Melissa Long Janet Stephenson

MTSS and EWS Moving from Reaction to Prevention: Early Intervention for Disengaged Students
Melissa Long Janet Stephenson Based on the work of Dr. Rebecca Sarlo - USF Introductions – Explain how we came to be here, explain our mission, get the oars rowing in the same direction.

Today’s Objectives Discuss the compelling why of Early Warning Systems
Identify early indicators of dropouts Describe the development and utility of Early Warning Systems Explore the multi-faceted nature of engagement Discuss data collection methods appropriate for identifying students who are disengaged academically, behaviorally, socially, or psychologically Discuss effective dropout prevention strategies for each type of disengagement (MTSS) Discuss progress monitoring of students at-risk for dropout

…and more What will it take to implement effective Early Warning Systems in Brevard that impact student achievement? What are our major barriers and how will we overcome them?

…and lets SIMPLIFY it even more!
Find ‘em! What is the problem? EWS – Who? How BIG? Figure out WHY it is occurring Patterns, variables, what can we control? Do something with them - MTSS Get students more engaged Proactive, preventative Progress Monitor to see if it worked

The Goal of Having a Multi-Tiered System of Support in Middle and High Schools is to…
A. Identify kids who are at risk. B. Make sure students are on track for graduation – college and career ready. Use data to find out our school’s weaknesses and how to best use resources. Help students who struggle in math and reading. Drop out prevention All of the above First we have to clarify MTSS ---Talk about misconception of MTSS – FIRST THE LINGO! Preparing students to successfully transition to the next school level. Strengthen vertical articulation Strengthen feeder patterns. Prepare for 9th grade! Reminder – MTSS reminds us that these kids are going to keep coming our way – will we be ready for them? MTSS is admitting we know our numbers are growing, we know we need systems in place – it’s about being proactive and preventative. Most successful middle school intervention is to ensure that students enter high school with as much strength as possible. The best middle school screening tool is the compilation of data from K-6. There appears to be a window of opportunity in reaching middle-grades students who show signs of poor behavior but who are not yet failing academic subjects. Look for students who have poor behavior but are strong academically. **We cannot cut and paste our elementary models for problem solving into the secondary schools ( feel the frustration of making it fit) Similarities certainly exist (i.e., the importance of problem-solving, school based leadership, teams, data days to evaluate “health and wellness” of the school, data-based decision making, multi-tiered support systems, and need for fidelity. The most salient differences that appear in secondary schools include 1) the emphasis on Early Warning Systems that use existing data for screening (rather than the emphasis on collecting new universal screening)

Stop and Jot What are indicators we know of potential drop outs?
How do drop outs affect society?

The WHY of our Work: A National Crisis
Nearly 30% of all high school students leave high school before graduating Approximately 50% of African American and Latino American Students do not graduate High School Dropouts Have shorter life spans Are more likely to be convicted of a crime Cannot access 90% of the current fastest growing career fields Cost the nation more than $325 billion in lost wages, taxes, and productivity On average, a 45 year old high school dropout is in worse health than a 65 year old high school graduate. High school dropouts have a life expectancy that is nearly a decade shorter than high school graduates Increasing high school completion rates by only 1% for all men ages 20 to 60 would reduce the4 costs in criminal justice system by $1.4 billion a year 90% of the fastest growing career fields require some post-secondary education

High School Dilemma Deadly combination
Poor Skill Development Limited or No Productivity (work completed, practice) How do you remediate gaps AND provide students with access to content simultaneously? How do you sustain student engagement when skill gaps are significant?

What We Know Middle- and High-School teams “inherit” the strengths and weaknesses (and Gaps) students bring to the level 64% of students repeating a grade in elementary school eventually drop out 63% of students held back in middle school eventually drop out Successful high school completion begins in kindergarten Most successful high school “intervention” is to ensure that students enter with as much strength as possible Which of these rings most true to you? Write about it, share on it!

