Sarah Williams, HM Jackson HS Paul Turner, HM Jackson HS Becky Ballbach, District Lead Counselor

1. High School & Beyond: The H. S. Counselor’s Role in Increasing Graduation RatesThe ASCA Model in the Everett Public Schools Sarah Williams, HM Jackson HS Paul Turner, HM Jackson HS Becky Ballbach, District Lead Counselor

2. School counselors have a direct effect on graduation rates by focusing on student academics, behavior and attendance.  Learn how one district applied interventions based on ASCA National Model and dropout prevention best practices to increase promotion and graduation rates.  Participants will learn techniques to work with greater intention and will walk away with ideas to improve their own practice. 

3. ASCA National Model

4. Who Are We? • 27 schools • 19,164 students • Suburban • 63.5% White • Middle class • Some pockets of poverty • Some pockets of affluence

5. Who Are We? • SAT • WA highest ranked state of those with more than 50% of students taking the SAT • Everett above the state average • 65% of JHS students take the SAT

6. Annual Dropout rate Graduation rate 2003/04 11.7% 61.0% Graduation Rate Data 2010/11 2% 80.3% OTG 85.4% Extended

7. Other Information • Disparity of performance among schools • Economic disparity among schools • Academic preparation for post high school

9. Extended Graduation Rate for Everett School District by Ethnicity and Special Population 1130 10 186 47 99 777 30 73 295 Source: OSPI Report Card http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary 2010-11 data is estimated and not available until OSPI posts in January / March 2012 OTG Rates 2004-11 2.21.12

10. Figuring out how to help by gatheringstudent input • African American • Hispanic • Native American

11. Opportunity Washington State Achievement Index

14. OTG Action Each student in an ethnic or special population who is not on track to graduate will meet with an adult to discuss their progress and challenges with addressing the components of their graduation plans.

15. Elementary Transition to Middle School Middle School Career and Education Planning 8th grade HS Transitions High School Freshman Focus Sophomore Summit Junior Post-High School Planning Senior Group Interviews Everett Public Schools Guidance Curriculum

16. M. S. Master Calendar

17. Middle School Counselor’s provide help to increase the graduation rate • 6th grade Orientation • HS 101: Blueprint for HS Success (H.S. Transition booklet) • Alignment of curriculum

18. Middle School Teacher’s provide help to increase the graduation rate Study Support: • Math Lunch Club, Organizational Lunch Club, after school study clubs (MASH – Math After School Club) Leaning Strategies: • Pre-AP strategies, reading support (Read 180),

19. M.S. to H.S. Transition Activities • H.S. Student Panel – Winter, gd. 8 • H.S. Kick-Off Assembly – March, gd. 8 • 8th grade H.S. Transition conferences – March, gd. 8 • 8th Grade Family Night and Curriculum Fair – late March, gd. 8 • RSVP Letter – Verification of classes/enrollment – May, gd. 8

20. 8th Grade High School Transition Conferences

21. Handout pg. 1

23. District Focus

24. OTG Interventions (long term) • Create a ‘Success Coordinator’ position to help track High School Students • Create a Summer Transition program for grades 8 to 9 • Create a Summer Credit Recovery program for grades 9 - 12

25. Summer School Credit Retrieval Intervention • Counselors identified students who would be good candidates for credit retrieval summer school: Satisfactory attendance, failed core classes, desire to get back on track • Success coordinator enrolled recommended students for program and tracked progress • Students went to class daily for 3-6 weeks during the summer (depending on how much credit they needed)

26. Results of intervention • Students recovered credit in 44 total classes • 35 students signed up for 61 total classes • Of those 35, only 4 did not receive credit in any classes • Of those 35, 5 passed one class but not the other

27. The H.S. Curriculum

28. Post – Secondary Planning • H.S. & Beyond Family Night • PSAT – ALL juniors! • Comprehensive College & Career Readiness Guidance Curriculum

29. K – 12 Community Event Postcard ~ Handout pg. 2

30. School Wide Promotion ~ staff wear “college gear,” powerpoint shown during lunches, signs hung around building, etc. Special invites to IEP, 504, AVID, College Bound Scholar, families needing translation services, etc.

31. H.S. “Closing the Gap” Activities Available on the Counseling webpage

32. Transcript Evaluations Does your school use an electronic transcript evaluation system? Is it accurate?

33. OTG Interventions • Run failure lists by school, class and teacher and share with staff • Identify courses with a high failure rate and plan interventions • Establish a 2nd semester credit-recovery option for students who failed classes during 1st semester

34. H.S. “Closing the Gap” Activities • Student Led Intervention Conferences • District – Red, Yellow, Green Lists • Pyramid of Intervention (POI) • Credit Retrieval for HSPE/EOC

35. Evening Appointments Handout pg. 3

36. Intervention • After 1st quarter identified students who were failing 1 or more classes • Got flex time from admin to conduct late night conferences between parent/counselor/student • Specific interventions depended on meeting, mostly simple things including: meet with teacher, e-mail teacher, refer for afterschool help, set up contracts at home, plan a study time at home on a consistent basis, etc.

37. Resources for Families Handout pg. 4

38. Student Led Intervention Conference Results • Total number of “F” grades comparison (1st quarter/1st semester): Intervention group: decreased 183% Control group: increased 17% • GPA Comparison (1st quarter/1st semester): Intervention Group: +.35 GPA Control Group: -.17 GPA

39. Closing the Gap Interventions – The Importance of Communication

40. JHS Pyramid of Intervention

41. OTG Interventions

42. Working as a Whole School – Club Involvement

43. Some things are obvious…

44. …but with so much to track, it helps to have a calendar! Handout pg. 5

45. Sr. Year OTG Interventions • Develop a graduation trajectory profile for all seniors • Identify Sr’s who could access credit recovery & graduate in June • Identify Sr’s who could access summer intervention & graduate in August

46. 11th to 12th grade Transition Activites • June = Summer Credit Letter • August & Sept = Compare senior classes to credit needs. Meet with families of “off track seniors”

47. College Bound Scholar • Our plan = to make sure CBS students: (1) still qualify & (2) complete their FAFSA. Counselors will… • check GPA’s & F/R lunch status • Special invitation to FAFSA Family Night in January • Personal calls home: • FAFSA Night invite • check in regarding completion of the FAFSA • review College Goal Sunday opportunities providing free FAFSA assistance • Check-in’s with CBS Sr’s through graduation

48. Finding creative ways to assist with Post-Secondary Transitions • Community College Admission Rep visits • Military Rep visits • Application assistance

49. Finding the right program for each student to earn a HS diploma

50. Communication with Administration