The procedures for statewide portability require demonstration that the relevant competencies are addressed and that the required policies are met. Success is based on mastery of process and content competencies, which demonstrate readiness for college courses, rather than on a single test score.
The Statewide Portability Panel will respond to each partnership after the spring or fall panel meeting with confirmation of approval or comments on changes needed to achieve portability. Decisions granted are approved, conditional approval, not enough information, or returned. Each course approved by the Statewide Portability Panel ensures statewide portability for all high schools in the partnership offering that course.
Processes for Partnerships
- Submissions to the Statewide Portability Panel (SPP), including courses that have been previously submitted but returned for resubmission, are required to use the most current portability documents.
- Due to the importance of the role of local course review, a Local Advisory Panel (LAP) must be established between the school district and college, with representation from both entities, to be eligible for portability. The size and composition of the LAP are at the discretion of the local partnership; however, a recommended structure for an LAP includes at least one administrator and one content area teacher to represent high schools in the partnership, as well as at least one administrator and one content area faculty member to represent the community college.
- It is recommended that the LAP support the partnership as follows:
- The high schools and community college in the partnership will agree to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that satisfies the required state policies. Partnerships are encouraged to use the statewide MOU template, adding in details specific to their partnership’s agreement as applicable. While the contents of the MOU will be identical for each high school in the partnership, high schools will each have their own copy of the MOU to simplify the process of gaining the required signatures from the high school district and community college.
- In addition to the MOU for each transitional English course, the college and partnering high schools will create a transitional English syllabus and corresponding content competencies spreadsheet to demonstrate how a course addresses the Statewide course parameters, policies, and competencies.
- The LAP will collect course and curricular documentation (transitional English syllabi and content competencies spreadsheets) from all high schools in the partnership that are seeking portability and review the courses according to the Statewide Portability Panel’s course approval criteria (see pages 2 – 3 of this document). A representative course meeting the criteria will be chosen by the LAP, and the course, curricular documentation, and the MOU will be submitted to the Statewide Portability Panel by the community college. After the initial review of all courses in the partnership, transitional English courses will be sent to the SPP according to the portability panel’s timeline for ongoing course review.
- For courses that are not submitted to the SPP after LAP review, the LAP will provide feedback and recommendations for improvement to the principal of any high school that has a course that did not meet the course approval criteria.
- For courses that did meet the required criteria after LAP review, the LAP will communicate to any high school principal who has a course that did meet the course approval criteria.
- It is advised that the college maintain a document with the portability codes for each high school in its partnership for ease of reference over time. The Portability Course Submission Worksheet and Portability Modification Form serve to support the acquisition of the needed information.
- The Statewide Portability Panel will respond to each partnership following the spring or fall panel meeting with a confirmation of approval or comments with changes that should be made to gain portability. Decisions granted are approved; conditional approval; not enough information; or returned with comments for changes necessary to gain statewide portability. Each course gaining approval by the SPP ensures statewide portability for all high schools in the partnership that are offering that course.
- Courses that gain approval from the Statewide Portability Panel must indicate the appropriate transitional English portability code on any senior’s high school transcript in which the senior earned a C or better in the transitional English course. In addition to the grade and portability code, high schools should include the date that the course was completed to allow colleges to calculate a three-year expiration date of placement.
- All Illinois community colleges and accepting universities receiving information on a student’s portability code will grant the student the appropriate placement. The placement exempts a student from taking a placement test at the community college.
Submission Process
The following steps must be completed after the Local Advisory Panel has completed the review of courses in the partnership for portability, and a representative course in which portability is sought has been selected.
- The college must complete the Transitional English Portability Course Submission Worksheet and provide it to its submitter, which can be the college’s IAI submitter, for input into the iPlacement system. It is advised that the college maintain a document with the portability codes for each high school in its partnership for ease of reference over time.
- For each course in which portability is being applied, submit the following documents in PDF form.
- A signed copy of the Memo of Understanding from one of the schools in the partnership.
- A representative transitional English syllabus.
- The content competencies spreadsheet that corresponds with the representative transitional English syllabus.
- A Portability Modification Form must be used for schools that have been approved for portability by the LAP between submission years for a course that has already gained portability by the statewide portability panel, and submitted by the college to the agencies (ISBE and ICCB). The agencies will update the portability database.
The Portability Panel is accepting courses for approval. Documentation for portability must be received by October 1 for the fall panel and by March 1 for the spring panel, and submitted by the community college partner via iPlacement.