Procedural Manual - Tab 4

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FAIRMONT STATE GEAR UP PROGRAMMING

On August 14, 2008, the Higher Education Opportunity Act (Public Law 110-315) (HEOA) which reauthorizes the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, was enacted into law.  This new law, which became effective upon enactment, requires GEAR UP partnership grantees to provide comprehensive mentoring, outreach, and supportive services to students participating in the program.  These services must include the following activities:

  • Providing information regarding financial aid for postsecondary education to participating students;
  • Encouraging student enrollment in rigorous and challenging curricula and coursework, in order to reduce the need for remedial coursework at the postsecondary level; and
  • Implementing activities to improve the number of participating students who obtain a secondary school diploma, and complete applications for, and enroll in a program of postsecondary education.

 

FSU GEAR UP PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES, EVENTS

The following programs, activities, and events may be planned to advance federal and FSU GEAR UP goals:

  • Services to students
    • Tutoring(before/during/afterschool)
    • Mentoring
    • Academic rigor/enrichment
    • ACT/SAT Prep
    • Dual Enrollment/AP Classes
    • College Visitations
    • Counseling
    • Summer camps and programs
    • Remediation/advancement
    • Academic preparation
    • College & career planning
    • College application assistance
    • Financial aid planning/application assistance
    • GEAR UP Home Computer Scholarship program

 

  • Motivational activities & events
    • College tours (may also include virtual tours)
    • College/Career fairs
    • Educational field trips
    • Incentives
    • Awards, certificates, pins, trophies, etc.
    • Prizes (calculator, gift card, backpack, school supplies, etc.)
    • Gift or gas cards (with approval and no larger than $25)
    • Posters, banners, college promo, etc.
    • Awards, recognitions, 21st Century Scholars Certificates
    • T-Shirts with school GEAR UP promo
    • Guest speakers
    • Books, binders, materials, videos, etc.
    • GEAR UP mugs, pens, pencils, etc.
    • Career fairs, business tours, etc.
    • Educational and classroom materials (i.e. student school supplies, graphing calculators, computers, office systems, supplies, copiers, printers, lab equipment, books, classroom instructional software, remediation software and products, responders, numonic boards, white boards, videos, LCD projectors, etc.

 

  • Parent Activities
    • College tours (may also include virtual tours)
    • Financial aid workshops
    • College Open House/Family Days
    • College admissions/planning
    • Parent University
    • Classes for parents
    • Materials to support parent activities
    • Guest speakers
    • Newsletters
    • Recognition programs

 

  • Staff Development
    • Teacher training
    • Meetings, workshops, discussions
    • Newsletters, books, manuals, subscriptions, etc.
    • Train-the-trainer
    • Personal growth
    • Guest speakers
    • Workshops

 

GEAR UP TUTORING/ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE

FSU GEAR UP offers funding through RESA VII for 400 hours of tutoring at each GEAR UP school for each school year.  It is the Site Coordinator's responsibility to work with their administrators and fellow teachers to decide if tutoring will be most beneficial before, during, and/or after school, and creating a schedule accordingly.  The number of tutors at each school will also be at the discretion of the Site Coordinator/Administrators.  Additional hours of tutoring may be available if there is a high need for additional tutoring.  GEAR UP should not be turning any GEAR UP student away from tutoring.  If additional hours are needed to accommodate more students, contact the GEAR UP Training Coordinator at RESA VII.  

The Tutor positions are posted on the RESA VII website.  Tutors must send a letter of application to RESA VII to apply for any tutor position with GEAR UP.  The GEAR UP Training Coordinator will work with the Site Coordinator to hire the tutors needed at the school.  After being hired, the tutors will need to complete an agreement form and fill out the Employee Packet for RESA VII.  All new tutors will have to complete the online tutor training.  The link for the training will be emailed to the Site Coordinator and it is the responsibility of the Site Coordinator to have the tutor complete the training before tutoring. 

Tutors will be required to fill out a monthly timesheet.  The timesheet can be found on the GEAR UP Website.  Timesheets turned in by the 5th of the month will be paid on the 20th of the month.  Timesheets turned in after the 5th will be paid on the 5th of the following month.  Tutors with a college degree will be paid $25 per hour, college students will be paid $18 per hour, and high school students will be paid $9 per hour.   

