In the Workplace Aurora

Improving economic development is vital to all communities and central to long-term success with Aurora’s efforts to ensure economic prosperity across such a large, diverse community. To further such efforts, Illinois has enacted policies requiring school districts to implement work-based learning. Work-Based Learning requires committed, long-term partnerships with employers across all Career Pathways, and building these relationships and engaging employers in the possibilities and benefits of work-based learning takes significant time. 

In the Workplace Aurora will jump start these efforts by leveraging existing community-based, business-focused organizations to bring employers and school districts together for training led by NIU’s Illinois P-20 Network, a statewide leader in work-based learning and career readiness. The In the Workplace Auora effort is supported by the generosity of the Dunham Foundation.

East Aurora School District 131, West Aurora School District 129, and the VALEES EFE leadership have been in close collaboration with the Illinois P-20 Network to implement this exciting project, which seeks to engage employers in the benefits and mechanics of the work-based learning continuum. Employer engagement events are now scheduled, and employers from throughout the Aurora region are encouraged to attend one of the three sessions (with a meal included) to learn more about both why they would want to collaborate with the school districts and how to collaborate on bringing students in to the workplace to apply the skills that they are learning at school and to learn about careers.

Join us at any of the following free sessions:

April 16 – 11.30 AM – Aurora Economic Alliance Office (map) Lunch included at no cost to attendees

April 27 – 11.30 AM – East Aurora School District 131 District Office (map) Lunch included at no cost to attendees

June 11 – 8.00 AM – West Aurora Weisner Center (map) Breakfast included at no cost to attendees

February 2026

Webinar – Dual Credit and Weighted Grades v2

During the latter part of the fall and early this winter, we shared a survey statewide regarding current high school weighted grade practices with regards to dual credit coursework. The survey data has been analyzed, and we are excited to host a webinar in collaboration with ILACEP to share these results. The webinar will be held on Tuesday, February 17 at 1 PM. The webinar is free, and you are encouraged to share with colleagues! 

January 2026

Dual Credit Think Tank – Legislative Priorities Survey Update

This week, the Dual Credit Think Tank met and reviewed the data that resulted from the Legislative Priorities Survey that was launched following the August 1 Legislative Update Webinar. The survey sought to identify which topics related to HB5020 were most important to the field. Once those topics were identified, the goal would be to relaunch dialogue on these topics among interested and diverse groups of practitioners from school districts and postsecondary institutions to try to arrive at compromise and consensus. 

During this week’s Dual Credit Think Tank meetings, participants collaborative analyzed the data. They sought to identify what patterns emerged in the data and which topics respondents felt were most important for further discussion (including identification of the evidence that supported these topics). 

As this Newsletter goes out, the Illinois P-20 Network team is reviewing the responses from Dual Credit Think Tank participants and identifying action steps, which will be communicated to Think Tank participants in the coming weeks. To stay up-to-date on what is taking place with the Dual Credit Think Tank, please visit the Illinois P-20 Network’s Dual Credit Think Tank website and watch for upcoming Illinois P-20 Network Newsletters.  

October 2024

Lots of Free CTE Learning Opportunities for Educators

In February, the Summer 2024 ISBE CTE Professional Learning Calendar was released. The Summer 2024 Calendar includes 24 workshops, including in-person workshops across Illinois. 

Today, the 2024-2025 ISBE CTE Professional Learning Calendar is released. In addition to the three online asynchronous professional learning courses that are running multiple times each year, this 2024-2025 Calendar features 65 workshops, including workshops focused on equity and closing opportunity and achievement gaps, workshops focused on new teachers, workshops focused on the integration of literacy and math instruction, workshops focused on CTE coursework in specific Career Pathways, and workshops to support administrators and counselors. 

Please share with educators in your school districts and regions and register today!

May 2024

NIU Illinois CTE Project is Hiring

UPDATE – Apply now for our CTE Educator position. Applications are now open with a priority review date of June 23, 2023.

The NIU Illinois CTE Project Team is excited to announce that we will be hiring a CTE Educator. While the position’s official job vacancy posting is not yet out, as the school year is wrapping up across Illinois, we wanted to share this opportunity as widely as possible, and we want to stress that candidates for this position will be considered from across Illinois.  

This position presents an incredible opportunity to work with educators and school districts across Illinois and to partner closely with the Illinois State Board of Education’s Career and Technical Education team. 

Highlights of the Job Description

The CTE Educator is an instructor in the Northern Illinois University Division of Outreach, Engagement, and Regional Development (OERD). Outreach and Engagement Instructors are professionals who conduct the division’s multitude of outreach and engagement activities with customers and partners across the region. This position will be primarily focused on instructional tasks – curriculum development, delivery of instruction, assessment and evaluation. Outreach and Engagement Instructors operate independently with minimal supervision and collaborate intentionally with colleagues across the division and across the university.

