College Readiness: Creating a College Going Culture at UTPA Ernesto Ayala, Regional Manager SureScore Educational Consulting Firm Ana Dougherty and Jorge Teniente, UTPA GEAR UP Academic Advisors Cindy Cid, GEAR UP Coordinator Elvira Aguayo, ELA Teacher Weslaco East High School

Participant Outcomes College Readiness - what does it mean? UTPA GEAR UP profile SureScore College Readiness Initiatives Creating a college-going culture

Strategy Challenges Forward History What does College Readiness mean? College Readiness

Headquartered in Austin, Texas College Readiness - attainment of the core knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in entry-level college courses without the need for remedial or developmental education services. College Readiness Standards - specify the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in entry-level college courses, which are the gateway to college success. College Readiness Source: The Report of the Commission for a College Ready Texas, 2007

COLLEGE READINESS Increase SAT/ACT/TAKS results Increase AP and Dual Enrollment Concept Increase number of students pursuing higher education Objectives Increase number of students graduating on the Distinguished Achievement Plan Increase completion rates Increase Commended Performance on TAKS

SureScore’s Mission To increase the number of college-ready students in K-12 education with an emphasis on low-income/first-generation college applicants.

Our Educational Model Curriculum Professional Development Campus Support

College Readiness Initiatives SureScore Offerings: MARS Level 4 Geometry Readiness STAR 10 THEA Test Preparation

STAR 10 Strategies To Advance Reading (STAR 10) Provides strategies for contextualizing difficult words in order to increase vocabulary, build reading comprehension, and improve writing abilities Builds vocabulary to ensure success in written and verbal expression Prepares students for the increased rigor of upper-level coursework

MARS LEVEL 4 Goals: Enable students to become actively engaged in and develop an understanding of math skills in real-life situations Build students’ higher level thinking skills and problem solving abilities Improve TAKS Math performance Increase college readiness Provide teacher professional development to connect curriculum to the content area, promote collaborative interaction, and improve student learning by expanding teacher knowledge

UTPA GEAR UP Profile Total # of Students 9,576 African American 26 Hispanic9303 White222 Hawaiina or Pacific Islander 1 Asian4 Source: AEIS

UTPA GEAR UP Profile 12 School Districts 21 High Schools 21 GEAR UP Counselors 21 Parental Liaisons 6 Academic Advisors

UTPA GEAR UP and SureScore Support  Professional Development session (s) offered at the school/district  Scheduled Advisor Visits  Teacher trainings Using SureScore STAR during planning period  Question and answer sessions  Classroom Demonstrations based on Teacher Request

THEA Test Preparation Provides comprehensive skills instruction in math, reading, and writing, as tested on the THEA Increases the number of students enrolled in dual-credit classes Provides guided practice using effective test-taking strategies Improves student performance on THEA as well as other standardized tests Increases college-going rates Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) Test Preparation

Test Preparation Initiative Campus-based model Campus-based model

ACT / SAT/ PSAT / THEA! GU SPEAKS:

Test, Scores, & Next steps Test Day & Enter data Teacher Training (1-2 day) Training & Materials provided by Sure Score Student Test Prep Academies (4-5 weeks) GU Coordinator & Teachers plan & implement Academies Student materials provided by Sure Score Campus-based Model

Weslaco East High School Student Pop/Demographics WEHS GEAR UP STAR Implementation THEA Prep Academy

THEA Test Prep Implementation at Weslaco East HS 6 Saturdays: January 17, 24, 31 February 7, 14, 21 Time: 8:00-12:00 Schedule: 8:00-9:15 Reading 9:15-10:30 Writing 10:30-10:45 Break 10:45-12:00 Math Number of Students: 50 THEA will be administered on: February 28, 2008 Test Location: Weslaco East High School Workbooks: Will be provided to each student

Tracking Student Success Classroom Support Pre-Assessment/Post-Assessment GEAR UP Tracking form GEAR UP Database

Successful Implementation Open Enrollment (49)University of Texas Pan American (49) THEA MATH 230 (26/49) 53% THEA MATH 260 (10/49) 20% THEA Reading 230 (22/49) 45% THEA Reading 230 (22/49) 45% THEA Writing 230 (18/49) 37% THEA Writing 240 (18/49) 37% TAKS 93% TAKS ELA THEA Academy Results SURESCORE STAR IMPACT

STAR 10 Implementation at Weslaco East High School

STAR 10 Teacher Testimonials Lessons include masters of student pages as well as complete teacher lesson plans. Lessons utilize varied learning/ teaching styles to accommodate all students. Program features advanced vocabulary. Students enjoy the activities.

Student Comments about THEA Camp

Questions? Ernesto Ayala, Regional Manager SureScore Educational Consulting Firm Ana Dougherty, UTPA GEAR UP Academic Advisor Cindy Cid, GEAR UP Coordinator Elvira Aguayo, ELA Teacher Weslaco East High School