college summit brochure

Your Partner for Building a

College-Going Culturein High Schools

2 Partnering With College Summit

Only 8% of low income students earn a college degree by age 25. Yet, by 2020, 65% of jobs will require more

than a high school diploma.

Equipping high schools to prepare all students for the next steps in

education and career.

Partner schools experience between 12 to 20 percent increases in college

enrollment rates over their own baselines. Seven out of 10 college

freshmen who attended a partner high school make it to sophomore year.

AmericA’s chAllenge college summit’s solution our imPAct

AmericA’s chAllenge

Partnering With College Summit 1

If today’s young people are to have a fair shot

at the American dream—and if our nation

is to compete globally–there can be no

higher priority than supporting a world-class

education system that prepares all students

for future success.

Since its founding in 1996, College Summit

has been transforming the lives of low-income

youth by asking one simple question:

“Who is most influential to a 17 year-old?”

Answer: OTHER TEENS!

Our approach supports students becoming the

agents of their own change. College Summit

is unique in working with school leaders,

educators, and students to ensure high schools

have the kind of culture where going to college

is the expectation, not the exception.

College Summit begins by training influential

student “Peer Leaders” to encourage and

help their classmates apply to college. The

program also includes curricula and online

tools for grades 9-12 to teach students to

be smart consumers of their postsecondary

education and career options. More support

is provided through professional development

and data which equip educators to reinforce

the lessons that Peer Leaders share.

Our partnership leads to measurable gains

in the college enrollment rates (CER) of our

partner schools.

On the following pages, you will have a chance

to preview the benefits of a College Summit

partnership: the curricula, the online portal,

the training support, Peer Leader training,

and the data and reporting tools that will

allow your school leaders to track progress

and drive results.

We look forward to working together to prepare

your students for postsecondary success!

“This College Summit

experience was the

most amazing and

emotional part of my life.

I’m now starting to see

life in a new light.”

12th Grader, Academy for Scholarshipand Entrepreneurship, New York, NY

deAr PArtner


the solutionpEErS, CurrICulA ANd dATA


“When the peer leaders come back and share their stories and experience,

it sets a fire under the rest of the students. College Summit allows them to create

a realistic goal of going to college and provides them with the steps to do it.”

Winsome Falby, director of dC pACTHigh road upper School and High road Academy

district of Columbia


influentiAl YouthpEEr lEAdErS ANd AlumNI

Who is most influential to a

teenager

OTHERTEENS! ?

the College Summit WorkShoP: College aPPliCation Boot CamP

Peer Leaders are rising seniors identified and selected by their schools to attend a College Summit Summer Workshop held on a local college campus. Over four days, students draft a personal statement that can be used in college and scholarship applications; meet one-on-one with a college coach to create a “best match” college list; learn about financial aid and self-advocacy; and receive innovative leadership training to build college-going culture back at school.

Peer leaderS in the ClaSSroom

Peer Leaders play a critical role in conveying the importance of postsec-ondary planning to their classmates. Peer Leaders help run classroom activities, work with groups of students on a specific aspect of the college application process, and target individual students for extra support. Innovative school-based activities have included personal statement writing, FAFSA/financial aid workshops, college campus tours, applica-tion drives, “I’m Going to College” pep rallies, College Summit clubs, and college buddy/mentoring activities.

Continued SuPPort after high SChool Using social media, volunteer opportunities, and professional development, we engage with students in college to support them on their path to graduation. We offer opportunities for students to connect with each other and hear from experts on topics including financial aid, staying healthy in college, creating support systems as a freshman, and how to communicate with professors.

alumni oPPortunitieS

College Summit’s growing network of more than 100,000 alumni are uniquely qualified to promote the college experience to high school students in the communities where they reside. As volunteers, staff, and mentors, they provide inspiration and practical information to the next generation of college-goers. Alumni now make up more than 60% of our Summer Workshop staff, and contribute an additional 2,500 service hours in our schools and regions.


Provides students with an engaging opportunity during the school day to explore, apply to, and prepare for education/training after high school.

Student edition

Students create a Senior Portfolio that includes all of the planning milestones and products necessary to apply to postsecondary learning opportunities.

As students create these products, they practice valuable transferable skills which will help them succeed in postsecondary life, including goal-setting, action planning, research, and reflection.

The College Summit Navigator Student Edition features:

• Senior Year Planning Calendars with vital dates and deadlines to keep students on track throughout the year

• 33 weeks of activities to help students plan for and transition to life after high school

• A variety of resources and templates to help students create postsecondary plans

• A glossary of common postsecondary planning terms and concepts

eduCator edition

Aligns with national and state standards (common core) for counseling, language arts, and career and technical education.

Educators benefit from features like:

• 33 start-to-finish lesson plans with suggestions for modification and extension

• Measurable learning objectives based on authentic student performance

• Built-in assessments and suggestions for scaffolding and differentiation

• Step-by-step instructions for using our online college and career planning tool, CSNav

• Strategies for tapping into the power of College Summit Peer Leaders

• Classroom resources to make the curriculum relevant to all students

our curriculumFor STudENTS IN GrAdES 9-12

NavigaTOR cuRRiculum - gRadE 12


lauNcH cuRRiculum - gRadES 9-11

Students achieve mastery of research-based core understandings, equipping them to progress through high school on a college-ready path.

