Providing Access to Opportunity

Planning for AccessPart 1: Initial Exploration

Teacher Taylor Lee Subject: General and Advanced Science

Students Ages 11-14 Grade Level(s): 7th grade

Context: Comment [1]: This

document has been modified
The journey to provide pathways to opportunities for Holbrook Junior from its original version to
build context specifically
High (HJHS), 7th grade students began with identifying a need. Access around my work to create a
sustainable Gear Up like
opportunities were not available on campus for grade 7. After interviewing the
program for the grade 7
students. The context
provided showcases my
Counselor and Principal at HJHS it was agreed by all, that 7th grade students
planning and thinking
around providing outside
were in need of access opportunities earlier rather than later. However, no such opportunities that are not
regionally obvious or readily
program was in place or available. For that reason I began vetting potential available.

partners both within my school district and within the larger community. I began

writing a 7th grade Access to Opportunity program, which included objectives,

tracking systems and target classes. This document highlights how I used

Teaching For Transformation course material to bring my dream of providing early

exposure to postsecondary options to light with my 7th grade classes. This

excerpt focuses on how I built a relationship with A. Dennis and used her High

School sophomores (class of 2018) as mentors to my 7th graders, Class of 2021.

Johns Hopkins University School of Education

Providing Access to Opportunity
Resource 1: Gear Up coordinator at Holbrook High School Amber Dennis:
adennis@holbrook.k12.az.us Comment [2]: I began by
looking at what was available
Value: within the district but had
been ignored at the 7th grade
Having early access to postsecondary opportunities upon entry to high level. A. Dennis had
school promotes access to opportunity at the middle school level. I previously been awarded a
believe 7th graders having access to high school students experiences Gear Up grant for roughly 16
students in the 2018 cohort,
regarding the journey from grade 7 through to grade 10, and the benefits using her connections with
and knowledge gained form Gear Up, builds a deeper, more authentic NAU and my desire to build a
understanding of access opportunities among my 7th graders. Due to our program similar for grade 7,
geographic isolation, I believe that mentorships formed within our school I explored using the class of
district are more sustainable and consistent. For this reason, I believe 2018 as High School
mentors for an Access
that partnering with A. Dennis will create a pathway to opportunity
Opportunity venture
otherwise not available to my grade 7 students, with the 10th grade affecting 7th graders.
students highlighting opportunities and gateways they find relevant.

Strategies: Initial Request

I sent A. Dennis an email explaining my overall goals and asked if it was
possible to get two or three Gear Up sophomores to visit my classroom and
share their experience surrounding Gear Up. A. Dennis was excited to
participate, however wanted to meet in person to ensure that the Comment [3]: Prior to
sophomores presenting had a clear aim. One clear request was that I meeting with A. Dennis I
researched the Az Gear Up
research the Gear Up grant she was working under so as to deepen my
program through NAU.
understanding of what the sophomore Gear Up students experiences were. Through my research I was
The goal of my research was so that I may provide a realistic direction able to find interventions,
to the sophomores presentation. goals and outcomes from
many schools across AZ.
Strategies: First Meeting: This research affected my
planning in two ways: First,
The first meeting focused on building groundwork. I had prepared a it made me more vigilant on
presentation about college. A. Dennis vetted my presentation and creating a workable alliance
requested certain aspects be added such as the Aspirations model, as she with the High School.
had found this useful at the high school level. Further, she had offered Secondly, it made the
to use her connections to Northern Arizona University (NAU) to secure program I was creating for
grade 7 increase in value. I
freebies for the 7th graders that would be given out by the sophomores
began to realize how
during their presentation. I stressed my design and objectives and how I disadvantaged the 7th
wanted to bring to my 7th graders an opportunity to build an alliance with graders were at having no
the sophomores so that they may feel that work surrounding Gear Up at the pathways to Access. I was
7th grade level has real world relevance. determined to create a
gateway to success for my
students.
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Providing Access to Opportunity
 Comment [4]: In preparation
to meet with A. Dennis I had
drafted my initial objectives
and prepared a rough draft
PPT that I felt could guide
the sophomores during their
presentation to the 7th
graders.

Johns Hopkins University School of Education

Providing Access to Opportunity
 Comment [5]: Our first
meeting was a beneficial
aspect of my planning, as it
focused on where my weak
areas were. To align my
program goals and student
opportunities to those being
offered at the high school
but absent at the 7th grade
level, it was suggested I add
critical aspects to my
teaching. For example using
the Aspirations model.
Comment [6]: It was during
the first meeting I hit my
first road block. My original
objective was to reach 120
7th graders, however, due to
regulatory seat hours and
High School expectations
any sophomore mentor
would only be granted off
campus mentorship
opportunities during their
lunch hour. This means that
I had to rework my objective
to target my 5th period class
of 17 students. These 17
students would receive
mentorship and Gear Up
like opportunities as their
pathway to Access.

Intended Outcome:

My goal with creating this partnership was to align my program objective

to mentorship opportunities using sophomore students as the
postsecondary experts. Ultimately, I wanted to fill a need at the
grade 7 level, as no students were receiving any guidance around
postsecondary options. Students were not able to articulate needed high
school classes. Moreover, 7th graders had no real vision for their life
moving from middle school to high school and beyond. I wanted to allow
them to explore those options through peer-to-peer teaching and learning.

Johns Hopkins University School of Education

Providing Access to Opportunity