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Board hears PACE framework presentation to post college- and career-readiness plan
Summary
At its regular meeting the Galena City School District Board of Education heard an informational presentation from Mrs. Hawkins on the Illinois PACE (Postsecondary and Career Expectations) framework and the district's plan to publish a living, grade-by-grade roadmap on the district website by July.
Mrs. Hawkins, a district staff member, told the board the PACE framework is a state-recommended structure for documenting what the district provides to prepare students for postsecondary education and careers. "The PACE the requirement is that every, school has to have a framework posted on their website, talking about what things are they providing, experiences, training, knowledge base, for students starting from sixth grade through twelfth grade," she said.
The presentation explained two related state expectations: schools must (1) establish student pathways that bundle coursework, certifications and job training and (2) post a PACE framework online that describes services from grade six through grade 12. Hawkins said the district already runs multiple approved pathways through its CTE partnership and is working to add a business pathway and expand others. "We currently have 4. All of them through our partnership with CTE: childcare, nursing, construction and auto mechanics," she said.
Hawkins described how the district adapted the state model after training with Northern Illinois University and feedback from the regional ROE. The draft framework is color-coded by focus areas (middle school: aspiration, self-advocacy and planning; high school: career exploration and development, financial aid and literacy, education exploration and preparation). She said the district adjusted the grade-level timing for some activities (for example, administering career-cluster and personality surveys in eighth grade rather than in high school) to match local practice and the counseling sequence.
Board members asked about implementation and coverage. Hawkins said everything in the draft framework is already underway in some form and that the document is intended to be a "living" plan updated annually: "The goal is to make it a living document and continue to add to it, update it, adjust it, learn from the experience," she told the board. She said the district has submitted a draft to the ROE, received feedback, made edits to be more specific about tools and programs (for example, naming the exact personality/career program used) and plans to post the approved version in July.
The presentation also covered how PACE connects to existing work: counseling tier-1 services, the district's seal of biliteracy, CTE pathways and planned additions. Hawkins said participation expectations vary by grade and program: general career exploration and online tools (e.g., Xello) are used for all students, while pathway enrollment or CTE participation is specialized based on student choices and program capacity.
Board members thanked Hawkins and indicated the board will expect a final draft for posting in July and may review wording before it goes live.
