1. March GATE Equity Webinar
Thank you for joining us for the March GATE Equity Webinar.
Where we explore topics related to equity in graduation success.
I’m Kefi Andersen, OSPI Graduation and Equity specialist.
Exploring topics related to equity in graduation success
Kefi Andersen – OSPI Graduation and Equity Specialist

2. Graduation Highlight Districts: Districts Finding Success with Low Income Students
This month we’re focusing in on Graduation and our highlight districts.
To give more specific real world experience,
I’m joined by Dr. Salina from Gonzaga University
And by one of our Highlight districts – we have Reardan Edwall superintendent Marcus Morgan.
This presentation is recorded
It will be available next week on the OSPI website, and you’ll be ed with a link.
The PPT is in the handouts if you’d like to save a copy for yourself.
Dr. Charles Salina – Gonzaga University
Marcus Morgan – superintendent Reardan-edwall school district

3. Agenda 2016 Graduation Rates
Using the Equity Analytics to find disproportionality
Which districts are experiencing success?
What are the keys to success?
Who is seeing success?
The purpose of the webinar today is to:
provide an overview of the 2016 graduation data,
highlight the graduation Equity Analytic tool
We’ll hear from Dr. Salina about action research in real school districts and the themes he’s found
And also from Superintendent Morgan about how his small district in Reardan Edwall is seeing success in graduation with low income students.
We’ll begin by grounding our work in the OSPI mission and vision.

4. Vision Mission Every student ready for career, college, and life
To provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.
Vision Mission
The vision of OSPI is for every student to graduate from high school ready for career, college, and life. The mission of OSPI is to provide resources to schools and districts to ensure students are successful.

5. Measuring Success Performance Indicators
Measures of Success
Increase four- and five-year high school graduation rates
Increase enrollment and completion rates and decrease remediation rates in post-secondary training and education
Performance Indicators
We must help students:
Enter kindergarten with expected skills in all six areas identified by the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS).
Meet standard on the 3rd-, 8th-, and 11th-grade statewide English language arts (ELA) and math assessments, and the 8th-grade statewide science assessment.
Grow toward proficiency in ELA and math, as determined by Student Growth Percentiles, in 4th and 6th grades.
Enroll in Algebra I/Integrated Math I by the end of 8th or 9th grade and earn high school credit.
Enroll in college-level courses and earn dual credit.
Take the SAT and ACT and earn college-ready scores.
Access financial aid for post-secondary learning.
We must help students avoid:
9th-grade course failure.
Suspensions and expulsions.
Chronic absenteeism.
Measuring Success
In 2014, OSPI adopted agency wide measures of success, including (pause) high school graduation and, (pause) post graduation enrollment and remediation course-taking. At that same time, OSPI implemented research-based performance indicators. These serve to guide our work across the K12 public education system.

6. Graduation is the Goal: Performance Indicators Are the Early Warning Measures
Chronic Absenteeism
Discipline
9th Grade Course Failure
As previously mentioned, graduation is one of the two measures of success. In addition to being an accountability measure for the K-12 school system, it is a primary indicator that a student is ready for career, college, and life, According to a 2014 analysis done by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, we know each graduate creates benefits of more than half a million dollars in higher earnings, as well as societal savings in areas such as health care and unemployment compared to students that don’t graduate.
Underpinning graduation, are key formative measures, including Attendance, Discipline, and 9th Grade Course Failure.

7. Graduation Rates Increase 4- and 5-year High School Graduation Rates
+.8
2,029 more students +1
1,528 more students
This slide contains 4- and 5- year graduation rates for the years 2013 through The state 4-year graduation rate increased 1 percentage point in 2016 to 79.1%. This equates to an additional 1,528 students graduating compared to The state’s 5-year graduation rate increased .8 of a percentage point to 81.9%. This equates to an additional 2,029 students graduating compared to 2015.
The district graduation rates range from 50% to 100%.

8. All Student Race Groups Are Experiencing Growth 4-Year High School Graduation Rates
Range: 60.6% (American Indian/Alaskan Native students )
to 88.6% (Asian students)
Largest increase over time:
8.1 percentage points for American Indian/Alaskan Native students
+6.7
+8.1
Displayed here are 4 year graduation rates by student race.
2016 graduation rates across student race categories range from a low of 60.6% for American Indian/Alaskan Native students to 88.6% for Asian students. Remember, the overall 2016 rate is 79.1% for all students.
Over the past four years, there was an increase across all race categories, with the biggest gains for American Indian / Alaskan Native Students with an 8.1 percentage point gain. There was also a significant gain for Hispanic students with a 6.7 percentage point gain over the past 4 years.