What We Know Vertical Programming—articulation K-12- is the most effective way of ensuring that students are prepared for high school Middle- and High-School staff should know student needs at least month ahead of time. The best high-school “screening” tool is the compilation of data in K-8 An agreed upon “method” of vertical communication of student data/needs—that leads to vertical programming– is critical Which of these rings most true to you? Write about it, share on it!

is a process, not an event.
What We Know We know DROPPING OUT is a process, not an event. Agree? Or disagree? Discuss – a gradual process of disengagement This is why later when we talk about interventions, prevention strategies are just as important! Begin early and continue over time!

Dropout Prevention cannot be Sole Responsibility of High Schools
The Forgotten Middle “Making sure that all eighth-grade students have attained the knowledge and skills that put them on target to becoming ready for college and career is the single most important step that can be taken to improve their college and career readiness.” The Forgotten Middle: Ensuring that All Students are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School (ACT, 2008) High school people – What do we wish we knew from middle school folks? Middle school folks – What do we wish we knew from high school folks?

High School Transition
9th grade is a “make or break” year More students fail 9th grade than any other grade level A disproportionate number of held-back 9th graders subsequently drop out of school Powerful early signs of dropout are evident during the first semester and year of high school Early intervention has proven effective for maintaining students in school Do we only count the drop outs after 9th grade? What about drop outs summer between 8th and 9th?

Table Talk How does our district currently approach dropout prevention? When are dropout prevention services initiated? For Whom? How effective are the dropout prevention services? What could be done to improve their effectiveness?

How BIG is our problem? Who? …and later…any patterns?
1. Finding them How BIG is our problem? Who? …and later…any patterns?

What are Early Warning Systems?
Systems which: Utilize routinely available data housed at the school Help identify students at-risk for dropping out utilizing highly predictive data Allow districts and schools to target interventions that support off-track or at-risk students while they are still in school Allow districts and schools to uncover patterns and root causes that contribute to disproportionate drop-out rates at a particular school or within a particular group of students Discuss – What data? What Interventions? What patterns or root causes exist at your school? What are some hypotheses?

Developing a District-Wide Early Warning System – Why?
The best predictor of future failure is current failure and disengagement Assessing risk across multiple variables allows teams to provide early intervention and prevent disengagement from school and course failures At-risk and off-track students are identified through analyzing a combination of engagement and academic data. Many students experience course failures as a result of disengagement (e.g., excessive absenteeism, lack of productivity, inattention) Systematically assessing student engagement allows schools to identify students in need of support before they have failed courses or acquired skill deficits related to missed instruction By the time students enter secondary schools they typically have years of data which indicates whether or not the student is at-risk for school failure and high school dropout.

EWS – 2 Key Questions What are our problems? (How many students off track? Who?) Why are they occurring? Question 1 – Data – find them – Question 2 – What is causing students to be disengaged? What can we control here at school? How can we be proactive and preventative to get students engaged? Question 3 – What are we going to do about it? MTSS

EWS Indicators Academic Engagement Course Grades GPA Credits Earned
Retention Good Cause Exempt. Engagement Attendance Suspension Tardies Referral

Early Warning Systems Identify all students who miss more than 20% of the available instructional time and/or Identify students through engagement scales or behavior indicators Identify all students who fail their math course Identify all students who fail their English course Flag students who display both engagement and academic failure as high risk Go beyond Reading! Unlike a focus on a particular skill (e.g., reading), in which a schools math, history, culinary arts, and other teachers may not necessarily feel connected to, EWS includes indicators of risk that everyone in a school has a hand in. EWS includes academic indicators such as course grades, credits earned, GPA, retention, but also engagement indicators, such as attendance, suspensions, referrals. Through the EWS, schools have a universal language to identify problems at the school-wide level, and through engagement factors, schools also have a new conceptualization for analyzing why problems are occurring and how to intervene to address the barriers to learning and engagement. In this sense, a school can rally together knowing that they have clearly recognized the problems.

