Transcript A Systematic Framework for Dropout Prevention and the Tools to Make it Happen Building the Future Capacity Building Institute May 12-14, 2009 Tom Barkley, MD.

A Systematic Framework for Dropout
Prevention and the Tools to Make it
Happen
Building the Future Capacity Building Institute
May 12-14, 2009
Tom Barkley, MD Department of Education
Loujeania W. Bost, NDPC-SD
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Engaging State Education Agencies –Creating
the right conditions
Vested priority to
increase graduation and
decrease dropout for
ALL Youth
Increase Capacity
to Implement
Effective Practices
Data-Based
Decision
Making
Professional
Development
and training
Facilitate
Implementation of
Effective Practices
Accountability
Policy Analysis
and Change
Funding and
Interagency
Support
Align State Structures
• Early exposure to post-secondary credits
• Provide mini grants and support for
model/exemplary programs that can be
replicated and sustained
• Enhance collaboration across service
agencies
• Improve measurement systems
• Ensure federal and state regulations are
met
Engaging Local Agencies
• Developing and maintaining an efficient
infrastructure for collecting and utilizing data to
identify strengths, needs and priorities;
• Providing a relevant and rigorous curriculum that
is aligned with state and national standards that
challenges students and actively engages them in
learning;
• Maintaining a safe and orderly school climate
where students feel welcome and supported;
Engaging Local Agencies
• Establishing opportunities for
sustained parental involvement
• Establishing mechanisms for ongoing
professional development.
• Establishing community partnerships
that support students and schools
during non-school hours
Engaging Local Agencies
• Establishing routine, year-round
monitoring of attendance (at school
and work), suspensions, and
academic credits
• Review and alter marginal policies
that are counterproductive to school
completion
• Promote greater inter/intra agency
collaboration
Engaging Local Agencies
• Support and enrichment to improve
academic performance
• Improve students’ classroom
behavior and social skills.
• Multiple pathway strategies for
community and work-based learning
• Provide learning scaffolds that are
comparable to expectations
Adopt and Support the Implementation
of Evidence-based Practices
Focus on Interventions That Work!
• Interventions that are strength
based and involve a variety of
contexts
• Strategies focused on engagement
• Interventions that occur over time
• Interventions that involves a family
or parent component
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ALIGNING STATE STRUCTURE
Provide discretionary grants, technical
assistance, and support for model/exemplary
programs that can be replicated and sustained.
Enhance collaboration with partner public
agencies
Ensure federal and state regulations are met
LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM
PRACTICES
 Maintains an efficient infrastructure for
collecting and utilizing data to identify
strengths, needs, and priorities.
 Maintains mechanisms for ongoing
professional development.
 Promotes greater interagency collaboration.
 Reviews and alters marginal policies that are
counterproductive to school completion.
LOCAL SCHOOL COMMITMENT
1. Establish opportunities for ongoing professional development.
2. Establish opportunities for sustained parental involvement.
3. Establish community partnerships that support students and
schools during non school hours.
4. Maintain a safe and orderly school climate where students feel
welcome and supported.
5. Establish routine, year-round monitoring and sharing of
attendance, suspensions, and academic credit data.
NDPC-SD + SEA + LSS = Progress
NDPC-SD, Maryland State Department of
Education, and Cecil County Public Schools
collaboration results in a significant reduction
in the dropout rate at local high schools
Why Data-Based Decision Making?
• Helps us authenticate and validate our
story
• See trends or patterns to identify causes
and to focus TA efforts
• Target school and student risk factors
• Monitor progress and evaluate efforts
• Strengthens accountability
“Without data it’s just another opinion”
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NDPC-SD Dropout Prevention
Intervention Framework (DPIF)
Knowledge transfer and utilization of dropoutprevention research
 Proven practices that work
 Policies and procedures that support school
completion
 Implementation of evidence-based practices
within a contextual fit.
NPCD-SD’s framework provides a structured
process by which SEA or LEA teams can gain
sufficient knowledge to develop, sustain and
expand efforts in data analysis to:
(1) Identify risk and protective factors
(2) Identify priority areas for intervention
(3) Identify and select evidence-based practices
to address needs
(4) Develop and implement effective programs
in dropout prevention
Dropout Prevention/ Intervention
Framework
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Dropout Prevention Framework
• What is working?
• What do I need to
change?
• Did I reach my
target?
• What EBPs best
address the need?
• What is my plan
of action?
• Who drops out and
Why?
Implement
and Evaluate
Data Analysis
Select
Matching
Interventions
and Develop
Action Plan
Prioritize
Needs
• What are the
critical gaps
to address?
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Assessing the Root Cause
Making Data Driven Decisions
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Phase 1: Analyze Data
 District and school demographics
 Student performance (graduation,
dropout, course completion, AYP)
 District/school infrastructure
 Assessment, curriculum, and
instructional systems
 Current initiatives and partnerships
 Professional development
 Parent/family engagement
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Look for signs in
