Increasing Postsecondary Access
Explore resources designed to help educators to support students successfully navigate the path to college. 
- View a visual diagram of all five practices
- Watch a topic overview and download planning templates
- Listen to an expert
Explore the subtopics below to learn more about the recommended practices:
- Prepare Students Academically
- Assess and Intervene
- Foster College Aspirations
- Assist with College Entry
To learn more about the research underlying these practices, view the IES Practice Guide, Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do.
Middle School Tracking Template
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Prepare Students Academically > See How It Works
This template helps middle school students develop the skills they need to succeed in a rigorous high school curriculum. Watch the video, Preparing Students for Rigorous Work, which explains...
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Sample Material
Algebra Investigation
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Prepare Students Academically > See How It Works
This assignment asks students to utilize their own problem solving and logic skills to determine the Pythagorean Theorem using paper cutouts. The video, Preparing Students for Rigorous Work,...
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Sample Material
Research Review Assignment
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Prepare Students Academically > See How It Works
As a major component of instruction, teachers at University Park Campus School (UPCS) purposefully create assignments that require students to think critically. The video, Getting Students to Think...
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Sample Material
Using Literature Circles for Reading Comprehension
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Prepare Students Academically > See How It Works
Literature circles help students engage in deep discussions about reading assignments in the classroom. The video, Getting Students to Think for Themselves, describes this and other strategies used...
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Sample Material
Crossland High School Guidance Department Activities
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Foster College Aspirations > See How It Works
School counselors use this document to help plan postsecondary options with students and to organize activities throughout the year. The slideshow Building Interest in College presents the...
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Sample Material
Seventh- and Ninth-Grade Preparatory Academies
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Foster College Aspirations > See How It Works
This document briefly summarizes the ways that University Park Campus School (UPCS) prepares its students for college through two introductory academies. See A University Partnership That Supports...
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Sample Material
A College Readiness Framework: A K-16 Continuum of Learning
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Foster College Aspirations > See How It Works
This PowerPoint presentation describes how University Park Campus School prepares students to handle the rigors of college. View A University Partnership That Supports College-Going Aspirations to...
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Sample Material
Planning for a College Trip
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Foster College Aspirations > See How It Works
This collection of materials is used by school staff and students when planning visits to college campuses. Listen to two Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences administrators describe the...
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Sample Material
High School Planning Calendar
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Assist with College Entry > See How It Works
This planning calendar guides students in grades 9-12 in making the most out of their high school career. It suggests tasks, activities, and assessments students should be completing each month...
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Sample Material
College Search Form
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Assist with College Entry > See How It Works
This chart allows students to research and compare colleges in order to find the school that best meets their needs. Students can also identify and track their progress completing scholarship...
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Sample Material
Scholar's Journey Discussion With PLAN Test Results
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Assess and Intervene > See How It Works
During the spring of their sophomore year, students are given this personalized worksheet which captures their results of the PLAN test, the precursor to the ACT. Hear the principal at Chattanooga...
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Sample Material
Assessment Feedback for Students
Increasing Postsecondary Access > Assess and Intervene > See How It Works
Kearny staff use these three documents to give students feedback on their performance. Listen to the Kearny principal and a literacy coach describe how they use assessments in A Personalized...
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