Building Your Early Warning System
The best predictor of future failure is current failure and disengagement. By the time students enter secondary schools they typically have years of data which indicates whether or not the student is at-risk for school failure and high school dropout. Assessing risk across multiple variables allows teams to provide early intervention and prevent disengagement from school and course failures.

Hendry County Schools Extreme Off Track 2-3 Years Behind
No chance for graduation in a traditional school setting Disengagement Risk Factors: 1. Disengagement 20% absenteeism 2. Behind in Credits Particularly Core Course Failures 3. GPA less than 2.0 4. Failed FCAT High Off Track 3 or more risk factors Off Track 2 of 4 risk factors indicated Students entering with 20% absenteeism and/or 2 or more F’s in 8th Grade First develop a generic system taking into account Florida’s graduation requirements Second, apply the generic system to the specific grade levels using grad plan year. For example, see credits earned as an example in box Third, identify off track for incoming 8th graders – use data from elementary schools– see bold for example Fourth, determine the percentage of students that fall under each risk factors – by Grad Plan Year Fifth, create master schedule with data in mind At Risk for Off Track 1 of 4 risk factors indicated On Track No risk factors indicated Hendry County Schools 22

At-Risk Eighth Graders
Those who attend school less than 80% of the time (78% became drop outs) Those who receive a failing grade in math and/or English (77% became drop outs) Did not have strong predictive power: Gender, race, age, test scores I found this predictor…78% become drop outs/77% become drop outs. The best predictor of future failure is current failure and disengagement Assessing risk across multiple variables allows teams to provide early intervention and prevent disengagement from school and course failures At-risk and off-track students are identified through analyzing a combination of engagement and academic data. Many students experience course failures as a result of disengagement (e.g., excessive absenteeism, lack of productivity, inattention) Systematically assessing student engagement allows schools to identify students in need of support before they have failed courses or acquired skill deficits related to missed instruction

Attendance: The Canary in the Coal Mine
School More than 9 Absences – students not in school 80% of the time Central 9 Clearlake 4 Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr 2 DeLaura Edgewood Hoover 7 Jackson Jefferson Johnson 12 Kennedy 5 Madison McNair 3 Southwest Spacecoast 1 Stone Westshore Total 79 Of these 79 students 78 % could potentially become high school drop outs. 61 drop outs. AS of 43rd day of school. 20 % is 9 days October 8th – A canary is a predictor of a poor outcome… Attendance is a predictor of the outcome. Only 8th grade.

Teacher data teams use to identify at risk students on their teams
Teacher data teams use to identify at risk students on their teams. Once they find commonalities, brainstorm strategies –action plan of how to intervene with groups of students. This is an example of Tier 2 behavior data collection, and intervention planning. The team may meet back periodically to discuss if plan is working. Is attendance improving, is behavior improving, are academics improving – all are progress monitoring.

Stop and Jot Make a list of indicators you will want in an Early Warning System. Next to each item, record what data source Brevard currently has for retrieving that data. Put EWS Indicators slide back up! We will continue to modify this as we go…….

2. Figure out WHY it is occurring
Patterns and root causes What can we control? This often might be a hypothesis – why do we think it is occurring? Some schools have instituted – exit slips, attendance surveys

Dropout Early Warning Signs
Disengagement Most students dropout mentally before ever physically leaving the school A lack of engagement with school is a precursor to dropping out Indicators of disengagement: Attendance problems Classroom/School engagement scales Behavior marks Students most often cite school-related reasons for dropping out There appears to be a window of opportunity in reaching middle grade students who show signs of poor behavior but who are not yet failing academic subjects. By the time future dropouts reach high school, poor behavior and course failures tend to converge among many students who eventually leave school Attending to behavior challenges, engagement, and attendance with middle grade students who are not yet failing coursework may be one key to reaching a group of students who may otherwise drop out later. Students most often reported school-related reasons for why they dropped out of school. Students most often cite a lack of motivation, boredom, an unchallenging atmosphere, and an overall lack of engagement in school as a reason to drop out

