Resources

Diverse group of teachers at a conference

California GEAR UP strives to develop and implement tools that create a systematic and sustainable process whereby the evaluation of data, progress monitoring, and continuous improvement becomes common practice for data-informed decision making.

Tools and Resources Used by California GEAR UP Schools

  • College Make it Happen (CMIT) is a multimedia road-map through the college journey for middle-school students and the adults who guide them. With the CMIH suite of interactive curricula, technology, and resources, students, educators, and parents can delve into college-readiness like never before.
  • Transcript Evaluation Services (TES) is an online college access tool that makes it easy for California high school counselors, schools and districts to track students’ progress toward college eligibility. The TES tool allows school personnel to drill into data to unpack individual or groups of students’ barriers to A-G completion.
  • Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) is a free assessment system that supports California mathematics educators to learn about their students’ mathematical preparedness by course, topic, and skill development throughout their secondary coursework. MDTP is an intersegmental project funded by the California Academic Partnership Program, the California State University, and the University of California.
  • California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP) is an intersegmental program supporting partnerships between K-12 and post-secondary institutions designed to close the achievement gap and improve college-going rates for students in the state's underperforming secondary schools. CAPP is administered by the California State University in cooperation with the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, California Community Colleges, California Department of Education, California Postsecondary Education Commission, California Student Aid Commission, and University of California.
  • School Equity Assessment Rubric (SEAR) is a self-reflective, 4-point rubric used for and by schools to understand their successes, key accomplishments, and challenges within three focus areas: Instruction, Culture, and Collaboration. Placement on the SEAR informs the school's Equity Leadership Team on their areas of growth and opportunities for improvement to support systemic change. The rubric is reviewed and updated annually by each school’s Equity Leadership Team. School placement on the SEAR is also analyzed annually by California GEAR UP Partners to understand school-level growth and target school support efforts.
  • SMART Goal Progress Report is a tool used for capturing longitudinal information about student progress toward academic outcomes in either mathematics or English language arts. The SMART Goal Progress Report is populated and examined at least twice a year by the school’s Equity Leadership Team, using both qualitative and quantitative data. Equity Leadership Team discussions about the report inform contributing factors toward student outcomes including, but not limited to, school systems and structures, teaching practices, teacher expectations, classroom climate and engagement, assessment tools, and monitoring plans in order to unpack and understand how best to meet the needs of all students.