All schools are required to provide some type of tutoring/academic assistance to their GEAR UP students.  This assistance may be offered before/during/after school or on the weekends.  This assistance may be computer based or may be provided face to face.  Schools are encouraged to provide assistance during the day while students are a captive audience.

All tutors are contracted through RESA VII.

GEAR UP DUAL ENROLLMENT/AP COLLEGE COURSES

GEAR UP may support Dual Enrollment and/or AP classes for GEAR UP students.   Students who attend college while in high school are more likely to enter postsecondary education after high school.  The level of support will be determined by the Fairmont State GEAR UP office.

 

GEAR UP HOME COMPUTER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

To address ways to improve the quality of access to higher education opportunities, while also serving as an incentive to do well in college preparatory courses, the Home Computer Scholarship Program is awarded every spring.  Students and their parents/guardians must complete and submit an application by the announced deadline.  Those selected for the award are notified and a reception honoring the recipients is provided at the end of the academic year. Parent training on the computer system and internet safety is also part of the award.

A Home Computer Scholarship package may include such items as: desktop or laptop computer, color printer, software, and Internet access (paid through the duration of the grant except in year 6).  Students and parents sign a contract agreeing that the computer will be used to support the child in taking college-prep courses and maintaining a minimum 2.5 GPA.

 

PARENT ACTIVITIES

To address parental involvement in the schools, Fairmont State GEAR UP contracts Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Coordinators at each GEAR UP school.  The FACE Coordinator is responsible to plan and organize monthly parent workshops at their school, which may include:

  • Coaching Your Student to Success
  • training on what classes students should be taking to prepare for college
  • financial Aid workshops
  • career exploration
  • understanding test results (EXPLORE, PLAN, WESTEST II)
  • internet safety
  • parenting skills
  • and personal enrichment classes

Additionally, Fairmont State GEAR UP plans events each year targeted to families.  These events include, but are not limited to:

  • family trips to college campuses
  • Family Day at Fairmont State
  • parent recognition programs,
  • Family activities exploring math and science fields
  • Community education classes

FACE Coordinators also act as an advocate for the needs/concerns of parent at the school and help school administrators and staff understand how to be more available to parents. 

 

EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS, EVENTS, ACTIVITIES

To assess the effectiveness of GEAR UP programs, events, and activities, it is important to provide for an evaluation mechanism as part of or immediately following the event.  All major events should include an evaluation.

 

GEAR UP STAFF DEVELOPMENT 

GEAR UP goals support staff development and training of teachers and support staff as it applies to furthering GEAR UP goals.  Coordination with RESA VII, the WV Department of Education, and the local county Board of Educations  occurs to maximize resources and opportunities and minimize duplication of effort. 

ALL travel for staff development or for conferences MUST obtain prior approval, including those that are not GEAR UP funded but will be used for Match.   In-state travel for local meetings does not require such approval, nor does travel for the Federal Capacity Building Workshop or Annual GEAR UP Conference, as long as the limit is not exceeded.  If there are more than six individuals attending the conference (the federal limit), approval must be obtained to use GEAR UP funds for additional attendees.

To build capacity, we recommend that opportunities for staff development or training be shared with GEAR UP teachers as part of the approval process. 

Professional Development/training may include, but is not limited to:

  • Train-the-trainer (for example, LINKS training from the WVDOE, Ruby Payne's Understanding Poverty)
  • Attending GEAR UP local and Federal workshops and conferences
  • Obtaining additional expertise in one's field
  • Guest speakers or experts on topics addressing teacher/counselor issues, such as:

Learning/Teaching Styles Classroom Motivation
 Small Learning Communities Classroom Management
ADD/ADHD Academic Rigor/College Readiness
Student Disabilities Teacher Burnout
Cultural Awareness Involving Parents

 

Staff Development funding is available through RESA VII.

To request funding for Staff Development contact the GEAR UP Training Coordinator at RESA VII.

