Graduation Success Initiative A Full Court Press Approach Cheryl M. Robinson Carol W. Alexander

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Fast Facts  145,000 students  168 schools; 31 high schools  158 different countries represented  175 languages spoken  Magnet programs in 38 schools

Student Diversity in CMS  African-American 42%  White 32%  Hispanic 18%  Asian 5%  Indian 3%

Challenges impacting Graduation Success  Identification of all potential graduates  Transient student population  Inconsistent procedures within and among schools  Inconsistencies in interpreting incoming records  Inconsistent knowledge levels of counseling staff due to attrition  Lack of check and balance system to ensure accurate student records  Lack of transparency and shared ownership  Identification of specific academic needs for special population groups (EC, ELL)  Large counselor caseloads

Graduation Success Initiative Year One In response to Superintendent’s vision and directive, Student Services Leadership: 1. identified a “GSI” counseling team 2. established written guidelines and procedures 3. provided training and support to counselors 4. created a timeline 5. communicated and emphasized effort to principals 6. collaborated with other departments for needed support

General Procedures – Year One Full Court Press  Each senior’s transcript was reviewed for accuracy – approximately 10,000 students  Errors/problems/inconsistencies were identified  Duplicate credits  Incorrect quality points and credits  Inaccurate course numbers and titles  Scheduling issues  Customized report was provided to each princi pal

Lessons Learned from Year One  Inconsistent levels of expertise and support offered to students  Professional development needs Interpretation of transcripts and records Understanding of varying graduation requirements  Need for clearly defined roles and responsibilities  Need for dedicated time to accomplish task

Outcomes  Strategic scheduling  Concentrated focus on subgroups (EC, ELL)  More options for students (credit recovery)  Heightened accountability for school and district  Paradigm shift  Standardized district-wide procedure of best practices  Professional development in support of counseling staff  Increased graduation rate

Evolvement of the GSI – how it is used today Counselor’s Management Tool Required accountability measure Aid in identifying course needs Resource promoting shared ownership

GSI - The Counselor’s Tool It allows counselors to 1. monitor students’ progress in meeting graduation requirements  Prepare checklists  Review transcripts  Record information on custom template  Review colleague’s information as check and balance  Update GSI as student information changes

GSI - The Counselor’s Tool (continued) Counselors are able to: 1. Identify students who are failing courses 2. Collaboratively identify a plan for students at risk for not graduating 3. Share pertinent information with stakeholders 4. Use one tool known by stakeholders

District-Wide Accountability Principals and district-level leaders use the GSI to assist in:  determining wraparound services and supports needed by students  ensuring the consistent implementation of services by counseling staff  predicting preliminary, unofficial graduation rates  promoting school-wide support

CMS Graduation Rate  INCREASED to 88 percent in 2015, exceeding the state average of 85.4 percent.  INCREASED nearly three percentage points from 2014 and more than 18 percentage points since 2010.

4-year cohort graduation rate rises for 6 th consecutive year CMS 4-year Cohort Graduation Rate ( )

Graduation Rate Increase: Subgroups 2014 to 2015 WHITE STUDENTS: 93.7 FROM 93.0 ASIAN STUDENTS : 92.2 FROM BLACK STUDENTS: 86.5 FROM 82.6 HISPANIC STUDENTS: 79.4 FROM GRADUATION RATES ALSO ROSE YEAR-OVER-YEAR AND OVER THE SIX- YEAR PERIOD FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, STUDENTS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS.

CMS Graduation Success Initiative supports Student Success

Contact Information Carol Alexander, Counselor Zebulon B. Vance High School Cheryl Robinson, School Counseling Program Manager Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools