Strategies for Success 7 th Grade Skills Needed for Middle School and Postsecondary Success #2 Microsoft, 2011

Personal Readiness Persistence, effort, hard work, belief in yourself, motivation, a growth mindset, the ability to manage your self and your time – these are all characteristics of personal readiness for college

Objectives Understand that personal readiness is key to college readiness Take the PREP and evaluate your personal readiness for college Reflect on what you can do to improve your personal readiness Learn Strategies for Success steps Make a Strategies for Success plan

Personal Readiness Grades are not enough! Research shows that being ready for college takes more than academic readiness. Discuss: What five readiness areas do we focus on in Ramp-Up to Readiness?

Five Readiness Areas Personal & Social Readiness Academic Readiness Admissions Readiness Career Readiness Financial Readiness

Take the PREP Complete the PREP online or on paper Be honest – In order to get an accurate profile of your personal readiness, answer truthfully – Not graded

Score the PREP Count the number of each type of response you gave on the PREP and record it in the chart. Then, color in the boxes according to the directions for each response. – Do this for each set of questions

Personal Readiness Profile When you’re done scoring, you have a profile of your personal readiness. Each colored bar represents your readiness in that area

Expectations and Self-Efficacy These items are about your belief in yourself and your ability to be successful in college. This student is developing readiness in this area. – She needs to work on building belief in her ability to be successful in school and in college.

Effort and Persistence These items are about how much effort or hard work you are willing to put into your schoolwork and how much you persist, or keep trying, in the face of challenges. This student is developing readiness in this area. – She needs to work on developing strategies to keep trying her best, even when things get difficult or boring.

Self-Regulated Learning These items are about the strategies you use to manage your own learning – like setting goals, managing your time, and using study strategies. College requires you to be an independent learner – you are responsible for your own learning. This student is developing readiness in this area. – She needs to work on developing strategies to manage herself and her learning.

Reflect After you’ve completed your PREP profile, reflect on the following questions: – Which area(s) of personal readiness is your strength? – Which area(s) of personal readiness do you need to improve? – What are some specific skills/habits/beliefs that you need to work on developing to move toward meeting readiness standards?

Pair and Share What was your highest score? – Believe in Yourself, Effort, Self-Regulated Learning – How can you build on this strength? What was your lowest score? – Believe in Yourself, Effort, Self-Regulated Learning – What are two things you can do to improve in this area?

Self-Regulated Learning: Strategies for Success 1.Use a planner and binder 2.Take notes in school & while reading school books 3.Have a set study time

Use a Planner and Binder 1.Better remember school assignments to do 2.Can check off when assignments when done 3.Parents can help you organize and prioritize assignments

Take Notes 1.In school: so you can review and remember key information 2.When reading school books: so you can review and remember key information 3.Read your notes often: so you can better understand the most important points

Have a Set Study Time 1.For example, my study time is 6:30-7:30pm every night 2.My parents will know my study time so they can be available to help me 3.I will read when there is not one hour worth of homework

Pair and Share Which of the three habits of success do you practice the most? – How does this habit help you do better in school? Which of the three habits of success would you most like to improve? – How will this habit help you do better in school?

Ramp-Up to Readiness As part of Ramp-Up to Readiness, we will regularly work on developing those skills, habits, and beliefs you identified as needing to improve. We’ll take the PREP again in the future and see if you’ve made progress in the three critical areas. Personal & Social Readiness Academic Readiness Admissions Readiness Career Readiness Financial Readiness

References Doran, G. T. (1981). There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), Microsoft Office Images. (2011). Retrieved from us/images/ us/images/