GEAR UP must increase the amount of staff development hours each year and must also increase the number of teachers that attend a GEAR UP sponsored Staff Development each year on the Annual Performance Report.  Teachers are asked to fill out a quarterly staff development report showing the Staff Development attended and answering questions about the staff development so that the GEAR UP Training Coordinator at RESA VII can answer questions on the Annual Performance Report.  For a teacher to receive the Classroom Material Incentive at least 12 hours of Staff Development must be reported on the Staff Development report in addition to the requirements set for the ETR (Refer to Effort Turn Around Section for more information) 

GUIDE TO PLANNING MAJOR EVENTS

BEFORE-DURING-OR-AFTER-SCHOOL

TUTORING/ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE/CREDIT RECOVERY

  • Identify the PURPOSE of tutoring/academic intervention
  • Who is your target population? To get started, you may have to focus only on one or two groups and expand over the next few years.
    • Those having difficulty by subject area? Math, English, Science, etc.
    • Those whose grades are low?
    • Those who show promise but need a nudge?
    • Those B and C students who could move to become A and B students?
    • Those needing credit recovery?
    • Others
  • Decide what variety of methods you want to use to provide academic intervention (you can have more than one way). To get started, you may have to focus only on one or two methods and expand over the next few years. Think about implementing something that will exist after GU funds are gone.
    • PLATO, etc. (web or software individualized grade level advancement program by academic area)
    • Student-to-student tutoring (using 8th-12th graders, college students)
    • Teacher tutors
    • Group small learning communities
    • Books & manuals
    • Teacher-prepared materials
    • Purchased curriculum (Kaplan, Scholastic, etc.)
    • Other
  • Decide when it will be offered?
    • Before, during, or after school?
    • Evenings?
    • Weekends?
    • Summers?
  • Establish a plan and timeline for implementation.
  • Be sure to include Tutor Training (we will provide suggestions and options).
  • Keep track of who obtains tutoring and the amount of time (hours) spent for data reporting.
  • Have tutors record their tutoring time on Tutor Time Sheet.

COLLEGE TOUR/EDUCATIONAL FIELD TRIPS

  • Check the dates
    • Verify visitation date with college/university or facility you would like to visit
    • Verify date with school/county calendar to make sure there are no conflicts
  • Follow school procedures to calendar the date
  • Identify the PURPOSE of the event.
  • Order the buses
  • If you are renting charter buses:
    • Submit Special Event form for approval with all costs for the trip included, especially the cost of the buses and food at least one month prior to the trip.
    • Follow school/county PO procedure to order the bus
    • Submit forms / obtain signatures
    • Call a few days ahead of the tour to confirm buses
  • If you are using school buses:
    • Verify the internal procedure for ordering school buses
    • Complete paperwork as necessary
  • Most schools have a field trip procedure where parents must sign a permission slip for their child to be able to attend - make sure this is done in a timely manner. Also make sure only students whose parents signed the GEAR UP Parent Permission Form attend.
  • Verify chaperones (counselors, parents, teachers) and coverage for the trip
  • Request substitute teachers for those teachers who are going on the trip

FOR COLLEGE TOURS

  • Work with a contact at the college/university to make sure certain topics are covered and tours include certain components:
    • If possible, ask for recent graduates from your high school who are currently attending a particular college. Have them welcome and say a few words about their experience (and what they might have done differently in high school if they had it to do all over again).
    • Make sure the college representatives review the following: requirements for admission, enrollment, assessments/placement tests, academic advising and course selection, housing, orientation, financial aid/scholarship deadlines, activities of interest, and other procedures students would be interested in.
  • Ask if college students can lead the tours and make sure the college tour includes:
    • Student center
    • Dorm/housing
    • Lunch at the dining hall (if using GU funds, must have prior approval)
    • Several classrooms / labs of interest
    • Athletics
    • Campus grounds
    • Bookstore if it is interesting
    • Some may have the chance to sit in on a class

FOR EDUCATIONAL FIELD TRIPS

  • Decide the purpose of the trip and if all students will be going or just certain classes.
  • Check with facility to see if there are any charges for any activities/tickets; if so, you must get cost approved on your submitted Special Event Request form.
  • Make sure that the representatives discuss items relevant to encouraging students to go to college, such as career goals and educational background, etc.

FOR ALL TRIPS

  • For data collection purposes, you must have a sign-in sheet so you can track who attended.
  • Have the group complete a College Tour Evaluation Form after the event so that you can see where you need to improve it for next time.
  • Capture any match available.

