Making the Grade: Sauk Valley-area students obtain career endorsements, plan futures through Pathways program
May 30—STERLING — More than 40 high school graduates from across the Sauk Valley took advantage of a program this year that helped prepare them for careers in the education sector.
Created under the state's 2016 Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act, the Illinois College & Career Pathway Endorsement Program allows students to earn a formal endorsement on their high school diploma or transcript by completing a series of structured requirements designed to prepare them for life after high school in their chosen career path.
Students choose from one of seven career pathways:
* Agriculture food and natural resources
* Health sciences and technology
* Finance and business services
* Arts and communications
* Information technology
* Human and public services
* Manufacturing, engineering, technology and trades
According to the PWR Act, to qualify for the endorsement, students must complete the following requirements:
* Students must complete an individualized learning plan that outlines their college pathway and relates to their career goals and plans for financial aid. They also must include a resume and a personal statement.
* Complete at least two career exploration activities or one intensive experience before graduating. This can include completing a career-interest survey, attending a career fair, interviewing someone from their chosen career field, participating in a college visit and job shadowing or visiting a local business.
* Complete at least two team-based projects with adult mentoring that focuses on solving a problem related to their chosen career field.
* Complete 60 cumulative hours in a paid or for-credit, supervised career development experience, concluding with an evaluation of their professional skills. This can be completed at any point throughout their four years of high school, including during the summer.
* Complete two years of high school coursework, or demonstrate equivalent competencies, leading toward a postsecondary credential with recognized labor market value. This includes a minimum of six hours of early college credit that can be earned by taking dual-credit classes, Advanced Placement classes or college classes.
* Demonstrate college-ready proficiency in English and math by graduation. This can be done in one of several ways, including earning the required scores on the ACT, SAT, or college placement tests; achieving the required grade-point average set by their local community college, or receiving a grade of "C" or higher in transitional English and math classes.
Anji Garza is the director of Professional Learning and Educational Services for Regional Office of Education No. 47 in Sterling. She said students who earn an endorsement enter college better prepared and more confident in their chosen career paths, having already explored their interests through real-world experience.
"This allows students to explore their options much more intentionally, as opposed to students who go and maybe don't have that career in mind, and then they're exploring those options in college, which we know can be a very expensive career exploration endeavor," Garza said.
Students with an endorsement also earn a $100 credit at Dixon's Sauk Valley Community College. In 2021, SVCC — in partnership with ROE 47 — was awarded a $249,000 grant from the Illinois State Board of Education to support career pathways for high school students. It was the first phase of a four-part grant cycle totaling $747,000.
SVCC's Peer Academic Support Services Facilitator Celina Benson said the CCPE program offers students exposure to careers in their chosen field they might not have previously considered.
"When you think about health sciences, the first thing you think of is a doctor or a nurse, but there's so many other careers within that sector," Benson said. "Whether it's rad tech or sonography, they might not have been exposed to some of that information. With this program, they get to see it firsthand within those careers."
Additionally, students who earn their endorsement in the education pathway are advanced to the final round for the Golden Apple Scholarship, which provides the winners with four years of free college tuition and fees.
In 2022, Gov. JB Pritzker signed Public Act 102-0917, which requires all Illinois high school districts to begin offering College and Career Pathway Endorsements. Starting with the Class of 2027, districts must apply to the state to offer at least one endorsement area — either on their own, through a career center, or in partnership with other districts.
By 2029, they must add a second endorsement, and by 2031, districts with more than 350 high school students must offer a third.
ROE 47 Digital Teaching & Learning Specialist Stacey Dinges said 18 school districts throughout the Sauk Valley currently offer at least one pathway endorsement. Participating school districts include:
* Riverbend Community Unit School Dist 2
* Dixon Public Schools 170
* Rock Falls High School 301
* Morrison Community Unit School Dist 6
* Amboy Community Unit School District 272
* Ashton-Franklin Center CUSD 275
* Forrestville Valley CUSD 221
* Regional Safe School Center for Change
* Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico 3
* Byron CUSD 226
* Rock Falls Elementary District 13
* Sterling District 5
* Whiteside Area Career Center
* Ohio CCSD 17
* Rochelle Township High School
* Oregon Community Unit School District 220
* Polo Community Unit School District
* Chadwick-Milledgeville CUSD 399
* Eastland CUSD 308
As of July 1, 2025, all districts must either apply to offer the required number of endorsement areas or have a board-approved plan in place to meet the deadlines. Districts also have the option to opt out by passing a formal resolution through their school board.
