Provide hands-on assistance with college entry steps (entrance exams, searches, visits, applications) and financial aid, beginning before 12th grade¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

Recommendations 4 and 5 address the discrete tasks of college entry: preparing for and taking entrance exams early, assisting college search, coordinating college visits, helping with applications, organizing pre-12th-grade workshops on affordability and aid sources, and helping families complete financial aid forms before deadlines. These two recommendations carry the guide's only moderate evidence ratings. The panel states that "simply providing students with information is insufficient" and that thinking about applying and paying for college "need to begin before the 12th grade."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• School staff time to provide individualized, hands-on assistance rather than information alone

Constraints¶

• Financial aid policy itself is beyond the guide's scope; many recommendations could require additional staff or resources not easily accessible to schools

Target Learners¶

• High school students, especially seniors and their families

Target Learning Goals¶

• Successful completion of college application and financial aid processes

Claims¶

• Even students with stellar qualifications and strong plans can fail to enroll after career uncertainty, incomplete financial aid paperwork, and no extended adult conversation about college combine to make choice feel too risky [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Develop a four-year course trajectory with each 9th grader leading to a college-ready curriculum
• Provide navigator support through enrollment and financial aid, plus continued support after enrollment

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Tierney, W. G., Bailey, T., Constantine, J., Finkelstein, N., & Hurd, N. F. (2009). Helping students navigate the path to college: What high schools can do: A practice guide (NCEE #2009-4066). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/11