College and Career Readiness
The Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act, which was signed into Illinois law in 2016, takes a student-based and competency-based approach to helping students achieve college and career readiness.
The PWR Act implements four aligned strategies that require coordinated efforts among school districts, postsecondary education institutions, employers, and other public and private organizations:
- Postsecondary & Career Expectations (PaCE)
- College & Career Pathway Endorsement
- Transitional Instruction
- Competency-Based Education Pilot
A variety of college and career readiness information is available below.
- Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Framework
- College & Career Pathway Endorsement
- College & Career Readiness Indicators
- Career Clusters
Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Framework
College & Career Pathway Endorsement
The Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act established a new system for school districts to award College & Career Pathway Endorsements on high school diplomas, which reflect that a student has completed an individualized learning plan, engaged in a career-focused instructional sequence, participated in work-based learning, and demonstrated readiness for college-level reading and math.
The endorsement simultaneously demonstrates students’ readiness for postsecondary programs and entry-level professional learning experiences in a selected career interest area. The endorsement also incentivizes career exploration and acceleration, particularly in high-demand career fields.
Endorsement Areas
The seven College & Career Pathway Endorsement areas are:
- Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources
- Arts & Communication
- Finance & Business Services
- Health Sciences & Technology
- Human & Public Services
- Information Technology
- Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology, & Trades
P.A. 102-0917 requires school districts with more than 350 students to offer at least one endorsement area beginning with the Class of 2027, as well as additional endorsement areas by 2029 and 2031.
Lemont High School currently offers the following pathway endorsements:
- Advanced Integrated Maintenance (Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology, & Trades)
- Applied Engineering Technology (Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology, & Trades)
- Computer Installation & Repair (Information Technology)
- Computer Science (Information Technology)
- Education (Human & Public Services)
- Nursing (Health Sciences & Technology)
- Transportation (Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology, & Trades)
- Veterinary Services (Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources)
- Welding (Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology, & Trades)
Lemont High School expects to offer additional pathway endorsements in the future.
Requirements
The College and Career Pathway Endorsement framework requires:
- An individualized learning plan: Each student completing an endorsement must have an individualized plan, which includes college planning linked to early understanding of career goals, financial aid, resume, and personal statement.
- Professional learning: Students participate in career awareness, exploration, and preparation activities that provide opportunities to interact with adults in their workplace.
- At least two career exploration activities or one intensive experience.
- At least two team-based challenges with adult mentoring.
- 60 cumulative hours of a paid or for-credit, supervised career
development experience culminating with a professional skills assessment.
- Career-focused instruction: Students complete two years of secondary coursework, or equivalent competencies, that articulate to a postsecondary credential with labor market value. This must include at least six hours of early college credit.
- Academic readiness: Students are ready for non-remedial coursework in reading and math by high school graduation through criteria defined by the school district and local community college.
