To ensure the district is able to connect the secondary career pathways to the community workforce, Belvidere CUSD 100, North Boone CUSD 200, and Growth Dimensions Economic Development formalized a plan to begin working together with local employers to develop career development experiences, with a mission to empower all learners to achieve personal excellence.

Belvidere Community Unit School District 100 engaged in a strategic planning process during the 2016–17 school year as its new superintendent, Dr. Daniel Woestman, began his tenure. The strategic planning team developed the mission statement, “To empower all learners to achieve personal excellence.” A core element of the goals and strategies is the identification of the desired learning environment that is student-centered and consists of four key elements: personalization, student ownership, technology-enhanced learning, and a competency-based approach. District leadership quickly realized that this framework aligned well with the State of Illinois’ plans articulated through the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act.

The four elements of the PWR Act, the PaCE framework, the Endorsement Model, Transitional Math, and the CBE pilot, were examined at great length by the high school innovation team during the 2017–18 school year. District 100 began its journey to adjust its learning environment to adopt all four elements of the PWR Act simultaneously, as they are all key elements of providing a robust, relevant, and student-centered learning environment for secondary students. In March 2018, District 100 was accepted into the state’s ‘Competency-Based High School Graduation Requirements Pilot Program.’

Since then, the district has continued its work of moving to an environment in which students will be able to progress through their learning based on demonstration of mastery. The school district also intends to embed this experience within the endorsement model created through the PWR Act. All students will have access to create a personal learning plan, complete a career-based course sequence, engage in career and college preparation experiences, and progress through learning experiences that support proficiency in academic and adaptive competencies.

In 2020, in order to ensure the district is able to connect the secondary career pathways to the community workforce, Belvidere CUSD 100, North Boone CUSD 200, and Growth Dimensions Economic Development formalized a plan to begin working together with local employers to develop career development experiences that align to the state’s endorsement framework.