What We Have Learned
To understand the impact of California GEAR UP services and programs, we have partnered with WestEd. WestEd has been a national leader in education research, professional learning, and technical assistance for over 50 years and is instrumental in our monitoring efforts. We collect and monitor data to understand the depth and breadth of support that schools receive, progress toward individual school goals, challenges, outstanding needs, equity gaps that should be addressed, and the impact of California GEAR UP on important student outcomes.
College Going/College Eligibility CA GEAR UP Data
The figures accessed through the links below, show GEAR UP schools’ academic outcomes and college going and eligibility rates (e.g., A-G course requirements, FAFSA submission and completion, high school graduation, and college application, admission, and enrollment) from the 2017-18 academic year through the 2021-22 academic year. It is important to note that these figures include rates observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on students nationwide, including those in GEAR UP schools. Although academic outcomes and college going and eligibility rates declined for some indicators during the years impacted by COVID-19, this pattern was observed in many schools across the state of California and is not unique to GEAR UP schools.
- GU High Schools’ CSU Application, Admission and Enrollment Rates
- GU High Schools UC Application, Admission and Enrollment Rates
- GU High Schools’ Graduation Rates
- GU High Schools’ FAFSA Submission and Completion Rates
- GU High Schools’ Rates of Students who Met the CSU and UC A-G Course Requirements
- GU Schools’ CAASPP Math and English Language Arts Proficiency Rates
School Equity Assessment Rubric (SEAR) Ratings Over Time
Beginning in the 2019–20 school year, GEAR UP school Equity Leadership Teams (ELTs) engage in an annual reflection and self-assessment process to examine school structures and practices in three areas:
- Focus Area 1 – Instruction: Teaching and Learning examines practices and structures that provide all students with instruction that is rigorous, equitable, and aligned with content standards.
- Focus Area 2 – Culture: College-Going examines structural practices that support schools in designing and implementing a college-going culture for students and their families.
- Focus Area 3 – Collaboration: Across and Within Systems examines practices related to developing relationships both within and across schools to support student learning and progress.
For each rubric indicator within these focus areas, ELTs are asked to identify a rating for their school from four possible options:
- Initiating – “Thinking About It”
- Developing – “Working on It”
- Implementing – “Living It”
- Transforming – “Shifting the Paradigm”
The SEAR exhibits describe the percentage of GEAR UP schools in the Implementing or Transforming stages between the 2019–20 and 2022–23 school years.