1. WHAT IS GEAR UP Kentucky?
FOR GEAR UP KENTUCKY SCHOOLS
Speaker:
Introduction of self and others in the room
Ask who has heard about GEAR UP before? What do they know or have heard about GEAR UP?

2. Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs
GEAR UP stands for…
GEAR UP is a national program funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The program gives grants to states and partnerships to provides services to students and schools in their area.
In 2011, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education received a GEAR UP grant, and chose your school as one of the schools it will serve through 2017.
This is the 3rd GEAR UP grant Kentucky has received since 2000, which is why you may hear it referred to as GUK 3.0.
GEAR UP NATIONWIDE

3. Increase high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment rates
GOAL #1
Increase academic performance & preparation for postsecondary education
GOAL #2
Increase high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment rates
GOAL #3
Increase student and family knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing
Nationally, the GEAR UP program has 3 goals…
GEAR UP NATIONWIDE

4. The Big Picture GEAR UP Kentucky 3.0
$4.487 million in federal funding each year
Six Years ( )
Total Federal - $26.9M
Dollar-for-dollar match
Administered by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
So what does GEAR UP look like in Kentucky?....
The Big Picture

5. The mission of GEAR UP Kentucky 3
The mission of GEAR UP Kentucky 3.0, the state GEAR UP program, is to build a sustainable college-going culture in schools with a high percentage of low income students
It’s about LONG TERM CULTURAL CHANGE in our schools.
OUR MISSION

6. Every Student Prepared for College Success
Our mission is to ensure that every student is prepared for college success.
OUR Vision

7. 49 middle and high schools (serving grades 7 – 9 this year)
11,000+ students and families
3 cohorts
21 counties divided into 6 regions
Third KY grant = GUK 3.0 Kentucky has received two previous grants
( and ), which is why the current program is identified as
GUK 3.0.
OUR SCHOOLS

8. WHY THESE SCHOOLS? Statewide School Tour Process
Only schools with 51% or more students F/RPL eligible
No overlap with schools included in other GEAR UP applications
Other factors considered:
School performance on EXPLORE
Geographic need/resources in school
Proximity to postsecondary institution
How were you chosen to be a GEAR UP Kentucky school?
WHY THESE SCHOOLS?

9. GEAR UP Kentucky will provide support for schools to create and maintain a college-going culture by providing services in three categories:
To give you a brief overview of what GEAR UP brings to your school, let me tell you about the three categories of services we provide…
WHAT GUK 3.0 Will do

10. Direct Services: Provide services directly to students and parents to support college readiness and planning
Statewide Services: Provide services with a statewide reach including community and parent engagement and outreach activities
School Improvement Services- Provide services working with school leadership and staff to help support a sustainable college-going culture in the school building
WHAT GUK 3.0 Will do

11. GEAR UP-2-College & Career
Direct Services for Students and Parents
7th Grade
8th Grade
9th Grade
10th Grade
11th Grade
12th Grade
GEAR UP-2-Learn 
GEAR UP-2-College & Career
GEAR UP-2-Campus
GEAR UP-2-Focus
GEAR UP-2-Success
As you can see, students will participate in these five strategies at different times throughout middle and high school....7th and 8th grade students should already be participating in GEAR UP-2-Learn and will begin student advising sessions as a part of GEAR UP-2-Success before the end of the year.
Direct services to
Students & parents

12. Direct services to Students & parents GEAR UP-2-Learn (acadiscipline)
Goal Setting
Test Taking
Communication
Working in a Team
Conflict Resolution
Financial Literacy
GEAR UP 2 Learn
customized 20 hour curriculum for 7th-9th grade to help students acquire academic behaviors necessary for academic success—such as goal setting, test taking, note taking, communication, conflict resolution, critical thinking.
The program also includes a financial literacy component and a end of year team project.
Direct services to
Students & parents