Student engagement has emerged as the cornerstone of high school reform initiatives.
National Research Council publication, “Engaging schools: Fostering high school students’ motivation to learn” I can, I want to, I belong Competence, Autonomy, Belonging The other “ABCs” URL: Engagement is becoming a major issue among educators across the nation. Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Connell & Wellborn, 1990; NRC, 2004; Ryan & Deci, 2000 30

Student Engagement Engagement is the primary theoretical model for understanding dropout and is, quite frankly, the bottom line in interventions to promote school completion. Student engagement has emerged as the cornerstone of high school reform initiatives. Both academic and social aspects of school life are integral for student success; engagement at school and with learning are essential intervention considerations. New construct – promising but there is a lot that we don’t know Generally can say that engagement is an alterable, multidimensional construct Means of understanding student behavior and performance as for addressing student needs 3 definite statements we can make about engagement right now Christenson et al., 2008 31 31

Both academic and social aspects of school life are integral for student success; engagement at school and with learning are essential intervention considerations. School completion is dependent on more than just academic performance and an absence of inappropriate behavior Yet… academic performance and behavior problems typically represent the totality of what schools monitor A complete early warning system will include identification of students who are socially and psychologically disengaged in addition to academic and behavioral disengagement and provide interventions specific to students’ needs McPartland (1994); Dynarski & Gleason (2002)

Participation-Identification Model
Engagement is the primary theoretical model for understanding dropout and is, quite frankly, the bottom line in interventions to promote school completion. Finn (1989 & 1993) Participation-Identification Model Indicators of withdrawal and engagement over several years Belonging, Identification, Relationships Engagement has an exponential effect on achievement and overall school success Engagement comes from the dropout literature Primary theoretical model of dropout: Finn’s participation-identification model deescribes school completion and dropout in terms of engagement with school – there are behavioral and affective components Flip to next slide Fits with empirical work on dropouts and completers: can differentiate these groups based on engagement early in elementary school There is something about the affective of social side of schooling – What we know from the literature Teacher student relationships Peer relationships More specifically related to dropout, Qualitative and survey studies of dropouts 33

“The Rich Get Richer” Time Spent Successful Perceive more
Academically Performance teacher and Engaged peer support Intervening with any one of these points will likely have an exponential effect for student participation leads to successful performance, promoting feelings of identification or belonging at school; which in turn, promote on-going participation. Opportunities for participation change as students progress through the educational system. Initially, successful participation may involve attending school and being prepared for class; in later years, class preparation requires greater effort (e.g., homework, outside projects), and there are more opportunities to participate in nonacademic aspects of school, such as band, clubs, or other extracurricular activities (Finn, 1989) For students who are at risk for dropping out - this cycle starts to break down. Less likely to show the increased and varied forms of participation as they go through school, less successful, reduced feelings of belonging… Begin to disengage Flip back Feelings of Connection and Identification w/ School Feelings of competence and control Participation in School Activities 34

Dropping out is the most extreme form of disengagement
Engagement Theory 4 subtypes Academic Behavioral Psychological Social Antidote to: students characterized as bored, unmotivated, and uninvolved Academic – being a good learner; getting good grades Behavioral-good citizen; participant; attending Psychological – believing school matters Social – having a feeling of belonging in school Academic engagement refers to being a good learner, getting good grades, being promoted, etc. Behavioral engagement refers to being a good citizen in the school, getting to school regularly and on time, participating appropriately in class activities, getting homework done on time, and avoiding disciplinary infractions. Cognitive engagement refers to believing in the need for school and classes to achieve goals and believing that school matters. Affective engagement refers to feeling connected and having a feeling of belonging in school. Academic and behavioral engagement can be measured with the data we routinely collect on students. Cognitive and affective engagement are harder to measure; we are using the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) to collect data on these components of student engagement. Cognitive: relevance/utility of school work, autonomy, competence, Affective: belonging and identification with the values and goals of the school THINK OF STUDENTS YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED – WHY DID THEY DROP OUT? WHICH CATEGORIES DID THEY FIT INTO? TABLE TALK – WHICH OF THESE IS MOST IMPORTANT TO A STUDENT? Dropping out is the most extreme form of disengagement Adapted from Christenson & Anderson, 2002; Newmann, 1992; Russell et al., 2005 35

