Florida A&M University

Educational Talent Search Program

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Table of Contents

Purpose of Program…………………………2

Eligibility.……………………………………………3

Services Provided......………………………..5

Saturday Sessions……………………………. 9

Meetings ………………………………………… 10

Advising…………………………………………… 13

Field Trips………………………………………… 13

Student Behavior………………………………16

Communications……………....……………..16

Educational Talent Search Can Help You Reach

Your Educational Goals!!!

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PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM

The Educational Talent Search (ETS) Program is a

federal TRIO Program, funded by the U.S.

Department of Education to provide FREE

EDUCATIONAL ADVISING SERVICES to local

students, grades 6-12. Students meet with

educational counselors at their own schools, attend

special programs, and are eligible to take part in

educational and cultural field trips. We are housed

at Florida A&M University under the Division of

Student Affairs. The schools that we serve are:

R. Frank Nims Middle School

Fairview Middle School

Jefferson County Middle/High School

Havana Magnet School

Gadsden County High School

Shanks Middle School

West Gadsden Middle School

James S. Rickards High School

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Our program has existed for over 35 years! It is

nationwide. There are eight programs under the

federal TRIO Programs: Educational Talent Search

(ETS), Upward Bound (UB), Student Support

Services (SSS), Educational Opportunity Centers

(EOC), McNair Post baccalaureate Achievement,

Upward Bound Math/Science (UBMS), Veterans

Upward Bound (VUB), and Training Program for

TRIO Staff. This booklet will provide some of the

information you will need to know to participate in

the TRIO ETS program at your school.

ELIGIBILITY

All students are eligible to apply for membership in

the Educational Talent Search program. Eligibility will

be determined according to federal

guidelines. We specifically target low-income,

potential first-generation college students.

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Since membership is limited, students may be

placed on a wait list. Ineligible students will be

notified. Educational Talent Search is seeking

students who are genuinely interested in pursuing

post-secondary education.

Students that transfer out of our target schools

If the student transfers to a school that is not within

our target area, the student is still eligible for

services. However, if the student does not

participate with program activities for 12 months,

the student will be dismissed from the program.

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SERIVCES PROVIDED

Services provided by the program include:

Academic, financial, career, or personal

counseling including advice on entry or re-

entry to secondary or postsecondary

programs

Career exploration and aptitude assessment

Tutorial services

Information on postsecondary education

Exposure to college campuses

Assistance in completing college admissions

and financial aid applications

Assistance in preparing for ACT/SAT exams

Mentoring programs

Workshops for the families of participants

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Tips for students…

Make sure to listen to morning/afternoon

announcements and look for flyers to find out

what activities are happening at your school.

Always check the emails that are addressed from

Educational Talent Search.

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TUTORING

Tutoring will be available by request. Fill out a tutor

request form and turn in to your ETS Counselor.

Local college students and teachers tutor in all

subject areas. We also provide the students with

online tutoring. You will be contacted by a tutor to

set up your tutoring

session.

Tutoring available in:

Math

English

Social Studies

History

Science

Foreign Language

And more…We also provide assistance with

scholarships, personal essays and college

applications. Please contact the ETS Counselor

assigned to your school for more assistance.

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For afterschool, ETS counselors collaborate with

the 21st Century Community Learning Center

Programs and Boys and Girls Clubs to provide

services for our students.

SATURDAY SESSIONS

Various college planning and readiness workshops

will be conducted on six Saturdays throughout the

school year for our participants. Workshops are

designed to assist students in developing the

necessary knowledge and to incorporate

appropriate skills to ensure their success in both

secondary school and college.

Middle School Workshops

Various career and college planning workshops will

be conducted during the Saturday sessions.

Workshops are designed to assist student’s in

developing the necessary knowledge and to

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incorporate appropriate skills to ensure their

success in school.

High School Workshops

The 9th grade workshops will focus on

understanding the necessary course requirements

for graduating from their specific high school and

entering into a 4 yr. college. Participants will also

receive an opportunity to attend a time

management and study skills workshop.

The 10th grade workshops will continue the work

started in grade 9 and will also include workshops

in financial aid outlining the various

available financial resources to support their goal of

attending college.

The 11th grade workshops will focus on financial aid

for college. In addition to learning about the various

financial aid available, students will have the

opportunity to develop a scholarship portfolio.

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The 12th grade workshops will focus on the

necessary steps for applying and enrolling into

higher education in addition to securing financial

aid.

