Archived Information

GAINING EARLY AWARENESS AND READINESS FOR UNDERGRADUATE

PROGRAMS (GEAR UP)
Goal: To ensure that disadvantaged middle school and secondary school students are prepared for, pursue, and succeed in
postsecondary education.
Relationship of Program to Volume 1, Department-wide Objectives: Supports Objective 3.1 (secondary school students get the information, skills, and support they
need to prepare successfully for postsecondary education) by creating local partnership and state programs to provide information and individualized support services
such as mentoring and tutoring to middle and secondary school students and their parents to help students prepare for postsecondary education.
FY 2000—$200,000,000
FY 2001—$325,000,000 (Requested budget)

OBJECTIVE 1: INCREASE THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND PREPARATION FOR POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION OF PARTICIPATING STUDENTS.
Indicator 1.1 Completion of academically challenging curricula: Program participants will successfully complete college preparatory courses such as algebra,
geometry, chemistry, and physics at increasing rates.
Targets and Performance Data Assessment of Progress Sources and Data Quality
The percent of seventh graders who passed the following subject areas Status: New program; performance data not yet Source: Annual program performance reports
Year Actual Performance Performance Targets available. and program evaluation study.
1999: No data available N/A Frequency: Annually.
2000: Baseline data Explanation: Interim data will be collected on Next Update: 2000.
2001: Continuing increase successful completion of core academic subjects
until students reach grades where they may take Validation Procedure: No formal validation
algebra, geometry, etc. procedure used.

Limitations of Data and Planned

Improvements: None.

OBJECTIVE 2: INCREASE THE RATE OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AND PARTICIPATION IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION OF PARTICIPATING STUDENTS.
Indicator 2.1 Attendance, high school completion, and postsecondary enrollment: Program participants will have high rates of attendance in school, be
promoted to the next grade level on time, and successfully complete high school and enroll in postsecondary education programs at increasing rates.
Targets and Performance Data Assessment of Progress Sources and Data Quality
The percentage of participating seventh graders promoted to the next grade level and the Status: New program; performance data Source: Annual program performance reports
percentage with high rates of attendance not yet available. and program evaluation study.
Year Actual Performance Performance Targets Frequency: Annually.
1999: No data available N/A Explanation: First data available in 2000. Next Update: 2000.
2000: Baseline data
2001: Continuing increase Validation Procedure: No formal validation
procedure used.

Limitations of Data and Planned

Improvements: None.

GAINING EARLY AWARENESS AND READINESS FOR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS (GEAR UP) PAGE M-25
OBJECTIVE 3: INCREASE EDUCATIONAL EXPECTATIONS FOR PARTICIPATING STUDENTS AND STUDENT AND FAMILY KNOWLEDGE OF POSTECONDARY EDUCATION OPTIONS, PREPARATION, AND FINANCING.
Indicator 3.1 Knowledge of postsecondary education costs, financing, and academic preparation: Program participants and their families will increasingly
report having knowledge of postsecondary education costs, available financial aid, and necessary academic preparation for college.
Targets and Performance Data Assessment of Progress Sources and Data Quality
Year Actual Performance Performance Targets Status: New program; performance data not yet Source: Annual program performance reports
FY 1999: No data available N/A available. and program evaluation study.
FY 2000: Baseline data Frequency: Annually.
FY 2001: Continuing increase Explanation: First data available in 2000. Next Update: 2000.

Validation Procedure: No formal validation

procedure.

Limitations of Data and Planned

Improvements: None.

Indicator 3.2 Student, family, and teacher expectations: Participating students, their families, and their teachers will have high educational expectations, which
are sustained throughout the life of the program.
Targets and Performance Data Assessment of Progress Sources and Data Quality
Year Actual Performance Performance Targets Status: New program; performance data not yet Source: Annual program performance reports
FY 1999: No data available N/A available. and program evaluation study.
FY 2000: Baseline data Frequency: Annually.
FY 2001: Sustained high expectations Explanation: First data available in 2000. Next Update: 2000.

Validation Procedure: No formal validation

procedure.

Limitations of Data and Planned

Improvements: None.

KEY STRATEGIES
Strategies Continued from 1999
 Disseminate information to prospective applicants, collect and report information on best practices, and support high-quality projects by working with national organizations such as
the Ford Foundation.
 Provide grantee flexibility and ensure program integrity and accountability by working with the community to develop program regulations and other program requirements that
impose minimal burden.

