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JANUARY 22, 2025
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Jessica Wentz, a first grade teacher at Lincoln Grade School in Washington, Illinois, makes her way to the front of the gymnasium to accept her Milken Educator Award while students and colleagues cheer her on.
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NON-REGULATORY GUIDANCE ON IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
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Dear Colleagues:
It has been widely reported that President Trump has promised mass deportations of undocumented people in the United States. As leaders of public schools, we have both a legal and moral obligation to protect our students’ rights within our buildings. To be clear, our students are not criminals avoiding arrest when they show up at our schools.
All children in the United States are entitled to equal access to a basic public elementary and secondary education, regardless of their actual or perceived immigration status, or the status of their parents/guardians -- a standard upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in Plyler v. Doe, even in instances when a student may be undocumented.
While schools are not allowed to track or inquire as to a student’s or parent’s citizenship, ISBE has received numerous requests from districts as it relates to enforcement actions by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or one of its associated agencies (e.g., U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement [ICE] or Customs and Border Protection) on school property. We have developed non-regulatory guidance for public schools that are searching for more information in this area.
Access ISBE’s Non-Regulatory Guidance on Immigration Enforcement Actions.
ISBE's guidance recommends school boards and superintendents should consider the following course of action:
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Adopt policies and set forth administrative guidance that clearly explains the steps their schools should take in the event immigration enforcement personnel seek to carry out an enforcement action or otherwise request information from schools.
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Establish a point person or department where ICE personnel can be directed should they arrive on campus. This might include a legal office, superintendent, or chief executive officer.
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Establish a point person or department to review records requests or subpoenas arriving from ICE or other related authorities as well as keep track of ICE requests in case this information is needed for future reference.
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A school’s policy should be made available to and discussed with instructional staff, administrative staff, and other staff and faculty members who might otherwise be on campus.
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Schools should ensure that their student data-sharing policies are up to date and that such policies are readily available to all faculty and staff as well as all third-party contractors who might have access to student data.
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Instructional staff, administrative staff, and other staff and faculty members should receive appropriate training to ensure proper implementation of school policies.
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Schools should encourage parents to keep their child’s emergency contacts updated and accurate.
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights has an abundance of resources for immigrant families, including a Know Your Rights fact sheet in:
The ACLU also provides a Know Your Rights resource with guidance for families in specific immigration enforcement scenarios in both English and Spanish.
The National Partnership for New Americans has compiled a live document with legal protection resources and materials from across the country that will continue to be updated.
ISBE firmly believes that schools should be safe havens for all students, where students should be able to learn without fear. We can and should do everything within our power to protect our students and their right to learn while in our care. I advise every district to take the necessary steps outlined above to prepare to respond to immigration enforcement action.
Sincerely,
Tony
Dr. Tony Sanders
State Superintendent of Education
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NEW! DATA, ACCOUNTABILITY & ASSESSMENT
Assessment & Accountability Redesign Listening Tour
ISBE executive staff are crisscrossing the state to preview possible accountability models and assessment performance level descriptors that will lay the foundation for new proficiency benchmarks in Illinois. Stop by one of the listening tour events to give us your feedback. All events will be held from 1-3 p.m.:
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New Access for School Administrators and District Financial Staff + KIDS Data Now Available in My Data Dashboard!
The ability to view and work with summative designation data in My Data Dashboard has been a powerful tool for districts statewide. Thousands of additional users can now take advantage of access to summative designation and other data, as access to the system has been dramatically expanded.
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The Employment Information System includes a menu that allows designation of a staff member’s Ed360 role. This is different from the fields where you enter employment position codes.
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Selecting “District Administrator” will provide access to all schools’ data in your district, as always.
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Selecting “School Administrator” will provide access to the school you have indicated they are attached to as a staff member.
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Selecting “Financial District User” will provide access to the Financial Data Dashboard within My Data Dashboard.
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Users with the “ROE Admin” role will now have access to the summative designation screens for schools within their region.
