Maine State GEAR UP: Links

College Prep:

CollegeBoard - http://www.collegeboard.com
SAT registration & preparation, college searches and scholarship help. Now free for Maine students in grades 9-12!

College Admissions Quiz - http://familyeducation.com/quiz/0,1399,1-2855,00.html

College for ME - http://www.collegeforme.com/executive_summary.html
An informative site about Maine college statistics with an action plan to help more students earn higher degrees. They publish the Best Practices Directory (http://www.collegeforme.com/news_events.html) which is a directory of services, programs and organizations that are designed to increase access to college for Maine students, and help students succeed in college. It is prepared to recognize what works and to replicate effective approaches.

College Ready - http://www.maine.edu/collegeready
Prepares students for college ensuring students have met all requirements for each Maine university.

ConnectEdu: Connecting Students and Colleges - http://www.connectedu.net/
A website focused on breaking down the communication and information barriers that surround the college admissions and financial aid processes.

ConnectEdu Resources for Students
So I Logged in? Now What? Guide for Students [doc] [pdf]
I Forgot how to log in [doc] [pdf]
Student FAQs [doc] [pdf]
Student Connect! Scavenger Hunt [ppt] [pdf]
Student Registration Options [ppt] [pdf]
Student Connect! Presentation [ppt] [pdf]

Early College for ME - http://www.earlycollege.me.edu
A bridge from high school to community college, information on scholarships and early college courses for seniors.

eNotes College Prep - http://college.enotes.com/
Search for the college that suits you best, or take a free practice SAT test.

Official (and free!) SAT Online Course - http://www.maine.gov/education/sat_initiative/
All Maine high school students in grades 9-12, as well as high school faculty and administrators, will have full access to The Official SAT Online Course. This is a personalized, comprehensive and 24-hour-accessible student preparation package. It is important to note that this opportunity extends to all Maine high school students—not just 11th graders—and like all of the options listed, can be incorporated as a key component to the academic experience at your school and not just as preparation for the SAT and PSAT. Read the letter from Commissioner Susan Gendron here: http://www.maine.gov/education/edletrs/2006/ilet/06ilet093.htm

SAT General Questions (Email) - sat.help@info.collegeboard.org
1-888-SAT-HELP (888-728-4357)

Springboard - http://www.collegeboard.com/springboard/
SpringBoard prepares students in grades 6-12 with the critical thinking, reasoning and writing skills they need to be successful in college.

Financial Aid:

College Goal Sunday - http://www.collegegoalsundaymaine.com/
January 27, 2008 at a location near you! (click the link to see a list of locations)
College Goal Sunday is a nationwide program that provides information and assistance to Maine students and their families applying for financial aid for higher education. College financial aid officers and other qualified professionals volunteer their time to help college-bound students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is the required federal financial aid form.

The Counselors and Mentors Handbook on Federal Student Aid (2008-09 edition) (PDF format) - http://www.fsa4counselors.ed.gov/
Llook at the lower righthand side of the screen, under "Counselor Resources."

Down East article - A Maine Education, Secret sources of financial aid and why Chinese kids are flocking to Maine private schools
http://www.downeast.com/Down-East-Magazine/March-2008/A-Maine-Education/
A great read on places to look for financial aid to attend Maine colleges.

FAFSA4caster- http://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/
(Click on the link in the upper righthand corner.) 4caster is an extremely useful tool for students who are not yet ready to file the official FAFSA but want to know what their eligibility might be. And it's not just an EFC estimator - it also provides estimated federal aid; and it will prepopulate the FAFSA with the answers from 4caster once the student is ready to apply.

FAFSA4counselors - http://www.fsa4counselors.ed.gov/
The online source of federal student aid information to help students and parents plan and prepare for college, career and trade school.

FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid - http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
This is the official FAFSA site. Please note that the F in FAFSA stands for 'free,' and if any web site asks for your credit card information, you are not on the official FAFSA site.

FAME: Finance Authority of Maine - http://www.famemaine.com/html/education/index.html
The FAME web site offers important financial aid tools for students and families as well as for financial aid professionals. Especially useful is their Financial Aid Tool Kit available for download from the link above.

FinAid - Public Service Loan Forgiveness - http://www.finaid.org/loans/publicservice.phtml
The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 established a new public service loan forgiveness program. This program discharges any remaining debt after 10 years of full-time employment in public service.

