1. Kefi Andersen – ospi Graduation and Equity Specialist
Addressing Freshmen Success: Using a Multi-Tiered Support Model for Equity
Intro around the room
Dixie Grunenfelder – ospi Director of K-12 Education/System and School Improvement 
Kefi Andersen – ospi Graduation and Equity Specialist
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/17/2018

2. Objectives: As a result of this session you will know:
Why is freshmen success important?
How are Washington students doing?
What key system and student supports build freshman success?
What resources support freshman success?
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/17/2018

3. Graduation is the Goal: Performance Indicators Are the Early Warning Measures
Chronic Absenteeism
Discipline
9th Grade Course Failure
As previously mentioned, graduation is a measure 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 intermediate measures, including Attendance, Discipline, and 9th Grade Course Failure.

4. Why are we concerned with 9th course failure?
Students who end their ninth grade year on-track, are four times more likely to graduate from high school than those who are off track.
From research out of the University of Chicago, we know students who end their 9th grade year on track, are 4X more likely to graduate from high school than those students not on track.
9th grade failure is a better predictor of graduation than race, ethnicity, level of poverty, or test scores.
9/17/2018
Based on research by University of Chicago CCSR, Preventable Failure Research Summary, April 2014.

5. 9th Grade Course Failure Rates are Decreasing Over Time
What is 9th Grade Course Failure?
The number of 9th grade students who earned less credit than the credits attempted in each subject. Withdrawals are not included.
Displayed here are 9th grade course failure across subject area for the years 2014 through The state 9th grade course failure rate decreased for English language arts 1 percentage point to 13% for The state 9th grade course failure rate decreased for Math 1 percentage point to 15% for The state 9th grade course failure rate decreased for science 1 percentage point to 12% for 2016.
The district 9th grade course failure rates for ELA range from 0% to 47%, Math is 0-53%, and science course failure rates range from 0-57%. District level details can be assessed through the equity analytic tool.
Range: 15% (Math) to 12% (Science)
Largest decrease over time: 2 percentage points for math and science

6. What about Low Income 9th Graders?
Check out the Equity Analytics: wa.us/DataAdmin /PerformanceIndi cators/DataAnalyt ics.aspx
GAP = 22.5
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OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

7. How many districts are there in each Tier?
High Performing: Less than 20% Failure
Low Gap: Less than 20%
What We Want What We Have
Tier 3: 5%
Tier 2:
15%
Tier 1:
80%
Tier 3:
Lower Performing
Higher Gap
43%
Tier 2:
Higher Performing Larger Gap and Lower Performing Smaller Gap
40%
Tier 1: Higher Performing Smaller Gap
17%
If we look at who has less than 20% failure and a smaller than 20% gap, very few districts fit that description.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/17/2018

8. What do you know about your freshman course failure rate?
Turn and Talk
What do you know about your freshman course failure rate?
Who is failing?
What are the rates?
Are things getting better or worse?
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/17/2018

9. Systemic Foundation Data Cycle of Inquiry Systems of Support
Leadership
Data
Systems of Support
Cycle of Inquiry
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9/17/2018

10. Do you have a leadership focus?
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9/17/2018

11. Do you use data ?
1) identify
2) monitor
3) evaluate

12. Do you have a system of supports?
What does it look like?
Source: Brian Gaunt, University of South Florida
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/17/2018

13. Do you use a Cycle of Inquiry?
Image used with permission from the National Implementation Research Network.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/17/2018

