SREB High School to College and Careers. College and Career Planning

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1 SREB High School to College and Careers College and Career Planning Alabama ALCareerTech is a portal that provides access to online resources for students and their families to help them explore and plan for careers, technical education or college. Its website is ALcareertech.org. Alabama offers an assessment-based credential to job seekers with at least a GED certificate. Individuals may earn the Alabama Career Readiness Certificate (CRC), which the state awards at four levels: bronze, silver, gold or platinum. The CRC indicates to employers what degree of employable skills the applicant possesses. The CRC program is administered through the ACT WorkKeys program and is offered in partnership with the Alabama Community College System, the Alabama Career Center System, and the Office of Workforce Development. Arkansas The Arkansas Department of Higher Education, in conjunction with the State Department of Education, offers ACT s Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS) for eighth- and 10th-grade students. In addition, the State Department of Education offers The College Board s PSAT/NMSQT testing for all 10th-grade students. Students are required to take either the PSAT (The College Board) or the PLAN (ACT). Students electing the PSAT receive feedback and college planning guidance from the College Board based on their test performance. Arkansas s statewide college planning portal is SayGoCollege.com; it provides access to online resources for Arkansas students and their families to help them plan, apply and pay for college. Delaware All Delaware public school students in grades eight through 12 develop a Student Success Plan (SSP) with their parents or guardians, a school counselor, and at least one other school official. The purpose of the SSP is to monitor the student s academic progress to ensure an on-time graduation, educate students about their college and career options, and offer support if a student is failing or in danger of failing courses required for high school graduation. Information and resource guides for students and parents concerning the SSP and college and career planning are available on Delaware s college information website YesYouCanDE.com. Florida KnowHow2Go Florida is a Web portal provided by the Florida College Access Network (FL CAN!) and several national partners. It provides targeted guidance for middle grades and high school students and their families to help them plan for college. Its website is KnowHow2GoFL.org. The Florida Virtual Campus is a statewide portal that provides access to online resources for students and their families to help them plan for college. Its website is FLVC.org. Georgia GAcollege411 is a statewide portal that provides access to online resources for students and their families to help them plan, apply and pay for college. Its website is GACollege411.org. Kentucky Kentucky administers a statewide, federally funded GEAR UP program to prepare middle grades students for college and to create or expand programs to strengthen schools. Kentucky also administers the EXPLORE educational planning test to eighth-grade students and the PLAN college-readiness test to 2013 Southern Regional Education Board

2 10th-graders. The state administers the ACT for 11th-grade students and three WorkKeys assessments to participating 10th- through 12th-graders. These four assessments are part of ACT s Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS). All Kentucky public school students create an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) by the end of sixth grade. Each student writes the ILP with the help of parents and school counselors; the plan outlines the student s learning goals and helps guide the course of their studies through the middle grades and high school. The plan emphasizes postsecondary goal-setting and the pursuit of a robust academic experience, including appropriate extracurricular activities and electives. Kentucky launched a new online portal in 2008 called Graduate Kentucky. Its mission is to reach out to students at risk of dropping out of school and to promote their continuing in school through graduation. The site also contains information for students, parents, school counselors, community volunteers and business leaders. Its website is Graduate.KY.gov. The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority provides access to multiple online tools for Kentucky students and their families to help them plan, apply and pay for college. Current Web resources can be found at KHEAA.com and Knowhow2goKY.org. Louisiana All students in grades six through eight must participate in at least six activities (i.e. hear guest speakers, take field trips, take part in job shadowing) per academic year that introduce them to career, technical and academic fields. These activities are intended to prepare them to choose a career option in high school. By the end of eighth grade, students develop an Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) with the help of their parents and school counselors. The IGP establishes an area of career concentration and takes into account the student s middle grades career activities. School counselors are responsible for meeting with students, advising on academic choices, and helping students update their IGP s throughout the course of their high school. The Louisiana Department of Education, Board of Regents, and other state education agencies provide access to online tools for Louisiana students and their families to help them plan, apply and pay for college at Maryland The Maryland Higher Education Commission and the Maryland State Department of Education provide access to MD Go 4 It, a Web portal for Maryland students and their families to help them plan, apply and pay for college. Current resources can be accessed online at MDgo4it.org. Mississippi The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, the Mississippi Department of Education, and the Mississippi Community College Board administer a statewide, federally funded GEAR UP program to help low-income students prepare for college. It provides enrichment, recruitment and financial aid; family and community engagement, tutoring and mentoring; professional development for teachers, counselors and principals; and technology resources. More information is available at GearUpMS.org. The College Knowledge Project is a statewide, federally-funded program administered by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning in collaboration with the Mississippi Community College Board, the Mississippi Department of Education, and a variety of local organizations and businesses. The program targets school districts in the state and provides college preparation outreach to middle grades students SREB s High School to College and Careers College and Career Planning 2