13. Direct services to Students & parents
GEAR UP-2-Success (comprehensive advising)
Individualized student advising
One-on-one and small group advising sessions
EPAS workshops
Enrichment activities to help students meet educational goals
Family activities to support college planning
Explore and understand ILP
GEAR UP 2-Success is an comprehensive academic advising program that helps students and their families understand how they are doing in meeting college readiness benchmarks as they go through middle and high school and provide interventions to target areas that need improvement.
incorporates an early warning system that flags students who are at-risk of experiencing academic difficulties in middle and high school and missing college readiness benchmarks.
trough analysis of a set of early warning indicators, students are matched with interventions and an individualized advising plan is created.
GUK staff will work with our school leaders and staff to establish a holistic approach to advising and implement a set of procedures to monitor and track student progress toward meeting college readiness standards.
We’ll be talking about this in much more detail in the near future…..
Direct services to
Students & parents

14. Direct services to Students & parents GEAR UP-2-Campus (enrichment)
Career Discovery Days
Campus visits
GEAR UP-2-Campus helps students experience what it’s like to be a college students by taking them on a college campus on campus tours, career discovery workshops, and summer enrichment programs.
While our summer enrichment programs don’t start for our students until the summer following 9th grade, our goal is to make sure every middle school student visits at least one college campus before entering high school.
Direct services to
Students & parents

15. SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SERVICES
What is a College-Going Culture?
An environment in which all members of the school community acknowledge and commit to ensuring that the structure is in place to support the five attributes (A.R.E.A.S.)
School Improvement Services are a coordinated set of services that really focus on creating a college-going culture within the school building by helping you as school leaders and staff use data to help drive decision making on everything from curriculum and instruction to student advising and parent engagement.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
SERVICES

16. SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SERVICES GUK School Improvement Services
EXPLORE assessment for 7th graders
GUK Teacher/Leader Summer Academies
GUK Leadership Network
Institute for a College-Going Culture statewide event
Transition Workshops
Customized Professional Development
School Improvement Services are a coordinated set of services that really focus on creating a college-going culture within the school building by helping you as school leaders and staff use data to help drive decision making on everything from curriculum and instruction to student advising and parent engagement.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
SERVICES

17. STAY TUNED http://gearupky.org GEARUPKentucky @GEARUPToday
Three places to keep in touch with what’s going on with GEAR UP across the state –
Our website, on Facebook or on Twitter.
We want you and your students to keep in touch with us!
STAY TUNED

18. YOUR GEAR UP Kentucky SCHOOL SITE TEAM
• Regional Program Manager (GUK)
• College & Career Advisor (GUK)
• Parent Coordinator (GUK)
• Principal (or designee)
• Counselor
• Curricula Coordinator
• Each team should include at least one CSIP and one SBDM representative (where applicable)
If these folks have been identified – introduce them. If not, talk about the identification of the School Site Team as Step #1.
Who’s who

19. YOUR GEAR UP Kentucky SCHOOL SITE TEAM
Members of the GEAR UP School Site Team have three primary responsibilities:
Planning
Implementation
Monitoring
Who’s who

20. What’s next from GEAR UP KY?
Students begin GEAR UP-2-Learn
GEAR UP Orientation for new cohort (7th graders)
GUK Leadership Network webinars
EXPLORE Assessment for 7th graders (Sept)
National GEAR UP Week
GEAR UP-2-Success begins (September)
Campus visits and Career Discovery Days begin (Fall 2013)
WhAT’s NEXT with GUK?

21. HOW CAN YOU HELP? What WE NEED FROM YOU
Support GUK’s mission and message with your students and their families
Promote GUK activities and services
Help ensure GUK activities and services are open to all students in the cohort.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?

22. YOUR GEAR UP KenTUCKY STAFF MEMBERS
Regional Program Manager: Name & Contact Info
College and Career Advisor: Name & Contact Info
Discuss role of RPM and role of CCA(s).
Who’s who?

23. Questions? Comments?
YOUR TURN