One of the cornerstones of the AVID Program at SBHS has been our partnership with the Santa Barbara Unified School District's program, PEAC, which stands for Program for Effective Access to College (formerly the Posse Program).  The primary goal of PEAC is to increase the high school and college graduation rate of low-income Latino students.  This syncs well with the goals of AVID which focus on first-generation students.  The program started with the San Marcos High School graduating class of 2015 matriculating from La Cumbre Junior High. The program was replicated in the Eastside community of Santa Barbara with the first 9th grade cohort in Fall 2015 at Santa Barbara High School.  These students, while high achieving, face serious cultural and economic barriers on the path to college.  The purpose of the PEAC program is to provide academic and social supports to the AVID Program and beyond that will guarantee students graduate from high school prepared for the rigors of college.

 

The outcomes of the PEAC program are to ensure that students: maintain a 3.0 academic grade point average (GPA) or higher; are enrolled in Honors and Advanced Placement classes (AP); that students pass AP tests for college credit; are proficient in the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) by 10th grade; complete requirements for UC/CSU (A-G courses); and are accepted to a college or university.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tutoring and study hall is offered on-site at SBHS after school Monday through Thursday.  Each classroom has two PEAC mentors who support students' academic and social growth, are in communication with the students’ parents, and help strengthen the home-school connection. The PEAC mentors have been carefully selected based on the following criteria: attended a local high school and take courses at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) or UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). The PEAC mentors play a very important role as a mentor,              teacher, and friend to the PEAC students. The PEAC mentors support the students by:

 

• Communicate with PEAC student academic advisors & AVID teachers at the high school about student progress

• Observe students in class, especially when PEAC students are having difficulty.

• Establish relationships with PEAC students, their teachers, and their parents.

• Assist in monitoring student progress reports, grades and tutoring needs, as well as academic issues- including attendance, tardiness, etc…and social supports.

• Share with PEAC students about their present college experience at SBCC, UCSB, and the importance of college.

• Meet weekly with PEAC students at SBHS Evening Program tutoring and study hall.

• Encourage community building and mentoring between PEAC cohorts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parents of PEAC students are required to participate in

the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) parent

education program.  PIQE aims to address the high school

dropout rate, achievement gap, and low college

enrollment levels of low-income students in Santa Barbara

by enhancing the ability of parents to help their children

graduate from high school and prepare for college. Over a

nine-week period, parents of 6-9th grade students learn

about high school requirements, A-G college requirements,

school transcripts, college financial literacy, physical and

socio-emotional development of teenagers, and ways to

support their students on the path to college. At Santa

Barbara High, parents have the opportunity to enroll in

Parent University which emphasizes what was learned in

PIQE offers hands-on workshops and help with

completing college applications and financial aid forms,

as well as opportunities for parents to visit college

campuses and meet with college counselors.