 

21ST CENTURY SCHOLARS BANQUET & AWARDS CEREMONY

The 21st Century Scholars Certificates are required by statute to be awarded to every participating GEAR UP  student in year one of the grant, and every new student who enters the program each year.

The certificates state that the students should be congratulated for the path they have put themselves on - reminding them that if they study hard and take the right courses, Federal Aid will be available to them when the time comes for them to go to college.   The certificates are signed by the U.S. Secretary of Education.    On the back of the certificate is an example of what type of financial aid the student may be eligible for.

Certificates are typically received by the month of December. The Site Coordinator must then print the names of each GEAR UP student on the certificates.   The school is required to hold an awards program towards the end of the school year in which these (and other awards) are made.

  • Check the dates
    • Verify date with school/county calendar to make sure there are no conflicts
    • Follow school procedures to calendar the date.
  • Identify the PURPOSE of the event.
  • Submit Special Event form to have food purchase approved.
  • Reserve facility. Be sure to verify procedures for set up and clean up.
  • Follow school/county purchase order procedures for ordering food. Call a few days before the event to verify your order.
  • Decide the types of honors/awards to be presented along with the 21st Century Certificates(academic, parent, athletic, etc)
  • Complete student, teacher, staff and parent invitations and follow up with a reminder.
  • Decorations and set-up
  • Sign-in Form of students and parents as you will need the number of GU attendees for reports.
  • You may decide to have "opportunity drawings" for attendees. These are usually either donated items from the community or gift cards for Walmart, Target, or Gas Cards. Be sure to follow school/county procedures for PO's when buying gift cards.
  • Organize the PROGRAM
    • Welcome and Introductions (by Principal & GEAR UP Director if available)
    • Entertainment
    • Dinner
    • Opportunity Drawing (if any)
    • Awards & Recognition
    • Other information you want parents to know in particular
  • Evaluate the effort and make note of things you would do differently.

 

 GEAR UP POSTER CONTEST

The purpose of the GEAR UP poster contest is to provide students with an overview of what GEAR UP is and then asking them to depict the program in the form of art.   The art is judged and the winning artwork is placed on the class GEAR UP t-shirt, worn at GU activities and for college tours.  Some schools may request to do some other type of contest, such as video, to meet this goal.  Prior approval should be obtained from the Fairmont State GEAR UP office.

  • Decide which teacher/class is going to sponsor the project.
  • Obtain/purchase poster paper and paint/markers (in the GU budget).
  • Plan for how you are going to present GEAR UP to students.
  • Make presentation.
  • Give GEAR UP students art supplies and 1 week to produce their art work.
  • Display art work.
  • Identify 3-5 judges (superintendent, counselor, principal, board member, parent, etc.), explaining GU to them and asking them to judge the art work.
  • Announce the winner at an all-class assembly (invite parents of winner).
  • Purchase t-shirts with art work (order larger sizes than needed and can include shirts for GU teachers, counselors, principals, etc.).
  • Wear t-shirts for special GU events.
  • The cost of the t-shirt should not exceed $6.00 per shirt. If the cost is greater, you must have prior approval from the GEAR UP Director.
  • Some schools may choose to adapt this design to another item, such as back packs, etc. This change must receive prior approval from the Fairmont State GEAR UP office.

 

PARENT GEAR UP KICK-OFF MEETING

  • Check the dates
    • Verify date with school/county calendar to make sure there are no conflicts
    • Follow school procedures to calendar the date.
  • Identify the PURPOSE of the event. The purpose is to explain GEAR UP to parents & to solicit their support when the school sponsors a GEAR UP activity or event.
  • You may want to design a Student/Parent GEAR UP Support Agreement. This basically says "they will do their best in school".
  • Submit the Special Event form for approval with all costs for the event, especially food, to the GEAR UP Director.
  • Reserve facility. Be sure to verify procedures for set up and clean up.
  • If you are providing food, you must submit the Special Event form to have food purchase approved at least 2 weeks prior to the event.
  • Follow school/county PO procedures for ordering food. Call a few days before the event to verify your order.
  • Complete student, teacher, staff and parent invitations and follow up with a reminder.
  • Decorations and set-up. Get volunteers to help and let them attend.
  • Sign-in Form of students and parents as you will need the number of GU attendees for reports.
  • You may decide to have "opportunity drawings" for attendees. These usually are either donated items from the community or gift cards for Walmart, Target, or gas cards. Be sure to follow school/county procedures for PO when buying gift cards.
  • Organize the PROGRAM
    • Welcome and Introductions (by Principal & GEAR UP Director if available)
    • Dinner
    • Opportunity Drawing ( if any)
    • Description of GEAR UP - you may want the GEAR UP Director to attend and make this presentation
    • Other information you want parents to know in particular
  • Evaluate the effort and make note of things you would do differently.
  • Have all parents complete an evaluation form provided by the GEAR UP office.
  • Capture any match available.

