EDUCATION & HIGHER ED, SUMMER READING, JUNIOR GRAND CHAMPS, AND MORE
July has been very busy! Lots to do in Champaign and Vermilion Counties. Check out Experience Champaign Urbana for things to do in Champaign Co., and Vermilion Advantage for things to do in Vermilion Co.!
EDUCATION
Illinois high school students to start new exams in spring 2025. When Illinois high school students sit down to take their annual state assessments next year, they will take a different exam than in recent years.
The Illinois State Board of Education recently announced that starting next spring, it will use the ACT exam rather than the SAT.
Both are standardized tests that measure students’ proficiency in core subjects such as English language arts and math. Both are also commonly used for college admissions – although many colleges and universities have stopped requiring them – as well as scholarship applications.
Illinois, however, also uses them as part of the battery of tests schools administer each year to meet federal mandates under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Results of those tests are reported each year on the Illinois Report Card and are used to hold schools and districts accountable for meeting basic academic standards.
Illinois started using the SAT with Essay as the state assessment for 11th grade students in spring 2017. Two years later, it began using the PSAT 8/9 exam for 9th grade students and the PSAT 10 for high school sophomores. Read the rest of the story by Peter Hancock on Capitol News Illinois.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Forbes names UIUC an “AI powerhouse” in artificial intelligence engineering. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the interface of specialized hardware and software programs to use Big Data to generate content that converses with or interrelates with human beings. The improvement of AI machinery and programming is a new challenge for a campus that has long specialized in feats of engineering. Many University of Illinois graduates, including industry leaders and CEOs with ties to Silicon Valley, are now active in AI research and development.
This week, Forbes pinpointed the ongoing ties between UIUC graduate Thomas Siebel, founder/CEO of C3.ai, Inc., and the Downstate Illinois university. Powered by a $50 million gift from the CEO, the University’s former Department of Computer Science has transformed itself into the new Siebel School of Computing and Data Science. The Siebel School is pursuing active affiliations with the University of California/Berkeley, Microsoft, and International Business Machines. IBM’s CEO, Arvind Krishna, is another UIUC graduate.
SUMMER READING
Thank you to all the readers in District 104 for participating in my Summer Reading Program! Readers that participated will be invited to celebrate keeping their minds active and also receive a certificate from the House of Representatives. All participants will receive notice of the ceremony when details are finalized.
NATIONAL JUNIOR ANGUS SHOW 2024 NAMES RANTOUL TWINS AS WINNERS
Connor Suits of Rantoul was named Grand Champion Bred-and-Owner Steer at the 2024 National Junior Angus Show 2024, with his steer, Homer. Connor’s twin brother, Logan was also a winner at the show, coming in at third place with his steer. The twins won on the national level, placing ahead of 675 juniors that attended the show.
Congratulations to Connor and Logan Suits for placing at the NJAS 2024!
IMA PRESENTS GRANT TO DANVILLE METAL STAMPING
Last week, I attended the grant ceremony at Danville Metal Stamping with Vermilion Advantage and Senator Paul Faraci where the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association presented a grant to the manufacturer. Danville Metal was chosen as one of the recipients by IMA from many options across the state due to its efforts to upgrade the skills of their full-time employees.
A huge congratulations to Danville Metal and a big thank you to Illinois Manufacturers’ Association for presenting the grant to a well-deserving east-central Illinois manufacturer!
WHAT’S BREWING
My first two “What’s Brewing” event went super well! A great turnout and an even better time!
Be sure to catch the next event! No RSVPs required! Come by just to say hi or hear “what’s brewing”!
RANTOUL YOUTH CENTER RECEIVES FUNDING FOR UPDATES
On July 18th, my office was able to attend the presentation ceremony where the Rantoul Youth Center was awarded $540,000 for updates, presented by Congresswoman Robin Kelly.
The updates will make crucial updates to the kitchen area, as well as complete unfinished renovations in the dining room, offices and gym.
The Rantoul Youth Center has been in operation for thirty years, but over those years, have desperately needed updates.
Thank you to Congresswoman Kelly for helping to ensure that this amazing third place in our community can continue to serve our youth!
To read more about the updates coming to the Rantoul Youth Center, click here.
BACK TO SCHOOL BASH
My office as well as many others will be at the Back to School Bash held at the Vermilion County Health Department on August 1st, from 2-6 p.m.
If you have school-aged students in need of physicals or immunizations, please join us!
STAY TUNED…
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For any questions or concerns, please contact one of my offices or visit RepSchweizer.com for more information.
Danville Office
3821 N. Vermilion Ste. 5
Danville, IL 61832
(217) 477-0104
Springfield Office
220-N Stratton Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-4811
Talk to you later!