About ECS

1. Dropout Prevention: Recent Research and State Policy ResponsesJennifer DounayEducation Commission of the StatesPresentation to Ready for Life Nevada Dropout Prevention SummitLas Vegas, NevadaNovember 12, 2008

2. About ECS • 50-state education compact est’d 1965 • Nonpartisan, nonprofit • Serves all state-level education policymakers and their staffs: • Governors • Legislators • State board members • State superintendents • SHEEOS and higher education boards Education Commission of the States

3. Research (and common sense) – and state policy responses • Middle grades • HS curriculum: Rigor and relevance • Curricular supports: Remediation and adolescent literacy • Structure of day/week/year • Push/pull: Parental involvement • Adult advocates for at-risk students • Early warning systems and use of data Education Commission of the States

4. Middle grades • Balfanz, Herzog, MacIver 2007 study • Four grade 6 indicators: • Failing English • Failing math • Attendance 80% or below • One or more out-of-school suspension (= failing “behavior” grade) Education Commission of the States

5. State policy responses • RI, LA: Supp. ed. programs/coaching for students below grade level in reading, math • GA: Graduation coaches in middle schools Education Commission of the States

6. Rigor and relevance • Numerous studies (and common sense) • Rigor: higher expectations (+ supports) • Rigor + relevance • Dual enrollment • Early/middle college high school • Academics integrated in career/tech. courses • Proficiency-based credit • Relevance: Individual grad. plans Education Commission of the States

7. Rigor: Higher expectations (and supports) • “College/work ready” core = Min. • 4 English • Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II • 3 lab sciences • 3 social studies • At least 8 states to require • Alignment with college admissions reqts (some states) Education Commission of the States

8. College/work-ready core • Key to consider: • End-of-course or other means to demonstrate attainment of standards • High quality, targeted remediation • Opportunity for integrated academic/CTE • Teacher preparation, professional devt. • Public awareness of, support for need • Backmapping from HS to earlier grades! Education Commission of the States

9. Dual enrollment • RI: Poss. intervention for dist. w/ dropout rate > 15% • Course fee waivers for free/reduced lunch • OR: “Priority” for districts to inform dropouts of Expanded Options • LA: Articulated credit pilot • IN: Fast Track to College Education Commission of the States

10. Early/middle college HS • Early college HS: diploma + AA in 5 yrs. • Middle college: Some PS credits on PS campus • ECHS: State-level policies in 6 states (CO, MI, NC, PA, TN, TX) • No ECHS in Nevada? • Model ECHS policy components: • ECS October 2008 report: “Improving Outcomes for Traditionally Underserved Students Through Early College High Schools” • search doc 7863 on www.ecs.org Education Commission of the States

11. Academics in CTE • “Math in CTE” program • CTE students better than controls • Perf. same on CTE skills • 2001 study of NELS data: • Dropout lowest: 3 CTE units: 4 academic units • Esp. for at-risk students • Dropout increased when CTE ratio rose above this ratio Education Commission of the States

12. Academics in CTE (cont’d) • Key state policy components: • Include CTE courses as option in fulfilling grad. reqts. • Content stds. (reading/writing/math) that can be integrated into CTE courses • Allow demonstration of mastery of stds. via CTE in lieu of academic courses • PD for CTE and academic teachers to team teach Education Commission of the States

13. Curricular supports: Remediation • Key state policy components: • Students ID’d early in school year, HS career • Schools/dist. required to provide • Students required to attend • Individual learning plan for every ID’d student • Program must be evaluated regularly, improved based on evaluation • October 2008 ECS report: “HS Remediation” • ECS database Education Commission of the States

14. Curricular supports: Adolescent literacy • Little focus on literacy after grade 3 • Obvious: Literacy is key to success in core academics Education Commission of the States

15. Adolescent literacy (cont’d) • Some key policy components: • Students grades 4-12 ID’d for diagnostic reading assts. • Literacy stds. aligned with curricula and assts. • State supports for local literacy plans • Teacher cert. includes adolescent literacy • Teacher mentoring/induction in adolescent literacy • Teacher PD in meeting adolescent literacy needs • Principal incentives to build leadership in adolescent literacy • ECS 50-state policy database: www.ecs.org/hsdb-al Education Commission of the States

16. Alternative pathways to standard diploma • August 2008 ECS report: “Beyond the GED” • Key state policy components: • Increasing upper statutory age • Alternative means to demonstrate competency • Flexible (but equally rigorous) credit recovery • Online or computer-based • Targeted to student need • Flexible scheduling and courseloads • Indiana School Flex program • Funding systems to accommodate flexibility Education Commission of the States

17. Push/pull: Parental involvement • HS parents don’t always know what involvement matters • Areas of policy • Developing formal policy • Reaching out on academic expectations • Accommodating parents’ needs • Building staff capacity • Building parent capacity • Developing benchmarks, evaluating impact, revising policies as needed • August 2008 ECS report (search doc 7848 on www.ecs.org) Education Commission of the States

18. Adult advocates for students • Georgia: Graduation coaches • ID at-risk students, keep on track academically • AL now piloting program • Colorado: School Counselors Corps Grant Program • Priority to schools w/above avg. dropout rates Education Commission of the States

19. Early warning systems/use of data • RI: State uses data for program improvement: • HS suspensions related to truancy • # students re-enrolled in flexible schedule/CC prog. • # freshmen with personal literacy plans • # students repeating Algebra I or 9th grade math • # students repeating 9th grade • # students receiving remediation in 9th grade • RI SEA annual report: • Outcomes of district strategies to date • How strategies will be modified, based on data Education Commission of the States

20. jdounay@ecs.org Education Commission of the States