As always, data available through My Data Dashboard can be powerfully connected to complete student rosters, allowing for quick and flexible analysis of student group performance. Access the tool via the secure sign-in available through the MyIRC portal. (Click “Login” at the top right corner of the Illinois Report Card website.)
Learn more about My Data Dashboard, the new levels of access, and features at a webinar from 2-3 p.m. Feb. 25.
Find additional My Data Dashboard resources, such as a quick-start user guide, by visiting the ISBE My Data Dashboard webpage.
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NEW! EDUCATOR RECOGNITION
Jessica Wentz Receives Surprise $25,000 Milken Educator Award
Jessica Wentz, a first grade teacher at Lincoln Grade School in Washington, was unexpectedly honored with the prestigious Milken Educator Award during a school assembly last week. The presentation was led by State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders and Milken Educator Awards Vice President Jennifer Fuller, with Wentz receiving the award as Illinois' sole 2024-25 recipient. Wentz, a graduate of the school where she now teaches, is the first teacher in Washington Grade School District 52 to receive the Milken Award. She is recognized for her creative teaching methods and leadership and known for engaging activities like “Adjective Runway” and the “Hulk Smash” math game, which helped boost her students’ reading proficiency from 45 percent to 94 percent. Beyond her classroom, Wentz mentors new teachers, serves on various school committees, and enjoys a strong community involvement. The award includes a $25,000 cash prize and opens opportunities for expanded educational leadership. Read more about the surprise announcement.
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NEW! FINANCE
School Finance Workshops
Superintendents, school business officials, and bookkeepers are invited to join ISBE regional financial consultants for a very informative School Finance Workshop! These workshops will cover a variety of topics, including the Basic Bookkeeper Guide, which outlines daily, weekly, and monthly tasks and why these are important for financial purposes. Other topics will include Financial Forecasting; Illinois Accounting Rules - Part 100; Fund Transfers, Cash Flows, and Workbook Review; State Budget Form; Annual Statement of Affairs; Grant Expenditure Reporting and Due Dates; Financial Reimbursement Information System Inquiry (FRIS) and more!
Register for the School Finance Workshop that best fits your location and schedule.
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SY 2025-26 EBF Funding: Half-Day to Full-Day Kindergarten Conversion
The Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula creates an Adequacy Target for each district based on total average student enrollment, English learner (EL) enrollment, and low-income student count. Kindergarten students are assigned a value of 0.5 in the data if they attend a half day and a value of 1.0 if they attend a full day. Per the EBF statute, a school district may inform the State Board of Education of its intent to convert from half-day to full-day kindergarten. Doing so will prompt conversion of all half-day students to appear as full-day students in the fiscal year 2026 EBF calculation data for both average student enrollment and EL enrollment. The statutory deadline to report the intent to move to full-day kindergarten instruction is March 1.
Any school district that wishes to make this change for the 2025-26 school year must email ISBE with a board resolution expressing the intent to make the change for the next school year, as well as the minutes from the meeting when the resolution was approved. If you have questions, contact sff@isbe.net or 217-782-0249.
Census Estimates Affect FY 2026 Title I Allocations
The U.S. Department of Education has released the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) for income year 2023. These estimates will be used to calculate FY 2026 Title I allocations. A file of 2023 Poverty Data by Local Education Agency (LEA) is provided. Note that this preliminary data does not include other non-census information, such as foster, neglected, or delinquent counts, that will be included to calculate actual Title I allocations. This data allows LEAs to determine their potential eligibility for the various funding streams of Title I -- Basic, Concentration, Targeted, and Education Finance Incentive Grants.
Superintendents, business managers, and Title I directors should carefully examine the data for their LEA, as this will be the first indication as to whether an LEA may be gaining or losing in eligibility for Title I funds in FY 2026. ISBE neither controls nor generates the data. There is a challenge period for LEAs to review the 2023 poverty and population data for certain non-statistical errors, which include errors the U.S. Census Bureau may have made in 1) processing input data or in running the estimation models/programs, or 2) preparing or processing information to define geographic boundaries (i.e., school district boundaries). This challenge period ends on March 17. Please contact the SAIPE program at 301-763-3193 or sehsd.saipe@census.gov to obtain information on the process to challenge the data. More information and guidance concerning the U.S. Census Bureau’s challenge procedure, as well as information about the data sources and the methodology used to prepare this data, are available on the U.S. Census Bureau website.
