Wayne County High School Interventions for Student Achievement Marlene Griffith Mathematics Department Chair Wayne County High School (912) , ext. 214 Leslie Horton Professional Learning, Curriculum, and Instruction Director Wayne County High School (912) ext. 816

Specific Interventions First Things First… Make sure Tier 1 (Standards-Based Classroom Learning) is in place and working –All teachers provide standards-based instruction (GPS for Math I and II; QCC in grades 11-12) –Suggestion: increase classroom observations All teachers on Standard Process for GTOI (three formal observations) School-wide walkthroughs (GPS, LFS, School Keys) County-wide walkthroughs and debriefing sessions Multiple informal drop-in visits (Focused Monitoring) PROVIDE FEEDBACK EVERY TIME –Monitoring is critically important!

Specific Interventions Develop a working Leadership Team with representatives from all areas in your school Determine where you want to go and establish SMART Goals for your school –Specific –Measurable –Attainable –Relevant –Timely

SMART GOALS Initiatives for Improvement: Standards-Based Classrooms Three formal observations for all teachers (standard process for GTEP/GTOI) and weekly informal observations by instructional coach, department chairs, and state leadership facilitator Using Testgate benchmark testing system to track GPS/QCC mastery across all four academic content areas Professional development sessions for all faculty members concerning Standards-Based Classrooms and the Georgia School Keys Leadership Team evaluation of Georgia School Keys implementation at WCHS Voluntary GAPSS Analysis and system “Mini-GAPSS”

SMART GOALS Initiatives for Improvement: GHSGT Identified secure, at-risk, and targeted 11 th grade students through teacher projections Provide supplementary GHSGT review for at-risk and targeted 11 th grade students (during-the-day pullout reviews and “Day Before” GHSGT reviews) Winter Break intersession planned for at-risk and targeted 11 th grade students and 12 th grade students who have not passed portions of the GHSGT Academic Focus sessions offered during the school day beginning spring semester (classes formed from teacher projections)

Specific Interventions: What to Do Next… Identify potential GHSGT failures in 11 th grade –Teachers mark the names of students with predictions about GHSGT –P” for students who should score 516 or above –“AR” for students who may score –“F” for students who were likely to score below 500 –Identify ethnicity, economically disadvantaged status, SWD, etc. –Create projections from that data

Projected “Target” Students

Math GHSGT – Projections Secure = 516 and above At Risk = 500 to 515 Target = 499 and below Last year, the overall pass rate for math was 80.5%. Secure and At-Risk students account for a 85.5% pass rate. We must maintain 74.9% to make AYP by absolute bar. Projections made September 14, 2009

Math GHSGT – Projections 74.9% Secure = 516 and above At Risk = 500 to 515 Target = 499 and below Last year, the overall pass rate for math was 80.5%. Secure and At-Risk students account for a 85.5% pass rate. We must maintain 74.9% to make AYP by absolute bar. Projections made September 14, 2009

Specific Interventions – Tier 2 GHSGT “Pull-Out” Review Sessions for 12 th graders –Identify seniors who needed to pass one or more parts of the graduation test –Paid teachers in those content areas to teach review sessions during their planning periods for five days prior to the each re-test administration.

Specific Interventions Intersession GHSGT Review –Wayne County school calendar included a five-day winter break –Paid teachers to provide GHSGT review for students during four days of the break one day per content area 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon each day Breakfast and lunch served (if funding is available)

Specific Interventions –Academic Focus GHSGT Review Classes During-the-School-Day Intervention Six weeks (30 days) Held during “Activity Period” of 30 minutes daily Scheduled our most at-risk 11 th grade students for math and ELA review Students rotated on a weekly basis between math and ELA

Specific Interventions “Day Before” GHSGT Reviews –Afternoon sessions during 5 th and 6 th periods on the day before each test –Teachers narrowed the “at risk” projections down to names –Saturday Science Review offered (since science is the first test given during GHSGT week) 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon Rotation through three lab sessions that cover major domains on GHSGT