 

PARENT WORKSHOP ON

COLLEGE PLANNING & FINANCIAL AID

  • Check the dates
    • Verify date with school/county calendar to make sure there are no conflicts
    • Follow school procedures to calendar the date.
  • Schedule the room and set-up needs (microphone, podium, etc.)
  • Identify the PURPOSE of the event and who is your target population? This definitely needs to be done for juniors and seniors but it is not too early to start with 7th grade parents.
  • Submit the Special Event form for approval with all costs for the event, especially food, to the GEAR UP Director.
  • Have juniors and seniors go to the FAFSA website ahead of time to secure their PIN. If you want parents to go through this, then schedule this presentation in a computer lab.
  • Decide who is going to make the presentation:
    • HEPC Financial Aid Division
    • College Financial Aid Staff Member
  • Promo, announcements, invitations
  • If you are providing refreshments, submit Special Event form to have food purchase approved at least 2 weeks prior to the event.
  • Make arrangements for refreshments and include on invitation/promo.
  • Do you need to provide child care?
  • Confirm with presenter a few days ahead of time to ensure it is still on their calendar.
  • Sign-in sheet for all attendees so you can report this data later on.
  • Have 3x5 cards available for attendees to write down their questions as this helps alleviate fear or apprehension for those who are uncomfortable otherwise.
  • Have follow-up sessions for parent assistance so that a Financial Aid Specialist can be in the room when students or parents are filling out the form.
  • Evaluate the effort and make note of things you would do differently.
  • Have all parents complete an evaluation form provided by the GEAR UP office.
  • Capture any match available.


CREATING A GEAR UP PARENT NEWSLETTER

Thoughts:

  • Get ideas from your school, teachers, principal, students
  • Use school calendars
  • Keep articles short and use graphics, numbers, bullets, text boxes
  • Have a column on Parent Q & A - even if you make up the question
  • Reference the GEAR UP web page at Fairmont State for additional GEAR UP information
  • Include upcoming events and reports on the outcome of activities
  • Include pictures and clipart to keep it interesting
  • Mail the newsletter the first week of every month so parents can expect them regularly
  • Use the school logo and the GEAR UP logo for your school if you have one
  • If you set up the newsletter template once, you can use the same format thereafter, just changing the content
  • Be sure to send a copy of your newsletter to the GEAR UP Parent Coordinator.
  • You MUST include the "Family Times" newsletter provided by FSU GEAR UP each month as a part of your school newsletter

 

Creating Newsletters in Microsoft Word

Step 1. Open Microsoft Word.

Step 2. Open a new blank document using keyboard commands

  • PC - Use Ctrl+N (Hold down the Ctrl key and tap the N key one time)
  • Macintosh - Use Command+N (Hold down the Command key and tap the N key one time)

Step 3. Go to View menu and select Header and Footer. Create your title in the header. Center, change font and/or insert an image to your liking. When finished, close the Header and Footer dialog box. Your header will appear light gray.

Step 4. Go to the Format menu and select Columns. Decide how many you wish and select the appropriate number. Most newsletters use two columns. You will see no difference in the set up of the page right away. As you type, the words will fill down in column one first.

Step 5. If you wish for your newsletter to look like an actual newspaper, you should select Justify which aligns the print both on the left and the right.

Step 6. Insert pictures as you go along. Place your cursor where you wish to insert the picture. You will need to resize most pictures to fit into the column. Further information follows if you need help in modifying your clip art.

Click on the picture and a box appears. Go to the Format menu and select Format Picture. There are several things that you can do with a picture.

