Achieve Atlanta and Atlanta Public Schools (APS) today announced the launch of the Match & Fit List Builder, a first-of-its-kind online college advising tool designed to improve the postsecondary advising process for Atlanta Public Schools’ students. To increase postsecondary enrollment and success in obtaining a credential, the Match & Fit List Builder uses APS student-specific data to help students build lists of postsecondary options that best match their academic qualifications, and fit their personal, social, and financial needs. The new tool incorporates the art and science of college advising to curtail students, especially low-income students, from undermatching. Undermatching occurs when the students enroll in colleges for which they are overqualified, which can reduce the likelihood of earning a college degree and affect long-term social mobility.
 
The Match & Fit List Builder provides students with important information about postsecondary institutions, including majors offered and estimated out-of-pocket cost for students with similar family incomes. The tool prioritizes schools based on graduation rates to ensure APS students are considering colleges and universities where they will have a better likelihood of success, including adequate support systems to help students overcome challenges that arise in college.
 
“We know that a postsecondary credential is a critical driver for upward social mobility, and we know that APS students have ambitions to succeed beyond high school. With the Match & Fit List Builder, we are helping students choose institutions where they are most likely to complete,” said Tina Fernandez, Executive Director of Achieve Atlanta. “When students have the opportunity to consider all of their needs—academic, social, financial, and personal, in choosing their path after graduation, their chance of success dramatically improves, and that’s what makes the Match & Fit List Builder so promising.”
 
With the Match & Fit List Builder, APS students can create a balanced list of options, which includes Likely, Target, and Reach institutions. Likely institutions include options where a student’s academic credentials (grades and SAT or ACT scores) exceed the school’s range for admitted students. “This is a complicated category because if a student attends a Likely college they are undermatching. But we recognize students need to hedge their bets on admissions so we include this category on their list,” said Korynn Schooley, Vice President for College Access at Achieve Atlanta. “Ultimately, students should aim to enroll in a Target or Reach school.” Target institutions are where a student’s academic profile is within the school’s range for admitted students. Reaches are aspirational institutions where the student’s academic credentials are on the lower end of the institution’s range for admitted students. Reaches can also be highly selective institutions that are hard to gain admission even for students with the highest GPAs and test scores.   
 
The launch of the online college advising tool marks a significant milestone in the partnership between Achieve Atlanta and Atlanta Public Schools, which was initiated more than four years ago to reverse the low rate of college degree attainment for APS students. They recognize that success is not simply gaining access to a postsecondary education but obtaining a credential in the process. A 2014 study found that only 24% of the APS class of 2007 earned a postsecondary credential within 6 years.
 
Atlanta has the most significant income disparity in America and one of the lowest rates of upward social mobility in the nation. Educators and advocates recognize that breaking down structural barriers that have hindered postsecondary success for APS students will be crucial to shifting the culture and improving outcomes for APS students.
 
“The financial and social emotional support Achieve Atlanta provides to thousands of our students every year has been transformational in our students’ lives, and we are so grateful for this impactful partnership,” said Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen. “The launch of the Match and Fit List Builder takes the impact of our partnership to an even higher level. Through this tool, students become empowered with the information they need to access, pursue and attain a postsecondary education. This tool is s a game-changer for our students, and we are excited to be partnering with Achieve Atlanta in this work.”
 
Since 2015, the unique partnership between Achieve Atlanta and APS has led to the introduction of initiatives designed to enhance postsecondary degree attainment. These approaches have contributed to consistent and sustained progress within APS as more high school seniors take college entrance exams, apply to more colleges, complete the FAFSA, qualify for Achieve Atlanta scholarships, and enroll in college.