1. Building for Sustainability A Collaborative Coaching Model for Dropout Prevention Georgia Department of Education's State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) helping Georgia’s students with disabilities stay in school and graduate

2. Georgia Department of Education's State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) helping Georgia’s students with disabilities stay in school and graduate

3. Georgia has… increased the Graduation Rate Graduation Coaches at HS & MS a GLRS network a cadre of Parent Mentors for Special Ed a SPDG…. GraduateFirst! Georgia’s Graduation Rate 3

4. GraduateFirst Goals Increase graduation rate for students with disabilities who receive a general education diploma Graduation Rate Decrease the dropout rate for students with disabilities Dropout Rate 4

5. 5 GraduateFirst Partners National Dropout Prevention Center for SWD GA Department of Education GA Learning Resource Systems 5

6. NDPC-SD Dropout Prevention Intervention Framework Data analysis Matching of needs to evidence-based strategies Development of plans and support for strategy implementation Monitoring of adult practices and student progress 6 6

7. GraduateFirst Behavior Academic Performance Attendance Family and Community Engagement BelongingRelationships Self-Determination Georgia Department of Education's State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG)

8. 2009 GA DOE recommendations to specific districts based on data for ARRA Application Process School’s Commitment includes a designated Team Leader GraduateFirst Institute Targeting Attendance, Behavior, Academics, Building Relationships Vocabulary & Comprehension Strategies 8

9. School Responsibilities Select a GraduateFIRST Team Leader (TL) who participates in monthly coach training Designate a team Team participates in all required trainings 5 days of training and 2 meetings per month Develop & implement plan based on data probe analysis TL collects & submits data Redeliver voc/comp strategies to appropriate staff members 9

10. Guiding Questions Data Sets? Target Populations? Local Policies? Evidence-Based Practices? Critical Checkpoints? 10

11. 11 Implement Plan & Collect Data Understand the Research & Contextualize Select Evidence-Based Strategies & Embed Family Engagement Analyze School Data School Teams Step 1Step 2 Step 3Step 4 11

12. Fall 2009 Day 1 Research about Dropout Prevention Day 2 Overview of Student Engagement Strategies Day 3 Data Probe & Analysis Day 4 Training based on target area selected Day 5 Implementation Support Targeted Areas Academic, Behavior, Attendance, Building Relationships, Family Engagement 12

13. Collaboration Coaches Team Leader School Team School Faculty Support Students to Prevent Dropout 13

14. Roles of Collaboration Coaches Support Cohort I Schools Continue to Support Cohort I Schools Assist with Formative & Summative Data Collection Develop Team Leaders Build the capacity of team leaders as they support Cohort II schools (monthly TL consortium & school visits) Assist with implementation & data collection Provide Resources Resource for evidence-based strategies Develop state resources 14

15. The message is clear in Coffee County! 15

16. Destination Graduation One of Georgia’s Graduation / Dropout Prevention Projects supported by the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) Coffee School System Douglas, Georgia 61.4% Graduation Rate for All Students in 2008 16.4% Graduation Rate for SWD in 2008 16

17. Dropout Rate Grades 9-12 From Annual Report Card 2008-2009-First Year of Project 5.3 5.1 7.5 9.2 7.2 11.6 5.4 6.9 17

18. Destination Graduation Areas Identified from Data Review and Addressed in Action Plans – Attendance – Achievement – Dropout 18

19. Attendance District Pulse-Formative Assessment Strategies/Activities – Incentives for attendance – Mentoring Middle School-Fab 5 Freshman Campus-SAIL Teacher High School-Check and Connect – Groups at all schools-Family Connection Workers, Social Workers, Graduation Coaches – Public posting of attendance data – Pyramids of Intervention for Attendance at each school – Target Groups identified at each school 19

20. Formative Data Attendance Number of Students Out > 10 Days 1 st Semester 2007-2008 1 st Semester 2008-2009 End of Year 2007-2008 End of Year 2008-2009 CMS 152 CMS 77 CMS 430 CHFC 52 CHFC 16 CHFC 166 CHS 327 CHS 239 CHS 728

21. Achievement Formative Assessment – AIMSWeb – Benchmarks from Online Assessment System (for instructional purposes, not collected for project) – Grades 21

22. AIMSweb Winter and Spring Benchmark Score Comparison 6 teachers 24 sections of sixth grade math Students tested December 18 th and April 18 th Results based on 3 months of instruction (January, February, March) 18 of the 24 sections-more than 50% of students with matched scores showed improvement 22

