve spent a lot of money pursuing something you might change your mind about.
Hlavacek says more and more Naperville 203 students are seeking it out. Enrollment in their formal internship course has doubled year over year.
Heather Penczak clarifies that not every school offers the same endorsements.
“Depending on what your employer partnerships look like," she explained, "depending on what your college partnerships look like, but also what is the local demand.”
Schools also balance what their staff can support and consider what students voice about what they’d be interested in.
Statewide, there are seven total endorsement areas, but multiple endorsements that fall within those areas. For example, Human and Public Services includes everything from education and law to corrections and security.
And there’s reason to believe programs will keep growing in Illinois. Legislation in 2022 expanded the pathway system. Unless they formally opt out, all Illinois high schools will be required to offer an endorsement -- starting with the Class of 2027, who just finished their freshmen year this spring.
Hlavacek says it’s been a great way for her district to strengthen bonds with local businesses along with colleges and universities.
“It gave us ways to celebrate student success," she said, "that wasn't just a test score or a grade."
Ilic says her opportunities laid a strong foundation for her going into college.
“I think a lot of the time college invites a lot of imposter syndrome or insecurity," said Ilic, "because it's such a big change. But I kind of have this solidified documented thing. I'm like, 'I can do this because I've done this internship.'”
And as these programs grow, leaders like Hlavacek hope the endorsement signals that this student is well-prepared for the next stage of their life.