Contextual Variable which Impact Student Engagement
Family Academic and motivational support for learning Goals and expectations of successful school performance Monitoring/supervision Learning resources in the home Peers Educational expectations Shared common school value High attendance rates Academic beliefs and efforts Peers’ aspiration for learning School School climate Instructional programming and learning activities Mental health support Clear and appropriate teacher expectations Goal structure (task vs. ability) Teacher-student relationships

Academic Engagement Indicators
Course Failures Particularly Math and English in Middle School Credits earned GPA Homework completion Time on task Academic engagement variables have a moderate to large effect on achievement Most visible form of engagement and the most often tracked by school personnel

Dropout Early Warning Signs
Course Performance Indicators Course grades and failure rates are highly predictive of which students will or will not graduate from high school. Students who fail one or more courses in the fall semester of their first year of high school are significantly more likely to eventually drop out 85% of students with 0 semester failures in their freshmen year graduated in 4 years 70% of students with one semester F during 9th grade graduate in 4 years Only 55% of students with two semester Fs in 9th grade graduated in 4 years Students with 3 or more semester Fs are not likely to graduate from high school

Calculating Risk with Course Performance Data
Freshman Course Failures, particularly in core academic courses At the end of each marking period, identify the number of Fs earned by each student Include both failures in any course and Fs earned in core academic courses Freshman Grade Point Average (GPA) At the end of each marking period and at the end of the cumulative year, identify students who earn a 2.0 or less Credits earned in each term Include the total number of credits accumulated per term for each student. Identify students who fail to earn enough credits to be promoted to 10th grade (typically 5) ¼ of the total number of credits required for graduation minus 1

Behavioral Engagement
Among the most common concerns expressed by educators and parents Indicators Attendance Suspensions Participation in classroom activities Significantly related to academic achievement and school dropout

Dropout Early Warning Indicators
Attendance Attendance during the first year of high school is directly related to high school completion Even moderate absences (5-10 days) in the first semester of 9th grade are associated with eventual drop out Attendance is the biggest risk factor for failing 9th grade 9th grade failure is the biggest risk factor for high school drop out

Attendance Missing more than 10% of instructional time is significant Translates to roughly 10 days of school per semester in most high schools Students who miss more than 10% of the first 20 days of school (2 days) are particularly at-risk for high school dropout Any student missing more than 10% of instructional time (at 20 day mark or at each quarter) should be flagged for intervention

Behavioral Problems Early violent behavior Chronic misbehavior, especially if it results in suspension or expulsion Criminal behavior in the community Middle and High Schools should identify students who display chronic misbehavior or accrue 2 or more suspension incidences in a semester period

Social Engagement Indicators . Perception of support
Affiliation with school Sense of belonging Perception of the value of school and school related activities Peer group .

Identifying Socially Disengaged Students
List all students names at grade levels and have adults in school initial next to students with whom they have a personal relationship. Students with no initials by their names may be socially disengaged Utilize a survey to identify students who are bullied, alienated by peers, or who simply perceive that they have difficulty connecting with peers Employ a systematic student-nomination process within which school personnel indicate the students whom they have concerns regarding peer and/or adult connections Determine which students are not actively engaged in extracurricular activities through the review of club and sport rosters and attendance logs DISCUSS – WHICH OF THINGS SEEM MOST DO-ABLE TO YOU? WHAT WOULD BE BEST?

Stop and Jot Make a list of indicators you will want to add to your Early Warning System to monitor students who are socially disengaged. Where will we get this data? Who could monitor? Put EWS Indicators slide back up! We will continue to modify this as we go…….

