Supporting Students for High School Graduation and Beyond Introduction Judy Delgado Indian Education Program California Department of Education Webinar for California Indian Education Programs

Supporting Students for High School Graduation and Beyond Rose Owens-West, Ph.D. Region IX Equity Assistance Center at WestEd Webinar for California Department of Education Indian Education Program

Supporting Students for Graduation: The Early Warning System for Dropout Prevention Today’s Purposes During this session we will discuss: what we have learned about students who drop out effective strategies for drop-out prevention the Early Warning System - a process to support students who are at risk of dropping out. 3

Region IX EAC at WestEd Launched October 1, 2011 Arizona, California, Nevada 4

The Region IX EAC at WestEd Federally funded center: Protect Human and Civil Rights of students Ensure equity of Access, Opportunity and Outcomes College and Career Readiness, High Quality Instruction and Positive School Climate 5

Region IX EAC at WestEd Our commitment is to assist districts throughout Arizona, California, and Nevada to maintain an equity focus; influencing the development and implementation of solutions to improve access, opportunities, and outcomes for all students. 6

Region IX Equity Assistance Center at WestEd Lakeside Drive, 25 th floor Oakland, CA

Research and Prevention Our presentation today, and the work we will be doing with CDE and districts is based on the Early Warning System developed by the National High School Center at the American Institutes of Research.

Agenda 1.Contributing Factors 2.What Works 3.Specific Attention to Students 4.The Early Warning System 9

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS Section 1 10

Contributing Factors The Key indicators that researchers have identified as indicators of who is most likely to drop out are: Poor grades in core subjects Low attendance Failure to be promoted to the next grade Disengagement in the classroom Behavioral problems

Contributing Factors Most future high school dropouts may be identified as early as sixth grade and many can be identified even earlier!

Contributing Factors Being retained, particularly in the middle grades, but even in elementary school, is associated with dropping out.

Contributing Factors Some key research indicated that more than half of sixth graders that attend school less than 80 % of the time eventually left school. Balfanz and Herzog, 2005

Contributing Factors Some key research indicated that more than half of sixth graders that receive a low final grade from their teachers in behavior eventually left school. Balfanz and Herzog, 2005

Contributing Factors Some key research indicated that more than half of sixth graders that fail either Math or English eventually left school. Balfanz and Herzog, 2005

Contributing Factors Research has shown that students with prior behavior problems are most likely to fail during the transition years and eventually drop out. Does this resonate with you?

Contributing Factors Students’ lack of safety, connectedness, and support from caring adults also contribute to students not achieving and eventually dropping out

Contributing Factors Students who experience violence and harassment in the school setting are more likely to disconnect from school.

But there is hope….. There appears to be a window of opportunity in reaching middle grades students with behavior issues but who are not yet failing academic subjects.

Quickwrite Which of these contributing factors are a challenge for your students? Poor grades in core subjects Low attendance Failure to be promoted to the next grade Disengagement in the classroom Behavioral problems Please elaborate. 21

WHAT WORKS Section 2 22

What Works Most future dropouts can be identified in the first year of high school when a sense of urgency about reaching out and supporting these students is critical before they disappear from school.

What Works Schools and tribal communities can work together to provide support for students and prevent them from dropping out.

What Works Establish a data system that tracks individual student attendance, grades, promotion status and engagement indicators such as behavior as early as fourth grade. 25

What Works Determine criteria for who is considered off- track for graduation and establish a continuum of appropriate interventions. 26 Does this strategy make sense to you?

What Works Keep track of ninth grade students who miss 10 days or more of school in the first 30 days. The first month of high school provides important information about who is at risk of dropping out. 27

What Works Monitor first quarter freshman grades paying particular attention to failures in core academic subjects. 28

What Works Monitor Fall semester freshman grades paying particular attention to failures in core academic subjects. 29

What Works Monitor end-of-year grades. They provide information about failure rates, reveal grade point averages, and providing detailed information about who is likely to struggle in later years and is the best indicator for predicting non-graduation. 30

Quickwrite What are the advantages that you can list for having members of the community work with students? 31

SPECIFIC ATTENTION TO STUDENTS Section 3 32

Specific Attention to Students Programs that work provide specific support to identified students to help them succeed academically and ultimately graduate. 33

Specific Attention to Students Proven dropout prevention programs feature the following key components: 34

Specific Attention to Students Attendance and behavior monitoring Tutoring and counseling Personalization Engaging catch-up courses 35 In your experience, have you seen that these interventions help keep students in school?

Specific Attention to Students Homerooms Benchmarking Progress monitoring Tiered interventions Equal access to rigorous coursework High expectations 36

Specific Attention to Students Career and college awareness Community Engagement Transition programs Ninth grade academies 37

Quickwrite What are some ways in which you work with tribes and districts to pay more specific attention to students who are at risk of dropping out? 38

THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM Section 4 39

The Early Warning System A process and tools for identifying and monitoring students who are at risk of dropping out of high school. 40

The Early Warning System Enables the District and the Tribal Community to work together to improve student success in high school and for dropout prevention. 41

The Early Warning System SEVEN STEPS Based on what we have learned from research and best practice. 42

Seven Steps 1.Establish district and tribal community roles and responsibilities 2.Use the Early Warning Tools 3.Review the Early Warning Data 4.Interpret the Early Warning Data 43 Do these steps seem “doable”?

The Early Warning System 5.Identify, assign and provide supports and interventions 6.Monitor students: supports and interventions 7.Evaluate and refine the Early Warning Process 44

Quickwrite What are some key supports that you provide to students who may be at risk of dropping out? 45

Specific Focus on Students In order to resolve the dropout issues the district/school/community must specifically attend to and support those students at risk of dropping out. 46

Final Reflection Please share any reflections or questions you still have. 47

Region IX Equity Assistance Center at WestEd Lakeside Drive, 25 th floor Oakland, CA

References Approaches to Dropout Prevention: Heeding Early Warning Signs with Appropriate Interventions National High School Center Betterhighschools.org Balfanz, R. and Herzog, L. (2005). Keeping middle grades students on-track to graduation: Initial analysis and implications. Presentation at the second Regional Middle Grades Symposium, Philadelphia. 49