REACH Coordinator Resources

New to administering the REACH Scholarship Program in your school district? Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we have you covered! Click here for a Step-by-Step Guide to administering the REACH Program in your local school system. You will find links to REACH Coordinator Resources, such as:

Step 1: Complete ASSAF forms

Each Spring, you will begin focusing on the upcoming Fall semester selection process for new 8^th grade students.

Annual Student Selection Approval Forms (ASSAF) will be sent to each district to help project how many scholars will be funded and signed in the Fall term
Currently, the ASSAF forms are sent out in May
ASSAF forms are due back to REACH Georgia staff by June 30
On August 31, REACH Georgia staff send out final invoices for your 2022-2023 proportionate share of local fundraising
School Systems local proportionate share is due to be received by the REACH Georgia Foundation on October 31
For any questions about the fundraising process, please contact us at REACH@gsfc.org

Step 2: Student Application & Eligibility

Student Application – English
Student Application – Spanish
- Eligible candidates include:
  1. U.S. Citizens or eligible non-citizens
  2. Must be an 8th grader upon final selection
  3. Student must demonstrate good behavior, attendance, and the potential to graduate high school with at least a 2.5+ HOPE calculated GPA
  4. Must demonstrate and prove financial need by one of the following methods:
    - SNAP or TANF Eligible
    - Foster or Homeless Youth
    - Live in a low-income household as defined by the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines (2022-2023)
- Your ASSAF will serve as a guide for how many eligible Scholar candidates you will need to interview in order to determine your final selection of Scholars

Step 3: Scholar Selection Committee

We recommend your committee consist of business and community leaders within your district as opposed to members of your school system. This third-party committee can help ensure additional donation and mentoring opportunities going forward
Three or five selection committee members is ideal
Select the eligible student candidates that you would like to interview for final scholar selection. You can use our “Scholar Selection Committee Grading Rubric” to assist with the interview process

Step 4: Finalizing Scholar Selections

Your scholar selection interview process should be completed by September 30^th
Then you must then enter your final selections’ information into the STARS Data Portal at GAfutures.org
Until those selections have been approved by GSFC, you may not notify or announce those selections to the students, parents, or community

Step 5: GAFutures & GSFC Review of Selection Eligibility

Create your GAFUTURES Account by visiting GAfutures.org. Please refer to the Guide to GAfutures and STARS DATA Portal
After your account is created, please contact us at REACH@gsfc.org so that we can grant you access to the REACH functions in STARS
Enter your new 8^th Grade Scholar selections into STARS according to the high school they are likely to attend
Once all new 8^th grade students have been submitted, please email REACH@gsfc.org to inform REACH staff that this step is complete
REACH Staff will review the information and contact you to grant final approval of their eligibility
Selections are not to be announced or officially signed as REACH Scholars until their eligibility has been given final approval by GSFC

Step 6: Signing Ceremony

Once your funds have been remitted and your scholar selections are approved by GSFC, you may announce your selections to the community
Signing Ceremonies should be completed by the end of the 8^th graders Fall term. Most will be conducted in October and November
The student scholar selections, their parents/guardians, and the Superintendent must sign the Scholar Commitment Form at the Signing Ceremony. Scan the signed forms and email them to REACH@gsfc.org as soon as your ceremony has commenced
Students are not officially considered a REACH Scholar recipient until those forms are returned and our GSFC President has completed their signature at the bottom of the 2nd page

Step 7: Mentoring and Academic Coaching

Academic Coaches must meet with REACH students at least 4 times a semester
Mentors must meet with REACH students at least 8 times a semester
It is required that each district track the academic, behavior, and attendance progress of REACH scholars, along with their mentoring and academic sessions, according to the REACH Guide for GAfutures and the STARS Data Portal

Scholar Tracking and Progress Reports

Fall term progress reports must be completed by February 15^th
Spring term reports must be completed by June 30^th
8^th grade student GPAs can be manually typed into the required field
9^th through 12^th grade students must have their HOPE GPA auto-populated according to transcript uploads to STARS and successful HOPE GPA calculations
Progress reports and transcript uploads are required by program regulations and state law: Guide to GAFutures and STARS DATA Portal

Scholar Transfer and Exit Forms

If a student transfer from one school district in Georgia to another school in the state of Georgia, you must fill out and submit a Scholar Transfer Form. We will review the information and discuss next steps afterward
If a student transfers out of state or needs to be exited from the program for failing to meet REACH requirements, you must fill out and submit a Scholar Exit Form. We will review the information and discuss next steps afterward

Additional Links:

Mentoring - Coordinator Tools - Mentoring plays a key role in the success of the REACH Program. Find what you need to help recruit and retain mentors for your REACH Scholars.

The ABCs of Mentoring - A helpful guide you can share with those interested in mentoring a young person.

Mentoring - Sample Documents - Starting from scratch can be difficult. Below are examples of documents you can use to manage your mentor relationships.

Retaining Mentors

Recruiting Mentors

Closure/Termination

Screening Mentors

Matching Mentors

REACH Signing Day - Information and documents to help plan for your Scholars’ commitment ceremony.