23. 23

24. Achievement Math-SWD Strategies/Activities – Strategies for Making AYP in Math-Paul Riccomini Summer Team Training Shared Training Highlights Two-day in system training from Riccomini – Progress Monitoring-Middle School – Strategy Implementation-All Schools – South Georgia College Tutors – Saturday School-Coffee Middle School – Pyramid of Interventions-Academic 24

25. Dropout Formative Assessment – Number of Student dropping out at Coffee High School and Coffee Freshman Campus Strategies/Activities – Mentoring – Groups at all schools-Family Connection Workers, Social Workers, Graduation Coaches – Pyramid of Intervention for Dropout – Training on Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities 25

26. Formative Data Dropout 9 th Grade 10 th Grade 11 th Grade 12 th Grade Total 05-0680634833224 06-0760624824194 07-0850 2914155

27. 2008-2009 Formative Dropout Data First Semester Dropout Numbers – Freshman Campus9 – Coffee High School62 27

28. Intervention Framework Was it successful? YES-With the following – Awareness Training Sessions on Dropout – Team Building – Coaching – System and School support of project – Celebration of Success

29. Role of the Collaboration Coach Support the process-It Works!! Keep teams focused on goals Support formative and summative data collection Provide fidelity checks Build relationships with school teams and staff Recognize success It Works!!! 29

30. N.Gwinnet High & Lanier Middle Schools Share Success 30

31. Your Favorite Teacher Get an image in your mind of your favorite teacher Choose an adjective which best describes the one characteristic which makes him or her your favorite Share this adjective with the person seated beside you 31

32. Psychological Engagement Associated with a wide-range of variables: Problem behaviors and delinquency Academic performance Educational adjustment Attendance Accrual of credits Level of educational attainment Social competency Persistence with school Student perceptions of future opportunities open to them (Christenson et al., in press) 32

33. So… what difference did an on-site collaboration coach make? 33

34. Data Collection Student Interviews – SWD dropouts – At-risk high school SWD – At-risk middle school SWD Parent/Family Interviews of SWD dropouts Consultations with local school faculty – Special education administrators – General education administrators – Special education teachers – General education teachers Local school student information system data Georgia Department of Education website data 34

35. 35

36. 36

37. Data Utilization Compiled the data Analyzed and triangulated the data – Demographics – Assessment – Processes Determined push/pull factors Finalized targeted list of at-risk SWD Identified research-based interventions for action plan 37

38. Action Plan Components Academic Engagement Behavioral Engagement Cognitive Engagement Psychological Engagement 38

39. Academic NGHSLMS SPDG Project Initiatives Content Enhancement: MATH Instructional Math Strategies Supplemental Support: Mandatory Tutoring Content Enhancement: MATHContent Enhancement: SCIENCE Students Involved Target Group Teachers Involved (1) SE Math teacher(3) SE Math teachers(5) Instructional Coaches (3) Math teachers(2) Science teachers Lead Contact Curriculum AP Interventions APAP Evaluation Tools Pre-Test Unit Test Benchmarks EOCT Pre-Test Unit Test Benchmarks EOCT 4.5 week progress reports Tutoring log Benchmarks Class Grades Quizzes Tests Benchmarks Class Grades Quizzes Tests Fidelity of Implementation Indicators Content Enhancement Walk-Thru with Collaboration Coach GIT (Graduation Intervention Team): Curriculum AP Sp Ed Dept Chair Graduation Coach GIT (Graduation Intervention Team): Curriculum AP Sp Ed Dept Chair Graduation Coach Kansas Strategies Walk-thru Instrument with Collaboration Coach Kansas Strategies Walk-thru Instrument with Collaboration Coach Person Coaching the Intervention Collaboration CoachMath Course Team Leader Interventions APCollaboration Coach Family & Community Involvement New math requirements info given at Freshman Orientation 4.5 week progress reportsParents were provided new math requirements information 39

40. Behavioral NGHSLMS SPDG Project Initiatives Behavioral Pyramid of Interventions AttendanceBehavioral Pyramid of Interventions Attendance Students Involved Target Group Teachers Involved Sp Ed Case ManagersTeachers of Target SWD(6) teachers Lead Contact (2) 9th Grade Discipline APs School social worker AP Evaluation Tools SASI referral roster SASI Absentee Rosters Stamp Accumulation; ISS/OSS referrals Stamp Accumulation; Parent Contact Logs; Daily & Weekly Attendance Reports Fidelity of Implementation Indicators GIT (Graduation Intervention Team): Curriculum AP Sp Ed Dept Chair Graduation Coach GIT (Graduation Intervention Team): Curriculum AP Sp Ed Dept Chair Graduation Coach Advisement Walk-thru Instrument with counselors Advisement Walk-thru Instrument with counselors Person Coaching the Intervention Special Ed Dept Chair Graduation Coach AP Family & Community Involvement Parents were invited to 9th Grade Parent Night Home contact protocol per # of absences New Incentive Program given to parents (verbal & written) 40

