The
Puyallup School District and the University of Washington Tacoma have
agreed to a new “Pathway to Promise” partnership that will expand
post-secondary educational opportunities for all Puyallup School
District graduates.
The partnership will enable Puyallup School District graduates to
automatically be accepted as freshmen at the UW Tacoma campus if they
meet agreed upon admission requirements.
Pathway to Promise is the first program of its kind in Washington
state and the second in the nation that formalizes a partnership between
a four-year institution and a public school district, said Cedric
Howard, vice chancellor for student and enrollment services at UW
Tacoma.
Howard attended the October 7 Puyallup School Board meeting to
formalize the partnership with the school district. He also introduced
Curtis Black, UW Tacoma admissions advisor and recruiter who is assigned
as the UW Tacoma representative to the Puyallup School District.
“This is a great day in Puyallup and a great day for UW Tacoma in a mighty way,” Howard said.
The Pathway to Promise partnership includes active participation from
the University of Washington Tacoma, the Puyallup School District Board
of Directors, school district leadership including high school and
junior high school principals, students, parents, and the community.
To be considered for automatic admission to UW Tacoma, students need to meet the following four criteria:
- 2.7 or higher grade point average
- 480 SAT scores (each section) or 21 or higher on ACT
- Basic graduation requirements
- Well-written admission letter
“To have a formal partnership with University of Washington Tacoma
that will allow qualifying Puyallup School District graduates an
opportunity to directly matriculate from high school to a four-year
university is truly outstanding,” said Superintendent Tim Yeomans. “I
believe that this will be the catalyst to help move our district forward
in helping create a post-secondary opportunity (4-year university,
2-year college, military, or specific apprenticeship or job training)
for every student in Puyallup.”
The new program is based on the work of a leading education
researcher Pat McDonough, who developed a model called Nine Elements to
Support and Encourage a College-Going Culture. These elements include:
- College talk
- Clear expectations
- Information and resources
- Comprehensive counseling
- Testing and curriculum
- Faculty involvement
- College partnerships
- Articulation (seamless experience from K-12)
Through the partnership, students are expected to have a more
seamless transition to a four-year university with the overall objective
of increasing the number of high school graduates from Puyallup who
earn a college degree.
“To fulfill our mission as an urban-serving university, UW Tacoma is
partnering with Puyallup School District to help them develop a
college-going culture and encourage students to attend college,” Howard
said. “This program is not about encouraging students to attend UW
Tacoma. It’s about ensuring they are prepared to take advantage of
post-high school educational opportunities to pursue their dreams after
high school graduation.”
The new partnership with UW Tacoma is yet another effort in the
Puyallup School District to promote post-secondary opportunities. In the
past, Puyallup has also partnered with other colleges and
post-secondary institutions. Additionally, the district currently
prepares students for life beyond high school through programs such as
the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), No Excuses
University, College Bound Scholarship, and annual post-high school
planning nights.
View slideshow from October 7 Puyallup School Board meeting.
Read the October 16, 2013 Puyallup Herald article titled "Academics: District formulizes agreement for students to enroll in post-secondary education."