The five research-based core understandings are: self-advocacy, academic excellence, college/career connection, college 101, and financial aware-ness. Each year of Launch consists of more than 30 easy-to-use, ready-to-implement, and developmentally-appropriate lesson plans that incorporate internet-based CSNav activities for each grade, including:

Clean Slate - 9th grade

• Make a smooth transition to high school

• Make positive choices today that will set students up for success tomorrow

SPeak uP! - 10th grade

• Students explain who they are, where they come from, and where they want to go

• Students express themselves in writing, speaking, and other forms of communication

• Students use strategies to overcome a variety of academic, professional, and personal barriers

take aCtion! - 11th grade

• Articulate students’ next steps after high school graduation

• Students take action to set themselves up for a successful senior year

These lessons allow educators to quickly and easily create dynamic class-room experiences for all students centered around rich discussion, relevant activity, and meaningful assessment.

Launch student workbooks include supporting worksheets, supplemental graphic organizers, activity pages, and space for reflection.

Launch educator books contain detailed lesson plans, assessment tools, recommendations for differentiation, ideas for lesson extensions, and suggestions for supplementary resources.

“Because of College Summit, I have come to

the realization that I Am CollEGE mATErIAl!”

9th Grader, North miami Beach Senior High School, miami, Fl


csnAvour oNlINE poSTSECoNdArY plANNING porTAl

The cSNav Student center allows students to prepare for college entry exams, search for colleges, access individualized financial aid information, develop and store application materials, and explore well-matched careers.

On the Professional center educators can comment on student work, communicate with students about their progress, and easily access online classroom and student data.

What makes cSNav so valuable?

• CSNav automatically creates reports on how many students in each grade have completed critical milestones, as well as which students are on track or behind

• “CSNav Connections” help educators incorporate over 150 downloadable supplementary lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, and other useful materials into their classrooms

• CSNav can be used in the classroom, at home, in the library, or from any computer with an internet connection

does your school use Naviance? College Summit services are fully compatible with the Naviance platform. Many of our school partners use Naviance and have a positive experience integrating the two.

CSNav is fully integrated with our curricula and includes lesson plans for use in the computer lab.


eduCator aCademy

The Educator Academy, typically held before the school year, is a local training for teachers and counselors who will teach the College Summit curricula or coordinate the program at their school. Sessions provide educators with the know-how to guide students through the postsecondary planning and enrollment process. Educators also learn strategies for building a robust college-going culture in their school communities.

onSite CoaChingCollege Summit is unique in providing job-embedded professional development that supports educators in forging a sustainable college-going culture. College Summit’s School Partnership Managers work in close collaboration with partner educators, regularly visiting classrooms to provide technical assistance and offer tips and best practices in response to each school’s unique challenges. School Partnership Managers help counselors and teachers connect our curricula to their school’s goals; help educators design and deliver dynamic College Summit classrooms; and ensure they have what they need for their students to succeed.

ProfessionAl develoPmentANd SupporT

“College Summit is a way to achieve the school-wide goal of creating

a college-going culture. It also provides measures for growth,

training, professional development, and support.”

Nathaniel r. laney, Jr., principalForestville military Academy, prince George’s County, md

College Summit’s professional devel-opment for teachers and counselors helps raise expectations for students. Our training and support fosters learn-ing communities that maintain ongoing professional growth and continuous program innovation.


dAtA And rePorting

Detailed reports to our school partners provide information on student performance that help educators focus their energy, strengthen instruction, and support innovation. Real-time data fosters dynamic conversations that lead to strengthened postsecondary outcomes.

Student mileStone rePortS

Detailed school and district data in student milestone reports allow superintendents to view performance across schools, while principals and counselors can analyze classroom-level detail. Working in conjunction with our online portal CSNav, reports contain information on student progress toward college-planning milestones such as the creation of a college list, applications sent, standardized tests taken, and FAFSA completion.

College enrollment rate rePortS (annual)

Persistence and college graduation data collected from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) are processed, stored, and analyzed using the College Summit Data Warehouse. College Summit seeks to make this data actionable by sharing it with school leaders so that they can make adjustments in resources, curricula, and scheduling in order to increase students’ postsec-ondary opportunities.

PartnerShiP With navianCe

College Summit has partnered with Naviance to allow schools to use our curricula with their tool, receiving all the benefits of student milestone tracking and data reports.

ScHOOl a

ScHOOl B

SamPlE cSNav milESTONE REPORT

seniorYeAr PlAn

college list

PersonAlstAtement

collegeAPPlicAtion

sAt/Act

fAfsA

12%

55%29%

35%39%

65%

29%

17%

57%

60%

71%

17%


signAlingpromoTIoNS THAT ExCITE ANd ENErGIzE

College Summit provides high schools with banners, posters, and tshirts that create a college-going culture.