41. Cognitive NGHSLMS SPDG Project Initiatives Career Planning/ TransitionEffective strategy instruction (notetaking & study skills) Learning Personal Goals & Self-Advocacy Effective strategy instruction (notetaking & study skills) Students Involved Target Group Teachers Involved Sp Ed Dept Chair Sp Ed Case Managers Graduation Coach Career Specialist Counselors Sp Ed Study Skills teacherSp Ed Case Managers(7) teachers Lead Contact Graduation Coach Sp Ed Dept ChairAP Evaluation Tools Survey completion (ID careers based on interests & skills) & Post- secondary requirements Agenda Books Checks Progress Reports Benchmarks Pre-Tests Progress Reports CRCT scores Agenda Book Checks Progress Reports Fidelity of Implementation Indicators IEP Transition Plans & Data Collection Dates GIT (Graduation Intervention Team): Curriculum AP Sp Ed Dept Chair Graduation Coach Study Skills teacher gradebook with Sp Ed Dept Chair checking data collected “Progress to Goals” Agenda Page by Grade Level Lead & Sp Ed Teachers Report of Missing Grades by Grade Level Lead & Sp Ed Teachers Person Coaching the Intervention Graduation Coach Career Specialist Sp Ed Dept ChairAPCo-Lead Special Ed Teacher Family & Community Involvement Community members volunteer to allow job shadowing Study skills strategies presented at Freshman Parent Night Agenda goal setting page explained to parents at Curriculum Night Study Skills & Agenda Communication info explained at Curriculum Night 41

42. Psychological NGHSLMS SPDG Project Initiatives Mentoring/ Relationship BuildingSchool Connectedness: Peer Mentors & Group Activities Orientation: Expectation 101 Classes Mentoring/ Relationship Building Students Involved Target Group Teachers Involved Sp Ed Case ManagersSp Ed Dept Chair Graduation Coach Sp Ed Case Managers 9th grade advisors Sp Ed Dept Chair Curriculum AP Graduation Coach Athletic Director 9th grade teacher (2) 9th grade APs Special Ed Case Managers Lead Contact Sp Ed Dept ChairSp Ed Dept Chair Graduation CoachSp Ed Dept Chair Curriculum AP Graduation Coach Athletic Director 9th grade teacher (2) 9th grade APs AP Evaluation Tools Record of ContactsContact Logs Activity Sign-ins Participant QuestionnaireStamp Accumulation Parent Contact Log Student Agendas Fidelity of Implementation Indicators GIT (Graduation Intervention Team): Curriculum AP Sp Ed Dept Chair Graduation Coach GIT (Graduation Intervention Team): Curriculum AP Sp Ed Dept Chair Graduation Coach GIT (Graduation Intervention Team): Curriculum AP Sp Ed Dept Chair Graduation Coach Advisement Walk-thru Instrument by counselors Person Coaching the Intervention Sp Ed Dept Chair Graduation Coach Upper class mentors spoke at Parent Night Parent letters re group activities Sp Ed Dept ChairGraduation Coach Family & Community Involvement Parents will be contacted twice a month by case managers Freshman Mentors explained mentoring at 9th Grade Parent Night; Parents receive letters about group activities Parents contacted by phone & letter Parents contacted once a month Weekly grade reports Agenda book communication 42

43. Mentoring, Monitoring, and Advocating Teachers as Advisors Incentive program Expectations 101 Periodic team meetings Professional learning Weekly visits – Classroom visits – Consultations Special education and general education administrators Special education and general education teachers Parents and other family members Students – Ongoing data collection 43

44. 44

45. 45

46. 46

47. 47

48. 48

49. 49

50. 50

51. Attending to the seeds of dropout Elementary school special education lead teachers and administrators Elementary school special education teachers (K – 5) Parents of rising 6 th grade special education students 51

52. GA SPDG Collaboration Coaches 52

53. Building for Sustainability: A Collaborative Coaching Model for Dropout Prevention Laura C. Brown, GA SPDG Coordinator lbrown@pioneerresa.org Faith Huff, SPDG State Collaboration Coach fhuff@pioneerresa.org Fran Bay, Metro East Collaboration Coach fran_bay@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us Paulette Taylor, South Central Collaboration Coach ptaylor@scglr.org 53