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JUNE 24, 2025
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Students from Elmwood Community Schools #322 were among the 7,000 FFA members and guests who gathered in Springfield for the annual Illinois FFA convention. Illinois has the fourth largest FFA organization in the nation.
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ISBE'S SUCCESSFUL LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES
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Dear Colleagues:
The Illinois State Board of Education entered the 2025 spring legislative session with an ambitious agenda. We are grateful that lawmakers gave bipartisan, near-unanimous support to nearly all the initiatives ISBE introduced this spring. I want to give a shoutout to our dedicated Legislative Affairs staff for working around the clock to answer questions, prepare testimony, and advocate for these critical measures addressing teacher pipeline issues, supporting school improvement, and ensuring a safe and equitable learning environment for our students.
The following ISBE initiatives have been passed by both Houses:
Senate Bill 1947 continues to build on ISBE’s work to address the teacher shortage by addressing gaps in law and creating new routes to a Professional Educator License (PEL). Overall, the bill acknowledges the experience and expertise of our invaluable paraprofessionals by creating an expedited route to licensure through the new Paraprofessional to Teacher Pathway Program. It also streamlines testing requirements for school support personnel who are already professionally licensed and allows educator preparation programs and community colleges to, upon request, form partnerships to offer coursework leading to a PEL to someone who already has a bachelor’s degree. Lastly, the bill pushes back the requirement for teacher candidates to complete a teacher performance assessment (TPA) to Aug. 31, 2026, providing time for Illinois to implement a state-developed TPA.
Senate Bill 1583 expands your school improvement options in our Statewide System of Support by allowing the state superintendent to designate any Regional Office of Education or Intermediate Service Center as a learning partner.
Senate Bill 1329 is a common-sense proposal that closes a loophole in law by allowing the state superintendent to notify the relevant employer when an Illinois educator is under investigation for misconduct that threatens student safety. That means that if our agency learns a teacher, coach, or other school staff member is being investigated for physical injury, sexual misconduct or any offense defined in Section 21B-80 of the School Code, I will be able to alert the district where they work or where they most recently were employed.
Senate Bill 1519 ensures equitable learning environments for our students by making it clear that the issuance of fines, fees, tickets, or citations on school grounds as a disciplinary consequence is prohibited – as was intended by Public Act 99-0456. By July 1, 2026, districts that use a school resource officer will need to have a memorandum of understanding with the officer’s agency to, among other things, define the role and duties of the officer and specify that they are prohibited from issuing ticketing or citations on school property. In the 2027-28 school year, districts must send ISBE an annual report of the number of students referred to a law enforcement officer or agency, and by Jan. 31, 2029, that data must be posted on our website.
All in all, more than 220 education-related bills were introduced, and 55 passed. Of those, 23 are new educational mandates, and for the first time since I’ve been superintendent, no new instructional requirements moved forward. Instead, educational stakeholders, along with ISBE, came together to streamline School Code provisions and create the School Mandate Reduction Council, which will submit recommendations to the General Assembly by Oct. 1, 2026.
Whether you have time off or you are one of the many Illinois educators helping students with credit recovery or other educational endeavors, I hope you’re getting to rest, recharge, and enjoy the long, sunny days of summer.
All my best,
Tony
Dr. Tony Sanders
State Superintendent of Education
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NEW! DATA STRATEGIES & ANALYTICS
Illinois High School 2 Career Now Available in Polish
The Illinois High School 2 Career website uses real outcomes from past Illinois high school graduates to equip future students with the information they need to make informed decisions about their postsecondary and career options. The platform displays information gathered from actual Illinois students over an eight-year period and provides a snapshot of the education that is required and the compensation and job stability a student can expect in hundreds of different occupations. It allows students to filter the information by various characteristics to find the pathways most relevant to them.
In addition to English, Spanish, and Arabic, Illinois High School 2 Career is now available in Polish! Use the language button at the top right of the website to toggle between languages. We encourage families and guidance counselors to review the short video tutorial on the website and then help the students in their lives explore careers.
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Annual EPS Verification Due June 27
The Entity Profile System (EPS) is the ISBE system of record for districts, schools, and other educational entities. Information in EPS is used to populate and grant permissions to many critical ISBE systems, including the Student Information System, Illinois Report Card, and Employment Information System. EPS information is publicly reported and used when sending official ISBE communications, including grant notification letters, etc. It is essential that EPS be updated with current information.
All regional superintendents, public school district superintendents, and nonpublic school administrators must verify their organization’s information in EPS by June 27.
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No Change: Entities that have no changes can log in to EPS, click “Review/Verify,” confirm information, check “No Changes,” enter the “Effective Date,” and click “Save Request.”
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Changes for school year 2025-26: If you have updates for SY 2025-26, set your effective date to July 1, 2025, or later.
