Upward Bound students remain in good standing in the program by meeting three standards of excellence. The first standard is academic progress; the second standard is responsible attendance; and the third standard is active participation. Details on each of these three standards follow.
1. ACADEMIC STANDARDS
Upward Bound is an academic program with the purpose of assisting students to successfully complete high school and then to enroll in college. Since a good academic record is needed for college admission, and an excellent academic record can pay off in scholarship awards, Upward Bound students are expected to work hard and do their best in their studies. To be a student in good standing in this program, it is necessary to maintain a GPA of 2.0 or above and to increase one’s GPA each year. Students who attend regularly and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or more or who show significant progress in raising their GPA will be eligible for special trips, events, and drawings during the year.
As an Upward Bound student, you are required to follow the college- prep curriculum determined by your high school. That means at least 4 years of English, 3 years of science, 3 years of math, 3 years of social sciences and 2-3 years of foreign language. As a member of this Upward Bound Program, you are required to take a full load each semester. If you are unable to meet this requirement, you must have an alternate curriculum plan approved by the Academic Advisor and Staff Council. Failure to do so may result in suspension from the program.
Ohio State ATI Upward Bound strongly encourages you to do more than the minimum college-prep curriculum set by your high school. Upward Bound strongly encourages you to take a course every year in English, math, science, foreign language, and the humanities, especially history.
Tutoring is available to all Upward Bound students and required of those students who need it. If a student has a grade of C, D or F in the academic subjects (math, science, English, foreign language, or the social sciences), the student will be required to attend tutoring 3 hours a week until the next grading period.
Academic Probation is given for having a current GPA of less than 2.0. It has a term of one grading period. During the grading period, the student must complete all homework, spend extra time studying, and attend tutoring. Academic probation for a GPA less than 2.0 can continue for a maximum of one school year. If a student has been on academic probation two or more grading periods and has not raised his/her GPA for the year above 2.0 by the end of a school year, the student may not be eligible for the summer program and may not be renewed for the coming year.
Procedure: The Academic Advisor initiates and monitors academic probation. The Academic Advisor and the student fill out and sign a probation contract. The student then takes the contract to his/her parents for their review and signature and returns the contract to the Academic Advisor. A copy is sent to the In-School Mentor and the Director and a copy is placed in the student’s file. At the end of each grading period, the probation contract is reviewed by the Academic Advisor and In-School Coordinator and appropriate action is taken. The Director, Academic Advisor and the In-School Mentors may agree to override any feature of this policy in certain circumstances.
2. ATTENDANCE STANDARDS
Upward Bound students are expected to attend every weekly in-school meeting and Saturday meeting during the academic year. If a student must miss a weekly meeting, he/she may request an excused absence and do a make-up assignment. If a student incurs 4 unexcused absences, he/she may be suspended from the program.
A. Definition of an Excused Absence
Excused absences are granted when the excuse meets certain criteria and the excused absence is requested in a timely and appropriate manner. Specific criteria and procedures are set by each In-School Mentor.
1. Reason
In general, an excused absence is granted for:
a. a circumstance that is not the student’s choice
b. for an opportunity/obligation of equal value to the college-bound student.
Examples of excused absences would be: absence from school, doctor’s appointment, field trips, family emergency, and a schedule conflict with another worthwhile activity. Work is generally not considered an excused absence. Students are expected to communicate their UB obligations to their employers and to schedule their work hours so there will not be a conflict.
The In-School Mentor may require appropriate documentation for excused absences, e.g. a note from the parents, a schedule for another activity, etc.
2. Timeliness
It is possible for a potentially excusable absence to become an unexcused absence if the student fails to communicate in a timely way with the ISM. Each In-School Mentor will specify the ways the student can communicate (whether by a note in the mailbox, by e-mail, by phone, etc.)
If the student knows in advance that he/she must miss a meeting, the student should communicate with the In-School Mentor in advance of the meeting.
If the absence was for an unforeseen reason, the student should communicate with the In-School Mentor during the first day back at school. If a student fails to communicate with the In-School Mentor about an absence during the first day back at school, the absence is automatically unexcused.
B. Continuing Excused Absences
In the case of a continuing conflict with another worthwhile activity, the student or ISM should speak to the coach/leader of the other activity to work out a fair arrangement so the student can participate as much as possible in both.
In such cases, if the student must miss an Upward Bound meeting, he/she should do a make-up assignment. The first three times this occurs, the student receives a stipend for the made-up meetings. After three times, the student is expected to make-up the assignment in order to be excused, but will no longer get stipends for the missed meetings.
C. Making Up A Missed Meeting
Students whose absences are excused are given the opportunity to get credit for the meeting by doing a make-up assignment. The assignment is designed and given to them by the In-School Mentor. It is the responsibility of the student to see the In-School Mentor and request the assignment.
If the student completes the assignment satisfactorily and on time, the student will receive a stipend for the meeting (up to 3 meetings) and will remain in good standing with the program. There is no make-up procedure for missed Saturday meetings.
If you accumulate 4 or more unexcused absences in one year, you may be suspended from the program as stated in the Discipline Code, Level IV. Whenever a student has an unexcused absence, the In-School Coordinator will advise the Director within a week. The Director will send a letter to the home to alert students and parents of the situation and the Academic Advisor will follow-up the letter with a phone call.
The In-School Coordinators, in consultation with the Director, may change these rules for individual students in unusual extenuating circumstances.
Academic Advising: Attendance is required at Academic Advising sessions which will take place by appointment at your school. The sessions require a minimum of 1/2 hour. If you cannot meet your appointment, you need to call the Academic Advisor at 1-800-647-8283, extension 1344. The Academic Advising sessions are every three weeks, as stated on the calendar.
Senior Seminars: Seniors are required to participate in Senior Saturday meetings unless excused by the Academic Advisor.
3. PARTICIPATION STANDARDS
Participation in Upward Bound has many benefits, and it is a privilege to be selected for the program. When students do not take advantage of these benefits, they not only hurt themselves, they also take away opportunities that students on the waiting list could be using.
If a student does not meet expectations for participation, he or she will be put on probation and have the chance to improve. If sufficient improvement is not seen during the probation period, the student may be dropped from the program to make room for another student who will make better use of program activities.
The expectation for active and positive participation is that the students will respect themselves, other students, staff, and the program by paying attention, actively participating in discussions and projects, completing assignments, being courteous and helpful, and demonstrating a desire to learn, grow, and pursue the goal of a college education. There standards are further described in our Code of Behavior.
Active and Positive Participation Probation is incurred if a student has not actively participated in events or has participated in a way that was detrimental to him/herself, other students, staff, or the program. The term of the probation may be one or two months. A Probation Contract will be filled out and signed by both the student and the In-School Mentor; a copy will be sent to the Director for the student’s file. The Director of the probation will inform the parents. During the probation, the In-School Mentor will give regular feedback to the student regarding his or her participation. At the end of the probation, the student will be continued in good standing, dropped from the program, or given a second probation. During the second probation, the student’s attendance stipend is suspended.