COLFAX - Ridgeview High School was the first school in Illinois to test a system for electronic transmission of transcripts for high school seniors and both Tri Valley and Central Catholic high schools, among others, now have tested the process, too.

Ridgeview guidance counselor Mary Cay Hahn "jumped at the chance" when Jim Miller, her former boss and retired El Paso superintendent, asked her to test the system.

Electronic transmission of transcripts saves time and postage, she said.

She has taken her enthusiasm for the process to her peers, speaking to more than 200 counselors at statewide conferences. "If we expect our students to apply to colleges online, why aren't we sending their transcripts the same way?" she asked.

Hahn said privacy and security concerns have been addressed by California-based software company Xap Corp., which encrypts its data and has been approved for Illinois participants.

Hahn's tests were "flawless." She said nearly 50 schools in Illinois are signing up.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is sponsoring the service so all Illinois students, high schools and colleges can participate for free.

Hahn said the process currently works by having the student go to the Illinois Mentor portion of the ISAC Web site (www.collegezone.com) and request a transcript. The student's high school counselor then authorizes release of the transcript to the chosen college or colleges. An e-mail confirmation is sent to both parties.

Hahn has been a guidance counselor for 32 of her 33 years in education. She plans to retire at the end of the 2007 school year, but isn't letting anything slow down her enthusiasm. "I'm very excited that Ridgeview was No. 1 in testing and the whole process went smoothly," she said.