GEAR UP

1. Project period is for six or seven years; seven-year projects must serve students in their first year of college.

2. Every participating school must have Free and Reduced Priced Lunch rates of at least 50%.

3. Projects must implement the cohort approach:

• • Option 1 (schools that do not serve 6th and 7th grades) project begins with a 7th grade cohort and serves the same cohort of students through their first year of college, seven years.

  • Option 2 (schools that serve both 6th and 7th grades) project can include a 6th/7th grade cohort that follows the 6th grade cohort through the 12th grade and the 7th grade through their first year of college, seven years.

4. Either an LEA or IHE can serve as the fiscal.

5. Projects must include partnerships with the following:

• • One or more LEA

  • One or more IHE

  • At least two other community organizations

6. A 1-to-1 in-kind match (i.e., $1,000,000 federal request = $1,000,000 required match)

7. Projects cannot increase their budgets higher than the Year 1 total.

8. GEAR UP projects must provide the following activities:

• • Providing information regarding financial aid for postsecondary education to eligible 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.

  • Implementing activities to improve the number of participating students who (1) Obtain a secondary school diploma, and (2) Complete applications for, and enroll in, a program of postsecondary education.