Electronic and Data Initiatives and Resources

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Electronic and Data Initiatives and Resources

• Abel Montoya
• Director of Outreach Operations
• Illinois Student Assistance Commission

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Illinois Student Assistance Commissions Big Goal

• Increase the proportion of Illinois adults with a
  postsecondary credential to 60 by 2025

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Economic Impact for Illinois

• More than 46,100 student did not graduate from
  Illinois high schools in 2009
• Lost lifetime earnings of nearly 12 billion
• Lost over 2.8 billion in accumulated wealth
• 210.2 million in community college remediation
  cost and lost earnings
• 647 million in additional health care costs

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Economic Impact Per Group in Illinois

• If students color graduate at same rate as
  Caucasian students, 13 billion would be added to
  Illinois economy.
• If male grad rate increased by 5, state would
  see 379 million in reduced crime spending and
  increased earnings each year.
• http//all4ed.org/about_the_crisis/schools/state_
  information/Illinois

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Access Outreach Initiatives

• www.WhatsNextIllinois.org
• College Illinois Transcript Exchange
• FAFSA data sharing partnerships

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www.WhatsNextIllinois.org

• Career planning
• High school planning
• College planning
• Financial aid planning

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Gives students a starting point

• Inventories help students find possible careers
  and identifies the paths needed to reach goal

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Purpose Bring the students qualities
strengths to the surface
What are my strengths? What are my Interests? What do I need from work?
Ability Profiler Interest Profiler Work Values Sorter
Basic Skills Survey Cluster Finder
Workplace Skills Checklist

• No right or wrong answers!

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Keeps students on track for graduation

• Reinforces the expectation of graduating from
  high school

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Supplement to work counselor is doing

• Free test prep
• College search
• Explore majors

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Gives insight to the financial aid process

• EFC calculator
• Scholarship search
• Financial literacy information

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Parent component

• Provides overview of site
• Can connect to student account
• Translated into Spanish

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Resources for Educators

• Review student profiles
• Create groups to manage students
• Outcome and usage reports
• Communication tool
• Site level customization

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College Illinois Transcript Exchange

• Assisting with the transition to postsecondary
  institutions

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College Illinois Transcript Exchange

• Collaboration between ISAC and the Illinois State
  Board of Education (ISBE)
• Electronic delivery of high school transcripts to
  colleges
• Process by which students will be considered for
  ISACs High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP)
• Statewide initiative
• www.CollegeIllinois.org

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Program Overview

• Using Docufide by Parchment for program
• Weekly webinars through mid August
• Registration for high schools begins on August 15
• Can be implemented on district or LEA level
• Sending transcripts to colleges is available
  immediately
• Sending data electronically to ISAC commences
  next year
• No cost to student, high school, or college

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College Participation

• Available to MAP (Monetary Award Program)
  approved colleges
• 53 colleges already registered in Illinois
• 11 of 12 public universities in Illinois are
  registered
• Can send transcripts electronically for free to
  registered colleges in 11 other Midwest Higher
  Education Compact (MHEC) states

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Program Benefits

• Can send transcripts from high school to high
  school
• Colleges can send transcripts to ISBE as part of
  teacher certification process
• Unique ISBE state identifier on transcript will
  assist with state longitudinal data system
• Ease process for students applying to and
  matriculating at postsecondary institutions

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FAFSA Completion Rates

• Initiatives to increase FAFSA completion rates

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ISAC FAFSA Challenge

• Goal 800,000 applications for 2011-12 academic
  year
• 643,078 (60) as of July 21
• Website gives breakdown by high school, number
  completed, and percentage completed
  www.collegeillinois.org/home/fafsa/
• Numbers are based on internal matching process
• Applying for financial aid is not easy, but it
  may be the most critical step for low-income
  students on the road to college.1
• 1Roderick, M., Nagoaka, J., Coca, Moeller, E.
  (2008). Executive Summary From High School to
  the FuturePotholes on the Road to College, 4.

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FAFSA Data Sharing Program

• Data sharing agreement between school district
  and ISAC is put in place
• District sends encrypted list identifying
  students eligible to fill out FAFSA
• ISAC compares list with FAFSA data
• ISAC sends encrypted list to district identifying
  which students have completed FAFSA
• District informs their staff which students have
  yet to complete the FAFSA
• ISAC outreach staff will assist with FAFSA
  completion workshops

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Chicago Public Schools

• FAFSA data sharing program began in 2007
• List is sent on a weekly basis
• List only contains students eligible to fill out
  FAFSA
• Counselors seek out students at school
• Significant increase since program inception

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FAFSA completion among CPS students
of seniors completing FAFSA completing FAFSA
FY 2007 18,366 10,552 57.5
FY 2008 17,629 10,963 62.2
FY 2009 18,484 12,574 68.0
FY 2010 18,615 13,929 74.8
FY 2011 18,613 15,323 82.3
FY 2012 18,368 15,179 82.6

• Matching project began with the graduating class
  of 2007 for
• FY08 FAFSAs

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Other FAFSA Data Sharing Agreements

• First year receiving data
• Rockford Public Schools
• District U-46 (Elgin School District)
• Recent agreements
• Eldorado High School
• Woodlawn High School
• And counting . . .

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FAFSA Benefits

• Required to receive state and federal grants
• Provides access to subsidized loans
• Determines eligibility for work-study
• Used by colleges to determine eligibility for
  certain institutional monies
• Reinforces college going mentality

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Grant Availability

• MAP Grant
• Funding is precarious at times
• Increased need in Illinois results in earlier
  suspension date
• March 26, 2011
• April 19, 2010
• May 15, 2009
• July 26, 2008
• PELL Grant
• Funding is currently being debated in DC . . .

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Call To Action!

• Assist students and parents in creating accounts
  in www.WhatsNextIllinois.org
• Have high schools participate in College Illinois
  Transcript Exchange webinars
• Have MAP approved colleges in Illinois register
  to be electronic receivers of transcripts
• Share FAFSA Data Sharing Agreement with high
  schools and/or high school districts
• Advocate for continued MAP PELL funding