the data available
to you!
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Guiding Questions to Promote Regular
School Attendance
• How much do we know about the whole picture of attendance in
our school?
–
–
–
–
What data do we have and use?
What data do we need?
What electronic reports do we have/use?
How do students contribute to our knowledge about attendance?
• How regularly is whole school data analyzed?
– Once a year
– Each semester
– Each marking period
– Monthly
– Weekly
– Daily
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Guiding Questions to Promote Regular
School Attendance
• What are the attendance trends and specific
attendance issues for our school?
– What is the attendance rate for each grade? (absence of >10
to 18% of the instructional time indicates a serious risk of
dropping out)
– Has the rate changed over time?
– How are individual students identified? How many are of
concern?
– At what stage is a students absence considered a concern (set
# of days, unexcused days, skipping, tardiness)?
– What protective factors can we consider for these students?
– Does the district or school have targets for attendance rates?
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Guiding Questions to Promote Regular
School Attendance
• Is there a consistent understanding and use of
absence codes in our school?
• How well do existing procedures work?
Consider the following:
– How are absences followed up?
– What is currently done about late comers?
– How is per period attendance recorded/ reported?
– Is there consistent follow up by teachers?
– How are parents communicated with about
attendance
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Guiding Questions to Promote Regular
School Attendance
• How do we follow up on poor attendance with
students/, their parents?
– Discuss reasons, contact families, make agency
referrals, interagency involvement (e.g.,
wraparound, RSA)
– Use case management, monitors, adult mentors,
– Establish contracts
• How do we document interventions for
individuals, schools, groups of students?
– Pen and paper, electronically, checklists, external
monitors
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Guiding Questions to Promote Academic
Achievement
• What are the course-completion rates for core
classes?
• Do there appear to be “problem” classes?
• Are Sp Ed students completing academic courses at
comparable rates to their non-disabled peers?
• What % of seniors didn’t earn enough credits to
graduate last year?
• Are students able to take courses when they need
them?
• Are credit requirements preventing many students
from graduating in 4 years?
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Guiding Questions to Promote
Prosocial Behavior
• Does your school have behavior supports
in place?
• Does every E/BD student in your school
have a behavior support plan?
• Are behavior support plans based on a
functional behavior assessment (FBA)?
• Who conducts the FBAs?
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Guiding Questions to Promote
Prosocial Behavior
• What percentage of students received
in-school suspensions?
• What percentage of students received
out-of-school suspensions?
• What percentage of students were
expelled?
• How many office referrals were there?
• Are the data consistent between all
students and students with disabilities?
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Phase 2: Identify Target
Areas for Intervention
 Academic content and instruction (reading,
math, science, writing)
 Behavior (classroom management,
behavior support)
 Attendance and truancy prevention
 School climate
 Self management (self determination,
problem solving)
 Mentoring (employment, service learning)
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 Family engagement
Phase 3:
Develop Improvement Plan
 Select evidence-based practices (e.g., Check
& Connect, Positive Behavior Support,
Cognitive Behavior Interventions, Content
Enhancements)
 Determine level of intensity (Universal,
Selected, Targeted)
 Contextualize to setting
 Establish timelines
 Train relevant staff members
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Interventions
 Focus on factors linked to dropout
Influenced by educators
Attendance
Behavior
Academic performance
Student engagement
Adult/peer interactions
Safe school environment
Evaluate policies and procedures regarding
dropouts
 Implementation of evidence-based
strategies/interventions
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Phase 4: Implement, Monitor, and
Evaluate
 Conduct baseline measures
 Implement strategies: on-site coaching,
consultation & feedback, progress
monitoring, fidelity checks
 Measure results
 Evaluate outcomes
 Celebrate success!
 Disseminate
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Dropout Prevention/
Intervention Framework
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Dropout Prevention
At North East High School
Action Plan
PUSH
PULL
Retention ( High School and Lower
Grades)
Completion from GED programs
Inclusion Practices
Friends and family dropping out
Pregnancy
Low Reading/Math skills in 9th grade
Poor family support
Lack of student attachment/lack of buyin to school, Alienation
Incarceration
Poor attendance
Poor transition practices
Disengagement (Suspensions, Absences)
Failing Grades
Family Illness (marriage,
employment, child care)
Drug/Alcohol problem
Standard of 26 credits for graduation
Influencing Alterable Variables
Alterable variables can be transformed in to targeted goals that will inform selected
strategies or interventions that affect student outcomes (Covington – Smith, 2007)
Variable
Goal
Strategy
Desired outcome
Inclusion teacher
pulled from class too
often
 Increase time spent
 Schedule more
with standards by
inclusion teacher
carefully around
teacher’s planning
Decrease loss of
special education
teacher in the
classroom

