Approve the Agreement for Technical Services with Bellwether Consulting for the Evaluation of the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs Project (Information and Technology Division)

The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) project is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education. The program is designed to increase college attendance and success and raise the expectations of low-income students. A cohort of students in grade 11 and 12 at Leto and Middleton High Schools are the targeted audience for this program. The year 6 grant budget requires an external evaluator to complete the required Annual Performance Report for the US Department of Education. The evaluator will analyze qualitative and quantitative data. Historical data for longitudinal information will be analyzed for the overall project. The evaluator will complete all designated portions of the Annual Performance Report. The evaluator will follow the evaluation standards established by the Joint Committee on Standards for Education Evaluation adopted by the American Evaluation Association.

An Agreement for Technical Services has been developed with Bellwether Consulting LLC. Bellwether Consulting has conducted numerous evaluations for Hillsborough County Public Schools including the Nonpublic Title I Program Review, portions of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers SAFE-T-NET Program, and performed the previous years' evaluations for the GEAR UP program. Bellwether Consulting has worked with the Pinellas County Public School District, the Polk County Public School District, and as a contract evaluator for the Stavros Center for Economic Education.

* Motivate students to become responsible learners, * Challenge and support all students with an appropriate curriculum

Of the $648,000 approved for Year 6 of the program, $15,000 has been designated for the evaluation portion of the project.

The evaluator will provide the US Department of Education an Annual Performance Report. A copy of this report will also be provided to the project manager and the Department of Assessment and Accountability.