Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act (HB5729)

• Establishes a competency-based high school graduation requirements pilot program allowing school districts to replace traditional course and year requirements with competency-based learning systems that include adaptive competencies alongside academic content.

• Creates a transitional mathematics instruction system for 12th grade students aligned to three postsecondary pathways (STEM, Technical, and Quantitative Literacy/Statistics), with successful completion guaranteeing placement into appropriate college-level mathematics courses.

• Institutes a College and Career Pathway Endorsements system recognizing high school graduates who complete career-focused instructional sequences, career exploration activities, supervised work experiences, and demonstrate readiness for non-remedial college coursework.

• Requires state agencies (ISBE, ICCB, IBHE, ISAC, DCEO, and Department of Employment Security) to jointly establish competencies, statewide criteria, partnership agreements, and support systems for these three interconnected initiatives.

• Mandates adoption of model postsecondary and career expectations for grades 8-12 addressing career exploration, postsecondary institution preparation, and financial literacy by July 1, 2017.