Illinois PaCE Postsecondary and Career Expectations
PaCE Framework @ River Trails Middle School: Building Futures Early
The PaCE (Postsecondary and Career Expectations) Framework is a statewide initiative designed to guide students in building a strong foundation for future success—starting as early as middle school. Aligned with Illinois' Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act, the PaCE Framework outlines age-appropriate benchmarks that help students explore career interests, understand academic pathways, and begin planning for life beyond high school.
In middle school, students will engage in activities that promote self-discovery, career awareness, and goal-setting. These early experiences play a critical role in helping students make informed decisions about high school courses, extracurricular involvement, and future aspirations.
By embedding the PaCE Framework into our middle school Health programming, we ensure that all students have equitable access to the tools, knowledge, and experiences they need to thrive in high school and beyond—whether they pursue college, career, or military pathways.
CAREER READINESS OVERVIEW
D26 PACE FRAMEWORK
6th Grade Expectations
7th Grade Expectations
8th Grade Expections
A student should be exposed to:
- Information about and examples of a wide range of careers
- Language that emphasizes individual skills, strengths, and assets
- Practices that develop a growth mindset
A student should be supported to
- Explore their interests
- Practice their strengths
- Develop their confidence in their abilities
A student should be supported to:
- Engage in guided self-reflection
- Articulate aspirations
- Envision a positive future
- Explore their habits
- Create or change a habit
- Record their progress
- Explore career interests
-Explore their strengths
- Effectively ask for help
- Understand a growth mind set
A student should be supported to:
- Explorenbarriers to aspirations
- Articulate personal strengths
- Identify sources of motivation
- Explore career interests
- Develop an educational plan for at least one career interest
- Compare possible financial futures
- Complete a career cluster survey
- Demonstrate a growth mind set
- Explore learning styles
- Map a support network
- Learn about education planning
A student should be exposed to:
- The concept of career clusters of interest
- Relationship between community service/extracurricular activities and postsecondary (PS)/career goals
- Concepts related to financial literacy