Volume 20, Number 4
April 2011 - June 2011
Welcome to the April - June 2011 electronic ISAC Communiqué, which is a quarterly compilation of e-Messages sent through College Illinois! e-Messaging service throughout April, May and June.
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@isac.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.
Multiple Subscription Groups
College Illinois Transcript Exchange Next Steps for Implementation
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admission Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, and Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants on June 28, 2011.
As a follow-up to our May 26th e-Message announcing that Docufide® by Parchment™ will provide the College Illinois Transcript Exchange, today's message is a brief status update as we move toward implementation* of the new service.
With the launch of the College Illinois Transcript Exchange, your students will have the ability to request the electronic exchange of transcripts in preparation for their college attendance. To protect the privacy and confidentiality of transcript data, all documents are sent through Docufide's secure transcript service in a manner compliant with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
The new service is free of charge when sending transcripts electronically to Monetary Award Program (MAP)-approved Illinois colleges and to participating colleges in the Midwest Higher Education Compact (MHEC) states. Although a cost will be incurred for sending transcripts electronically to non MAP-approved Illinois colleges and to all other destinations, the rate is discounted for Illinois students.
Here are some ways to learn more about the College Illinois Transcript Exchange:
- An informational page is available for your reference on our website, and you can also get to know Docufide® by Parchment™ by visiting their website. Any questions you have may be directed either to an ISAC School Services Representative (by phone or e-mail as noted below) or to Docufide's customer support area.
- Docufide is hosting an informational webinar that will be offered throughout the summer. The webinar may be accessed at 9 a.m. (CT) on Thursday, June 30 and on Thursday, July 7. Beginning the week of July 11, bi-weekly webinar sessions will be offered on Mondays at noon (CT) and on Thursdays at 9 a.m. (CT). You can register to attend through this link (if you are a first-time visitor, you will need to complete the "User Registration" section prior to selecting the session date). After you have registered, you will receive an e-mail message with the call-in phone number, instructions for accessing the webinar, and a link to the PowerPoint presentation.
Coming up next will be the August 15th opening of the web portal that Illinois schools will use to register to participate in CITE. Specific details about the portal will be communicated in a future e-Message.
We are very excited to offer the College Illinois Transcript Exchange for the students at your schools, and will continue to share information with you as it becomes available.
* Please note that counselors from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will be receiving additional information from the Counseling Department in the CPS Office of College and Career Preparation regarding the implementation procedure for their schools.
Interim Electronic Process Available for Submitting HSSP Sixth Semester Data to ISAC
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, and Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants on June 27, 2011. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is currently accepting school-generated sixth semester data from high schools,* and an interim process for the electronic submission of this data is now available.
As previously announced, this year's High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP) electronic process will work outside of the electronic exchange of transcripts (now called the College Illinois Transcript Exchange). Effective immediately, high schools may provide sixth semester data to ISAC electronically via an Excel spreadsheet.**
Steps for Submitting Sixth Semester Data Electronically
- Contact ISAC's School Services Department (by calling toll free at 866.247.2172, or sending an e-mail message to isac.schoolservices@isac.illinois.gov) to obtain the following information:
- User name and password to access the site that will allow you to upload your Excel spreadsheet to ISAC
- File password that will be used to encrypt (protect) data in the Excel spreadsheet that will be uploaded to ISAC
Note that all information provided by School Services will be case sensitive, so be sure to record the information exactly as it is provided to you.
- Create an Excel spreadsheet with your students' sixth semester data.
- Formatting specifications for the Excel spreadsheet, along with a sample template that may be downloaded for use by high schools, are available at the High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP) section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area, which may be accessed via collegeillinois.org/counselor.
- The Excel spreadsheet submitted to ISAC must include the file password that was provided by School Services (in the step outlined in the first bullet, above).
- When saving and naming the Excel file, it must be in this exact format (case sensitive): hssp999999.xls (where "999999" is your high school's 6-digit school code). The file must be saved as an "Excel 97-2003 Workbook" (i.e., with an ".xls" extension). In order for ISAC to accept the file, it cannot be saved as an "Excel 2007 Workbook" (i.e., with an ".xlsx" extension).
- Once the Excel spreadsheet is ready to submit, access the site located at https://isacprodxfr.isac.org/ and then follow the on-screen prompts to upload your file to ISAC.
- When logged into the file upload site, users will be able to see other files; however, they cannot delete, open or move any file (including their own) once it has been uploaded to the site.
If an Excel spreadsheet is submitted that does not follow the prescribed formatting specifications, ISAC will not be able to process the data. Should this occur, the high school will be contacted by School Services staff to discuss how the data will be resubmitted (via either a corrected Excel spreadsheet or a paper roster).
