ISAC Student PortalISAC Communiqué
Volume 31, Number 5C
May 2022
| Messages sent to: | Multiple Subscription Groups |
| ISAC Communiqué |
Welcome to the May 2022 electronic ISAC Communiqué, which is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout May.
The articles in this electronic Communiqué have been organized according to the Counselor Subscription groups to which the messages were distributed.
Questions?
Questions regarding information in this electronic Communiqué can be directed to School Services at 866.247.2172 or at ISAC.schoolservices@illinois.gov. On occasion, you may be directed to a specific contact person or area; when this occurs, we will provide the appropriate information in the individual article or message.
Upcoming Important Dates from ISAC
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admission Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, Community Organizations and Public Libraries on May 12, 2022.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) would like to make you aware of the following information, which may be of interest to you and/or your college-bound students.
Unless otherwise noted, links in this message are to corresponding pages at ISAC's website (isac.org).
You may either scroll through the remainder of this message, or click on the appropriate link(s) to go directly to a specific section:
2022-23 (July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023)
General Information (Not Specific to One Academic Year)
Prepare for Upcoming State Scholar Processing Cycle
High schools will be notified via the usual communication methods (the State Scholar Program News area, the Counselor Message Board, and this e-Messaging service) once sixth semester data – which will be used to determine State Scholar eligibility for high school juniors who will be college freshmen during the 2023-24 academic year, and will be named Scholars during the fall of 2022 – is being accepted.
As you begin preparing for the upcoming State Scholar processing cycle, remember that sixth semester data is accepted only via the State Scholar component of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs Access (GAP Access) portal. Information regarding how to register for GAP Access is provided via the Required Sixth Semester Data page within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs section.
School Contact Information
Please notify ISAC of any changes in your school's administration (i.e., new principal).
In keeping with the goal of securing all confidential data, the principal of each high school is designated as that school's GAP Access Primary Administrator. While we understand principals are not usually involved in the day to day processes, we do require the school principal to register for their own GAP Access account.
FAFSA® and Alternative Application Remain Available
The 2022-23 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) remains available online, and – if not already done – should be completed and submitted as soon as possible by students who will be attending college between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. FAFSA results are used to determine eligibility for several forms of federal, state and institutional financial assistance, including the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant.
In addition, the 2022-23 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) is also available (in English and Spanish). As a reminder, students meeting the criteria of the Retention of Illinois Students and Equity (RISE) Act may file the Alternative Application – which is patterned after the FAFSA – to apply for the MAP grant. Because the failure to register for Selective Service no longer disqualifies an applicant from receiving federal student aid, students who have not registered may want to consider completing the FAFSA instead of the Alternative Application to maximize their financial aid opportunities. Further details are provided at ISAC's RISE Act page.
Details regarding the 2022-23 application cycle may be accessed by counselors and other professionals via the Applying for Financial Aid section of the e-Library for Partners.
Every Monday: New FAFSA Completion Initiative Match Data Available
All Illinois public high school students are required to complete either the FAFSA or the Alternative Application as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma. ISAC's FAFSA Completion Initiative is a resource that can help high schools monitor their students' compliance with this mandate.
The FAFSA Completion Initiative matches student lists of participating high schools against FAFSA and Alternative Application records. New 2022-23 match data is available weekly, on Monday mornings.
Further details – including an "opt-out" box allowing high schools to indicate that the FAFSA mandate waiver provision has been exercised, access to an updated user guide, and information on how to participate in the FAFSA Completion Initiative – are provided in an October 14 e-Message.
MTI Scholarship Applications Still Being Accepted
The fiscal year 2023 (FY23) state operating budget, which was signed into law by the governor in April, includes an appropriation for the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program that increases the maxium annual award amount to $7,500 for the 2022-23 and subsequent academic years. In addition, the FY23 MTI Scholarship Program funding level initiates – to the extent allowed by the amount of funding that remains – at least 30 percent of the appropriated funds being reserved for qualified bilingual minority applicants, with priority given to those applicants who are enrolled in an educator preparation program with a concentration in bilingual, bicultural education.
Make sure your graduating seniors are aware that the 2022-23 MTI Scholarship Program application continues to be accepted, even though the March 31, 2022 priority consideration date has passed. Complete applications – including the 2022-23 FAFSA (or Alternative Application, if applicable) – received after this date will continue to be considered for the MTI Scholarship Program for as long as funding remains after all timely complete applicants have been awarded. Encourage all minority students and qualified bilingual minority applicants who meet the program's eligibility requirements to complete and submit their applications as soon as possible.
By June 30: High School Juniors Take College Assessment Exams for State Scholar Consideration
Eligibility for the State Scholar Program is based, in part, on a student's highest qualifying ACT or SAT score. High school juniors who are potential candidates will need to take one of the accepted exams during the specified timeframe to be considered for State Scholar designation, even though Illinois' public institutions are now prohibited from requiring the submission of student test scores as part of the admissions process.
