October 23, 2024

Chicago students are better prepared for life beyond high school today because of the work of the Chicago Roadmap. Heading into its fifth year, the Chicago Roadmap is increasingly recognized as a national model for K-12—community college partnership, preparing Chicago students for postsecondary success through high-quality instruction, early access to advanced programs, career exposure, and targeted supports. 

Equity is at the heart of the Chicago Roadmap. We strive to ensure that all students, including students from small schools and Options schools, students with disabilities, and students from historically underserved communities, benefit from the opportunities the Roadmap creates. 

This historic collaboration, launched in 2020, has produced tangible improvements in key student outcomes, including:

• Students who completed transitional math and English courses, classes which, when passed, allow CPS students to accelerate into college credit classes at City Colleges, are more likely to automatically start City Colleges at the college level and are more likely to stay enrolled until their second year compared to their peers in developmental education courses.
• Since FY19 the proportion of Black students eligible for college-level math at City Colleges increased by 22 percent and the proportion of Black students eligible for college-level English increased by 19 percent.
• Fall to fall retention at City Colleges for transitional math students was 25 percentage points higher than for students starting in developmental education courses and fall to fall retention for transitional English students was 12 percentage points higher than for students starting in developmental education courses.
• Since the inception of the Chicago Roadmap, transitional math classes have grown to be available in up to 75 high schools and up to 50 high schools for transitional English. 

As we enter the final year of the original Chicago Roadmap plan, our work is not done. Roadmap 2.0 is on the horizon. We are determined to provide stronger postsecondary partnerships with 4-year universities and supports for students that create even more opportunities for them to reach their goals. 

Read the 2023-24 Impact Report, available in English and Spanish.