"Each school does it a little differently," Dinges said. "Some students use their community colleges, some districts use their Career Center, and some do it all in-house. It just depends on the district."
For more information, call ROE 47 at 815-625-1495 or visit roe47.org.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
British businessman ‘spied for Beijing and tried to smuggle weapons into China'
A British businessman tried to smuggle missiles and drones into China and attempted to silence critics of Xi Jinping, according to an indictment. John Miller is accused of spying for the Chinese Communist Party and faces extradition to the US after his arrest in Serbia. The 63-year-old allegedly referred to Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, as 'The Boss' in intercepted phone calls and conducted surveillance on an artist who created statues mocking the country's leader. In April, Mr Miller was arrested along with 43-year-old Chinese national Cui Guanghai, in Belgrade, Serbia, on the orders of the FBI and is now awaiting extradition to the US where he could be jailed for 20 years. Over two and a half years, Mr Miller and Mr Cui allegedly employed a wide range of tactics to harass, intimidate, stalk and threaten a Los Angeles resident, known only as 'the victim', who is a public critic of President Xi. 'As alleged, the defendants targeted a US resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime,' said Todd Blanche, the US deputy attorney Miller is a long-time resident of the US, but also owns a £1.5 million home in Tunbridge Wells in Kent. Companies House records show Mr Miller has held roles in at least five UK companies, including TEFL Jobs China Ltd, which seemed to facilitate English language teaching jobs, but is now dissolved. A few months before the case began in June 2023, Mr Miller went to China where he met with Chinese government officials in Beijing and Liaoning, a province in north-east China that borders North Korea. He also met someone who works for the governor of Liaoning. During the trip, Mr Cui reportedly introduced Mr Miller to two people, who Mr Miller later referred to as 'big mother------s.' Upon his return, he reportedly boasted that 'the trip couldn't have gone better'. The first incident referred to in the indictment occurred shortly after he returned. In October 2023, Mr Miller and Mr Cui approached two individuals who, unbeknownst to them, were working for the FBI. They enlisted the undercover agents to stop 'the victim' from protesting against Xi's appearance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit the following month. Mr Miller and Mr Cui allegedly installed tracking devices on 'the victim's' car and paid the undercover agents to slash their tires. Mr Miller and Mr Cui also devised a complex plan to destroy a set of statues created by 'the victim'. These depicted President Xi and his wife bare-chested, kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs, and were potentially going to be displayed at a protest. The 'victim' had previously displayed the statues in Times Square electronic billboards and broadcast the display on X, according to court documents. Initially, Mr Miller had wanted to steal the statues and 'remove the heads' as evidence, but later decided to pay the undercover FBI agents to 'smash up' them up. In 2025, Mr Miller paid the agents $36,500 (£27,100) to convince 'the victim' to desist from showcasing the new statues at an upcoming protest, after 'the victim' had displayed the statues on a 24-hour live feed online. Beyond the intimidation schemes, Mr Miller also allegedly tried to purchase millions of pounds worth of military equipment on behalf of the Chinese military. Mr Miller reportedly tried to buy a £37,000 Stinger portable missile launcher, two military drones valued at £148,000, a £668,000 AGM-88E anti-radiation missile system and a £1.5 million air-defence radar system. He also allegedly tried to procure a cryptographic device, which is used for secure communication of classified and sensitive information. At one point, the Briton suggested that the device be smuggled from the US to China by hiding it inside a food blender or a motor starter, having shipped it first via DHL or FedEx to Hong Kong, according to court documents. Several times in Mr Miller's conversations, he mentions a 'boss' or at times a 'big boss' that seems to be the one giving orders. According to the special FBI agent who submitted the affidavit, Mr Miller's use of the phrase 'boss' 'refer[s] to President Xi' and 'demonstrates [Miller's] awareness that he was acting at the direction and control of the [Chinese] government.' Mr Blanche said: 'This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values. This Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on US soil, nor will we allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defence systems. 'We will act decisively to expose and dismantle these threats wherever they emerge.' Bill Essayli, attorney for the Central District of California, said: 'The indictment alleges that Chinese foreign actors targeted a victim in our nation because [they] criticised the Chinese government and its president. 'My office will continue to use all legal methods available to hold accountable foreign nationals engaging in criminal activity on our soil.' Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said: 'The FBI will not tolerate transnational repression targeting those in the United States who express dissenting opinions about foreign leaders. 'Both defendants face serious stalking charges in Los Angeles and my office intends to hold them accountable for bullying a victim, a critic of the PRC [People's Republic of China], and targeting him with violence.' If convicted, Mr Miller could also face the maximum penalties of five years in prison for conspiracy, five years in prison for interstate stalking, and 10 years in prison for smuggling. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