For current high school juniors, only exams taken between August 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 qualify for consideration in the State Scholar announcements that will be made during their senior year (i.e., high school juniors, who will be college freshmen during the 2023-24 academic year, will be named Scholars during the fall of 2022). Further details are provided for students at the State Scholar Program page of our website.
Recent State Legislative Update Discusses Budget and Other Items
A recent State Legislative Update (dated May 3, 2022) discusses budget highlights – including supplemental appropriations for the FY22 state operating budget and information about the FY23 budget package – along with other items of interest that were approved during the spring session of the 102nd General Assembly.
Online Resource Helps Students Find Leads for Summer Employment/Internships
Counselors are urged to promote the "Internship and Summer Jobs" online resource, which may be accessed via the Toolbox area of the ISAC Student Portal, to their students who may be seeking summer employment or internships.
Outreach Resources
Information About the ISACorps and outreach programs are available on our website.
In the Outreach Resources section, you will find additional information on how we can assist you with your school's efforts to provide college-bound students with information about financial aid.
e-Messaging Reminder
ISAC's e-Messaging service is our primary means of communication with our high school partners. Please share this information with any colleagues who may not yet be registered to receive ISAC's e-Messages.
Throughout May: Public Service Loan Forgiveness Webinars
Recent temporary changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF), including a limited waiver, may benefit public sector and non-profit employees. If you want to learn more about PSLF, or if you have applied for PSLF and been denied, be sure to register for the free webinars being offered by ISAC staff throughout the month of May. Further details, including specific dates, are provided in a May 3 e-Message.
June 16: Next Commission Meeting
The next meeting of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Further details, including a listing of tentative agenda items, will be available prior to the meeting via the ISAC's Governing Board: The Commission section of the About ISAC area.
Visit the Commission Meeting Schedule page for information regarding all meetings scheduled in 2022.
Week of July 11: 2022 College Changes Everything® Virtual Conference
Mark your calendar for the annual College Changes Everything® conference – Moving Forward Together – which will be a virtual event with online sessions throughout the week of July 11, 2022. Visit the College Changes Everything conference website, and watch for future e-Messages, for the latest updates.
Holiday Schedules
ISAC staff will be unavailable for these holidays:
- Monday, May 30 – Memorial Day
- Monday, June 20 – Juneteenth (observed)
- Monday, July 4 – Independence Day
Staff will again be available the first business day immediately following each holiday.
For Assistance
Access the Counselors area anytime, or send an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services Department. With the exception of days when ISAC staff members are unavailable, we will review and respond to messages during regular business hours of Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (CT).
Webinar: Tips for Helping Students Avoid “Summer & Verification Melt” – Tuesday, May 17, 2022 | 1–2 p.m. (CT)
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admission Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, Community Organizations and Public Libraries on May 10, 2022.
After college acceptance, students may face many barriers – including housing applications, housing and admission deposits, financial aid applications and processes, and others – that can lead to summer melt. Among those is verification melt – when students fail to complete the verification process and as a result do not receive a Pell Grant and other federal student aid. Register for this session, where we will discuss the impacts of both verification and summer melt and resources to help students persist through these.
Learn how you can help students navigate the next steps after they have been accepted into college and the barriers they may face throughout the process.
The webinar is open to school counselors, college and career staff, college-access professionals, and anyone who provides direct support to students in the college and financial aid process. To learn more and register, visit here!
Professional development (PD) hours and continuing education (CE) credits will be awarded to attendees at the rate of one unit per contact hour. Attendees interested in receiving these must attend the session in its entirety and complete the corresponding evaluation forms.
Last Call: Parchment Preview Webinar (May 11th)
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators and High School Counselors/Teachers on May 9, 2022.
Are you wondering if you should make the switch from paper to electronic transcripts? If so, don't miss the upcoming Parchment Preview webinar that ISAC will host, in collaboration with Parchment, at 10 a.m. (CT) this Wednesday (May 11th).
During this 45-minute webinar, attendees will learn about the ISAC Transcript Exchange through Parchment, including how to navigate the student and administrator dashboards and gain efficiencies by switching from paper to electronic transcripts. You will also hear directly from a principal regarding how their high school and students have benefited from utilizing the Exchange process.
The ISAC Transcript Exchange provides the opportunity for high school students to request that transcripts be sent electronically to the college(s) of their choice, the Common App, and other organizations requesting transcripts (e.g., scholarship providers and third-party verifications). ISAC's Transcript Exchange is available to all public and private high schools and districts at no cost.
Current students can request that transcripts be sent electronically to destinations worldwide, free of charge. Alumni are also able to use Parchment for transcript requests that include a transcript fee. To protect the privacy and confidentiality of transcript data, documents are sent through a secure transcript service in compliance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
This webinar is offered at no cost to counselors, school administrations, and members of the public. Registration is free but required. Use the following link to register for the webinar:
https://illinois2.webex.com/illinois2/j.php?RGID=r55fc451bf0fe2b7a5080896c905c0ef0
To learn more about the ISAC Transcript Exchange, visit the website at www.isac.org/transcript-exchange. For questions on ISAC's Transcript Exchange, contact Lenore Smith at Lenore.Smith@illinois.gov.
