Pathways

Pathway One: College and Career Awareness

Students participate in a five-session seminar designed to provide information regarding the wide variety of post-secondary options as well as the admission and financial aid application processes. The seminar also focuses on self-assessment and decision making so that the participants have the information and tools to make informed decisions about the most appropriate post-secondary options and the steps they need to take to pursue these options. During the first session, students complete the Strategic Assessment of Readiness for Training (START), which assesses knowledge strengths and weakness, attitudes and skills. START is used as a diagnostic tool to increase the participant’s awareness of his/her readiness to profit from training and other learning experiences. Curriculum topics include what is post-secondary education and what support services are available to veterans, the college application process, paying for college and understanding yourself as an adult learner. Over the course of the seminar, each participant develops a Personal Education Plan that maps out the steps that need to be taken to successfully pursue post-secondary education. For some students this will involve continuation into one of the program’s skill development pathways. Others will work individually with project staff to complete the admission and financial aid applications for one or more post-secondary institutions.

Pathway Two: GED Program

• Participants are familiarized with expectations on the GED test. Participants take a practice test and receive counseling toward developing a strategy for mastering the competence that are to be demonstrated when taking the GED test.
  
• After their practice tests are scored, participants are assigned classes or tutorials in one or more of the five test content areas, writing skills, social studies, sciences, interpreting literature and the arts, and mathematics.
  
• Transcripts indicating successful completion, and indicating scores on each test the total number of points and an overall average. Diplomas are received within 6 weeks.

Pathway Three: Self-Paced Skill Development

The project has created a student-learning lab in the Program Office that is equipped with a self-paced computer tutorial, the Learning 2000 Lifetime Library. The Library is a series of comprehensive multimedia programs in reading, writing, math and algebra. The Lifetime Library provides an individualized educational experience for students through its interactive, multimedia-teaching platform.

Pathway Four: Sixteen-Week Classroom Based Instructional

Developmental and college preparatory courses are taught in two sixteen-week semesters, September through December and February through May.

Developmental Level

The Developmental Level is designed for students who need intensive basic skill development. They take classes in Math, Writing and Social Science. Each class meets twice a week, one and one half hours per meeting, three hours per week total. Classes are held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30-10:00 PM. Students are encouraged to come on Tuesdays and Thursdays for tutoring and advising.

• Math: Students review arithmetic fundamentals, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, word problems and pre-algebra.
   
• Writing: Students review the basics of grammar, including sentence structure, paragraphs and essays. They learn standards that affect the mechanics and structure of writing such as the ability to express thoughts and respond to questions in complete sentences and the use of grammar rules to write at a greater length in response to a topic or question. They also learn to recognize their own errors independently, revise work to include more details and information, recognize and use appropriate formats and genres, and begin to write for a specific, identified audience.
   
• Social Science: Students build vocabulary and develop analytical reading skills through the use of current event media. The familiar framework of current events enables students to apply skills to “real” settings. Students learn to use appropriate tools to understand the concept of systems, express ideas and opinions, use appropriate tools for gathering information, describe when and how the medium affects the message and learn to separate response to message from response to the speaker or the medium.

Upon successful completion of Level Two, students will be prepared to enter Community College, Vocational Technical Training Programs or the College Preparatory Level of Veterans Upward Bound Program.

College Preparatory Level

Students at the college preparatory level take Literature, Composition with a research paper component, Algebra, Laboratory Science, Computer Skills and Study Skills. Students take classes Monday through Thursday, with each class meeting twice a week for an hour and a half hours per meeting.

College Preparatory Course Descriptions

CP Social Sciences: Students will read, discuss, and write about classical works in history, philosophy,sociology,economics and social sciences. Students will utilize methods of critical thinking in approaching questions such as "What is happiness?" and "What is Freedom?" There will be extensive work on writing college research papers,culminating in a short research paper written on an apporved topic.

Composition & Literature: Participants develop writing and critical skills, including a critical appreciation of literature, by reading literature and writing essays concerning what they read. Students deepen their understanding of the use of appropriate formats and genres, write persuasively for a specific identified audience, recognize and use appropriate tone and style, use figurative language and be able to evaluate their own written work. Participants also learn how to write a scholarly research paper and master the library skills necessary for the paper's preparation. Participants explore topics of their choosing, reviewing literature, becoming proficient citing sources and proactive techniques of scholarship. Methods of instruction include lecture, class discussion, criticizing of essays for readability and grammar.

Mathematics: Participants review arithmetic fundamentals, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, and word problems before advancing to algebra, geometry, elementary functions, and pre-calculus. Quizzes and formal examinations are employed to ascertain participant’s progress through the subject matter.

Laboratory Science:The student is able to understand science as a process of inquiry – questioning, observing, investigating, experimenting, incorporating prior knowledge and drawing conclusions in order to better understand and solve challenges in our natural world. Students will study topics in Biology, Physics, and Chemistry as a process of problem solving that helps us work and live more comfortably in the world.The emphasis of the class is "hands on" experiments using the facilities offered in the UMass Boston Science labs.

Computer Skills: Students learn to locate, evaluate, use, and communicate information to become independent learners in our increasingly technological and information-rich world. Students learn to use the computer and the library as tools in the research process and develop an understanding of how computer technology is used in math and scientific research. In addition, students learn to use word-processing, databases, spreadsheets, and e-mail. This course also examines the nature of information, its technical infrastructure, and its social, cultural, and philosophical contexts.

Study Skills: Participants explore methods of learning how to learn that include topics such as critical thinking skills, note taking, reading to answer questions, time/task management, and exam preparation. Participants also learn college survival techniques and become competent with respect to the culture of college. Students will also study Stephen Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, focusing on the first three habits, "Be Proactive," "Begin with the End in Mind," and "First things First."