Middle Grade Program

Nationwide, GEAR UP programs follow either a cohort or priority model. In previous grant cycles, Arizona GEAR UP implemented a cohort model, which means students were identified in middle school, and services continued through the first year of college. Currently, Arizona GEAR UP is moving towards providing services based on a priority model, which serves all students in 7 – 12th grade in our partner schools to increase graduation rates, work with middle-grade students as they transition to high school, and support high school students as they transition to postsecondary education. As a result, this plan prioritizes the immediate needs of the state. Additionally, our priority model provides the opportunity for our community partners to hone their services to meet the needs of our students.

Beginning Fall 2022 we have chosen to expand these services and bring on more services for our Middle Grade schools who could benefit from AZ GEAR UP Support. Our goal is to provide our 5 E’s of equity across the state of Arizona:

• Engage communities, educators, students, and families.
• Empower every sector with the knowledge and tools to overcome systemic inequities.
• Help create rigorous learning environments where students excel.
• Elevate expectations for high school graduation and college attainment.
• Enrich the communities, schools, and families to create a strong and sustainable college-going culture.

Middle Grade Resources

The Discover Guide was created by AZ GEAR UP to help middle-grade students explore how who they are can influence life after high school. More information on the Discover Guide can be found here.

Our Middle School partners are the Arizona K-12 Center, Arizona Business & Education Coalition (ABEC), and the Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) each of these collaborators adds something more to what we can provide to our middle grades. See more information on our partner page.