Specific Interventions WCHS Pyramid of Interventions TAP ADVISORY GROUPS Each faculty member at WCHS meets with his/her advisement groups to orchestrate appropriate scheduling, check on grades and student progress, and to align student diploma pathways. Advisement is included on faculty GTDRI evaluation instrument. PARENT CONTACT (at 9, 13, 26, and 30-week marks) Teachers contact parents of students with grades of 69 or below. Contact can be made through phone calls, s, or letters (teacher discretion). Automated phone system calls to alert parents of progress report dates and as an additional contact about failing grades. TEACHER – STUDENT CONFERENCES (at 6, 12, 24, and 30-week marks) Teacher conferences with failing students to have students set goals and plan of action for improving their grades; monitor progress. AMNESTY DAY (at 16-week & 32-week marks) Students are provided with an additional opportunity during the instructional day to complete missed assignments (i.e., not allowing students to “take” a zero for an assignment). Guidelines will be provided to streamline grading processes.

Specific Interventions –WCHS Pyramid of Interventions TAP Advisory Groups –All faculty members assigned an advisory group to follow through the group’s four years at WCHS –Regular meetings with advisees during the school year Teacher-Student Conferencing / Parent Contacts –Mandated and documented Amnesty Day –Students are not allowed to just “take a zero” for an assignment

Specific Interventions –Benchmark Testing Teachers teamed to write tests for each academic-area course to address standards taught during a semester Test administered during first week, mid- point, and closing weeks of the semester Teachers analyzed data to adjust instruction during the semester Teachers who truly taught the GPS showed the most growth for the tests

WCHS Graduation Test Overall Pass Rate Percentages (11 th grade, first-time test takers) Summary: Improvement of scores from previous years’ scores The passing score for the graduation tests in math and social studies is 500. The English and science tests required a score of 200 to pass.

WCHS Graduation Test AYP Pass Rate Percentages (11 th grade, first-time test takers) AYP is calculated based upon a score of 516 for math. For graduation purposes, students have to score 500. Those students who score between can graduate, but their scores do not help the school meet AYP requirements. The passing score for graduation and AYP in English is 200. Summary: Steady improvement in scores for the past four years

Celebrating Success! –Other Successes: GHSGT Pull-Out Sessions : 77 seniors needed to pass one or more parts of the GHSGT. –Of those… 66 seniors passed all parts of the GHSGT and graduated : 59 seniors needed to pass one or more parts of the GHSGT. –Of those… 44 seniors passed all parts of the GHSGT and graduated.

SMART Goals for –SMART GOAL # 1: To increase the number of OVERALL first-time test takers passing the ELA GHSGT from 85.6% to 87.7% (increase of 2.1%) Result: 91.2% - GOAL MET –SMART GOAL # 2: To increase the number of BLACK first-time test takers passing the ELA GHSGT from 68.9% to 72.01% (increase of 3.11%) Result: 80.4% - GOAL MET –SMART GOAL # 3: To increase the number of ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED first-time test takers passing the ELA GHSGT from 74.3% to 76.87% (increase of 2.57%) Result: 84.6% - GOAL MET Celebrating Success!

–SMART GOAL # 4: To increase the number of BLACK first-time test takers passing the MATH GHSGT from 55.6% to 60% (increase of 4.4%) Result: 60.7% - GOAL MET –SMART GOAL # 5: To increase the number of ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED first-time test takers passing the MATH GHSGT from 66.7% to 70% (increase of 3.3%) Result: 69.2% (within 0.8% of goal, but actually met AYP at Confidence Interval level) - GOAL MET –SMART GOAL # 6: To increase the number of OVERALL GRADUATES from 64.7% to 70% (increase of 5.3%) Result: 72.4% - GOAL MET Celebrating Success!

–SMART GOAL # 7: To increase the number of BLACK GRADUATES from 56.0% to 61.6% (increase of 5.6%) Result: 64.1% - GOAL MET –SMART GOAL # 8: To increase the number of ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED GRADUATES from 55.5% to 59.9% (increase of 4.4%) Result: 60.9% - GOAL MET –SMART GOAL # 9: To decrease the number of OVERALL STUDENTS absent 16 or more days from 23% to 20% (decrease of 3%) Result: 14% - GOAL MET Celebrating Success!

Questions?