Academics Team

One of the defining traits of the UI REACH program is its integration within the University of Iowa. In addition to taking classes specific to the REACH program, our students also take university courses open to all university students. In the 24-25 academic year, we saw:

• Over 250 integrated class enrollments
• Over a 95% success/pass rate in integrated classes

This past year, UI REACH and the College of Education partnered to launch a new paraprofessional licensure track approved by the Iowa Department of Education. This initiative provides a structured pathway for paraprofessional certification and state licensure in Iowa, integrated into our academic and career programming. We're proud to report that our first two alumni, Meghan Boyle and Caroline Keenan, have successfully completed all requirements and received licensure from the state — a significant milestone.

Another highlight from this year has been current student Desmond Kapayou’s co-enrollment in a Kirkwood Community College program track to work towards earning his State of Iowa Coaching Authorization. With UI REACH staff, Stacie Nelson, providing support to help him navigate the experience, Kapayou completed the required coursework and successfully met all authorization requirements.

Research, Grants, and Program Evaluation

Stakeholder Satisfaction

For the 24-25 academic year, UI REACH students reported that the program helped them learn new skills, meet new people, and become more independent.

• 92.86% of students reported satisfaction with the UI REACH program.
• 98.21% of students reported satisfaction with their student support team.
• 96.38% of students reported satisfaction with their courses and instructors.
• 92.86% of students reported satisfaction with their campus involvement.
• 91.23% of students reported satisfaction with their residence hall experience.

Plans for gathering satisfaction data from parents and other campus/community partners will occur over the summer and spring. Please help us by providing feedback if you are contacted. 

Grants

Congratulations to Katie Abrams and Erica Kaldenberg for securing grants in the following areas:

• Iowa National Summer Transportation Institute - $60,000
• Iowa DD Council (student support for advocacy efforts) - $1,500
• University of Iowa Office of Undergraduate Research - (student support for advocacy efforts) $500

UI REACH Research

As mentioned earlier, UI REACH students take the WorkKeys assessment to earn the National Career Readiness Certificate. UI REACH Transition Coordinator Katie Abrams and Associate Research Scientist Erica Kaldenberg have launched a study on the efficacy of direct instruction interventions aimed at improving applied math scores on the assessment. This is the area of greatest struggle for our students. Preliminary findings were presented at the Southeast Post Secondary Education Alliance regional conference this spring, and these results have been shared with researchers at ACT, which produces the assessment. Another round of interventions is planned for the next school year with the goal of getting students up to at least the bronze level in applied math.  Special thanks to Professor Saba Ali for mentoring our researchers on this project.

Annual UI REACH Program Evaluation Goals and Objectives

Last year, we defined five program evaluation goals we wanted to accomplish by the end of May. We were able to achieve three goals and obtain partial achievement for two.

1. Advocacy. The UI REACH advocacy plan has been expanded to include activities for parents and staff. We also have a process for tracking staff engagement in professional organizations, presentations at conferences, publications and awarded grants. ACHEIVED.
2. Staff. Our staff appreciation committee has continued to host a variety of activities and gatherings including pop-up snack bars, an office-wide duck hunt, and after-work happy hours. We have changed the format of our business meetings to open space for more staff training sessions and have worked to increase transparency and participation in leadership meetings. ACHIEVED.
3. Accreditation. Our self-assessment reveals that UI REACH is now in substantial compliance with the newly established standards for inclusive postsecondary education programs as published by the Inclusive Higher Education Accreditation Council (IHEAC).  Evidence of compliance with each standard is being organized and gathered. ACHIEVED.
4. Accreditation. Evidence of compliance with the CARF employment and community services standards is nearly ready for review. Compliance with the business practices standards (ASPIRE to Excellence) is in progress. Additional staff support was hired over the summer to continue this work, and a consultant will be hired to advance both accreditation processes. It is anticipated that official applications for accreditation and dates for site visits by both entities should be ready by Fall 2026. PARTIAL ACHIEVEMENT.
5. Salesforce. Each of our core areas has begun using Salesforce, a customer relationship management tool. Edits and adjustments are being made for each core area, which will allow staff to use Salesforce to a greater extent. ACHIEVED.