Psychological Engagement
Indicators Sense of confidence and control Use of learning and problem solving strategies Investment in learning Perceived relevance of school for future outcomes Significantly related to academic achievement, school attendance, and high school graduation.

Identifying Psychologically Disengaged Students
Utilize a survey to assess students’ sense of control, relevance of schoolwork, and future aspirations and goals Employ a systematic student-nomination process within which school personnel indicate the students whom they are concerned regarding their interest in learning or lack post-secondary goals WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE IN PLACE FOR THIS?

Putting it all together…
Middle School Early Warning Systems School systems should focus on dropout prevention efforts in the beginning of the middle grades at the latest Academic indicators Fail either math or English Engagement indicators Attend school less than 80% of the time Consistently miss instruction due to behavioral issues Psychological or Social disengagement Lack of peer group Lack of involvement in school extracurricular activities Low educational expectations Retention Retained 1 or more years Mobility Multiple schools during educational career More than half of 6th graders with the 3 criteria eventually left school 6th graders who received poor behavior marks were found to have only a one in four chance of making it to 12th grade on time and graduating 8th graders who miss 5 or more weeks of school during the year OR fail math or English more than a 75% chance of dropping out of school Gender, race, age, and test scores did not have the strong predictive power of attendance and course failures for future drop out

Putting it all together…
High School Early Warning Systems Academic indicators GPA less than 2.0 Failed Courses Behind in Credits Engagement indicators Attend school less than 80% of the time Consistently miss instruction due to behavioral issues Psychological or Social disengagement Lack of peer group Lack of involvement in school extracurricular activities Low educational expectations Lack of personal relationship with adults at school Retention Retained 1 or more years Mobility Multiple schools during educational career

2. Do something with them Interventions, MTSS
NOW COMES THE HARD PART…….So we collected data, we know who, we know what our problems are….what will we do? Reminder – MTSS reminds us that these kids are going to keep coming our way – will we be ready for them? MTSS is admitting we know our numbers are growing, we know we need systems in place – it’s about being proactive and preventative.

Designing Effective Prevention/Intervention Services
Identifying students at risk for dropping out is only the first step Next step is to identify and provide effective and appropriate dropout prevention/intervention strategies Intervention planning is informed by the scope of the identified problem (Tier 1, 2, 3) and the specific needs of the students There will be cases in which students are flagged for at risk based on one indicator (e.g., they fail one or more courses) but not the others (e.g., their overall GPA is higher than a 2.5 or their attendance patterns are not a concern). In these cases, it is likely these students are struggling with particular subjects or areas (e.g., literacy) and specific academic interventions may be the most appropriate. In cases where the early warning signs all converge and indicate a general disengagement with school, the provision of comprehensive drop-out prevention programs that aim to get the student re-engaged in school activities and academics may be needed.

Dropout Prevention Interventions
Dropout prevention programs that are disconnected from the core instructional program of a school are unlikely to be a good use of resources Schools should develop a continuum of intervention supports which are readily accessible as soon as a student is indicated as at-risk or off-track

Early Intervention is the Answer
Disengagement is a gradual process that includes impaired or reduced participation, less successful outcomes, and reduced identification and belonging Identifying students at the first sign of withdrawal significantly improves the likelihood of re-engagement and successful school completion Shift from a focus of preventing negative outcomes, such as dropout, to promoting student competence and support

Hendry County Schools Extreme Off Track 2-3 Years Behind
No chance for graduation in a traditional school setting Disengagement Risk Factors: 1. Disengagement 20% absenteeism 2. Behind in Credits Particularly Core Course Failures 3. GPA less than 2.0 4. Failed FCAT High Off Track 3 or more risk factors Off Track 2 of 4 risk factors indicated Students entering with 20% absenteeism and/or 2 or more F’s in 8th Grade Remember this visual - At Risk for Off Track 1 of 4 risk factors indicated On Track No risk factors indicated Hendry County Schools 55