Note: ISAC will not be offering Continuing Education (CE) credits or Professional Development hours (PD) for this webinar.
Don't Forget: Parchment Preview Webinar (May 11th)
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators and High School Counselors/Teachers on May 4, 2022.
Are you wondering if you should make the switch from paper to electronic transcripts? If so, don't miss the upcoming Parchment Preview webinar that ISAC will host, in collaboration with Parchment, at 10 a.m. (CT) next Wednesday (May 11th).
During this 45-minute webinar, attendees will learn about the ISAC Transcript Exchange through Parchment, including how to navigate the student and administrator dashboards and gain efficiencies by switching from paper to electronic transcripts. You will also hear directly from a principal regarding how their high school and students have benefited from utilizing the Exchange process.
The ISAC Transcript Exchange provides the opportunity for high school students to request that transcripts be sent electronically to the college(s) of their choice, the Common App, and other organizations requesting transcripts (e.g., scholarship providers and third-party verifications). ISAC's Transcript Exchange is available to all public and private high schools and districts at no cost.
Current students can request that transcripts be sent electronically to destinations worldwide, free of charge. Alumni are also able to use Parchment for transcript requests that include a transcript fee. To protect the privacy and confidentiality of transcript data, documents are sent through a secure transcript service in compliance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
This webinar is offered at no cost to counselors, school administrations, and members of the public. Registration is free but required. To register for this webinar, visit our website at www.isac.org/pd/webinars.html.
To learn more about the ISAC Transcript Exchange, visit the website at www.isac.org/transcript-exchange. For questions on ISAC's Transcript Exchange, contact Lenore Smith at Lenore.Smith@illinois.gov.
Note: ISAC will not be offering Continuing Education (CE) credits or Professional Development hours (PD) for this webinar.
Join ISAC for free Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Webinars
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, Community Organizations and Public Libraries on May 3, 2022.
you might be eligible for a loan forgiveness program!
New temporary changes, including a limited waiver, to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program may benefit public sector and non-profit employees. Some of these changes offer benefits available for a limited time, so you don't want to miss out on this information!
Session Description:
Public service employees may be eligible for loan forgiveness through the PSLF program. The PSLF program allows Federal Student Loan borrowers to apply for forgiveness if they are employed full time by a government, 501(c)(3) organization, or public-serving nonprofit, and meet other requirements.
If you want to learn more about PSLF, and the new temporary changes, or if you have applied for PSLF and been denied, this is the session for you. In this session, we will discuss the existing PSLF program as well as a new Limited Waiver for PSLF that will allow borrowers to receive credit for payments that previously did not qualify for PSLF. The Limited Waiver ends October 31, 2022, don't miss out!
May Webinar Dates:
Thursday, May 12, 8-9 a.m. (CT)
Friday, May 20, 12-1 p.m. (CT)
Wednesday, May 25, 4-5 p.m. (CT)
Learn more and register: https://www.isac.org/pslf. For questions on the webinars, contact the Professional Development staff at isac.pslf@illinois.gov.
April 2022 ISAC Communiqué
Sent on May 2, 2022.
NOTE: In an effort to provide our Counselor partners with important operational details and information regarding training events in as timely a manner as possible, distribution of the ISAC Communiqué has transitioned to a monthly schedule starting with this edition.
The April 2022 edition of the ISAC Communiqué is now available for your review, and may be accessed via the Partner e-Messages & Newsletters section of the e-Library for Partners at isac.org. This electronic version of ISAC's newsletter is a compilation of information provided to Counselor partners via ISAC's e-Messaging service over the past month.
Topics covered in the April 2022 ISAC Communiqué include:
- Reminder: Parchment Preview Webinar (May 11th)
(sent April 27, 2022) - Please Give Us Your Feedback – 2022 Illinois PaCE Symposium
(sent April 25, 2022) - Last Call to Register for the Illinois PaCE Symposium
(sent April 19, 2022) - ISAC Transcript Exchange Final Transcript Webinar
(sent April 15, 2022) - Just One Week Until the Illinois PaCE Symposium!
(sent April 12, 2022) - Don't Forget: Packaging and Financial Aid Offers Webinar – Tuesday, April 19, 2022 | 1–2 p.m. (CT)
(sent April 11, 2022) - Learn How Electronic Transcripts Save Time & Money
(sent April 6, 2022) - Time Is Running Out – Submit Your Proposal
(sent April 5, 2022) - Join ISAC for Free Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Webinars
(sent April 5, 2022) - Financial Aid Certification
(sent April 4, 2022) - March 2022 ISAC Communiqué
(sent April 1, 2022)
Encourage Your Colleagues to Sign Up for e-Messaging
ISAC's e-Messaging service is our primary means of communicating information to Counselor partners.
Encourage your colleagues who have not done so to subscribe through the Counselors e-Messaging sign-up page at isac.org today, so that they won't miss future announcements or updates from ISAC.
