Joanna - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Joanna Hornig FoxNatalie Griffin

Overcoming

I

mplementation

C

hallenges

to Early Warning Systems and

Seizing Opportunities

Baltimore, MD November 13, 2014Slide2

Session ObjectivesWhy: Understand the need for EWSWhat

: Learn more about what an EWS is

How

: Understand some of the challenges and opportunities implicit in an EWS

Next

:

Identify a few steps that can be taken in your school or district to start or improve an EWSSlide3
Slide4

The National Graduation Rate Challenge and Opportunities

Challenge

: Approximately 20 percent of America’s students drop out of high school and do not receive a standard diploma in four years

Opportunity

: There has been general improvement in the last decade, of about 10 percent nationally, to an 80-81 percent average

Opportunity:

Gains have been driven by a 15-percentage point increase for Hispanic students and a 9-percentage point increase for African-American students

Challenge

: Averages mask differences among sub-groups – at the state level, and within districts and schools. These can be up to and over 20 percentage points.Slide5

Getting StartedDo you know the college-going and success rate

in your district? From each of the high schools?

Do you know the

4-year cohort graduation rate

for your district? And each high school?

Are there differences among subgroups? (low-income, special education, ELLs/LEPs, Hispanic, African-American, White and Asian).

What do you know about feeder patterns from middle to high school? What do they tell you?Slide6

Indicators or influencers?

Special Education,

ELL/LEP

Standardized Test

Scores, GPA

6

Course Failure

Core Courses

Elective Courses

Poor Attendance

Overage: 1–2 years,

2

years+

Behavior Marks

Minor Referrals

Suspensions

Gender

Socio-economic Status

Parental EducationSlide7

QuestionsWhat do you suspect are the main contributors to students’ struggles?

To students’ strengths? Slide8

Key EWS Indicators

F

rom

L

ongitudinal Research Slide9

9

Four Year Graduation Rates by Freshman Absence Rates, from Chicago (CCSR)Slide10

23% of K-12 students in Oregon were chronically absent in 2009-10

Source: ECONorthwest analysis of ODE data, 2009-10.

Chronic Absence By Grade Level in OregonSlide11

Graduation Rate by GPA, from Chicago (CCSR)Slide12

Research TakeawaysGood News: Students are resilient and usually signal well before dropping out

Students start with one indicator and develop more indicators over time, 6

th

grade on

We have to mix prevention with intervention, especially in 6

th

– 9

th

grade

Some students will move up with their classmates even if they have an indicatorSlide13

Fundamental QuestionWhat do we need to do differently in middle schools to better prepare students for success in high school, college and careers?Slide14

What Do We Know About Students?

Pre-K and Elementary Grades

-Core academic competencies and socialized into the norms of schooling in a joyful manner

Middle Grades-Intermediate academic skills (reading comprehension and fluency, transition from arithmetic to

mathematics) and a need for adventure and camaraderie; extra help and support for students in need

High School

-Transition to adult behaviors and mind set and the right extra help for students with below grade level skillsSlide15

Our choice: Can we or can’t we change outcomes if students slide off-track?Slide16

What is an EWS?EWS are systems that result from collaboration among educators, administrators, parents and communities to use

data effectively to keep students on the pathway to graduation. The best EWS enable:

rapid identification of students who are in trouble

rapid interventions that are targeted to students’ needs, both immediate and long-term, for support, redirection and greater success

frequent monitoring of the success of interventions

rapid modification of interventions that are not working

shared learning with continuous improvementSlide17

What’s a Good Start?An EWS team organized around keeping students on-track: organizing data, developing student “support lists,” organizing adults, and applying interventionsImproving interventions

Developing new onesSlide18

Support List and Next Steps

Support List

All

students

with an EWS risk

factor

Students needing tutoring

/

mentoring

Students seeing the counselor/ social worker

Students receiving ELA/Math intervention class

Students referred to outside agencies

Students supported by other school partners

Students in

in- and out-of

school programming or clubsSlide19

Challenges and OpportunitiesSlide20

Challenges Large numbers of students with indicators overwhelm resourcesLarge numbers of students increase the challenge for teachers and other school adultsDifferentiation within classrooms becomes more difficultSlide21

Data Is attendance data entered frequently and consistently by the data entry person in the front office? By each teacher? By each person responsible for discipline/behavior reporting? By others?

Does the data system enable adults to view the ABCs for all students in a class? A grade? All students in a school? Longitudinally?

Can student “support” lists be produced easily (

eg

identify “at-risk” students based on indicators, not demographics)?

Are there agreed-on criteria for who is “at risk”?

Are reports relating to ABC

patterns

(students, subgroups, groups) available frequently? (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly?) Who has responsibility for analyzing these reports?Slide22

Data UseIs the data accurate, complete and consistent (for instance, is there a school-wide grading policy that holds teachers accountable for giving so-many gradable items per week? Is there consistency in the type of items that are graded?

