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3/18/2009
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.
Upcoming Commission Meetings
The next regularly scheduled meetings of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission will take place as follows:
- Friday, April 3, 2009, at Harper College in Palatine
- Friday, June 26, 2009, at University of Illinois at Chicago
A listing of tentative agenda items will be available prior to each meeting via the ISAC's Governing Board: The Commission section of the e-Library. Dates and locations for all regularly-scheduled meetings in 2009 are available at the e-Library's Commission Meeting Schedule page. Agenda and meeting schedule information can also be accessed by selecting the link that appears beneath the "Resource Center" heading at the College Zone home page.
April: Details Will Be Provided for New HSSP Cycle - Sign up for the Electronic Process Today!
During the month of April, ISAC will announce pertinent dates for the new processing cycle of the State Scholar, Merit Recognition Scholarship (MRS), and Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship programs [collectively referred to as the High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP)]. ISAC will soon begin accepting sixth semester data* from high schools, which is used in determining eligibility for students who will be college freshmen during the 2010-11 academic year. Visit the High School Scholarship Programs (HSSP) section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area for future updates.
If you've not already done so, now is the perfect time to sign up for the HSSP Electronic Delivery System, which utilizes the Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange Program system to transmit data. Participation is easy and adds only a few additional steps to the current process for sending electronic transcripts to colleges. Feedback from high schools that participated in last year's HSSP Electronic Delivery System pilot program has been overwhelmingly positive, and confirms the fact that the electronic process is much easier and more convenient than working with paper rosters. The goal is for all Illinois high schools to transmit student scholar data electronically within the next two years, but why wait to benefit from this innovative and time-saving program? Contact School Services to sign up today, either by phone (at 866.247.2172) or via e-mail (at schoolservices@isac.org).
Reminder: High schools utilizing the HSSP Electronic Delivery System must update their school profiles each year. Instructions for updating the school profile are provided in the HSSP Electronic Delivery System Quick Reference Guide, which can be accessed via the IllinoisMentor & Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange Resources section of the e-Library's Job Aids & Reference Materials area at collegezone.com.
* As a reminder, 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 (GPAs) should be provided for the top 50% of students. In addition, all schools (both ranking and non-ranking) should provide unweighted GPAs for any student who is not in the top 50% of the class but has an Illinois Standard Test Score (ISTS) of 31 or greater (this data is used in the determination of Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship awards).
By May 1st: 2009-10 Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholars Will Be Announced
Be sure to regularly visit the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area for updates regarding the announcement of 2009-10 new and renewal awards.
Holiday Schedules
May 25th: Memorial Day Holiday
Due to the Memorial Day holiday, ISAC offices will be closed on Monday, May 25th and will reopen on Tuesday, May 26th.
July 3rd: Independence Day Holiday
Due to the Independence Day holiday, ISAC offices will be closed on Friday, July 3rd and will reopen on Monday,
July 6th.
For Assistance
Remember that you can access collegezone.com anytime, or send an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services Department. With the exception of holidays (such as those indicated above), ISAC staff will review and respond to messages during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT).
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