9. All Other Student Groups Are Experiencing Growth 4-Year High School Graduation Rates
Range: 53.4% (homeless students) to 82.4% (female students)
Largest increase over time: 8.5 percentage points for homeless students
+7.2
+8.5
This slide shows the 4 year graduation rates for other student groups.
2016 graduation rates across other student groups range from a low of 53.4% for Homeless students to 82.4% for female students. Again the 4-year graduation rate for all students is 79.1%
There was an increase across all student groups, with the biggest gains for Homeless students with an 8.5 percentage point gain over the past 4 years. There was also a significant gain for English Language Learners with a 7.2 percentage point gain over the past 4 years.
Please note the trends for these student groups, as well as across student race categories, is similar in the year graduation data.

10. Our Equity Focus
The focus of our work at OSPI relative to this data has been to identify districts that are seeing success in serving students overall and specific student populations, learn from them key processes and practices, and create mechanisms to share those learnings with districts working to close the achievement gap.
We collectively are moving towards a system that supports success for each student.

11. Graduation Rates of Highlight Districts
Walkthrough with Equity Analytics – 4 buttons
So what are we doing with this information?
Dixie Grunenfelder and I serve as primary staff, along with Tim Stensager, to the OSPI Graduation Equity Initiative. Beginning in 2014, OSPI began a partnership with Gonzaga University using the equity analytic tool to identify districts that were seeing success in serving students overall and with specific student populations. We set out to learn their key processes and practices, and create mechanisms to share that learning with districts that may be struggling to close the gap.
We have created and compiled a variety of resources through this work and they are posted on the OSPI website. We are continuing to work to identify avenues to share this work statewide.

12. Polling/Questions
How comfortable are you with the Equity Analytics tool?
This tool is my life. I use it all the time and show other people how to use it.
I am comfortable enough to figure it out.
I’m not sure where to focus my efforts.
I struggle to find the data I need.

13. 4-Year Graduation: Highlight District Gap and the State Average Gap
Looking at the unibrow gives a surface view of who is doing the best. The real question for us, is who is serving their low income students and their non-low income students best. We want to see districts who have great grad rates for all.
This is a view of the gap between the highlight districts low income students and non low income students and the state’s gap. The state’s gap is persistent over time, hanging at around 20 percentage points. The amazing work of these highlight districts is that they are closing that gap and have stayed under 9 percentage points of difference for the past four years.

14. Process for Finding Highlight Districts
Better Than State Graduation Rate Over Time
Small Gap between Low Income and Non-Low Income
Large Low Income Population
(45% +)
District Size
Mid-Large: Cohort 1
Small:
Cohort 2
What makes a district a highlight district?
The way we find the highlight districts begins with the data from the Equity Analytics.
We look for a graduation rate that is better than the state average
which is sustained over time.
We want districts with 50% or more low income students.
And we want to see a small gap between low income and non-low income students.
We focused on large districts at first and recently we’ve been looking at small districts.

15. Discovering the “How” District Conversation Guide
What are the average years in district for admin? For staff?
What do you do to address Attendance?
Were you aware of your high grad rates?
Data Use:
How do you sustain your efforts and results?
Was there a driver or turning point that led to your success?
Challenges:
What key principles drives your efforts?
External partners/supports:
What do you do to address disciplinary issues?
Part of our process with these districts is to interview district leadership about their systems. These are some of the questions we ask as we look for themes.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/17/2018

16. Graduation Equity Initiative
1. Find districts who are experiencing success
Success = High graduation rates; Low gap
2. Identify Essential Elements – Through interviews, site visits, and district gatherings we find common themes and practices
3. Pair Highlight Districts with districts who want to address graduation equity
4. Share best practices through presentations and briefing documents
So what are we doing with this information?
Dixie Grunenfelder and I serve as primary staff, along with Tim Stensager, to the OSPI Graduation Equity Initiative. Beginning in 2014, OSPI began a partnership with Gonzaga University using the equity analytic tool to identify districts that were seeing success in serving students overall and with specific student populations. We set out to learn their key processes and practices, and create mechanisms to share that learning with districts that may be struggling to close the gap.
We have created and compiled a variety of resources through this work and they are posted on the OSPI website. We are continuing to work to identify avenues to share this work statewide.