To avoid receiving an ISAC-generated paper roster, be sure to submit your school-generated sixth semester data - either electronically or on paper - no later than September 30, 2011.
* Sixth semester is defined as the third semester prior to graduation. As a reminder, sixth semester data that is submitted this year will be used only to determine State Scholar eligibility for students who will be college freshmen during the 2012-13 academic year (in prior years, the data was used to determine eligibility for both the Illinois State Scholar and Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship programs [collectively referred to as the High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP)] - further details are provided in the May 18 e-Message).
** ISAC also continues to accept school-generated sixth semester data via paper roster (further details may be found at the School-Generated Roster page of the Required Sixth Semester Data section within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area).
"College Changes Everything” Conference: Registration Now Open
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admission Counselors and Community Organizations on June 20, 2011.
July 27, 2011 – Tinley Park Convention Center,
Tinley Park, IL
Registration is now open for the
College Changes Everything Conference
Registration is required to attend. No registration fee. |
Welcome by Lt. Governor Sheila Simon (video)
Key Note Speakers:
- Stan Jones, President of Complete College America
- Kim Cook, Executive Director of National College Access Network
You've seen the statistics: The U.S. lags other countries in higher education completion. You're aware of the personal and economic benefits of higher education to both the individual and nation — in effect, how College Changes Everything for a student and our society.
Attend this one day conference that focuses on effective practices and showcases resources available to help with college access and increasing college completion. It's designed for Illinois college and university leaders, high school leaders, community partners, and policymakers interested in higher education.
Sessions presented by state and national leaders will engage the audience in thoughtful discussions on the serious issues we face. The forum will include time for sharing best practices with peers and tools to help participants walk away with plans for moving their access and completion efforts forward. Come ready to share and learn.
Conference at a Glance available at www.collegeillinois.org/collegechangeseverything.
Commission Meeting Rescheduled to July 8th - MAP Formula on Agenda
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers and College Admission Counselors on June 8, 2011.
The meeting of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission which was to take place on Friday, June 17th has been rescheduled to Friday, July 8th.
While details about the meeting, including location and the complete agenda are not yet final, what is known is that one of the items to be discussed is the Monetary Award Program (MAP) recompute formula for the 2011-12 academic year.
Some recent media reports have implied that decisions about the Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) appropriation for MAP and how that funding will be allocated have already been made. As is the case each year, a recommended recompute formula will not be approved by the Commission until this upcoming summer meeting.
When more details about the meeting are known, including a complete agenda, we will pass that information along via this e-Messaging service.
"College Changes Everything" Conference: Save the Date - July 27, 2011
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admission Counselors and Community Organizations on May 26, 2011.
|
Save the Date – July 27, 2011
Tinley Park Convention Center, Tinley Park, IL |
You've seen the statistics: The U.S. lags other countries in higher education completion. You're aware of the personal and economic benefits of higher education to both the individual and nation—in effect, how College Changes Everything for a student and our society.
Attend this one day conference that focuses on effective practices and showcases resources available to help with college access and increasing college completion. It's designed for Illinois college access practitioners, college and university leaders, and policymakers interested in higher education.
Sessions presented by state and national leaders will provide purposeful information and engage the audience in thoughtful discussions on the serious issues we face. The forum will include time for sharing best practices with peers and tools to help participants walk away with plans for moving their access and completion efforts forward. Come ready to share and learn.
Conference registration will be available soon. Watch for the announcement.
|
Conference organized by:
• Illinois Student Assistance Commission
• Women Employed
• Illinois Board of Higher Education
• Illinois Community College Board
• Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
Conference sponsored by:
KnowHow2GOIllinois |
ISAC Has Selected Docufide® by Parchment™ as New Electronic Transcript Exchange Vendor
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admission Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, and Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants on May 26, 2011. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is pleased to announce that Docufide® by Parchment™ has been selected as the vendor to provide the College Illinois Transcript Exchange, a new system which will enable the electronic exchange of transcripts for Illinois students.*
Once implemented, the system will be free for all Illinois students, high schools and Monetary Award Program (MAP) approved colleges. ISAC is working in collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to facilitate the electronic exchange of transcripts.
As we move toward implementation throughout the summer months, we will continue to share details with you via this e-Messaging service.
* Please note that the new system is separate from the interim electronic process that high schools may use to submit the sixth semester data which will be used to determine State Scholar eligibility for students who will be college freshmen during the 2012-13 academic year (refer to the May 18 e-Message for further details).
Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Important Dates
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, What's Next Illinois Counselors, Community Organizations and Public Libraries on May 20, 2011. 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 and their families.
Sixth Semester Data for 2011-12 HSSP Cycle Now Being Accepted
ISAC is currently accepting school-generated sixth semester data from high schools. This data was used in prior years to determine eligibility for the State Scholar and Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship programs [collectively referred to as the High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP)]. Because no federal funding will be appropriated for 2011-12 Byrd awards (see below), and we do not know the status of Byrd funding for future years, sixth semester data that is submitted this year will be used only to determine State Scholar eligibility for students who will be college freshmen during the 2012-13 academic year.
Sixth semester data may be submitted to ISAC either via paper or electronically using an interim process which is explained in a May 18 e-Message. The e-Message also provides important updates and processing reminders regarding this year's HSSP cycle.
Visit the High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP) section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area (which may be accessed via collegeillinois.org/counselor) for future updates.
Federal Funding Will Not Be Appropriated for 2011-12 Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program
Federal funding will not be appropriated for the 2011-12 Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program. No new Byrd awards will be announced. As additional information becomes available, the Byrd Program News page (located within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area, which may be accessed via collegeillinois.org/counselor) will be updated.
June 17: Next Commission Meeting
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission will take place on Friday, June 17, 2011. The location of this meeting is still being finalized.
A listing of tentative agenda items, along with the exact time and location of the meeting, will be available prior to the meeting via the ISAC's Governing Board: The Commission section of the About ISAC area at collegeillinois.org. Dates and locations for all meetings scheduled in 2011 are available at the Commission Meeting Schedule page.
Holiday Schedules
May 30: Memorial Day
Due to the Memorial. Day holiday, ISAC offices will be closed on Monday, May 30 and will reopen on Tuesday, May 31.
July 4: Independence Day
Due to the Independence Day holiday, ISAC offices will be closed on Monday, July 4 and will reopen on Tuesday,
July 5.
For Assistance
Remember that you can access collegeillinois.org/counselor anytime, or send an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services Department. With the exception of days when the ISAC offices are closed, ISAC staff will review and respond to messages during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CT).
ISAC Accepting Sixth Semester Data for New HSSP Cycle
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, and Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants on May 18, 2011.
ISAC is currently accepting school-generated sixth semester data from high schools. Sixth semester is defined as the third semester prior to graduation.
This data was used in prior years to determine eligibility for the Illinois State Scholar and Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship programs [collectively referred to as the High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP)]. Because no federal funding will be appropriated for 2011-12 Byrd awards (see below), and we do not know the status of Byrd funding for future years, sixth-semester data that is submitted this year will be used only to determine State Scholar eligibility for students who will be college freshmen during the 2012-13 academic year.
Interim Electronic Submission of Sixth Semester Data
As discussed in an April 29, 2011 webinar, the HSSP electronic process will work outside of the Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange (ILTE) this year. As ISAC makes the transition to a new ILTE provider, a separate interim electronic process will be used. This year, schools will be able to provide sixth semester data to ISAC electronically via an Excel spreadsheet. Formatting specifications for the Excel file will be provided as soon as they are available.
Submission of Sixth Semester Data via School-Generated Paper Roster
Instructions regarding the submission of school-generated sixth semester information,* including required data and requested disqualification codes, are provided at the School-Generated Roster page of the Required Sixth Semester Data area within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs section, which may be accessed via collegeillinois.org/counselor.
To avoid receiving an ISAC-generated paper roster, be sure to submit your school-generated sixth semester data - either electronically or on paper - on or before September 30, 2011.
*As a reminder for schools submitting paper rosters, sixth semester data is to be reported for only those students in the top 50% of the class. This means that if a school ranks, rankings should be provided for the top 50% of students. If a school does not rank, unweighted grade point averages must be provided for the top 50% of students.
2011-12 Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program
Federal funding will not be appropriated for the 2011-12 Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program. No new Byrd awards will be announced.
Webinar to Focus on High School Scholarship Programs Rescheduled to Friday, April 29 at 10 a.m.
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admission Counselors and Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants on April 20, 2011.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) has rescheduled the High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP) Webinar to Friday, April 29 at 10 a.m. This Webinar for financial aid administrators and high school counselors had previously been scheduled for the afternoon of April 27. The decision to reschedule the Webinar is based on the fact that the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) will be administered on April 27 and April 28, making participation in an April 27 Webinar difficult for high school counselors.
The April 29 session will begin with an overview of the programs that make up HSSP (the State Scholar, Merit Recognition Scholarship and Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship programs), followed by a report on the status of these programs for 2011-12. The session will conclude with a review of the process used to identify and notify eligible students. Time will be allotted for questions. If you have specific topics or issues that you would like the session to address, please send them to Kim Eck at kimberly.eck@isac.illinois.gov by Thursday, April 28.
