Montana GEAR UP 200708 Evaluation Results

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Montana GEAR UP2007-08 Evaluation Results

• Nicole Taylor, Ph.D.
• Program Advisor
• Education, Career, and Community Program
• Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
• 101 SW Main Street, Suite 500
• Portland, OR 97204-3297
• Direct Line [phone]
• Toll Free 1-800-547-6339
• E-mail taylorn_at_nwrel.org

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Purpose of Evaluation

• To describe the scope of the program statewide
  (paint the big picture).
• To figure out what is working well and what needs
  improvement from year to year.
• To learn how MT GEAR UP impacts students and
  parents.

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How We Evaluate MT GEAR UP

• Annual student, parent, educator surveys
• Annual site implementation plans
• Annual site visits
• GEARS data analysis
• Summer program survey

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What Guides Our Evaluation

• Goal 1 To increase early college and career
  awareness.
• Goal 2 To provide financial aid awareness,
  planning, and scholarships to GEAR UP students.
• Goal 3 To Increase the Academic Performance and
  Preparation for Post secondary Education for
  GEAR UP Students

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MT GEAR UP Site-Based Activities

• The most common activities across sites are
• College visits
• Financial aid awareness workshops
• Poster/essay contests
• ACT explorer
• Use of MCIS
• Summer programs

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Motivation to go to College
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of Cohort 1 Students with More than 5 Unexcused
Absences Per Year
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If a student fails in your/your childs school
its because

• Educators
• The student misses too much school (89)
• Parents do not get involved enough (83)
• The student does not try hard enough (79)
• Students
• The student does not try hard enough (80)
• The student misses too much school (56)
• Parents
• The student does not try hard enough (74)
• Parents do not get involved enough (62)

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Who Expect Students to Obtain a 4-Year Degree
or Higher
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Activities Educators Think Would Be Most Helpful
for Students
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GEAR UP Scholarship

• 66 of students said they know how to earn a
  20,000 GEAR UP scholarship.

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Relationship between Scholarship Knowledge
Perception of College Affordability among Students
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Parents Knowledge of Financial Aid

• 66 of all parents said they know how to help
  their child apply for financial aid.

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Relationship Between Financial Aid Knowledge
Perception of College Affordability among Parents
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Knowledge about Cost of College

• 25 of all students and parents surveyed knew
  that the cost per year to attend a 4-year college
  in MT is 15,000.
• 77 of all students and 60 of all parents
  thought it cost between 5,000 and 15,000 more
  than it actually does.

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Someone from My/My Childs School has Talked to
Me About College Entrance Requirements
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Talking about College at Home

• 61 of Cohort 1 students report having talked
  with an adult at home about college.
• This percentage has remained the same over the
  past 3 years.

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Conclusions

• What these findings mean
• What to do with this data.