Major strategies through 2007 include:

• Academic support through tutorial services
• Guidance counseling support in small group and one-to-one sessions
• Take-Home Computer Program
• SOAR 2 College summer programs
• Eighth Grade Leadership Camp
• Math, Science and Technology Three Week Seminar
• Rising 9th Grade Summer Prep
• Academic Outreach and Intervention Summer Sessions
• Field trips to colleges
• City Wide Poetry Contest
• SAT and PSAT Preparation Workshops
• California High School Exit Exam Preparation Workshops.

Our multi-year approach is designed to ensure that our students will graduate from high school prepared to attend college.

Professional Development

Project SOAR II continues to partner with OUSD to offer professional development training for teachers and SOAR staff to enhance the effectiveness of classroom teams, especially in core subjects of math and language arts. All SOAR staff participate in professional development to create a better understanding of the classroom challenges facing the teachers, tutors and students.

College Entry Exams

Project SOAR II has adopted a special focus on preparing students for college entry exams. Students who participated in the PSAT workshop in the Fall 2005 will also have an opportunity to take the pre-PSSS exam, March 8, 2008.

Students are informed of the basic test content, the importance of being on time to take the exam, the number of times they will be eligible to take this exam and policies regarding passing each section of the exam.

As 10th graders, SOAR students will take the PSAT in the Fall, 2008. The College Board will provide training for SOAR staff and OUSD teachers on how to evaluate PSAT results. SOAR staff will provide feedback on PSAT results for students and parents.

Systemic Change

The legacy of Project SOAR II relies upon the capacity of middle and high schools to embrace, cultivate and expand the program models implemented at each SOAR school, after the our program has run its course. It is our belief that systemic change must begin at the school site. Although our primary objective is to ensure that our cohort of SOAR students move on to college and become successful students and professionals, our legacy depends on the continued use of successful SOAR strategies throughout the Oakland Unified School District. The long term effect of our program is supported by the following:

• College Going Culture at school sites
• Integration of the Individual Student Plan (ISP)
• OUSD Credit Recovery for 10th graders
• Collaboration of district-wide resource mapping efforts
• Introduction of "Life Skills" curriculum in the summer prep program
• Project SOAR Take Home Computer Program
• Parent workshops based on site needs for students and parents, including Transcript Saturdays
• Power Seminar Series focusing on life after high school