Tab

Actions available

Picture
  • Crop the picture one margin at a time
  • Change the color to grayscale, black and white, or make a very light watermark out of the image
  • Change the brightness or contrast of the image

Wrapping
  • Five styles of wrapping allow you to place an image in the middle of a block of text
  • Four possible alignment of text choices are offered
  • distance from the text to the picture can also be specified

Colors and Lines
  • Place a block of color or a pattern behind the image
  • Place a box around the image, change the thickness and character of the line making the box

Size
  • Change the size of the picture using an inches scale, or a percent scale
    (best done by clicking and dragging)

Position
  • Change the position of the image on the page
    (best done by clicking and dragging)

Resize the image by clicking and dragging. Click once on the image and it will be surrounded by eight boxes; one at each corner, and one in the middle of each line.

If you click on a box in the middle of a line and drag outward from the center of the image you will change only the width or height of the picture, causing distortion.

If you click on a corner box, hold the shift key down, and drag outward from the picture you will change width and height proportionally. If the aspect ratio is locked, Word automatically does this without your having to hold down the shift key.

Move the image by clicking and dragging. Click once on the image and it will be surrounded by eight boxes; one at each corner, and one in the middle of each line.

Move your cursor over the image and it becomes a pointer with a four headed arrow attached to it. Click anywhere in the picture and drag it to the desired location. 

Step 7. At the bottom of your newsletter you may wish to add information about the staff in charge of this project. Add a footer to this page (View/Header and Footer) and type in the information just as you did in step 3.  

Step 8. Save and print the newsletter.




College Planning Events

College Fairs

Liaisons will need to attend, assist and provide local school resources.

West Virginia College Day

The West Virginia College Day Tour is an 8 week schedule of college fairs throughout West Virginia.  Starting in mid-September and ending the first week of November, this group of college fairs reaches all corners of West Virginia.  Fairmont State GEAR UP will be hosting a booth at each of these events in order to distribute information provided by our schools such as tutoring times, resources provided by GEAR UP and at the GO Center, and upcoming event information to the students who attend the fairs.

West Virginia College Day at Fairmont State GEAR UP Schools                                     

Date                Time                              Schools Serviced                                                                              Site 

14-Sep            9:00am - 10:30am     Doddridge                                                                                           Doddridge Co HS

16-Sep            1:00pm - 2:30pm      Calhoun                                                                                               Calhoun Co HS

20-Sep            9:00am - 10:30am     Preston, Grafton, Clay Battelle & University                        WVU

21-Sep            8:30am                         Fairmont Senior & North Marion                                               FSU

21-Sep            6:30pm                         Liberty, Lincoln, Robert C. Byrd & South Harrison               United Tech Center

22-Sep            9:00am                         Elkins, Tygarts Valley, Harman, Pickens & Tucker Co         Davis & Elkins

23-Sep            9:00am - 10:30am     Gilmer                                                                                                  Gilmer Co HS

23-Sep            1:00pm - 2:30pm      Braxton                                                                                                Braxton Co HS

15-Oct             10:00am                       Buckhannon-Upshur, Philip-Barbour & Lewis County      WV Wesleyan

 

College Application Week – November 14-20, 2010

Partnering with West Virginia GEAR UP and the Higher Education Policy Commission, Fairmont State GEAR UP will be hosting College Application Week at all of our schools.  The purpose of the program is to inform parents and students about college opportunities and to help them through the college application process.  Schools programs will arrange lab time during the school day for students to apply to institutions and a one night event at each school will be scheduled for families to attend to learn about the application process and apply for schools through the general application form on the CFWV site.  Additionally, curriculum will be provided for counselors and teachers on how to write a college admission essay for juniors and seniors.

·         Schedule labs early

·         All parent programs for the month should be scheduled this week

·         Additional information will be given in September



College Goal Sunday

In the spring, Fairmont State GEAR UP will be again be partnering with College Goal Sunday to provide assistance in applying for financial aid to families who need it. By delivering help to families in their own communities, College Goal Sunday helps ensure that students get the help they need crossing the paper barrier to qualify for financial aid by providing free on-site professional assistance completing the FAFSA, an opportunity to talk to financial aid professionals about financial aid resources and how to apply, and get information regarding state-wide student services and admission requirements.