school-based services Information '06-'08

school-based services Information 2006-2008
After completing the 2006 Planning Phase activities from January to June, selected middle schools will be offered the following services by California GEAR UP:

• Conduct Institutes and Forums for school Leadership Teams from GEAR UP middle schools. A school Leadership Team is composed of six to eight people including the principal, counselor, mathematics teacher, English/language arts teacher, and parent. Full participation of the principal and Leadership team is expected at the Institute and Forum to receive all services.  The Leadership Team needs to commit to supporting the professional development activities throughout the school year. (Registration, meals, substitutes and stipends for team paid by GEAR UP).

• Provide the School Self-Assessment Rubric (SSAR) that is the foundation for planning and implementing a well-conceived action plan for building a rigorous, academic, college-going culture. This rubric was developed based on the UCLA Outreach Theory and the individual efforts of educational leaders; the SSAR has been highly effective in provoking meaningful discussion and strategic thinking around systemic change within the school community. The data collected from the results of the SSAR serve to inform and assist stakeholders in planning strategically since these data identify both gaps that need to be addressed as well as strengths that can be utilized to overcome barriers. Additionally, the descriptors that comprise the rubric serve as a guide for stakeholders in selecting strategies for making progress in a more deliberate, planned way. Therefore, the results and ensuing discussion of the SSAR become one foundation piece for planning and implementing a well-conceived action plan for building a rigorous, academic, college-going culture at a GEAR UP site.

• Make use of a Professional Development Action Plan (PDAP) aligned with the GEAR UP goal. Funding will be allocated to individual school sites that develop an approved professional development plan to reimburse teachers and school staff to attend staff development activities based on needs determined by the SSAR.

• Facilitate the development and implementation of the PDAP. Facilitation is available throughout the school year by trained facilitators who can assist staff in developing the professional development plan, using GEAR UP tools.  The cost must be included in the PDAP.

• Sponsor parent institutes conducted at each school site to increase family involvement in a meaningful manner by providing academic and college financial awareness. It is expected that the principal will collaborate with the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) to schedule the sessions at the school site. (9-week course and three months follow up for parents) Selected schools will also be invited to participate in the Family Initiatives Project (FIP) based on the need for family programming strategies to enhance the participation of English speaking families at California GEAR UP schools. (5-week sessions or weekend event)

• Assist in coordination for a College Board Pre-AP workshop as selected by the GEAR UP school. College Board will provide a workshop, designed for middle school and high school teachers, from their workshop menu, such as Pre-AP: Strategies in English -- Writing Tactics Using SOAPSTone; Pre-AP: Topics for AP Vertical Teams® in English; Pre-AP: Interdisciplinary Strategies for English and Social Studies; Pre-AP: Strategies in Mathematics -- Analyzing and Describing Data; or Pre-AP: Topics for AP Vertical Teams® in Math.  Some sessions explore ways to teach students the analytical and critical thinking skills that are fundamental for success in AP classes and other rigorous academic courses. Vertical Team sessions focus on helping participants explore and articulate a middle and high school curriculum anchored in the skills, knowledge, and habits of mind needed for AP courses. Teachers concentrate on what and how they teach, as well as how they communicate with each other; becoming more familiar with the benefits and challenges of vertical teaming. (Registration fees and stipends/substitutes for teachers)

• Sponsor Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program “The Student Success Path” workshop for teachers of all middle school subjects. This AVID workshop presents a sequential program to build study skills, test taking ability, critical thinking, motivation, organization, goal setting, and time management. The “Student Success Path” teacher guide includes instructions on how to improve student performance academically with proven AVID methods. The student guides are intended for students to use as their roadmap to academic success with effective study skills, Cornell notetaking, oral language and other areas covered in detail.                   (Registration fees and stipends/substitutes for teachers)
• Offer Counseling Institute sessions for counselors and teachers to provide academic counseling instruction.  A series of Middle School Counseling Institutes are held throughout the State to encourage counselors and teachers in their role as college advocates and to strengthen awareness about the importance of academic planning for all students and families. Counseling staffs from GEAR UP participating middle schools and neighboring middle schools, which may be non-GEAR UP schools, are invited to participate. The institute also supports the involvement of faculty from local high schools. (Stipends/substitutes for teachers)

• Conduct ACT, Inc. training on internet career guidance software with a site license for counselors and teachers. Discover software provides middle school counselors and teachers with a tool to assist students in making important career and educational decisions. The system offers complete and current databases of occupations, college majors, colleges, financial aid and scholarships, and a World-of-Work Map on a web site. This web site provides a searchable file that includes detailed descriptions of college majors, typical college courses, high school preparation, related majors, and colleges that offer the programs of study.

• Provide College: Making It Happen booklets for each student enrolled in the school. These booklets—available in English and Spanish—contain information on college admission requirements and financial aid opportunities, including federal and state grants, community and organizational scholarships, and loans. In addition to the packets, a motivational video hosted by Edward James Olmos is distributed to all GEAR UP schools in English and Spanish. GEAR UP counselors and school staff members are invited to attend training sessions to learn effective means by which to use the packets and to host a College: Making It Happen event. Additionally, many GEAR UP projects are invited to participate in College: Making It Happen events in which outreach officers from local postsecondary educational institutions meet with family members to provide further information.

• Sponsor Community Conferences in northern California and southern California in the spring during alternate years to provide information for continuing the California GEAR UP initiative as well as the middle school reform movement in California. The conference will engage the local, regional, state and national GEAR UP community in dialogue about the process of "Building a College-Going Culture" and share "lessons learned" from the California GEAR UP model.

• Provide scholarships in the form of Educational Trust Accounts in the amount of $2,000 that accrues interest until the student withdraws the funds upon entering college. The California Student Aid Commission administers the awards with student selection done by each individual middle school. Student selection criteria should include financial, educational, cultural, language, home, community, environmental, and other conditions that hamper access to and persistence in postsecondary programs. Each school determines the process for the awards. Factors to be considered may include:
  • Potential first generation college student
  • Single parent household
  • First language other than English
  • Low-income family
  • Academic potential
  • Family Participation in PIQE or FIP sessions

Upon completion of the GEAR UP contract, each participating school will complete a Report of Funding by October 1 of each year, signed by the principal, indicating needs assessment, objectives, activities, outcomes, and lessons learned from outcomes. A financial report detailing project expenditures and cost sharing contributions for the yearly reporting period must be included for grant reimbursement.