Managing the New Graduation Requirements: Lessons from the Field Puyallup School District Everett School District Tacoma School District

Focus for today To display the work of three districts which have implemented systems to assure all students have the opportunity to meet the graduation requirements for the class of 2008 and beyond.

Framing Question What are your district, schools, and classrooms doing different or differently to assure that all students in the class of 2008 and beyond have the opportunity to meet the new graduation requirements?

A Time to Write! What are the obstacles you, your district, schools, and/or classrooms face when assuring all students in the class of 2008 and beyond have the opportunity to meet the new graduation requirements? What are the strategies you, your district, schools, and/or classrooms are using to assure all students in the class of 2008 and beyond have the opportunity to meet the new graduation requirements?

Puyallup School District On-Time Graduation Specialist Kimberlee Armstrong, Rogers Lisa Kusche, Emerald Ridge Angie Reed, Puyallup

Three Comprehensive High Schools Grades Governor John R. Rogers 1700 Puyallup 1600 Emerald Ridge 1500 Walker Alternative: Grades 9-12

Our Goal: Increase On Time Graduation If the current cohort graduation rate is 80.5%, for the class of 2010, approximately 300 students will not graduate with their class.

Our goal: Decrease Dropouts Puyallup School District’s most recent dropout rate is 6.4%.

Credit Deficient Students 1 st Semester Sophomores- less than 4 credits 1 st Semester Juniors- less than 10 credits 1 st Semester Seniors- less than 16 credits

Credit Deficient and Special Education What percentage of credit deficient students have Individualized Education Plans? 10 th Graders – 25% 11 th Graders- 38% 12 Graders- 16%

Our Goal: Get Students Back on Track Work with Counseling Team to enroll students in after school credit retrieval courses. Delay electives and have credit retrieval within daily schedule. Class of 2011: Required Credit Retrieval Course for those with less than 4 credits. There is hope!

WASL and WASL Options School Assessment Coordinator Work with Principal to identify and monitor those who have not yet met WASL standards. COE courses Student placement Staff support

CAA Options 50 Seniors are enrolled in a Collection of Evidence class for reading and/or writing and will retake the reading and/or writing portion of the WASL. 400 Seniors are enrolled in a math class and will retake the math portion of the WASL in the Spring. Approximately 30 seniors are doubling up on math second semester.

COE– Making It Work In Your Building Leigh Ann Mahaffie – Puyallup School District

Who should do the COE? Deeper, richer, harder, and more rigorous than WASL Not for everyone

Our Results Spring WASL Score 2007 Number who passed CoE Total Number of CoEs Percent Passing CoE % % % % %

PSD Final (by Teacher) Teacher Number Number who passed COE Total Number of COEs Percent Passing COE Teacher Teacher Teacher Teacher Teacher Teacher

PSD Results 193 CoEs were submitted by PSD (out of 700 statewide) Range of scores from Approximately 65% of our students met standard (50% statewide) –School 1 49/6180% –School 2 25/29 86% –School 3 52/10351%

Math Approach Last Year Common Vision WASL Modules Class Item Creation OSPI approval

PSD This Year One core package of 7 items and a pool of extras 2 items for each content and process strand Two Classes –WASL Modules & Segmented WASL Some items to be completed second semester in Segmented WASL class On Demand/Non On-Demand Sharing statewide

PSD Next Year Teachers’ Suggestions –Segmented WASL-Year Long COE Core set of 10 or 11 simpler items –WASL Modules - no COE –COE Semester Class Srs 1 st semester/Jrs 2 nd semester Core set of 7 complex problems

What Does It Look Like? (COE class) Prep Lessons Item – Most items multi-strand Revision 1-2 Week process –Stack items if you can (Ice Cream Containers leads to Sculpture Design or Painting Houses and Concert Tour Planning) Backward Design

What Does It Look Like? (Segmented WASL class) Prep Lessons – Seg WASL materials Item – Most items single-strand Revision 1-2 Week process –Dependent on the unit, activities chosen, Segmented WASL test Backward Design

Revision Day/Tracking Whole Group vs. Select Group Tracking Chart

Things to Take Away From Today Best teachers for resistant learners Pay them well/Extra Planning/COE Coordinator Scheduling There is help! –OSPI –ESD –me

Contact Information Leigh Ann Mahaffie

Managing The New Graduation Requirements Barriers to On Time Graduation Terry Edwards Everett Public Schools WERA Spring Conference March 26-28, 2008

Goals NCLB 85% of On-time Graduates by 2014 Community/Parents 100% of their children right now Work Force Prepare students for entry into high skilled and high wage jobs College Students ready to engage in college level course work without remediation Board 100% of students graduate when they have met standard

High School Graduation An educational mandate An economic necessity A civil right A moral imperative

Graduation Definitions Graduation The completion of required course work and assessments leading to a high school diploma On Time Graduation The completion of required course work and assessments leading to a high school diploma four years after commencing grade 9.