3 and their families; a comprehensive college access website and transfer tool; financial literacy information; and professional development services for teachers, counselors and administrators. Mississippi also offers online resources at RiseUpMS.com, a statewide Web portal designed to help students and their families plan for college. North Carolina The University of North Carolina System administers a statewide, federally funded GEAR UP program, which targets school districts with high poverty rates and low college-going rates. The goal of the program is to increase significantly the number of students who graduate from high school and go on to enroll and succeed in college. GEAR UP North Carolina provides tutoring, mentoring, academic planning, financial aid planning, college tours and professional development, as well as resources for Spanishspeaking students and parents. The mission of the North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network Pre-College Program is to increase the number of high school graduates ready to pursue math, science and related majors in college. For sixth- through 12th-grade students, it offers academic enrichment during school, Saturday academies, summer programs, leadership training and career activities. It also offers seminars for parents to help them prepare their children for college. North Carolina also offers the Early Mathematics Placement Testing (NC EMPT) Program to all public and non-public high schools statewide, in order to help reduce the percentage of entering college freshmen who require math remediation. NC EMPT provides a diagnostic test that is a facsimile of the actual math placement tests currently given at the state s colleges and universities. Students enrolled in Algebra II and any upper-level high school math courses are eligible to participate. Students receive individualized test results that provide a snapshot of current readiness for college-level courses for each student s chosen major at his or her first choice of a college or university. College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) is a statewide service to help students plan, apply and pay for college. CFNC is a partnership of The University of North Carolina System, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the North Carolina Community College System, North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority, and College Foundation Inc. Its website is CFNC.org. Oklahoma Oklahoma administers a statewide, federally funded GEAR UP program, which partners with rural school districts with high poverty rates and low college-going rates to provide academic planning, mentoring, financial aid planning, college tours, college application assistance, professional development for teachers, and parent leadership training, as well as resources for Spanish-speaking students and parents. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and ACT Inc. sponsor the Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS) statewide. Participating school districts test eighth-graders using the EXPLORE test, 10th-graders using the PLAN test, and 11th- and 12th-graders using the ACT assessment. The Oklahoma College Assistance Program offers UCanGo2, a comprehensive college access and outreach program that aims to facilitate access to postsecondary education in Oklahoma; encourages student aspiration; and educates students, parents, instructors, counselors and community partners about preparing, planning and paying for college. Components include campus and community workshops, print publications, a college planning hotline and a variety of online tools available through the program. Its website is UCanGo2.org. SREB s High School to College and Careers College and Career Planning 3

4 South Carolina All eighth-grade students, with the help of their parents or guardians and school counselors, develop an Individual Graduation Plan (IGP). A student s IGP is organized around an academic focus area (called a cluster of study ), which aligns with a career pathway. In 10th grade, each student declares an academic major based on the IGP cluster of study. Students IGPs and academic majors help guide their elective choices in high school, as well as their college and career planning beyond graduation. The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education administers a statewide, federally funded GEAR UP program. The objectives of GEAR UP are to increase the academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education of GEAR UP students. Services include tutors and mentors, introduction to institutions of higher education through trips and school-based sessions, informational sessions to students and families regarding financial aid for postsecondary education, student enrollment in rigorous and challenging course work, skills assessments, and professional development of teachers and school personnel. The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education also offers SC CAN, a statewide portal that provides access to online resources for South Carolina students and their families to help them plan for college. Its website is SCCANGo.org. Tennessee The Department of Education (DOE) and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) jointly administer a federally funded GEAR UP grant, which is designed to prepare high school students for college and enhance awareness of the need to expand access to postsecondary education statewide. As part of this grant, the DOE and THEC offer CollegeforTN, an online Web resource that provides access to information for Tennessee students and their families to help them plan, apply and pay for college. Its website is CollegeforTN.org. The Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation provides an additional statewide Web portal, CollegePays, to help students and their families plan for college. Its website is TN.gov/CollegePays. Texas The Texas Education Agency (TEA) administers a statewide, federally funded GEAR UP program called the STAR Project (Students Training for Academic Readiness). The effort is a partnership among the TEA, the College Board, the National Hispanic Institute and other community groups, in cooperation with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Texas A&M University-Kingsville. STAR s goals include building awareness of postsecondary opportunities among students and their families, preparing students for college through improved access to rigorous academics, offering professional development for teachers and counselors regarding differentiated instruction and assistance with postsecondary choices, ensuring parental involvement in the college-choice process, and building community and family recognition of the importance of postsecondary education. Its website is TexasGEARUP.com/STAR-Project. The College for All Texans campaign is a project of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The goal of the campaign is to increase the percentage of Texas high school graduates enrolling in college. The campaign provides information for parents/guardians and for middle grades and high school students on preparing, applying and paying for college. The project also provides materials to schools and other organizations to help them promote college readiness, financial aid options and postsecondary education to Texas students. Its website is CollegeForAllTexans.com. SREB s High School to College and Careers College and Career Planning 4

5 Generation TX is a statewide portal provided by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board that offers access to online resources for students and their families to help them plan for college. Its website is GenTX.org. Virginia The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia administers a statewide, federally funded GEAR UP program to help low-income students prepare for college. It provides early intervention through summer activities on college campuses, neighborhood academies and parental-involvement initiatives, professional development for teachers and counselors, and scholarships for eligible participants. Virginia offers online resources at I-am-the-one.com, a statewide Web portal designed to help students and their families plan for college. The Virginia Education Wizard is a Web portal that helps both high school students and adult learners plan for college. It also provides resources for job-seekers to learn more about career and work-based learning opportunities. Its website is VAwizard.org. West Virginia The West Virginia Department of Education administers a statewide, federally funded GEAR UP program that focuses on middle grades students. The purpose of the program is to prepare students for postsecondary education; to develop alliances among schools, colleges, government and community groups; to provide information about college opportunities; and to strengthen academic programs. West Virginia also administers the EXPLORE educational planning exam to eighth-grade students and the PLAN college-readiness test to 10 th -graders. These two assessments are part of ACT s Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS). The College Foundation of West Virginia provides a statewide portal that offers online resources for West Virginia students and their families to help them plan for college. Its website is CFWV.com. SREB s High School to College and Careers College and Career Planning 5