The Center for College Access and Success, an academic unit of Northeastern Illinois University, establishes that the TRIO Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) program will serve 75 low income, first-generation college bound students who attend six public high schools in City of Chicago District 299 - Foreman, Kelvyn Park, Mather, Michele Clark, Roosevelt, and Schurz - and three public high schools in Cicero/Berwyn District 201 - J.S. Morton Freshman Center, J.S. Morton East, and J.S. Morton West. 

 

Students enrolled in these Chicago public schools reside in West Town, Hermosa, West Ridge, South Austin, Albany Park and Edgewater communities on the north and west sides of the city. Students enrolled in these District 201 schools reside in Cicero and Berwyn, suburbs of Cook County, immediately west of Chicago. Eight of the schools in the project are persistently low achieving schools (PLAS). Kelvyn Park and Senn are Tier 1; Roosevelt and Mather, Morton East and Morton West are Tier 2. 86.6% of these students will come from PLAS.

 

This project will enroll and serve only students who are citizens, nationals or permanent residents of the United States, who meet federal low-income and/or first-generation eligibility criteria, who have a high risk for academic failure, and who have a need for academic support as determined by standardized test scores and/or grades.

 

In response to the President’s 2020 goal for education, the project will address Competitive Preference Priorities: 1 - turning around persistently low-achieving schools, 2 - enabling more data-based decision-making, and 3 - improving productivity.

 

The project will provide services in three catergories:

 

• Academic enrichment: classes in math through pre-calculus, laboratory science, foreign language, English literature/composition, after school math and science project-based and career oriented activities, participation in local and international competitions, participation in international projects, participation in college math/science research projects.

• Academic support: academic tutoring, high school course selection, advising, counseling, guidance on secondary school re-entry, mentoring by practitioners, math/science field awareness, innovative digital technology and cloud service skill preparation, digital online services and digital repositories.

• College readiness/enrollment: college/career planning/counseling, financial aid awareness, FAFSA completion and scholarship applications, financial literacy, ACT preparation, support to prepare college applications, postsecondary course selection, mentoring and advising support for successful post-secondary graduation.

 

The project will also support participants to meet service-learning requirements and skill development for STEM careers. Unique to this project are its extensive commitments from community partners to tutoring and mentoring, use of innovative and progressive teaching strategies such as asynchronous access to enrichment content so that participants can learn at their own pace, and year-round facilitated hands-on math and science activities.

 

The program will be assesess and evaluated in the following areas:

 

• Academic Performance--Grade Point Average (GPA)

• Academic Performance on Standardized Test

• Secondary School Retention and Graduation

• Secondary School Graduation (rigorous secondary school program of study)

• Postsecondary Enrollment

• Postsecondary Completion