MEETINGS

Expectations for Student Meetings

The students are expected to attend meetings as

scheduled. Listen to morning and afternoon

announcements at your school for the ETS

meetings.

Students are expected to check in with their

counselor at least twice a year. This is your time to

talk about your classes, get advice, get help or to

receive updates on activities. Please check the

schedule and make it to your appointment early.

Lunchtime is the perfect time to meet with your

counselor. We are here to help you achieve your

goals; help us help you by participating fully.

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Meeting Cancellations

Due to school scheduling and the fact that your

school work is most important, Educational Talent

Search will not hold sessions during core academic

classes, testing season, or finals weeks.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT/UPDATES

Upon entering the program, all ETS participants will

complete a needs assessment so that we can see

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how to best serve you. Each year, the students are

expected to complete an annual assessment

questionnaire which inquires about your academic

goals, career goals, and achievements towards

college readiness. Students will identify their

academic and career goal and work with staff to

determine a service plan that will guide them

towards useful activities and workshops to achieve

their goals. We will also request a contact update

form on a yearly basis to make sure that we have

the most current information for our students.

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ACADEMIC ADVISING

All high school participants will receive academic

advising through workshops, assessments and

individual drop-ins. Academic advising will assist

students in selecting the appropriate courses to be

able to graduate from high school, prepare for

college entry and enter a post-secondary institution

of their choice.

Other Services

You are invited to talk with your advisor about any

services you may need. We are here to help you

succeed.

COLLEGE TOURS AND CULTURAL

EXPLORATION FIELD TRIPS

Each year Educational Talent Search takes students

on trips to colleges, educational and/or cultural

events. To be eligible for these trips, you must be

an active participant, have no behavior problems,

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and have a minimum GPA of 2.0. “Active

participants” participate in one or more of the

following:

Attend ETS mandatory meetings

Check in with the ETS Counselor

Attend ETS workshops/tutoring sessions

For all field trips we will require a copy of your

report card for verification of GPA and conduct. We

may ask that the guidance counselor or Dean of

Students to sign off on your paperwork to grant

permission to attend.

Usually, there are limited spots for the field trips.

Therefore, we suggest that the student/parents

RSVP as quickly as possible when correspondence

is sent about field trips. You will be notified if you

are selected to attend.

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Our college tours usually take place during Spring

Break. If funds permit, we may offer an additional

college tour or cultural exploration activity during

the summer.

Parents must attend a MANDATORY parent

meeting and complete all required paperwork prior

to the student being able to attend the field trip.

Students that show up the day of the event without

attending the meeting will not be able to

participate.

RECRUITMENT OF NEW STUDENTS

We are always excited about our potential new

students. Students that are interested in joining ETS

are welcome to attend one school based tutoring

session and one school based workshop as a guest.

Guests who are interested in joining Educational

Talent Search must complete a membership

application prior to their next session. Guests who

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have completed the membership application may

continue to attend sessions while awaiting

notification of enrollment. Guests are not allowed to

attend out of town events with the program.

STUDENT BEHAVIOR

Educational Talent Search will abide by the Student

Code of Conduct for each School District. We apply

the same rules for the dress code.

COMMUNICATIONS

Newsletters

Our quarterly newsletter provides you with

information on upcoming events, programs, trips,

workshops and articles of student interest. We

welcome our students to contribute to our monthly

newsletter. Please submit your articles to your ETS

Counselor for publishing. Also, each month we will

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feature a Student of the Month. Make sure to keep

us posted of any activity, highlight or

accomplishment that you would like published in

our monthly newsletter.

Social Media

We currently have a Twitter, Facebook and

Instagram account. Please check us out by visiting:

@famu.ets

@famu.ets

@etsatfamu

Remember to use the following hashtags:

#trioworks #famutrio #famuets #floridatrio

# famutrioets

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Additional Websites and Resources

FAMU ETS Website:

www.famu.edu/ets

Council for Opportunity in Education (COE):

http://www.coenet.org/

Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity

Program Personnel (SAEOPP):

http://www.saeopp.org/

Florida TRIO:

http://fltrio.weebly.com/

Federal TRIO Programs:

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/inde

x.html

Federal TRIO Educational Talent Search Program:

https://www2.ed.gov/programs/triotalent/index.html

Thank you for your interest with our program.

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For any additional questions or concerns please

feel free to contact us at 850-599-3055.

Florida A&M University

Educational Talent Search Program

640 Gamble Street

Tallahassee, FL 32307

850-599-3055

talentsearch@famu.edu