Free Financial Aid Publications - http://www.fsapubs.org/

NCCEP College Scholarship - http://www.edpartnerships.org/Content/NavigationMenu/
Resource_Center/Resource_Center_Sub_Item_2/NCCEP_Thomson_Petersons_GEAR_UP_
College_Entrance_Exam_Scholarships.htm
This scholarship is targeted to GEAR UP students demonstrating the greatest improvement in their performance on college entrance exams.

US Dept. of Education Grants - http://www.fsa4counselors.ed.gov/clcf/grants.html
If you have any questions about these grants, call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3242). The TTY number is 1-800-730-8913.

General:

The College Track - America's Sorting Machine - http://www.thecollegetrack.com/
This website is about the prime-time documentary that explores America's commitment to equal access to higher education through the stories of students struggling to become the first in their families to attend college.

Colleges with Programs for Learning Disabled Students -
http://www.college-scholarships.com/learning_disabilities.htm
This site lists colleges that offer programs designed to support students with learning disabilities.

GEAR UP Maine Podcast - http://www.podstrike.com/podcasts/gearupme/maine/
Listen to conversations and interviews about college readiness with students, teachers, parents, guidance counselors, and school administration. You can also subscribe for free to future GEAR UP podcasts! Click here to learn about podcasts.
Transcript - October 26, 2006 - Student Voices [doc]
Transcript - January 1, 2007 - Get Started Early [doc]
Transcript - March 1, 2007 - Narraguagus Interview [doc]

Handouts from the New England GEAR UP Conference October 25-27, 2006

Letters from the Commissioner - http://www.maine.gov/education/edletrs/homepage.htm
Informational and administrative letters sent out to Superintendents archive

Resources:

ALLTech - http://www.alltech-tsi.org/
ALLTech identifies technology solutions to the educational, daily living, communication, and workplace challenges experienced by people of all abilities and ages.

Best Practices Directory, Second Edition - http://www.mainesupportnetwork.org/taskforce/reports/bestpracticesdirectory2ed.pdf
This is a directory of services, programs and organizations that are designed to increase access to college for Maine students, and help students succeed in college. It is prepared to recognize what works and to replicate effective approaches.

Center for Educational Transformation - http://www.maine.gov/education/cse/index.htm
CET supports research, policy, local and state reform initiatives and other activities which increase the ability of Maine's middle and secondary level educators to transform teaching and learning within their schools, in order to ensure the success of Maine children as students, citizens and workers.

College Planning for Students with Disabilities Handbook - http://www.answers4families.org/family/pdf/DisabilityHB.pdf
This handbook from Project NETS at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the EducationQuest Foundation is for students with disabilities planning to attend postsecondary education institutions and their parents or guardians. Its sections include Know Your Disability, Academic and Career Planning, College Section, College Funding, Requesting Services and Accommodations, and Legal Rights and Responsibilities. Available in PDF (19 pages, 1.7 MB.)

Expanding Your Horizons - http://www.wrc.umaine.edu/programs/EYH/eyh.htm
Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) is a one-day conference focused on providing middle school girls with opportunities to connect with women in non-traditional career fields, including science, engineering, mathematics and technology.

Judy's PortaPortal - http://my.portaportal.com/
This PortaPortal is a resource to all students and families and was created and is maintained by Judy Pottle, a former GEAR UP Advisor who is currently working with GEAR UP as a Regional Technical Assistance Coordinator (RTAC). Password (enter in guest access): gu4college

MaineCITE- http://www.mainecite.org/
Maine CITE is a statewide program designed to help make assistive and universally designed technology more available to Maine children and adults who have disabilities.

Maine Community College System Center for Career Development - http://www.ccd.me.edu/

Maine Department of Education - http://www.maine.gov/education
This site is an incredible resource for educational information, including grant info, a data center and great links

Maine Learning Technology Initiative - http://www.mainelearns.org/
A site about teachers helping other teachers

Maine Parent Federation - http://www.mpf.org/projects/gearup.htm
Partners with the Maine State GEAR UP program, they provide many resources for Maine parents and students.

Using Technology to Support Diverse Learners - http://www.wested.org/cs/tdl/print/docs/tdl/home.htm
This Web site contains links to a slide show, handouts, and related materials for professional developers (technology coordinators and inclusion teachers) that are helping teachers integrate technology into the curriculum to support diverse learners.

Virtual Learning Academy - http://www.virtuallearningacademy.net
VLA is a robust, online educational delivery system. It offers over 80 full year and semester courses for students in grades 2-12.