If you have questions, please contact Alex Wheeler at awheeler@isbe.net or 217-782-5256.
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NEW! INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
IWAS to MyISBE Listening Tour Begins Feb. 4
We are refreshing the ISBE Web Application Security (IWAS) system to enhance its features and make it easier to navigate and more user-friendly. We want to hear from school and district administrators, regional superintendents, and other users of IWAS about your pain points, concerns, and ideas.
Please join us at one of the following six tour events. All events will take place from 1-3 p.m. Please RSVP at isbe.eventbrite.com.
The new MyISBE will launch in FY 2026. We look forward to engaging you throughout the process from now until then.
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NEW! STANDARDS & INSTRUCTION
Unlock Free Professional Learning: Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan Course
We’re excited to announce the release of “What the Research Says: Effective Reading Instruction for All Students,” a free 16-module professional learning course designed to help educators build a strong foundation in evidence-based literacy instruction.
This course, aligned with the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan, provides a practical introduction to evidence-based strategies for improving literacy outcomes in K-12 students. It serves as an excellent first step for educators looking to deepen their understanding of effective reading instruction, offering foundational knowledge that can be expanded upon with more comprehensive professional learning opportunities.
Course Details:
We encourage educators across Illinois to explore this opportunity and share it with their teams. Together, we can continue working toward equitable literacy outcomes for all students. Register for “What the Research Says: Effective Reading Instruction for All Students” Learning Modules.
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How to TEAACH Webinar
Please join ISBE from 5-6 pm. Jan. 27 to learn more about the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act and on how to implement it in your curriculum. Every public elementary school and high school in the state has been required to include in its curriculum a unit of instruction about Asian American history since the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year. This workshop will give you some tools to ensure that you can implement Asian American history in your own classrooms. Register for the How to TEAACH webinar.
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New Virtual QL/Stats Transitional Math Course
The Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act requires school districts to provide transitional math courses, which are aimed at preparing high school seniors for college-level math courses. Transitional math courses ensure students are equipped with the necessary skills to succeed in higher education and the workforce.
Illinois Virtual Schools and Academy is excited to announce the availability of a Virtual QL/Stats Transitional Math Course to help districts fulfill the mandate. The new course serves as a prerequisite for General Education Statistics, General Education Mathematics, Quantitative Literacy, Elementary Mathematical Modeling, or a technical/occupational mathematics pathway.
Virtual Course Format – Learning Platforms
Most of the course material and assignments will be accessed via the Learning Management System, Canvas, with select unit projects and the course capstone occurring through Practera.
Statewide Portability & Models
This course is approved for statewide portability. To receive statewide portability for this course, you must enroll using the full virtual course package as is and the teacher of record provided via the Illinois Virtual Schools and Academy (IVSA).
This course is eligible for reimbursement through the ISBE Virtual Course Catalog. Visit the IVSA website to enroll in the Virtual QL/Stats Transitional Math course.
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EDUCATOR EFFECTIVENESS
2024 Illinois Educator Preparation Profile Now Available
The 2024 Illinois Educator Preparation Profile (IEPP) was released on Jan. 7. A few highlights from the 2024 IEPP include:
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6% Increase in Diverse Candidate Enrollment - Statewide diverse candidate enrollment increased compared to 2023.
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Diverse Candidate Enrollment is Trending Upward - Diverse candidate enrollment has increased each of the last four years.
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More Diverse Completers - The number of diverse completers increased by 14% compared to 2023.
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87% Placement Rate - A high percentage of completers begin working as a full-time teacher within two years of program completion in an Illinois public school, nonpublic school, or early learning setting.
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Teacher Retention Remains Above State Target - The statewide Persistence in Teaching score has remained above the state target for the past three years.
Learn more about updates to the 2024 IEPP and reauthorization statuses in an ISBE FAQ document.
