Each year, the Upward Bound program at University of Central Arkansas is required to submit an Annual Performance Report (APR) to the U.S. Department of Education to determine how it is performing against its objectives.
For those who are unfamiliar with the program or its purpose, here are some highlights to briefly share some of what is being accomplished. The following program stats are based off the 2014-2015 APR which was recently submitted.
1. In Fall 2014, the Arkansas college-going rate for first-time entering students was 50.1%. However, 73% of our program’s 2015 graduates enrolled in post-secondary education this fall. That’s even higher than the national rate of 65.9% in 2013 (with only 45.5% for low-income students).
2. Arkansas’ graduation rate for 2013-2014 was 86.9%, and the dropout rate was 2.10%. However, 100% of our students continued in school for the next academic year (at the next grade level) or graduated with a regular diploma.
3. In 2013-2014, the percentages of proficient and advanced scores on state exams in Arkansas were 75% for Algebra, 74% for Geometry, and 72% for Literacy. However, 93% of our 2015 graduates achieved at the proficient or advanced level in literacy AND (at least) one math.
Upward Bound, one of more than 2800 federal TRiO programs in the nation, serves students in grades 9 through 12 from Bigelow, Nemo Vista, Perryville, Mayflower, and Morrilton who are low-income, first generation, and/or students at high-risk for academic failure. Our goal is college access and post-secondary success for these students.
We currently have 46 prior participants (cohort year of 2007 and later) who are in college right now; 43% of whom are enrolled at UCA.
If you would like to know more about federal TRiO programs or our program in particular, call or email the Director of Upward Bound, Michelle Hardin, at 501-450-5858 or mhardin@ uca.edu.
Visit the website for the Council for Opportunity in Education at for a more detailed overview.