Given the following… A common theme among effective practices is that they have a positive effect on the motivation of individual students because they address underlying psychological variables such as competence, control, beliefs about the value of education, and a sense of belonging. National Research Council, 2004, p. 212

Stop and Jot What do schools already have in place?
Psychological Social Academic Behavior How else could we be proactive and preventative? Guidance counselors – career fairs, vocational fairs, BCC, dual enrollment, Here’s what’s interesting to me – there is not a ton of stuff out there on interventions… Between 1982 – articles published on drop outs – Only 30 were intervention studies of what worked… So we are great at predicting the rain, and challenged at building the ark!

Intervention Linked to Underlying Barrier
Disengaged Learners Failed Learners Mentoring programs Goal Setting & career planning support Frequent progress reports Targeted rewards Mandatory study hall Mandatory homework help Study skills classes Targeted, differentiated instruction Additional instructional time Pre-teach essential skills, content, and vocabulary Review/Reteach prerequisite skills to address the learning gap Prevention (requires vertical articulation with middle/elementary school and early identification of at-risk students) CAUTION: Failed Learners often become disengaged over time and may require both categories of intervention support

Effective Dropout Prevention Services
Effective Schools and Teachers Promote: Students’ understanding of what it takes to learn Confidence in their capacity to succeed in school A sense of belonging by personalizing instruction, showing an interest in students’ lives, and creating a supportive, caring social context. High expectations for all students And, Provide: Challenging instruction Support for meeting high standards Opportunities for choice and control Curriculum and instruction that is relevant to adolescents’ experiences, cultures, and long-term goals National Research Council, 2004 Much of this is what we would call in the MTSS world – Tier One.

First Steps The most important first step in successfully implementing MTSS/RTI and increasing learning is ensuring the quality of full class instruction. The least expensive way to increase learning at your school is to improve full class instruction. The change that will affect the most number of students at your school is to improve full class instruction. Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions may be what everyone is talking about, but full class instruction affects more students. And there are a lot of schools spending a lot of energy running around trying to implement a complicated system of Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions when much of that energy would be better spent simply focusing on improving Tier One full classroom instruction. COMMON ASSESSMENTS – LINK TO COMMON CORE – PREASSESSMENTS FOR ALGEBRA ETC.

Improving Tier 1 Syllabus Pre test – prerequisite assessment
Common Assessments – analyzing and using the data Differentiation of content, process, product Proactively seeking out data of incoming students Vertical alignment between 6th & 7th grade Vertical alignment between 8th & 9th grade

You will be given 20 minutes to complete these tasks
Group Collaboration Intervention Jigsaw Review assigned material Discuss most important points Prepare to share back with your jigsaw group You will be given 20 minutes to complete these tasks

Group Collaboration Return to your jigsaw group
You will have 20 minutes to share information Share any additional dropout prevention/intervention strategies that your schools have implemented with success. Given the information shared, discuss potential next steps for your school sites. How can you support this next step? You will have 10 minutes to discuss these points

Helping Students who Are Off Track
Tier 2 - Academic Credit Retrieval Reading Intervention Class Math Intervention Class Learning strategies AVID Academic Tutoring No Zero Zone Tier 2 – Behavior Mentor Programs Check In/Check out Goal Setting Behavior Contracts Attendance Contracts

Support for FEW (Intensive, Individualized Instruction – Tier 3)
Academics Behavior • More intense targeted skill interventions • Customized interventions • Frequent progress monitoring to guide intervention design • Student centered planning • Customized function based interventions • Frequent progress monitoring to guide intervention design

Infrastructure of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports
Think about…could we… Direct a significant amount of resources to critical transition years (6th and 9th) to prevent academic and behavioral problems Provide opportunities for mentoring, advisement, and academic support within the master schedule for all students Include classes which provide instruction in organization, study skills, note-taking, problem solving, and communication in the school’s master schedule Intensify instruction by providing additional time and personnel or smaller class sizes for classes which typically result in high rates of course failures It's CRITICAL that students have access to up to date information about their grades. It's also critical that they are encouraged to access and reflect on their grades on a regular basis.