To ensure that all students receive the positive message that they have choices and options for their future, clear and consistent communications are critical. College Summit helps school partners develop school year campaigns that:

• Promote college-going and awareness for all students

• Compel seniors to complete the FAFSA on time

• Recruit and motivate the next year’s class of senior Peer Leaders

We are always delighted and amazed by the creative displays our partners and their Peer Leaders produce organically to celebrate and signal college-going.

“If a program doesn’t speak to the

heart, it doesn’t speak to the reality

of my students.”

Tajah Gross, principalAchievement Academy, Harbor City High

Baltimore City public Schools, md


“College Summit and our peer leaders ensure that the

door of opportunity does not close on any student.”

dr. reginald Sirls, principalMorningside High School, Inglewood Unified School District, CA


College Summit is the national nonprofit partnering with high schools and collaborat-ing with principals, teachers, and the most influential seniors to put every student on the path to higher education. Our compre-hensive system – summer workshops, curri-cula, influential student peer leaders, trained educators, and actionable data – ensures all students graduate with a realistic postsec-ondary plan in place.

More than twenty years ago in a low-income community center in Washington, DC, College Summit began when J.B. Schramm guided a few promising students through the college admissions process. College Summit has grown to serve 50,000 students annually in 180 partner high schools in 15 states and the District of Columbia.

States with College Summit partner schools

2014-15 expansion sites (Detroit, Chicago and Tulsa)

American high schools are shifting their purpose from graduation to preparing all students for college and career success.

ABout college summit


Through philanthropy, pro-bono services, volunteerism and leadership, Deloitte supports College Summit’s efforts across the country. In 2010, College Summit and Deloitte won the prestigious Partnership Award from the US Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civic Leadership Center.

The Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation provides generous support for all aspects of College Summit’s mission, including the Launch program for grades 9-11, summer workshops, and Peer Leader training so that all young people have access to the tools and training needed to succeed.

Fossil Group, through a combination of corporate giving and employee volunteerism, is building and promoting a Peer Leader brand that will assist College Summit students in their college and career pursuits.

New Profit, Inc. supports College Summit’s growth with a Social Innovation Fund award, which was designed by the White House to help innovative nonprofits scale. In partnership with New Profit, College Summit has grown from serving 14,000 students to 50,000 a year.

our PArtners

Our students and schools are proving that the barriers to postsecondary success can be surmounted. With the support of high schools, leading foundations, businesses, and investors, College Summit is raising the trajectory of students’ lives.

With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, College Summit is working with the best mobile and Facebook app developers to create tools that assist students with getting to and through college.

Capital One Foundation’s Building the Alumni Generation initiative is helping College Summit’s effort to build a grassroots and social network to support alumni during college. The Samberg Family Foundation is a long-time supporter of College Summit

since 2002. Members of the Samberg family serve on College Summit’s Board of Directors and are tireless champions of the organization’s mission.


“At deloitte, we take seriously our

responsibility to the community, and believe

the business world has a powerful role to play,

whether it is volunteerism, pro-bono services,

or cash donations, in responding to the

challenges in our education system.”

Barry Salzberg CEodeloitte llp and Board Chair, College Summit

college SummitNational

1763 Columbia Road, NWSecond Floor

Washington, DC 20009t 202.319.1763f 202.319.1233

college Summitcolorado

1201 E. Colfax AvenueSuite 301

Denver, CO 80218t 303.832.7174 f 303.832.9032

college SummitFlorida

6101 Blue Lagoon DriveSuite 430

Miami, Florida 33126t 305.260.9220f 305.260.9254

college Summitindiana

407 North Fulton StreetSuite 104

Indianapolis, IN 46202t 317.972.4383f 317.972.4394

contAct uscollege Summit

National capital Region415 Michigan Avenue, NE

Suite 350Washington, DC 20017

t 202.269.0638f 202.269.0555

college SummitNew York/New Jersey

40 Exchange PlaceSuite 1202

New York, NY 10005t 646.783.6150f 646.783.6169

college Summitconnecticut

201 Orange StreetSecond Floor

New Haven, CT 06510t 203.776.0671f 203.776.0658

college SummitNorthern california

703 Market StreetSuite 205

San Francisco, CA 94103t 415.227.9905f 415.227.4595

college SummitSouthern california

880 Apollo StreetSuite 160

El Segundo, CA 90245t 310.216.2701f 310.216.2897

college SummitSouth carolina

Staley Hall, Room 225300 College Street

Orangeburg, SC 29117t 803.516.4877f 803.533.3797

college Summitmissouri

801 N. 11th StreetSt. Louis, MO 63101

t 314.345.4463f 314.345.2669

college SummitWest virginia

100-L Faculty CircleDunbar, WV 25064

t 304.204.4061f 304.204.4069

“College Summit allows our students

to discover and work towards a life

beyond high school by giving them

structured tools to accomplish their

college-going dreams.”

Krystal Greene, College Summit AdvisorInglewood High School

Inglewood Unified School District, CA

College Summit | 1763 Columbia road, NW | Second Floor | Washington, dC 20009 | collegesummit.org

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