The Graduation Question Graduation for the Individual Yes / No Graduation for the District OnTime Rate / Extended Grad Rate

On Time Graduation Rate Graduating = Initial Gr 9 + Net + Drop Cohort Enrollment Transfers Outs

On Time Graduation Rate # Graduates (N) # Cohort (D)

To Improve On Time Graduation Rate OTG = N / D 1. Decrease the number of students in the cohort (the denominator) 2. Increase the number of graduates (the numerator) *Washington Mathematics Standard 6.3

To Improve Your Denominator Audit your business practices around the completion of your P-210 Verify and reduce drop out numbers U – D – C codes Review building practices in track record requests for transfer students, make sure you include your special education department Verify student continued enrollment (RSVP) Personalized outreach to prevent and recover drop outs Success coordinator Counselor teacher Review district variance practices

Summary by School P210 C’s, D’s and U’s to School Year Source: OSPI Core Student Record System (CSRS) Reports, Enrollment Reports, Enrollment Reports, P210http://eds.ospi.k12.wa.us/CSRS December 14, 2007

Everett Public School Class of 2008 Inactive Cohort (2004 – 2008) U, C or D Unknown Drop Out Complete Cascade HS 5510 Everett HS Jackson HS 2770 Sequoia HS 9371 District Total Source: Pentamation March25,2008

Cumulative Barriers to Graduation Graduation is the result of meeting each of the individual requirements

Cumulative Barriers to Graduation WASL Mastery: Reading / Writing / Math* Argumentative Paper Culminating Exhibition GRADE *Math Mastery or continued enrollment and success in challenging math course work

Ways to Improve Your Numerator 1. Increase your number of graduates!! Increase student achievement from the first day of school 2. Review District Policy and Procedures for Graduation 3. What are your district’s barriers / requirements to graduation? 4. Do you have the right barriers / requirements 5. What policies are in place in your district that create additional challenges to students?

Overt: Barriers / Requirements Credits WASL Argumentative Paper Culminating Exhibition

Covert: Barriers / Requirements Attendance policy Grading practices Registration process Master schedule

Missing: Barriers / Requirements Do you have the appropriate requirements in place that will allow students to meet the ultimate goal of high school graduation Increase course rigor Add additional math requirement Define high school math sequence Increase middle school relevance by focusing on high school readiness Algebra Geometry Washington State History

Help Overcome Barriers / Requirements WASL credit recovery Directed athletics ROTC Marching band Private music lessons

Overt Barriers / Requirements Culminating exhibition: Argumentative Paper History: 12 years ago 8 years ago Today Impact: Lessons Learned:

Overt Barriers / Requirements Credits: Red – Yellow – Green Establish a consistent data tracking process/report What we did Determine biggest obstacles High failure rate classes High failure rate staff Focused attention through district wide On Time Graduation Committee Developed the 1-F strategy Enhanced parent communication about academic success and progress to graduation

Overt Barriers / Requirements What we did Pyramid of intervention Additional support classes Extended day programs Success Coordinators Drug Alcohol Interventionists In School academic support What we are finding: Preliminary progress

Everett Public Schools Comparison of Red-Yellow-Green by Grade Level Semester 1 in 2006 and 2007

Overt Barrier / Requirements WASL Class of 2008 Performance 1130 active students 1012 met standard in Reading (90%) 995 met standard in Writing (88%) January 2008

Overt Barrier / Requirements WASL Does this mean 10% or student will not graduate due to WASL performance? What will be the impact of credit and WASL performance on graduation?

Cascade High School Class of Students Reading (January 2008)

Cascade High School Class of Students Writing (January 2008)

Cascade High School Class of Students Not Met WASL - Reading District Data March 2008

Cascade High School Class of Students Not Met WASL - Writing District Data March 2008

Everett Public Schools 2008 Special Education Graduates

Extended On-time Graduation Rate through District and School Totals

What does this mean for future work? Credit is the highest barrier to OTG Less then 10% of students have not met standard on Reading or Writing WASL Nearly 20% of student have not met standard in credit requirements If a student has been successful in rigorous course work they will be successful on WASL Ensure that students are enrolled in rigorous course work Ensure that students are successful in those rigorous courses

What does this mean for future work? We need to help students and teachers be successful the first time a class is attempted Shift grading culture to all can meet standard Be aware of the cost of credit remediation We need to create opportunities within the 4 year OTG window to recover “lost” credits

What does this mean for future work? We have State support and District emphasis on ensuring WASL performance but little to no support for helping students recover “lost” credits Focus on WASL improves WASL Focus on earning credit improves both credit trajectory and WASL performance

What does this mean for future work? Reevaluate the core question: Focus on graduation not its individual requirements

Organizing & Implementing for Student Success By Kimberly Müeller and Michael Power Tacoma Public Schools

What did we do to address the new graduation requirements? Creating: The structures and systemsCreating: The structures and systems Supporting: The students and adultsSupporting: The students and adults Re-examining: Is it working?Re-examining: Is it working?

GALT Guidance & Counseling Curriculum & Instruction Research & Evaluation Public Relations High School Ed. Coordinator Graduation Req. Assis. Superintendents Creating: GALT (Graduation Advisory Leadership Team)

and... supporting students on-site… Student GSS (Graduation Support Specialist) CounselorsAdministratorsTeachers CPL (Culminating Project Lead) Career Counselor

and supporting the adults working in the system… GSS & CPL GALT Coordinator of Grad Requirements

Re-examining: Is it working? Reflecting on individual performanceReflecting on individual performance Examining system and the supportsExamining system and the supports Re-evaluating the resourcesRe-evaluating the resources

Framing Question What are your district, schools, and classrooms doing different or differently to assure that all students in the class of 2008 and beyond have the opportunity to meet the new graduation requirements?