Scheduling of Multi-Tiered Supports
Suggestions – Are we already doing these? Build time into the school’s master schedule to allow for weekly common planning/PLC time for content teams and for cross content teams at least monthly Intervention teachers plan with core content teachers and align intervention strategies with core instruction Develop school leadership team members who can monitor and participate in the work of all other school teams

Is what we are doing working?
4. Progress Monitoring Is what we are doing working? NOW COMES THE HARD PART…….How will we know?

Progress Monitoring the EWS
The indicators in the Early Warning System can continue to be used to monitor the progress of students participating in dropout prevention interventions Interventions should be considered effective for students who move back on-track for graduation Students who continue to be identified as off-track for graduation may require more intense drop out prevention interventions. When evaluating results, be sure to check for delayed outcomes associated with early interventions

What Schools Do Matters!
Freshman with weak academics entering high school who reported having a positive 9th grade year were almost twice as likely to graduate from high school than students who entered with strong academics but reported a negative 9th grade academic experience Dropout prevention strategies which focus on improving school climate, academic rigor, and student support and monitoring have been found to reduce dropout rates by as much as 50% These results were independent of family adversity and 8th grade academic achievement test scores

Where are we? What will it take to implement effective Early Warning Systems in Brevard that impact student achievement? What are our major barriers and how will we overcome them?

Take Away Message… Intervene early, persistently, and across the contexts of school peers, school adults, and the home and community to change student developmental trajectories. Christenson et al., 2008

TTHANKS FOR LISTENING! What do we already have in place?
What are our districts biggest challenges? How can we tackle this for behavior and academics?

References & Resources
Anderson, A. R., Christenson, S. L., & Lehr, C. A. (2004). School completion and student engagement: Information and strategies for educators. In A. S. Canter, L. Z. Paige, M. D. Roth, I. Romero, & S. A. Carroll (Eds.), Helping children at home and at school II: Handouts for families and educators (pp. S2-65–S2-68). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists. Retrieved October 25, 2006 from Appleton, J., Christenson, S.L., Kim, D., & Reschly, A. (2006). Measuring cognitive and psychological engagement: Validation of the Student Engagement Instrument. Journal of School Psychology, 44, Christenson, S.L., & Anderson, A. R. (2002). Commentary: The centrality of the learning context for students’ academic enabler skills. School Psychology Review,31(3), Christenson & Thurlow (2004). School dropouts: Prevention, considerations, interventions, and challenges. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13(1), Christenson, S.L., Reschly, A.L., Appleton, J.J., Berman, S., Spanjers, D., & Varro, P. (2008). Best practices in fostering student engagement. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds). Best Practices in School Psychology (5th Ed). National Association of School Psychologists.

References & Resources
Finn, J.D. (1989). Withdrawing from school. Review of Educational Research, 59, Fredericks, J.A., Blumenfeld, P.C., & Paris, A.H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74, Lehr, Sinclair, & Christenson (2004). Addressing student engagement and truancy prevention during the elementary school years: A replication study of the Check & Connect model. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 9(3), National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine (2004). Engaging schools: Fostering high school students’ motivation to learn. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press Reschly, A. & Christenson, S.L. (2007). Reading and School Completion: Critical Linkages Among Reading Performance, Grade Retention, Special Education Placements and High School Dropout. Manuscript under review. Sinclair, Christenson, Evelo, & Hurley. (1998). Dropout prevention for high risk youth with disabilities: Efficacy of a sustained school engagement procedure. Exceptional Children, 65(1), 7-21. Sinclair, Christenson, & Thurlow (2005). Promoting School completion of urban secondary youth with emotional or behavioral disabilities. Exceptional Children, 71,

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