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Immediate Changes: For immediate changes, adjust the effective date accordingly. The EPS team will process most requests within five business days, and these updates will carry forward to the new school year.
Most changes can be made online through EPS via IWAS. Outdated information may cause delays in application processing. Refer to the Instructions to Update EPS via IWAS for step-by-step details to enter changes. If you have administrator changes effective July 1, 2025, ensure updates are completed by June 27, 2025. ISBE will begin processing new local IWAS administrator accounts for Regional Offices of Education and school districts on this date.
For assistance, contact:
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NEW! INSTRUCTIONAL EDUCATION
Full-Day Kindergarten Implementation Process
Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/10-22.18) requires that all elementary and unit school districts must offer full-day kindergarten no later than the 2027-2028 school year. The Full-Day Kindergarten Task Force was created as specified in School Code (105 ILCS 5/10-22.18e) to conduct a statewide audit to inform the planning and implementation of full-day kindergarten. This work found that some districts face challenges to establishing full-day kindergarten in a timely manner.
Under current criteria, elementary or unit districts with funding below 76 percent adequacy, according to the fiscal year 2023 Evidence-Based Funding calculation, may request up to a two-year delay for the implementation of full-day kindergarten.
The Full-Day Kindergarten Task Force, as the centerpiece of its charge, also recommended additional criteria for ISBE to consider in granting extension requests. These criteria include considerations for available building space, staffing, transportation limitations, funding challenges, and scheduling concerns. The full list is provided in detail on pages 30-33 of the Full-Day Kindergarten Task Force final report. The criteria also are outlined in the extension application found on the School Finance webpage.
You can find the Delay of Full Kindergarten Application, the Five Year Projection Workbook, and more information on the process for submitting an extension application on the School Finance webpage. You can find information about the work of the task force -- including a required interim report and the final report -- on the Full Day Kindergarten Task Force webpage.
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NEW! STANDARDS & INSTRUCTION
Parent Mentor Program Application Now Available
The Parent Engagement Institute (PEI), a partnership between Palenque LSNA and Southwest Organizing Project, is looking for community organization and school partnerships in Illinois to apply to start the Parent Mentor Program in their local public schools. PEI anticipates the average grant amount would be at least $104,000 to start up and run a Parent Mentor Program in two schools, with a cohort of six to eight parent mentors in each school during the 2025-2026 school year.
Parent mentors volunteer one-on-one and in small groups with students in classrooms for two hours/day for at least 200 hours. Parent mentors access weekly professional development on instructional practices, leadership and career opportunities, mentoring from a teacher, and stipends. Parent mentors support each other within their cohort to pursue their dreams and unite their school community for long-term change. For more information, please visit the Parent Engagement Institute website.
The application deadline will be Aug. 1, but PEI is offering an informational session at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 26, on Zoom. Register here. The slide deck, recording of the info session, and all application materials will be available on the Parent Engagement Institute website.
If you have questions, please email Adriana Velazquez at avelazquez@swopchicago.org or Bridget Murphy at bmurphy@palenquelsna.org.
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NEW! WELLNESS & STUDENT CARE
Final Call: Submit Your FitnessGram Data by June 30
Let’s keep Illinois students moving! All public schools serving Grades 3–12 participate in FitnessGram, an annual fitness assessment designed to promote healthy habits, track progress, and improve student wellness.
Reminder: FitnessGram reporting is required for the 2024–25 school year. This marks the second consecutive year reporting has been mandatory following the pandemic -- it’s here to stay.
All results for Grades 5, 7, and 10 must be submitted electronically via IWAS by the end of the day on June 30. Timely submissions support stronger wellness programs and better student outcomes statewide.
Please reach out to us at RSEITZN@isbe.net if your district did not complete testing this year, or if you don't currently have anyone set up in IWAS to submit results.
Need help? Check out the IWAS Electronic Submission User Guide for student health data.
Why it matters:
- Students gain awareness of their personal fitness and health.
- Parents get insight into their child’s physical wellness.
- Educators receive valuable data to enhance PE programs.
We are raising the bar on reporting. Together, we can make Illinois one of the fittest states in the country! Visit the ISBE Enhanced Physical Education webpage for more information.
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SAFE & HEALTHY CLIMATE
2025-26 ISBE Student Advisory Council Applications Due June 30
ISBE is now accepting applications for the 2025-26 Student Advisory Council (SAC). The ISBE SAC provides students with an opportunity to build advocacy and leadership skills and lend their voices to policy development and important issues in education. The SAC meets with stakeholders, policymakers, and community partners virtually and in person each month to examine research, brainstorm new ideas, and develop policy recommendations to present to the Board from a student perspective.
Public and charter school students who will be a sophomore, junior, or senior during the 2025-26 academic school year are eligible to apply for the SAC. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. June 30. Please encourage your students to apply. Contact ISBESAC@isbe.net if you have questions.
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IN BRIEF
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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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