14. What We Know About Preventing 9th Grade Course Failure
9th Grade Success
Build a positive school culture
Use data to monitor progress
Prepare 8th graders transitioning to high school
Build in multi-tier supports
Create a view of the future
According to the research we have done – we saw recurring themes.
Build a positive school culture with connections between staff, students, families. Use climate surveys
Use data to monitor attendance, behavior, and coursework
Prepare 8th graders coming in with an orientation, Link Crew, Summer School, early registration for appropriate classes, and open communication between middle and high schools about learning expectations (try to stay consistent)
Build in supports and get students positively involved in school with mentors, social activities, social support (counseling, homeroom staff member)
Schedules help support students. Some success has been found through freshmen academy scheduling (keeping all the freshmen separate from the rest), adding advisory periods, using a small school model, staff teaming, and block schedules.
Look to the future. Schedule college visits, keep support for students past 9th grade.
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15. Multi-Tiered Strategies to Prevent 9th Grade Course Failure:
An Example from one School District
Tier 3: Individual
Unannounced home visits with door hangers for absentees
One on One study time with class teachers whose classes they are struggling in / Check and Connect
Required Learning Lab/ study hours to make up for incomplete credit
Engaging students and families in wrap-around services
Tier 2: Group
Targeted Lunch Study Hall Hours / Flex Time
Competency Based Credits and extended grade deadline to 20 days into next semester or school year
Tier 1: Universal
Staff shares the attitude “We will not let a single student fail – our will is stronger”
Prepare for new students in January: identify Tier 2-3 and plan interventions.
Counseling staff holds interviews with parents to set up appropriate classes and teachers
before school begins, connect to services, test reading
Team up with the middle school to offer reading intervention classes so student is
ready before entering high school
Freshmen Academy: separates freshmen from the rest, reinforces study skills
Connect students to the school: Link Crew, Day Long Freshmen Camp where they
get to go to classes
“Inspect what you expect” Track data for who’s struggling with attendance,
behavior, and coursework each week and get interventions in place right away
Standards Based Grading: missed deadlines don’t mean failing the
assignment
Strong teachers who volunteer to focus on Freshmen
Start with freshmen but keep support going for 10-12th grade
Highlight districts are taking a systematic approach so that no student is invisible. This approach requires you to have timely data that is updated weekly so that you can intervene early with an intervention that is already planned and ready to go.
This isn’t meant to be a checklist. This is just one midsize district’s strategies to prevent 9th grade failure through a multi-tiered lens.
These are real world examples to give you some context for what this looks like for a real district.

16. Using OSPI Equity Analytics
K-12 Data and Reports
OSPI Performance Indicators – Select a Tableau Link
Look at disproportionality in student groups
Find a Mentor
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/17/2018

17. 9th Grade Course Failure Equity Analytics

18. 9th Grade Success Self-Assessment RubricOR
9th Grade Course Failure Scavenger Hunt Using Tableau
9th Grade Success Self-Assessment Rubric
What data do you need access to?
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/17/2018

19. Turn and Talk What’s your biggest strength?
What’s your biggest weakness?
When you think about where you are now and where you’d like to be, what are next moves you need to make?
Next week
By start of school
Where you want to be in a year
Who do you need to share this work with—who’s on the team?
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/17/2018

20. Helpful Resources OSPI Attendance Webpage Attendance Works
Get Schooled Attendance Calculator
California Attendance Communications Toolkit
Absences Add Up Campaign
OSPI Truancy Webpage
OSPI Mental Health Webpages:
Mental Health and Schools
Project AWARE – Curriculum and Training Opportunities
OSPI Substance Abuse Prevention Resources - Life Skills Curriculum Grant Opportunity – proven to reduce anxiety, prevent substance use, improve school climate, and reduce bullying
9th Grade Success Page
For Rubrics, Leadership Team Workbook, Extended Reflective Questions, Research
thGradeFailure/default.aspx
9th Grade Course Failure Rates - Tableau
thGrade.aspx
Walkthrough Presentation
DataAnalytics.aspx
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
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21. Questions? For Graduation: For Attendance: Dixie Grunenfelder
Krissy Johnson
Director of K-12 Education/System and School Improvement 
Student Assistance Program Supervisor |
For 9th Grade:
Kefi Andersen
Graduation Equity Specialist |
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/17/2018