Duties and Responsibilities

Curriculum Development

1. Lead development of instructional programs for students and teachers of all ages including, but not limited to new units of activities for students and teachers in both domestic and international settings.
2. Research and develop curriculum and instructional activities, select books and other instructional materials, create videos of experts and authors as needed for the units.
3. Investigate, develop, and promote new and innovative programming opportunities, especially those tailored to the needs of students with disabilities.
4. Recruit and collaborate with NIU faculty, staff, and students to participate in NIU CTE and NIU CTE instructional programs.
5. Write lessons, podcasts and other curricular materials that are aligned to standards and focus on building CTE and CTE skills.

Instructional Delivery – 30%

1. Create proposals to deliver instruction in school classrooms, field, clinics, camps, across campus and online or other learning environments.
2. Deliver high-quality instruction as an individual or part of a team that performs within timelines and within budgets and meets evaluation expectations.
3. Deliver CTE instruction to families and community members in schools and communities on campus and off campus during school days, evenings, weekends, and summers.
4. Monitor regional and national literacy news, research and publications a to identify opportunities for new programs and partners.

Assessment and Evaluation – 20%

1. Study and use best practices for CTE instruction.
2. Conduct a continuous improvement process, identifying metrics that establish accountability for CTE projects.
3. Collect metrics and complete analyses as needed to determine effectiveness.
4. Complete reports on outcomes and others needed or required.
5. Work with faculty and SPA staff to identify opportunities, assist in development of proposals, and provide support as needed to research teams.

Other tasks that impact instructional improvement or innovation – 20%

1. Coordinate with the P-20 Center’s personnel to ensure effective and efficient administration and operations.
2. Work with P-20 Center students in instructional development, delivery and evaluation.
3. Nurture established CTE delivery networks and develop new ones.
4. Identify and cultivate internal and external sponsors of particular instructional programs.
5. Serve as a liaison between NIU CTE and NIU’s many CTE academic departments, cultivating positive relationships with internal individuals and organizations.
6. Work with messaging and media staff to promote CTE programs to targeted audiences.
7. Represent the university, the division and the program to internal and external clients in a multitude of venues.
8. Cultivate positive relationships with external individuals and organizations, including developing and sustaining both new and existing CTE and CTE partnerships.
9. Collaborate across OERD’s networks, integrating NIU CTE activities into other networks, maximizing involvement of faculty, and increasing involvement of external partners.

Requirements of the Position

Minimum Educational Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a CTE field required.
• Master’s degree preferred.

Minimum Experience Requirements

• Two years’ experience as a secondary CTE instructor.
• Professional presentations in a CTE/CTE or educational field.
• Two years’ demonstration of leading a team to produce high quality CTE/CTE programming, curriculum, instruction and/or assessment including creating accommodations for disabilities.

Licensing or Certification Required

• Illinois Professional Educator License – Teacher licensure required in CTE field.
• Administrative licensure preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Critical to Performance of this Position

• Experience with new Perkins V Needs Assessment and Program of Study Process.
• Involved in Illinois Perkins V planning.
• Familiar with EFE/ACC requirements and improvement planning processes and documents.
• Experience with local WIOA connections.
• Experience with successful local business and industry councils.
• In-depth knowledge of at least one CTE discipline.

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Create and deliver professional development according to state and national standards.
• Ability to work successfully as a team leader and as a team member.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently with minimal supervision, initiate new projects, and network across CTE networks, NIU, and the region.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Commitment to accountability for the university’s outreach and engagement mission, presidential goals such as increasing partnerships, and division goals for mutually beneficial engagement with communities across the region.

May 2023

Updated PaCE Framework Webinar

Learn more about the new Middle School and updated High School PaCE Frameworks and give feedback

As required by HB3296, which was signed into law last May by Governor Pritzker and updated the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act, the state educational agencies led by ISAC and including ISBE, ICCB, and IBHE, have released drafts of an updated High School PaCE Framework and a new Middle School PaCE Framework for public comment. 

On Monday, March 13 at 9 AM, the Illinois P-20 Network will host a webinar providing an overview of the PaCE Framework, the updates to the High School PaCE Framework, and details regarding the Middle School PaCE Framework. This webinar is free and open to all educators across Illinois, yet it will be specifically geared for the elementary and unit school districts that have not begun to consider the PaCE Framework with the new requirements extending to grades 6-8. 

High school districts are encouraged to share this learning and feedback opportunity with their sender elementary school districts. Feedback to the state educational agencies can be provided via this online PaCE Framework feedback form until March 21, 2023.

February 2023