Too many
inclusion students
outside of co-lab
classes

Meeting
accommodations of
students

Schedule
students into co-lab
classes


Regular and
Special Education
teachers should have
common planning
periods.

Effectively
implementing
accommodations


Attendance –
excessive absences
and truancy

 Attendance on line
 Students get to
like GO per period
 Rewards
 Local businesses
not support kids
during school hours
school on time
 Students stay in
school all day
 Higher passing rate
 Higher student
success


Increase student
attendance
Scheduling

Higher success for
students
Higher success
rate and consistency
Leadership
Administrative Team, Instructional Cabinet,
Guidance, PPW, Special Education BC,
Behavioral Specialist, Teachers, and School
Improvement Team
NEHS
Dropout Prevention
Action Plan
Student, Stakeholder & Market
Focus
At risk students
Parents ,Teachers
Community members
Businesses (BPAC),
Administrators
Guidance Counselors
Special Education Students
Case managers
Human Resource – Faculty &
Staff Focus
Dropout Prevention Team
Administrators
Counselors
Behavioral Specialists
Special Education Building
Coordinator
PPW
Teachers
Case Managers
Strategic Planning (Goals &
Measures)
Bring dropout rate to within state limits
by 2010
Establish standards
Implement school-wide intervention
programs
Implement after-school programs
Implement transition programs
Connect-ed communication
Reduce tardiness to school/class
Implement case manager program
Improve aesthetics/climate
Implement mentorship program
Process Management
Professional Development
Data Collection
Investigate funding sources
Develop strategies for
implementation
Utilize staff members
expertise
Monitor Academic progress
Performance Results
Strategic Results
Short term effectiveness
measures
Dropout Rates
Graduation Rates
Increased 9th grade passing
rate, Reduction in tardiness
to school/class
Operational/Process
Results
Still to be determined after
implementation of our
Action Plan
Teen Talk has been
successful with 35 students
this year.
Teen pregnancy afterschool has 7 students.
Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management
Dropout Rate, Graduation Rate, Attendance
Discipline referrals and suspension data
Set up intervention tools
Action Plan
North East High School
2008-2009
GOAL:
To improve our graduation rates, lower our dropout
rates and prepare our graduates for successful entry
into higher education and/or the workforce.
Performance Indicator: We will increase our graduation
rate by 3% in each of the next three years to meet the
graduation standard.
Improvement Strategy: We will reduce our dropout rate in
North East High School, thereby increasing our graduation
rate.
Action Plan
North East High School 2008-2009
• To provide additional support for special
education students participating in inclusive
classes
• To have better communication with parents
concerning students
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Action Plan
North East High School 2008-2009
• Implement evidence based strategies to
increase student attendance rates
• Create a positive school atmosphere
•Decrease out of school suspensions
•Survey dropouts to inform improvement
strategies
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NEHS Dropout Prevention
Interventions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Intervention Room
After-School Planning
Positive Referrals/Incentives
Teen Talk (HMI grant)
Attendance Breakfast
Unit Organizer (grant)
L to J (Lee Jenkins training)
Peer Tutor (HSA grant)
NEHS Dropout Prevention
Interventions
9. Displaying of Student work/ Show cases
10. Student of the Month
11. Staff Breakfast
12. Building Aesthetics
13. Data
14. Communication
15. Exit Conferences
Northeast High School
Outcome Data
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Northeast High School
Outcome Data
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Contact Information:
Sandra Covington Smith, PhD
Project Coordinator, Technical Assistance and Training
[email protected]
Clemson University
NDPC-SD
209 Martin Street
Clemson, SC 29640
864-656-1817
www.ndpc-sd.org
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