ISBE, ICCB, and IBHE, in consultation with the Statewide Portability Panel, have established criteria and procedures for approving Transitional English courses for statewide portability which are now available. The first Statewide Portability Panel for Transitional English was held on October 21, 2021. Prioritization for Fall submissions to the panel will be to those who have been implementing Transitional English for at least one year through the ICCB Pilot Grant Award or other local strategies.
The Portability Panel is accepting courses for approval. The submission deadline is October 1 for the Fall panel and March 1 for the Spring panel.
Transitional English Portability Documents:
- TELA Syllabus Template
- TELA Content Competencies
- TELA MOU Template
- TELA Portability Course Submission Form
Documentation for portability must be received by the deadline and submitted using the iPlacement website to be reviewed and considered by the panel. To be eligible for portability, a local advisory panel (LAP) must be established between the school district and college with representation from both entities. Click here for additional guidance, promising practices and lessons learned developing Local Advisory Panels.
If a Transitional English course meets the statewide portability criteria and adheres to the Statewide Transitional English Course Parameters, Competencies, and Policies, and a student who successfully completes the course with a C or better will receive guaranteed placement at any Illinois community college into the appropriate outcome course(s) upon successful completion of the course. The guaranteed placement will expire no less than three years from the date of the student’s high school graduation. Public and private universities may voluntarily agree to provide guaranteed placement into the outcome course(s).
The use of Transitional English courses is on a voluntary basis for school districts. The course can be used as a fourth-year Language Arts class to meet State and local high school graduation requirements, either as a new course offering or through the transformation of an existing English 4 course.
For more information or questions regarding Transitional English, please contact the following State agency leads:
• Kim Johnson, ELA Principal Consultant, Illinois State Board of Education – kjohnson@isbe.net
• Melvin J. Harrison, Director for Academic Affairs, Illinois Community College Board – melvin.harrison@illinois.gov