Are teachers

entering grades at the same intervals? Etc.)

Is there a team structure that enables groups of adults to consider student data together?

Is there a set meeting time for the team (bi-weekly, one hour minimum) that is built into the schedule?

Are there protocols for data conversations?

Does school administration value the team meeting, and set expectations and hold team members accountable for participating? Do administrators participate?Slide23

EWS Team MeetingsDoes an interdisciplinary team of “the right people” meet

to coordinate, create, and monitor

support/interventions

for students who are exhibiting early warning

indicators?Slide24

EWS Discussion ProtocolIdentify Student (1 minute) Identifies

which off-track behaviors the student is exhibiting

Identifies

data supporting identification for intervention (from

EWS

report)

Team

provides information (2 minutes)

Team

members succinctly (monitor your airtime) provide additional information about

why

off-track indicators may be present

Team members discuss intervention options (3 minutes) Consult resource map Discuss who will champion follow up Determine date for follow-up conversation Determine communication with family Slide25

For students who are currently receiving interventions:

Team Members discuss Student Progress (2 minutes per student)

Identify

the student

support

Are the interventions/support working

to improve

student’s behavior

, course performance

, and/or

attendance?

How

do we know (student data)?What next?

EWS Discussion ProtocolFollow-Up MeetingsSlide26

Has the team defined what an “intervention” is?Have you asked, “What will we accomplish with this intervention?”Or, “Who will carry this intervention out”Or, “Which students are we not reaching?”

Or, “Are there students in this school who do not have a relationship with an adult? With a peer?“

Or, “Do we recognize students for improvement as well as achievement?”

Or, “How can we encourage more improvement?”

Student Support

Systems -- InterventionsSlide27

Student Support Systems/InterventionsHave available interventions been inventoried?Does the term “intervention” bring to mind only negative connotations or does it include comprehensive, school wide efforts to build student motivation and enthusiasm?

Are interventions categorized by level? (how many students, how serious are the challenges, how big are the opportunities, and how many adults are needed for success, for instance?) Slide28

Possible SnagsPolicy and PracticesDo policies and practices support promotion and graduation, specifically

supporting students in staying in

school, motivating

students

to learn

and

engaging them in

learning

at high

levels?

Do

policies and practices support efforts to overcome difficult-to-change

adult as well as student attitudes? Slide29

Possible Snags Communicating Across TransitionsDo middle grades personnel – many or all of them, beyond the counselors – communicate with high schools to

understand that and how academic and behavioral expectations differ between grades 8 and 9?

Are students frequently exposed to the differing expectations

before

they run into them head on in grade 9? Are they prepared?Slide30

What is the appropriate balance between expectations and support? What do each of those words mean in the context of your school?Do adults in your school show through their actions that it is part of their professional role to support students and not simply evaluate them – non-academically as well as academically?

Adult Attitudes – Hard QuestionsSlide31

More Hard Questions“What are the top problems?” “What are the challenges which are under the power of adults to influence?”

“What are the challenges that are beyond the power of adults to change?”

“How will we prioritize

?”

“What are the opportunities?”

“What might be three fruitful first steps?”Slide32

Broadening the Circle of SupportAre you drawing in school adults who represent many different perspectives on students (academic and elective teachers, counselors, school nurse, social workers, cafeteria workers, building engineers, school resource officers, etc.)Are you drawing in older students as mentors and tutors? As examples? From the high school? From local colleges?

Are you drawing in community adults?Slide33

Broadening the Circle of SupportAre you capitalizing on youth-engaged community resources? (retired teachers, alumni, librarians, folks who work at youth-serving community and health agencies, local judges and law enforcement representatives, for example)Are you capitalizing on business and higher-education related resources in or near your community? (the admissions and outreach folks at the community college, the chamber of commerce, the local economic development agency, etc.)Slide34

Invite the Community in

Attendance, behavior and course passing improves and

p

romotion and graduation rates riseSlide35

Almost a Last Word on EWS

Find out what works for your school!

T

he fewer indicators the better – aim for a simple, clean

system

Most students in need of interventions can be identified by the ABC’s. At the individual level, pay more attention to GPAs than state assessments.

Influencers

beyond

the ABCs are often useful in determining type of interventionsSlide36

What Works

Link the

EWS system to

overall

school

improvement, achievement improvement and curriculum, instruction and assessment efforts

Prioritize

Tie the EWS plan into the school improvement plan/strategic plan

Bring the community in

Envision the future and commit

to achieving it!Slide37

Contact InformationJoanna Hornig Fox

Deputy Director

Everyone Graduates Center

Johns Hopkins University

jhfox@jhu.edu

(410) 516-4338

Natalie Griffin

Promotion Coach, C.F. Vigor High School

Mobile County Public Schools, AL

natalgrif@Comcast.net

251-221-3045

251-591-6248