17. Essential Elements
Transformational Leadership – creating purpose and relational trust that engages staff and students.
Collaborative Inquiry – Practices that involves staff in action research to improve student learning.
Tiered Support System – Integrated supports for behavior, achievement, and social emotional needs.
Data – Evidence based processes that monitor and connect staff and students to a system of supports
Very quickly I want to highlight the key processes and practices that have been identified through the Graduation Equity Initiative. These are the common elements we found from our work with the Highlight Districts.
I want to emphasize that these districts are using a systems approach. They are purposeful about where they spend their time.
We found leadership is key to the work happening at the district level. A commitment to every students’ success, along with a high level of trust between students, teachers and administration, is foundational. Guiding statements like, “all hands on deck”, “I’ve got your back”, and “100% graduation” are commonplace.
There is an intentional process for staff to collaborate on identifying areas of concern and creating a plan of action.
The next key element is a well-defined tiered support system that includes academic, behavioral and social/emotional components, with prevention focused efforts for all students and more targeted supports for students who get off track. At OSPI Kelcey Schmitz has coined the phrase, “random acts of intervention.” We really want to turn those random programs into an organized system so you can tell if that intervention is having an effect.
Lastly, and very critical, is the reliance on data. Both as a tool for measuring overall effectiveness of the system and programming, but also for identifying struggling students and monitoring their response to specific interventions. No one can hide if you’re on top of data.

18. Multi-Tiered System of Supports
The vision of OSPI is ever student ready for career, college, and life. MTSS is a theory of action framework that structures services to help all students achieve that goal. MTSS offers three levels of academic and no-academic instruction and supports, depending on individual student needs.
Key components:
Transformational Leadership
Collaborative Inquiry
Tiered Support System
Data
A Multi-Tier System of Support provides the framework for organizing, assessing and deploying the supports that will ensure student success by addressing the whole child. MTSS includes multiple levels of instruction, assessment and intervention designed to support the academic and non-academic learning needs of all students (OSPI Best Practice Menu).
When you look at the triangle on this page envision interventions and supports for ALL students. Tier 1 or core supports are provided to all students. Tier 1 plans are designed to prevent negative academic, behavioral and social outcomes and can support a very large number of students. We should always plan for non-responsiveness.
Tier 2 supports are often provided to groups of students with an emphasis on additional opportunities for practice and feedback.
Tier 3 supports are intensive in nature and guided by a diagnostic assessment. Programs need not exist outside of this triangle for groups of students.
One role of the MTSS team is to select programs for each tier. The efficiency of MTSS lies in the fact that the triangle outlines how initiatives align and fit together for all students, eliminating a fragmented or disconnected approach to student supports.
For example, when we take an instructional approach to behavior (with the same rigor and fidelity as we teach academics) and explicitly teaching what is expected, instead of waiting for problem behavior to happen, we can significantly decrease the number of office discipline referrals that can cause students to lose precious instructional minutes. Reducing the number of students needing additional support can free up resources to help those students with the greatest needs.
Another quick comment about the three tiers of intervention. It’s important to remember that the tiers represent levels of support and not students’ identities. So instead of saying “Kelcey is a tier 3 kid.” We should say “Kelcey is a student who needs Tier 3 supports for attendance.” and keep in mind, that it might change.
A common first step for MTSS teams is to take stock of current initiatives, programs and supports and begin to organize and align them. This may involve replacing or discontinuing ineffective programs as well as seeing where gaps exist .

19. Polling / Questions What I want to know about…
What did the action research find?
Tell me more about these themes
What does this look like in a real district?
What system supports can I put in place to make sure 100% of my students graduate?

20. Dr. Chuck Salina Who I am What we attempted - purpose
How we did it – methodology (1 SIG-4 outliers/cohort 1- cohort 2)
Common Language, simplicity, commonalities within unique contexts

21. A Conceptual Framework is Foundational
Social Supports
Academic Press
Relational Trust
Formal leaders model this with staff.
ACTIVITY: Behavior? Discuss the survey

22. Social Supports
Supports are grounded in structures that support students, parents and staff, in being successful in meeting goals as articulated by external standards.

23. Academic Press
Academic press is grounded in the belief and the related expectations that parents, staff, and students are capable and are involved in doing the work.

24. Relational Trust Feeling Safe Having Something to Offer
Putting in Time to Help
When teachers feel supported through systems that lead to actions, they are more likely to engage in the real work of teaching and learning.

26. interaction of Leadership, Data, Systems and Collaboration
A Culture For Learning is Developed through the
interaction of Leadership, Data, Systems and Collaboration

27. Clarifying the WHAT Before moving to the HOW
Culture:
Establish an environment with a clear belief that through a collaborative process and systematic supports each student and staff will be successful in doing the work.
Leadership:
Implement a vision of success for staff and students by reengaging them in their missions through the use of data, collaboration, systems of supports, and resources.
Data:
Continuously collect, analyze, and report evidence using an inquiry process to inform the work at all levels of the district in implementing change that aligns to the mission of helping each student in being successful.
Systems:
Provide supports to students and teachers by meting the academic, social-emotional, and behavioral management needs in an integrated and leveled manner.
Collaborative Inquiry:
Engage in collaborative action research to improve teaching and learning through the inquiry process.