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ILLINOIS FLAG COMMISSION
New Year, New Flag?
The public voting period for the Illinois state flag redesign contest is open! Illinoisans can vote for one of the Illinois Flag Commission’s top 10 new designs or one of three former flag designs, including the current one. Vote for your favorite by Feb. 14.
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ILLINOIS STUDENT ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
Become Certified in Financial Aid
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is providing a virtual Financial Aid Certification series for school personnel to support students through the financial aid process. The five-part series includes a detailed breakdown of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), the information required to complete the FAFSA or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application), and tips for students to better understand financial aid offers. This virtual series will consist of five sessions taking place Jan. 27-31. Participants who attend all five sessions will receive a link to the post-series assessment. Participants who score at least an 80 percent or higher on the assessment will receive an ISAC-issued certificate within 2-3 weeks after the training. Learn more and register for the ISAC Financial Aid Certification Series.
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Free Financial Aid Application Resources
With students now able to complete the FAFSA or the Alternative Application for the 2025-26 cycle, ISAC wants to remind you of some key resources available from ISAC:
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An ISACorps™ of near peer mentors are available to provide financial aid presentations and application completion workshops. You can schedule a presentation or workshop by completing an Outreach Request Form.
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ISACorps™ members also are available for virtual meetings with students. Students can book a virtual one-on-one meeting with an ISACorps™ staff member using the ISAC Booking page. They can book a virtual meeting up to seven days in advance, and there's an option to meet with a Spanish-speaking ISACorps™ member if they prefer. Please share this link with your students and colleagues in your network and community.
2025 Success Network Conference
You're invited to join a community of practice and peer-to-peer learning network at the Illinois Education and Career Success Network Conference Feb. 25 at the I-Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign. Access registration information and a preliminary agenda on the conference webpage.
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NUTRITION
Know the Requirements for School Breakfast Program Mandates
Now is a good time to review the requirements for the School Breakfast Program Mandates in the School Nutrition Programs Administrative Handbook (Section J: Miscellaneous Regulations).
Per 105 ILCS 126/15, every public school in which at least 40 percent of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunches in October of the preceding year must operate a school breakfast program. A district wishing to utilize the opt-out provision of this mandate for the upcoming school year must petition their regional superintendent of education no later than Feb. 15 of the current school year.
In addition, per 105 ILCS 126/16, every public school in which at least 70 percent of the students were eligible for free or reduced-prices in October of the preceding year must operate a Breakfast After the Bell program. Districts may be relieved from this Breakfast After the Bell requirement. Please review the SNP Administrative Handbook for more information.
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IN BRIEF
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Educator Opportunities
Online Seminar Series: Exploring Illinois’ Inclusive Learning Mandates
The Illinois Council for the Social Studies (ICSS) is pleased to offer an online professional development seminar series. Each two-hour online session explores a different Illinois inclusive learning mandate. ICSS members may earn professional development credit as they explore holocaust/genocide education, Asian American History, Native American History, and disability education. Session dates and times, membership links and registration links can be found on the ICSS website.
Rural Science and Math Teacher Retention Survey
Are you curious how to retain your rural science and math teachers? Would you like to hear about best practices in cultivating a high-quality and committed rural teacher workforce? Add your district’s perspective and learn from your peers! Please encourage your science and math teachers in Grades 6-12 to fill out the Rural Science and Math Teacher Retention Survey!
NORC at the University of Chicago and the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) are gathering data from rural teachers around the state to identify what strategies are effective and what is needed to implement them in other rural districts. The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete, and teachers who complete the survey will have a chance to win $100. The findings will be analyzed and results anonymously shared in several events around Illinois.
Learn more about the NORC/IWERC Study and meet the research team. Email ILRuralTeacherStudy@norc.org if you have any questions.
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Featured ISBE Career Opportunities
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The Illinois State Board of Education is the State Education Agency for Illinois. Our mission is to provide each and every child with safe and healthy learning conditions, great educators, and equitable opportunities by practicing data-informed stewardship of resources and policy development, all done in partnership with educators, families, and stakeholders.
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