First Thing: Trump wins temporary reprieve as he fights against court block on tariffs
Good morning. The Trump administration is racing to halt a major blow to its sweeping tariffs after a US court ruled they 'exceed any authority granted to the president'. A US trade court ruled on Wednesday that Donald Trump's tariffs regime was illegal, in a dramatic twist that could block his controversial global trade policy. On Thursday, an appeals court agreed to a temporary pause on the decision pending an appeal hearing. The Trump administration is expected to take the case to the supreme court if it loses. On what basis did the judges rule the tariffs unlawful? The court's ruling stated that Trump's tariff orders 'exceed any authority granted to the president … to regulate importation by means of tariffs'. How are tariffs usually approved? Tariffs typically need to be approved by Congress but Trump has so far bypassed that requirement by claiming that the country's trade deficits amount to a national emergency. The carbon footprint of the first 15 months of Israel's war on Gaza will be greater than the annual planet-warming emissions of 100 individual countries, exacerbating the global climate emergency on top of the huge civilian death toll, research reveals. A study shared exclusively with the Guardian found the long-term climate cost of destroying, clearing and rebuilding Gaza could top 31m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). This is more than the combined 2023 annual greenhouse gases emitted by Costa Rica and Estonia, for example. There is no obligation for states to report military emissions to the UN climate body. What about Hamas? Hamas bunker fuel and rockets account for about 3,000 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of just 0.2% of the total direct conflict emissions, while 50% were generated by the supply and use of weapons, tanks and other ordnance by the Israeli military, the study found. Faizan Zaki's enthusiasm for spelling nearly got the better of him. Ultimately, his joyful approach made him the Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. The favorite entering the bee after his runner-up finish last year – during which he never misspelled a word in a conventional spelling round, only to lose a lightning-round tiebreaker that he didn't practice for – the shaggy-haired Faizan wore the burden of expectations lightly, sauntering to the microphone in a black hoodie and spelling his words with casual glee. Throughout last night's finals, the 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, looked like a champion in waiting. Then he nearly threw it away. But even a shocking moment of overconfidence on the word 'commelina' – instead of first asking common questions, such as definition, he let his showman's instincts take over and began 'K-A-M,' before realizing his error – couldn't prevent him from seizing the title of best speller in the English language. What word did he spell to win? His winning word was 'éclaircissement'. Faizan didn't ask a single question before spelling it correctly, and he pumped his fists and collapsed to the stage after saying the final letter. A vessel bearing human remains has been found nearly a year after the US Coast Guard suspended the search for a family of four missing after their boat capsized off Alaska, officials said. Sexual exploitation and domestic violence soared after the catastrophic Lahaina wildfire in 2023, research has found. Doctors have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can predict which men with prostate cancer will benefit from the drug abiraterone, which halves the risk of dying and has been described as a 'gamechanger' treatment. Russian forces have used North Korean weapons to terrorize entire cities, according to a report by UN members that reveals the extent of Moscow's dependence on the regime in Pyongyang. I took the job as the Guardian's Jerusalem correspondent in 2021, although I was reluctant about it, writes Bethan McKernan. I was happy living in Istanbul as the paper's Turkey and Middle East correspondent and the Jerusalem gig was notoriously thankless. Every single word published under my name would be forensically examined for signs of bias. In the end, I took the job – and now, four years later, I am leaving Jerusalem. I have learned a lot, and the experience has changed me. Almost 40% of glaciers in existence today are already doomed to melt due to climate-heating emissions from fossil fuels, a study has found. The loss will soar to 75% if global heating reaches the 2.7C rise for which the world is on track. The massive loss of glaciers would push up sea levels, endangering millions of people and driving mass migration, the researchers said. 'As a schoolboy in Canada, I was fascinated by the Guinness Book of Records,' Gary Duschl says. 'Little did I know then that in 1994 I would break a world record and feature in the book I adored as a young boy, all thanks to my childhood hobby – making paper chains out of chewing-gum wrappers.' First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you're not already signed up, subscribe now. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
A 4-year-old named this Fresno family's breakfast restaurant. What's on the menu?