To participate in the Webinar: access the PowerPoint presentation that will be posted on April 29 to the Partner Training page in the e-Library (which may be accessed via collegeillinois.org/counselor); then dial 877.873.8017 (toll-free) and enter code 8324962# to access the audio portion of the Webinar.
April 27 Webinar to Focus on High School Scholarship Programs
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admission Counselors and Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants on April 18, 2011.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will present a Webinar on the High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP) on Wednesday, April 27 at 2 p.m. for financial aid administrators and high school counselors. The session will begin with an overview of the programs that make up HSSP (the State Scholar, Merit Recognition Scholarship and Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship programs), followed by a report on the status of these programs for 2011-12. The session will conclude with a review of the process used to identify and notify eligible students. Time will be allotted for questions. If you have specific topics or issues that you would like the session to address, please send them to Kim Eck at kimberly.eck@isac.illinois.gov by Tuesday, April 26.
To participate in the Webinar: access the PowerPoint presentation that will be posted on April 27 to the Partner Training page in the e-Library (which may be accessed via collegeillinois.org/counselor); then dial 877.873.8017 (toll-free) and enter code 8324962# to access the audio portion of the Webinar.
ISAC Implements New e-Mail Addresses
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, What's Next Illinois Counselors, Community Organizations and Public Libraries on April 15, 2011.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) has implemented a new e-mail system, and with it, new e-mail addresses for both individual staff members and public mailboxes with which you communicate.
Please make a note of the new e-mail addresses and be sure to share them with the students and families you serve, as well as other staff members in your office, as appropriate.
Here is a list of previous and new e-mail addresses that you may utilize when communicating with ISAC.
For students & parents:
For schools & community agencies:
For lenders:
Although redirects from the old e-mail addresses will be in place for an interim time, please begin using the new addresses when communicating with us. If you correspond electronically with an individual ISAC staff member(s) on a regular basis, he/she will notify you of their new e-mail address as needed.
Note that the e-mail addresses for students corresponding with IDAPP have not changed (customerservice@edfinancial.com for FFELP loans and webcservice@ecsi.net for alternative loans).
Return to Top
ISAC Communiqué
New ISAC Communiqué Now Available
Sent on April 1, 2011 The latest edition of the ISAC Communiqué is now available for your review within the ISAC Publications section of College Zone's e-Library, which can be accessed via collegeillinois.org/counselor. This electronic version of ISAC's newsletters a quarterly compilation of information provided to Counselor partners via the College Illinois! e-Messaging service during the months of January, February and March.
Topics covered in this electronic Communiqué include:
- You're Invited to the ISAC College Smart Fair Presented by ATG Credit - April 6, 2011
(sent March 22, 2011)
- Mark You Calendar for Upcoming Important Dates
(sent March 21, 2011)
- ISAC Extends Announcement of 2011-12 MAP Awards: New Suspension Date is March 26
(sent March 21, 2011)
- Suspension of 2011-12 MAP Award Announcements
(sent March 18, 2011)
- ISAC's New Web Destination - collegeillinois.org
(sent February 15, 2011)
- New Date and Site Location Added to ISAC's List of Professional Development Opportunities: FAFSA Expert Training - Presented by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission
(sent February 15, 2011)
- Preview ISAC's New Website - Partner Information Remains on College Zone
(sent January 24, 2011)
- The University Billing Cycle Presented by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission
(sent January 13, 2011)
- Financial Aid Packaging Presented by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission
(sent January 11, 2011)
- FAFSA Expert Training Presented by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission
(sent January 6, 2011)
- ISAC Professional Development Opportunities for Counselors and Mentors - Online Registration is Now Available for Series 2 & 3
(sent January 5, 2011)
- 2011-12 FAFSA Available, and Upcoming Important Dates
(sent January 3, 2011)
- New ISAC Communiqué Available at College Zone (October - December 2010)
(sent January 3, 2011)
Electronic newsletters are available at the beginning of each quarter (January, April, July, and October), and are the compilation of information announced via an e-Message to any of the Counselor subscription groups during the previous quarter.
Encourage Your Colleagues to Sign Up for e-Messaging
The College Illinois! e-Messaging service has replaced printed newsletters and special e-mail lists as ISAC's primary means of communicating information to Counselor partners.
Encourage your colleagues to visit the Counselor e-Messaging Sign-up page at collegeillinois.org today, so that they won't miss any future announcements or updates from ISAC.
Return to Top
|
