In Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 3070 into law as Public Act 104-0814. While the official legislative record lists the enactment date as August 7, 2026, public announcements from the drafting organization, the Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA), celebrate its signing on August 10, 2026. [1, 2, 3]
This bipartisan legislation modifies the state’s School Code to give high school students more educational flexibility: [1, 2]
- The CTE Alternative: Beginning with the 2028–2029 school year, incoming 9th-grade students can choose to complete 2 years of approved Career and Technical Education (CTE) coursework as an alternative to the traditional 2-year foreign language requirement for graduation. [1, 2]
- Graduation Prerequisite: Fulfilling either the 2-year CTE path or the 2-year foreign language path satisfies the baseline graduation requirement for music, art, foreign language, CTE, or forensic speech. [1, 2]
- University Admissions: State public universities are prohibited from requiring foreign language completion for admission unless they offer a matching alternative for College and Career Pathway Endorsements. [1]
Would you like to know more about the specific CTE programs authorized under this bill, or do you need details on how this affects college admission requirements in Illinois?
