High School Support
KIPP Forward High School Support
About the Program
KIPP Forward begins working with KIPP Nashville students in 11th grade College & Career Readiness. Support is provided around determining the best career path and best steps students can take to continue on that path successfully. That may look like going to a traditional four-year college, or a technical school, enlisting in the armed forces, or going straight into a career. For students whose career aspirations require a college degree, KIPP Forward supports those students and families in determining the best fit and walks them through the application and financial aid process. For students whose career aspirations require more on the job training, KIPP Forwards supports those students through the job-readiness process.
“KIPP forward helped me pursue various opportunities I would’ve never been able to pursue by myself. This includes opportunities for college, scholarships, or even contact information. KIPP forward has always been generous with their time and effort, even expressing their love for all of the students in various manners.”
“KIPP Forward has helped me so much they have gone through my whole college process step by step. Not only have they gone step by step, but they have given me AND my family advice for my college decision. I have now made my college decision and I couldn’t be happier, a big thank you to all the hard working women in the KF office! And a shout out to Mrs. Peel for supporting me.”
College & Career Readiness 11
The purpose of College and Career Readiness 11 is for students to take a deep dive into career and educational pathway research and exploration. Students will have the opportunity, alongside families and counselors, to participate in academic and interest inventories, develop a postsecondary plan, and develop strong supplemental materials for the college and/or employment application process.
Scope of the Year
Over the course of the year, students will focus on a variety of topics that will help them assess their individual goals and strengths and analyze how they align with their educational goals and career of highest aspiration. In support of this research and reflection, student will have:
- Quarter 1 – Introduction to KIPP Forward and support offered, and an emphasis on personal and professional attributes through YouScience assessments.
- Quarter 2 – Exposure to various college, university, CTE, military and workforce options.
- Quarter 3 – Dedicated time to develop a strong start to college essays, interview and resume preparation, references/letters of recommendation and standardized testing.
- Quarter 4 – Focus on building a solid list of college and/or career pathways with the support of a counselor and caregiver, while participating in service and extracurricular activities that will strengthen their college admission, scholarship or employment applications.
Goals
At the completion of Junior Year, students will be able to:
- Clearly articulate and support the holistic fit of their list of college and career options across 6 Fit Factors including: Personal, Academic, Community, Financial, Success and Career.
- Explain their academic profile (i.e. GPA and test scores) and its impact on their postsecondary options and goals
- End the year with a completed YouScience assessment, first “at bat” with the official ACT, 1-2 letters of recommendation/references, responses to a college essay prompt or interview questions and a list of appropriate college or career options.
Letters of Recommendation
With support of the 11th Grade Level Team, students will learn the importance of good impressions, professionalism and communication with faculty and staff, as well as its impact on the ability to request positive letters of recommendations and reference for college admission and workforce aspirations. Juniors will complete “brag sheets” in CCR11, highlighting positive contributions to the Collegiate academic community, and submit along with requests to the teachers of their choice. Teachers will complete letters prior to the conclusion of Quarter 4 and submit to the Dean of College & Career Counseling.
Events
Junior year is a great time for students to prioritize scheduling time with colleges, universities, programs and employers of interest. For CCR11, school-sponsored opportunities include:
- College Visits – individual and group
- Career Day
- College and Career Representative Presentations
Wish List Building
Ensure students build a “wish list” of nine or more schools, balanced across likely(+), target, and reach schools. (Think “3-3-3” for 3 likely, 3 target and 3 reach or a total of at least 6 “likely plus”, target, or reach schools.) Counselors can help students prioritize schools within each category (likely, target, reach) that have strong track records of graduating students, are more affordable, and are a strong fit with students’ preferences (e.g., location, majors offered, campus size, social life, etc.). If a student plans to enter a CTE program, the military or the workforce, this list could also include potential career options, as determined by the student, in conjunction with their counselor and caregiver.
College and Career Readiness 12
The purpose of College and Career Readiness 12 is for students to identify their post-secondary plans, actively engage in the application process for college admission and financial aid, and build strong relationships with Persistence Advisors. This work will actively take place during the seminar class, as well as through meetings with their match Counselor, caregivers and Persistence Advisor.
Scope of the Year
Over the course of the year, students will complete the steps necessary to matriculate to their best fit college or university, enroll into the military or join the workforce. With the support of their counselor and caregiver, students will complete the following:
- Quarter 1 – Initiation of college and financial aid applications (FAFSA, TSAC, UT Promise) as students continue ACT testing and finalize college essays. Begin identifying career aspirations and drafting post-secondary plans. Plan for ASVAB testing and get familiar with physical eligibility requirements. Determine which military branch to enlist in.
- Quarter 2 – Completion of college and financial aid applications and ongoing completion of scholarship applications, while meeting with college and career professionals. Connect with military recruiters, take the ASVAB and train for physical fitness testing.
- Quarter 3 – Engage in follow-up with admissions and financial aid professionals to complete outstanding requirements, schedule intentional visits with colleges and employers and refine resumes and interview skills for employment. Meet with an enlistment counselor and pass the physical examination.
- Quarter 4 – Collect all relevant information to make decisions for college enrollment or employment and conduct Decision and Matriculation meetings with caregiver, Match and Persistence Advisors. Take the Oath of Enlistment and prepare for Basic Training.
Senior Transition to Persistence
During the second semester of the school year the match team will begin transitioning students from match caseloads to persistence. This process can get messy, so it is important that both sides are clear with their communication and know what steps to take to successfully transition a student.
- Decision Meetings: these will begin as soon as a student has received a majority of their admissions decisions and financial aid letters. The student and caregiver must be present for the meeting, the match counselor can choose to invite the expected persistence advisor as well.
- Completed Transition: match counselors should complete all matriculation steps in the matriculation tracker that occur before June 1st. Match counselors should also enter an end of year contact note, complete the academic sections and socio-emotional sections of the pre-college benchmark, enter all application results for the student, make sure the student is marked as matriculated in salesforce, and make sure updated contact information and the students picture are in salesforce.
- Matriculation Meeting: Persistence Advisors should schedule a matriculation meeting with a student as soon as they have completed their decision meeting. Once the matriculation meeting is scheduled, a student should be considered transitioned to the persistence advisor and the match counselor should cease helping the student and refer them to persistence.
Goals
At the completion of Senior Year, students will be able to:
- Articulate a clear passion, purpose, and post-secondary plan.
- Meet regularly with Match Counselor, caregiver and Persistence Advisor to complete all necessary steps for enrollment or employment.
- Meet all graduation requirements as determined by KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School and the State of Tennessee.
Visits and Job Exposure
College and career representatives will schedule visits to Collegiate throughout the fall semester to share information regarding offerings. Students are strongly encouraged to attend on-campus presentations as well as site visits. Students will coordinate with CCR12 instructor, caregiver and front office staff to coordinate absence and missing work for any classes missed due to college visits, interviews or job shadowing.
Events
Throughout Senior year, students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities that will support relationship-building amongst the class, engagement with potential colleges, educational programs and employers, and solidify postsecondary goals. 12th Grade Level Team and KIPP Forward-sponsored events include:
- College Visits
- Career Day
- College and Career Representative Presentations
- Senior Week
- Convocation
- Graduation
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