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    WA College Bound Scholarship Information

    The Auburn School District has maintained a strong commitment to assisting qualified middle schoolers and their families to complete the application for the WA College Bound Scholarship. This early promise of financial aid is powerful because it alleviates the financial barriers that prevent low-income students from considering higher education as a possibility.

     

    Data shows that this effort helps to keep students engaged in the educational process in middle and high school – high school graduation rates for students with a completed College Bound Scholarship application are significantly higher than those of their low-income peers.

     

    In addition to the paper application process, there is now the option for an online application process as well. The scholarship is available to 7th & 8th grade students whose family’s income meets the guidelines or who are in foster care. The deadline to sign up is June 30th of a student’s 8th grade year.

     

    Links to additional information and resources are available in the next column from the WA Student Achievement Council.

     

     

  • WA Student Achievement Council Resources for School Staff

     

    Middle School Toolbox (most comprehensive, accurate, and efficient method)

    The Middle School (MS) Toolbox, among other features, allows authorized school staff to upload names of eligible students – 7th and 8th grade students who meet the income requirements into the Washington Student Achievement Council's (WSAC) secure portal. This method begins the application process for the student. Remember, income boxes must still be checked by parents/guardians and signatures obtained for the application to be complete. This is the easiest, fastest, and most secure method of signing up students. 

    Middle School Toolbox Webinar - This 30-minute webinar describes the features in the MS Toolbox that will make your task of signing up eligible students for the College Bound Scholarship easier. Beginning with the definitions of key terms – (what is the portal anyway?), the webinar explains the progress bars, how you can edit student information and, best of all – how to upload your list of eligible students thereby saving you a significant amount of time. 

    To use the upload feature in the MS Toolbox, you must have access to WSAC’s secure portal. 

    Once you have a portal account, login to the MS Toolbox Home Screen: select Programs, College Bound, MS Toolbox and then follow the instructions to import students.

    Print the income/signature form for the student to take home for parent/guardian/student signatures and to have the income box checked – only the family may complete this form. Ask the student to return the form to you, make sure it is complete, and then mail it to the Council. Remember to include a CBS brochure when sending the form home with the student. 

    Use the MS Toolbox’s other features to monitor students, print forms, and update student information. 

    • The Cohort Progress Bars allow you to monitor the number of students who have applied and their status (complete or incomplete). Note: This is not the number of eligible students, only the number of students who have applied. 

    • Print income/signature form for students whose applications are incomplete. 

    • Edit student information such as incorrect name, SSID, address, etc. 

    • Track events such as the number of income/signature forms the student received and whether a certificate has been sent.  

       

      ONLINE APPLICATION 

      Counselor: 

    • With the student, fill out the online application (available in English or Spanish). 

    • Print the income/signature form and, along with a College Bound brochure, send it home for the student to obtain the signatures (parent/guardian/student) and to have the appropriate income box checked. Only the parent/guardian may complete this form. 

    • Ask the student to return the completed form to you so that you may forward it to College Bound.

    • This process is not as efficient as the upload method but it is safe and secure and, by asking the student to return the completed income/signature form to you, you are assured that the application is complete.

       

      PAPER APPLICATION

      Counselors or families may download the paper application (available in eleven languages).

      The signature/income form must be completed by the families and returned to College Bound. If schools choose to use the paper application in a mailing to families, a brochure explaining the program should accompany the application. 

       

      RESOURCES

    • Sample Disclosure Form: Allows administrators to access names of students eligible for the free and reduced price lunch program to target for sign-up.

    • Publicity materials (to order free materials, email collegebound@wsac.wa.gov)

    • Brochures (available in English & Spanish)

    • Posters (available in English & Spanish)

    • Sample letters and scripts for schools to use:

    • Letters home explaining College Bound to parents

    • Letter home as follow-up to college readiness lesson/presentation

    • Phone script to remind parents to follow-up by submitting the Signature Page.

    • College Success Foundation staff in your ESD: Locally-based nonprofit partners who can assist with College Bound student support efforts

    • List of colleges where the scholarship can be used