New or Strengthened Strategies

 Provide grantees and their partners with technical assistance through telephone contact, e-mail, and periodic workshops to forge a results-oriented program, in which grantees’
services (a) are directly linked to annual objectives and program goals, (b) are based on empirical evidence that attests to their effectiveness in raising the aspirations and academic
performance of low-income youth, and (c) produce measurable, quantifiable outcomes.
 Write and disseminate technical memoranda to grantees on issues such as collecting, maintaining, and assessing baseline data on students; and establishing benchmarks of expected
levels of achievement at specific time intervals during the year.
 Develop data shells to facilitate grantees’ collection, assessment, and submission of student demographic, program participation, and outcome data.
 Develop a standardized annual performance report.

PAGE M-26 GAINING EARLY AWARENESS AND READINESS FOR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS (GEAR UP)
HOW THIS PROGRAM COORDINATES WITH OTHER FEDERAL ACTIVITIES
 Supplements HUD efforts to provide educational assistance and other supports to children and parents living in public housing, as defined in section 3(b) (1) of the U.S. Housing Act
of 1937.
 Fosters a relationship between the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services (HHS), because the Gear Up legislation requires state grantees that do not use a
whole-grade cohort approach to target students in preschool through 12th grade who are eligible for Title I services, free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Act
(NSLA), or assistance under Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), as authorized by Title I of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of
1996.
 Encourages grantees to assist HHS in its efforts to provide information to low-income parents with respect to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
 Coordinates resources, data collection and analysis efforts, and policy with other primary Federal initiatives such as Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers To Use Technology, Learning
Anytime Anywhere Partnerships, and Quality of Teacher Preparation.
 Links partnership and state grantees to federally sponsored regional programmatic initiatives, such as the 10 Regional Educational Laboratories and 6 Regional Technology in
Education Consortia, in order to obtain technical assistance in areas such as assessment and accountability; curriculum, learning, and instruction; technology; and urban education.
 Takes the initiative to coordinate with, complement, and enhance the efforts of state programs and initiatives such as Liberty Partnership Program and Science and Technology Entry
Program in New York and local initiatives such as the Boston Compact and the Boston Plan for Excellence (MA).

CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVING PROGRAM GOAL

 Ensuring that the intervention strategies (a) are based on empirical evidence that attests to their effectiveness in preparing low-income youth for more advanced learning and
(b) produce measurable and quantifiable outcomes.
 Ensuring that Gear Up students actively and consistently participate in services that address their educational needs; enhance their capacity for more accelerated learning; and
improve their classroom achievement, standardized test scores, and ability to meet rigorous college entrance requirements.
 Ensuring that grantees will
(a) benchmark the progress of students, by setting expected values of student achievement at specific intervals during the school year;
(b) use valid, analytically sound methods to measure students’ classroom performance;
(c) assess students' knowledge of college programs, costs, and financing opportunities;
(d) compare expected to actual values of student performance at frequent time intervals; and
(e) make appropriate adjustments to the type, quality, frequency, and duration of Gear Up provisions.

INDICATOR CHANGES
From FY 1999 Annual Plan (two years old)
Adjusted—N/A.
Dropped—N/A.
From FY 2000 Annual Plan (last year)
Adjusted
 Objective 3 became this year’s Objective 2, and is worded, “Increase the rate of high school graduation and participation in postsecondary education of participating students.”
 Objective 2 became this year’s Objective 3, and is worded, “Increase educational expectations for participating students, and student and family knowledge of postsecondary options,
preparation, and financing.”
 The number of objectives has been reduced from five (last year) to three (this year).
 Last year’s Indicators 1.2 and 3.1 were combined to streamline performance plans, resulting in this year’s Indicator 2.1. Last year’s Indicators 2.1 and 2.3 were combined to
streamline performance plans, resulting in this year’s Indicator 3.1.
 The term “guidance counselors” was eliminated in Indicator 2.2 because of measurement difficulties and in order to reduce reporting burden on grantees, resulting in this year’s
Indicator 3.2.
Dropped
 Objectives 4 and 5 were dropped.
 Indicators 1.3, 4.1, 4.2, and 5.1 were dropped because they did not measure program outcomes. These indicators will be retained for internal management purposes.
 The number of indicators has been reduced from 10 (last year) to 4 (this year).
New—None.

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