Inside Look is a Fresno Bee series where we take readers behind the scenes at restaurants, new businesses, local landmarks and news stories. When a new breakfast restaurant is named by the daughter of the owners, you know it's a family-run business. That's the case at the newly opened Branch Breakfast Co. in northwest Fresno, at Marks and Herndon avenues near Save Mart. It opened in early May in the former Daddy Waffles spot, which closed late last year. Branch was the name of the make-believe restaurant where then 4-year-old Kaydence Cardoza (she's now 9) served her parents Cheerios and milk on a folding Minnie Mouse table. Brett and Stephanie Cardoza have a more sophisticated menu at their real restaurant. It features a little bit of everything — traditional breakfasts, some Mexican-influenced dishes — and everything from the biscuits to the mixed-berry jam is made from scratch. 'We have people ordering just a biscuit for the jam,' said server Esther Contreras. A chile verde omelet is proving to be a popular favorite, made with Oaxaca cheese. You can catch a whiff of Stephanie's favorite, the shrimp and grits bowl, before it even hits the table. It's made with sweet chili shrimp, linguica and two sunnyside up eggs. There are also pancakes, waffles, and bacon, along with steak and eggs, avocado toast and a burger with an English muffin bun. The Cardozas know they're opening a restaurant at a time when others are closing. The last BJ's Kountry Kitchen closed recently (replaced by The Waffle Place), as did Country Kitchen in downtown Fresno, and several others. Food costs are high, customers spooked by tariffs are pulling back on spending and the price of eggs has been an emotional roller coaster for everyone in the breakfast business. 'It's a huge risk because it's everything we have,' Brett Cardoza said. 'It's our whole heart and soul.' The pair doesn't have investors. This project is their baby. But both have years in the restaurant industry — she managing and serving, and he managing at some of the most respected restaurants in town. He recently oversaw food and beverage operations for all eight restaurants at Table Mountain Casino. But the price of eggs is coming down, and they know how to keep costs down, he said. Most dishes on the menu are priced between $16 and $18. Plus, the restaurant is a dream for the couple, and there are always challenges when tackling that, Stephanie Cardoza said. For her, opening Branch is a return to the neighborhood she grew up in (where people routinely pull their golf carts up to the back of the restaurant). She's a Bullard High School graduate. He went to Immanuel High School in Reedley, his first job washing dishes and The Spike & Rail Steak House in Selma. In addition to 9-year-old Kaydence, you may also see their 4-year-old, Owen, in the restaurant. Kaydence named her make-believe restaurant Branch (they're not quite sure why, though she did draw a picture of a branch with a bird, and she was watching the TV show 'Trolls' at the time, which has a character named Branch). Also, Brett Cardoza, who grew up in Laton, always loved the oak trees in his home town. A large oak branch decorates the entrance to the restaurant. It's a metaphor for the branches of a family tree, and brings back memories of their little girl's play restaurant, the parents note. Stephanie Cardoza smiles when she remembers how she ordered a soda at that make-believe restaurant, but her daughter said all they had was milk. She brought out the entire gallon, with a straw sticking out the top. 'We're like, 'Wow, this is great service, but your foods costs are going to be terrible,'' she joked. Details: Branch Breakfast Co. is at 7089 N. Marks. Ave., suite 101. Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Tuesdays. 559-214-5424.
