June 2025 IllinoisCAN Newsletter June 2025 Welcome to IllinoisCAN's monthly newsletter. The mission of IllinoisCAN is to improve postsecondary access and success for low-income and first-generation college students in Illinois. IllinoisCAN builds the capacity and effectiveness of college access organizations to help students reach their goals. IllinoisCAN monthly newsletters are intended to be for us and by us – professionals around the state working to improve college access. In this issue:
Seeing the Full Picture: Introducing Illinois' Adversity Index The Illinois State Board of Education launched "a groundbreaking new tool that promises to transform how we understand trauma and need in our state: the Children's Adversity Index. "In pediatrics, developmental psychology, and education policy and practice, we've long acknowledged the impact of childhood trauma on student learning, health outcomes, and socioeconomic reality. Sadly, we have not had community-level data to help identify need and allow practitioners and policy-makers to respond to critical need. The Adversity Index changes that. It offers a comprehensive, data-informed view of community-level adversity across Illinois, helping state leaders see beyond surface-level indicators and dig into the systems and structures that shape student well-being." How Illinois is Advancing College and Career Readiness: Featured in the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) Journal "The latest issue of NASBE's State Education Standard explores an important, yet often overlooked, factor in student success: transitions between schools. From preschool to kindergarten, elementary to middle, middle to high school, and high school to postsecondary life, Standard authors examine each transition point, highlighting the important role state policymakers can play in ensuring that schools work together to help students navigate transitions successfully. "The Spring 2025 issue features a deep dive into Illinois' efforts to prepare students for postsecondary success. Written by Ed Systems Policy Director Emily Rusca, the article, How Illinois Gets Students Ready for College and Careers, explores how state agencies, educators, and community partners are working together to embed college and career readiness into the fabric of K–12 education. "The piece highlights the policies and frameworks that underpin this work, including the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act, the College and Career Pathway Endorsements, and the importance of cross-sector collaboration. It also emphasizes the role of data systems, career exploration, and real-world learning experiences in helping students navigate their futures with clarity and confidence. Equally important is the collaboration among educators, employers, policymakers, intermediaries, and other stakeholders to equitably implement and scale these efforts." College and High School at the Same Time in Vienna Illinois Career and Education Success Network featured Vienna High School in its community update. "Vienna's early college program has been providing students with a great start to their post-secondary plans for many years now. It is always exciting to see our early college students either get a jump start or actually complete their associate degree while in high school. Even more thrilling to watch has been the full circle effect of seeing these students, within two years of high school graduation, complete bachelor's degrees, go on to complete master's degrees in four years after high school, and get into successful careers, many of which are back in our community," said Joshua Stafford, superintendent, and IllinoisCAN Steering Committee member. Sustaining Change: Efforts to Expand Student Success "Achieving the goals of the student success movement was never going to be easy. Nearly two decades ago, when colleges began putting the onus on themselves to increase their retention and graduation rates, they were making an ambitious commitment to new policies, new programs, and a whole new perspective. Instead of mostly expecting students to find their own way on their academic journeys, institutions would actively support their efforts and make sure they stayed on the path. "Some colleges have made significant progress toward realizing this vision. More are working hard to do so. But amid enrollment and financial challenges, how can colleges best sustain and expand the approaches that are supporting students? "The Chronicle of Higher Education, with support from the Ascendium Education Group, conducted an online survey of academic and administrative leaders and faculty members in February 2025 and conducted a dozen interviews. "The report, Sustaining Change: Efforts to Expand Student Success, explores these perspectives, examines how student-success efforts can move forward at a difficult time for higher ed, and explains why many leaders and advocates say this is a moment to broaden their vision, not narrow it." Some College, No Credential Student Outcomes "Re-engaging with the tens of millions of U.S. adults who left higher education without receiving a postsecondary credential has become a key objective for most states as they pursue postsecondary attainment goals. To achieve this, accurate and timely information about this Some College, No Credential (SCNC) population, and their re-enrollment in and progress through higher education, is essential. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center annual progress report series, developed with the support of Lumina Foundation, sheds light on these critical factors. "The Some College, No Credential (SCNC) report series seeks to understand the educational trajectories of SCNC individuals. Reports in this series identify the levels of opportunity within each state for re-engaging SCNC students in the postsecondary attainment pipeline by tracking the following SCNC student outcomes annually: re-enrollment after stop-out, completion of a first credential, and perseverance as indicated by continuing enrollment into a second academic year. State and institutional leaders can leverage this data to inform strategies for bringing SCNC students back into higher education." Do you have events, news, requests, or resources to share with college access colleagues? IllinoisCAN monthly newsletters are intended to be for us and by us – professionals around the state working to move college access forward. For inclusion in the next newsletter, send content by June 20th to ISAC.IllinoisCAN@illinois.gov. 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