Neosho Middle School C.O.P.E Group Creating Opportunities for Personal Excellence By: IdaMarie Piper Neosho Middle School Counselor 1400 Hale McGinty Drive Neosho Missouri 64850 417-451-8600 ext 1308

Statement of Problem Drop Out Risks Factors In 6th Grade According to Longitudinal Research: Low attendance (present 80% or less) Poor Classroom Behavior Failing Grade in Math Failing Grade in English C.O.P.E is designed to address these risk factors and help students to feel that they have a caring adult (higher adult expectation). (Check and Connect, 2011

Statistics on Why Students Dropout According to Check and Connect and The Institute for Community Integration, students drop out for the following reasons: School is boring (47%) Low Adult Expectations (60%) Struggling with issues including: missed too many days to catch up (43%), fell behind in elementary and middle school (45%). 70 % believed they could graduate and 74% would have stayed in school if they had to do it over! (Check and Connect, 2011)

C.O.P.E and Check and Connect as a Solution C.O.P.E was patterned in part after a National student mentoring initiative called Check and Connect. This initiative focuses on drop out rates by aiming to increase student engagement through a comprehensive mentoring program. Check and Connect focuses of the four areas of engagement: Academic Behavior Cognitive Psychological C.O.P.E uses these same areas to address students in the group. (Check and Connect, 2011)

District Comprehensive Goal Addressed This project was designed to help support the District-Wide Dropout Initiate and address the following CSIP Goal: District Comprehensive School Improvement Goal: The district will put programs in place to increase the graduation rate by 2% per year. Neosho Schools have partnered with the National Dropout Center for Students with Disabilities to address the growing dropout rates in schools. Mentoring is a part of that initiative. ("Comprehensive school improvement," 2012)

S.I.M.S Students Intervention Students- 6 students were selected based on teacher recommendation. Three boys and three girls selected Each student had to have at least 2 D’s or 1 F to participate. Attendance and missing assignments were also factors, Weekly One to One student Check-In to address student needs including: 1. Academic issues 2.Social-Emotional issues 3. Goal Setting Bi-weekly small group meetings to (Boys group and Girls group) to discuss study habits Monthly celebration and recognition for those who achieved their goals.

S.I.M.S Grades from Quarter 2 to Quarter 3 Measurement Settings Grades from Quarter 2 to Quarter 3 Missing Assignments from Quarter 2 to Quarter 3 Attendance Percentage from Quarter 2 to Quarter 3 Weekly Individual Meetings in Mrs. Piper’s (Counselors) Office. Bi-Weekly “Lunch Bunch” meeting in Mrs. Piper’s office Monthly Celebration in Mrs. Piper’s Office

Statistics at a Glance Project C.O.PE Data 2011-2012

Student’s # of D’s By Quarter

Student’s # of F’s By Quarter

Student Attendance By Quarter

Increase in Attendance Percent

Percentage Change in Missing Assignments from Q2 to Q3

Implications The C.O.P.E group has made an impact on students grades, missing tasks and attendance! All Students except student 2 had a reduction in D’s and F’s from Q2 to Q3. Some increased D’s but reduced F’s. All students except for Student 6 had an increase in attendance (Student 6 did not have an attendance issue either quarter). One student made a 30% increase in attendance! All Students but student 2 had a reduction in number of missing assignments ranging from 29% to 80%!

Conclusion Future Implications Areas to improve C.O.P.E group and Check and Connect could be a viable mentoring program that has a maximum impact on student engagement and drop out rates! Neosho R-5 Middle School will be implementing a modified version of Check and Connect to help address dropout at the middle school level. More staff will be trained and utilized as mentors in order to maximize the number of students served. C.O.P.E group will also exist to serve students most at-risk! Check and Connect training will be vital in helping mentors to be successful in meeting student’s needs. Identifying students earlier in the year. Training more mentors to meet students needs More structured group lessons for students target for C.O.P.E Action plan for periods of time that make connection become difficult (i.e state assessment periods like MAP).

Resources Check and Connect Training Notebook: Statistics from Institute on Community Intergration. University of Minnesota. 2011 Comprehensive school improvement plan. (2012). Retrieved from www.neoshopublicschool.net