Students Who Have Earned Endorsements
College & Career Readiness Indicators
College and Career Readiness serves as part of a comprehensive approach to identifying the next steps for a student in terms of identifying interests and experiences upon which a student can build. The Illinois State Board of Education has established indicators for College and Career Readiness, with criteria including:
- Grade Point Average
- Attendance
- Composite Score
- Career Area of Interest
- Academic Indicators
- Career Ready Indicators
- Grade Point Average
- Attendance
- Composite Score
- Career Area of Interest
- Academic Indicators
- Career Ready Indicators
Grade Point Average
The following standards have been established for cumulative unweighted grade point average:
- GPAs of 3.75 or higher meet the "Distinguished Scholar" standard
- GPAs between 2.80-3.74 meet the "College and Career Scholar" standard
- GPAs of 2.79 or lower do not meet the standard for College and Career Readiness
Attendance
Composite Score
Career Area of Interest
A student may indicate a career area of interest by the end of his/her sophomore year by:
- Participating in pathways as defined by a local board of education
- Creating an individualized plan as part of the College & Career Pathway Endorsement program; or
- Engaging in activities as part of the Career Pathways Dictionary
Academic Indicators
Students must achieve at least one academic indicator in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. The indicators are listed below.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
- ELA Advanced Placement Exam (score of 3 or higher)
- ELA Advanced Placement course (grade of C or better)
- Dual credit English course (grade of C or better)
- International Baccalaureate ELA course (grade of C or better)
- International Baccalaureate Exam (score of 4 or higher)
- Transitional English course (grade of C or better)
- Minimum ACT subject scores of 18 in English and 22 in Reading
- Minimum SAT subject score of 540 in Evidence-Based Reading & Writing
MATHEMATICS
- Mathematics Advanced Placement Exam (score of 3 or higher)
- Mathematics Advanced Placement course (grade of C or better)
- Dual credit Mathematics course (grade of C or better)
- International Baccalaureate Mathematics course (grade of C or better)
- International Baccalaureate Exam (score of 4 or higher)
- Transitional Mathematics course (grade of C or better)
- Algebra II course (grade of C or better)
- Minimum ACT subject score of 22 in Mathematics and take a Mathematics course as a senior
- Minimum SAT subject score of 540 in Mathematics and take a Mathematics course as a senior
Career Ready Indicators
Students must achieve at least three Career Ready indicators. The indicators are listed below.
- Career development experience during high school
- Industry credential at any point in time before graduation
- Military service or an Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) score of 31 or better while enrolled in high school
- Dual credit career pathway course (college credit earned)
- Completion of a program of study before graduation
- Attaining and maintaining consistent employment for a minimum of 12 months during high school
- Consecutive summer employment during high school
- 25 hours of community service during high school
- Two or more organized co-curricular activities during high school
Career Clusters
The National Career Clusters Framework serves as an organizing tool for Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs, curriculum design, and instruction. There currently are 16 Career Clusters, with programs available in each cluster.
In the information below, the number in parentheses indicates the number of Lemont High School credits a student earns in the course. An asterisk indicates the class is available at the Wilco Area Career Center.
- Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
- Architecture & Construction
- Arts, A/V Technology & Communications
- Business Management & Administration
- Education & Training
- Finance
- Government & Public Administration
- Health Science
- Hospitality & Tourism
- Human Services
- Information Technology
- Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security
- Manufacturing
- Marketing
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
Architecture & Construction
Arts, A/V Technology & Communications
Business Management & Administration
Education & Training
Finance
Government & Public Administration
Health Science
Hospitality & Tourism
Human Services
Information Technology
- Computer Science
- Computer Systems Networking & Telecommunications
- Web Page, Digital Multimedia & Information Resource Design
Computer Science
- Technology Concepts (0.5)
- Computer Applications (0.5)
- Introduction to Computer Science: Programming (0.5)
- AP Computer Science A (1.0)
- AP Computer Science Principles (1.0)
- AP Cybersecurity 1 (1.0)
- Technology Internship Program (1.0)
- Information Technology Workplace Experience (Internship Program) (0.5 or 1.0)
Computer Systems Networking & Telecommunications
- Technology Concepts (0.5)
- Computer Applications (0.5)
- Introduction to Computer Science: Programming (0.5)
- AP Cybersecurity 1 (1.0)
- Cybersecurity Essentials (1.0)
- Cisco, Security, and Internetworking (3.0)*
- Technology Internship Program (1.0)
- Information Technology Workplace Experience (Internship Program) (0.5 or 1.0)
Web Page, Digital Multimedia & Information Resource Design
- Technology Concepts (0.5)
- Computer Applications (0.5)
- Introduction to Computer Science: Programming (0.5)
- AP Cybersecurity 1 (1.0)
- Web Design & Development I (0.5)
- Web Design & Development II (0.5)
- Technology Internship Program (1.0)
- Information Technology Workplace Experience (Internship Program) (0.5 or 1.0)
Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security
Manufacturing
- Apparel & Textile
- Cabinetmaking & Millwork
- Computer Installation & Repair Technology
- Industrial Electronics Technology
- Machine Tool Technology
- Parts and Warehouse Operations & Maintenance Technology
- Welding Technology