29. Leadership Action Planning
Intentional – identifies the leaders’ work
Short periods of time (45 Calendar days)
Built on quick wins and grounded in evidence

30. Beliefs (Conceptual Framework) Behaviors (Action Framework)
NEW
BEHAVIORS
BELIEF
CONSISTENT
MESSAGE (Integrity)
Connect to the why – social justice connection to integrity
Explain why backwards from presentation

31. To Learn More www.k12.wa.us/ GATE/Graduation Equity 9/17/2018
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

32. Questions?

33. Marcus Morgan, Superintendent
Reardan-Edwall SD
Marcus Morgan, Superintendent

34. Transformational Leadership
What started your focus on this work?
A realization we may not be as good as we think we are!
A deep look at data.
How do you create a common vision and a culture of trust?
We continually work on it!
Stop the continual rotation of building leadership.
Does all really mean all?
Growth Mindset.

35. Collaborative Inquiry
How do you create an environment that values continuous improvement? We utilize PLC teams across the district every Monday. Professional development opportunities for everyone. Part of the TPEP goal setting for teacher and admin. Who is involved in the process? PLC teams, administrative team District leadership teams (WSLA) Success Now teams (building level school improvement)

36. Tiered Support System
How are key supports managed? School wide Title I model at K-6. Student Services Director, Dr. Effie Dean, manages all paras for LAP, Title, special education, and general classroom aides K-12. She coordinates meetings, in-service, and schedules of these employees. What are your key supports, tier 1,2,3, across academic and non-academic Targeted support (software, para help, instruction mod. Remediation Intervention

37. Data
What data? Graduation rate, MAPS, state testing, classroom based, Data Dashboard, student crisis list at HS, attendance, etc. Who has access? All classroom centered employees review assessment data during PLCs and building staff meetings. How often is it used? Quarterly or as needed.

38. We’re Most Proud of…
What actions / results are you most proud of? 5 of the last 6 years = academic achievement awards. 3-year on-time graduation rate of 100%. One of the lowest discipline rates in the state. Passing our first bond in 40 years after 11 attempts! What makes your district special? Our students – they are well behaved, compassionate and accepting towards our special education students, and respond well when asked to do something by an adult.

39. Our Next Steps
What are you working on next? Sustaining the current work. Gaining more understanding of adverse childhood trauma Response to Intervention This group can be a resource - are you looking for feedback on anything they might be able to help you with? Great curriculum - both online, traditional, and blended. Adequate funding to support our work.

40. Polling / Questions
Type in the questions box: Next month’s topic is Career Ready. Are there any subtopics you would like to learn more about?

41. Graduation Resources
Graduation Equity Analytics: Get a visual of what equity looks like in your district.
Graduation Equity Initiative
Overview of the Graduation Equity Initiative: A 1-page briefing on the goals, key performance indicators, activities, and support for the work.
Graduation Reflection Questions: A document to help navigate the features of the data analytic tool and record data.
Current Reality Instrument: A tool to reflect on the status of key framework areas, and promote change in the school/district.
45-Day Action Plan: A strategy to create transparency by: clarifying a vision, collecting information, developing goals, and creating an action plan.
We don’t have time to go into detail on all the resources we have to support graduation and 9th grade success efforts, but these are just a sample of website resources that have been created.
OSPI sponsors a monthly graduation equity webinar series highlighting key practices. A schedule of upcoming topics, and recordings of past webinars can be found on the GATE website.

42. For More Information For Questions on Data and the Analytic Tool:
For Action Research
Lance Sisco
Dr. Charles Salina
Senior Research Analyst - Assessment and Student Information
Gonzaga University |
For Practical Advice
For Questions on Strategies and Support:
Marcus Morgan
Dixie Grunenfelder
Superintendent Reardan-Edwall School District
Director Secondary Education and K-12 Supports |
Kefi Andersen
Graduation and Equity Specialist |
For more information on Data and the Analytic tool,
Contact Lance Sisco.
For more information on Strategies and Support you can contact
Dixie Grunenfelder or me, Kefi Andersen.
Thank you for joining us today. We look forward to future conversations as we work to support Washington schools.

43. Next Month
Join us:
April 12, 2017
10-11a.m.
What is Career Ready?