+ Early Decision Making Early Help & Early Warning Signs Leisa Gallagher Director, Reaching & Teaching Struggling Learners Coordinator, Superintendent’s Dropout Challenge

Grounding Activity 3 things your building has done to add relevance to students’ educational plan 2 non-academic data sources that your buildings use to help students stay on track 1 miracle story about a student who beat the odds and had a positive post-secondary outcome

+ As a group, can you determine: The 3 rd, 8 th, and 11 th grade proficiency level for youth with IEPs in math? In literacy? What is the state cohort dropout rate for all students? And the cohort rate for youth with IEPs?

+ The previous metrics beg for a cluster of data that describes the whole child-Early Warning Signs At the state level, how many days of instruction were lost to suspension/expulsion decisions? At the local level, how do we operationalize behavior? Office Disciplinary Referrals (ODRs)

+ These questions cluster into three areas, the ABCs, called the Early Warning Signs A-Attendance-measured differently at the elementary and secondary level B-Behavior-measured in Office Disciplinary Referrals-ODRs C-Course Proficiency-measured in grade points, failure, and curriculum benchmark scores

+ The EWSs are as predictive and reliable for youth with IEPs as they are for their peers 10 days of absence in % likelihood of failure to dropout 2 days absence in September 65% likelihood to be chronically absent 1 fail in core course in first marking period in 9 th grade-80% likelihood of failure not to graduate in 4 years Retention due to behavior in middle school, risk of dropping out GPA below 1.2 in first marking period of 9 th grade, 80% risk of not graduating in 4 years

+ Deepest risk of Dropping Out Two grade levels below proficiency in 6 th grade Children with an emotional impairment Children of color, living in generational poverty with an emotional impairment

+ GPA, Course Fails, and Attendance Reveal…. Recent research available at National High School Center indicates: With 90% accuracy we can predict a freshman will graduate in four years based on the early warning signs. With 80% accuracy, we can predict which freshman will take more than 4 years or will dropout.

+ Early Warning Signs of Dropout: Attendance-80/85/90%, absent 10 days in first 30 days of school Behavior-0-1/2/3 office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) Course Proficiency- fail in core course in first marking period, 2 fails in two courses

+ Within a cradle to career framework, focus on middle schools…. ion/dropout-nation/middle-school-moment/ ion/dropout-nation/middle-school-moment/

+ Let’s look at the Early Warning Sign Tool for Middle and High School Customizable Holds Interventions and Risks Works for an individual, for a group, and for a grade level of students Free for everyone

+ IES Practice Guide Recommendations (within and Response to Intervention framework) Use of Longitudinal Data Support for Social and Emotional Skills Use of Adult Advocate Personalized Learning Environment and Instruction Academic Supports and Enhancements Rigor and Relevance (Career and College Readiness)

+ As you watched the Frontline clip, list practices you noticed 1. Use of an adult advocate 2. Use of longitudinal data-attendance, behavior, course proficiency 3. Use of academic supports and enhancements 4. Use of social and emotional supports 5. Use of rigorous and relevant curriculum (career and college ready) 6. Use of personalized learning strategies

+ Let’s look at the Early Warning Sign Tool for Middle and High School Customizable Holds Interventions and Risks Works for an individual, for a group, and for a grade level of students Free for everyone

+ Falling off track in 9 th grade…. 4 reasons youth drop out of school 1. Attraction to risk: drugs, criminal behavior & violence 2. Academic frustration 3. Bureaucratic organization of the school 4. Lifestyle reasons: teen pregnancy, employment to support the family

+ The organizational design is an area within our sphere of influence: Deep Leadership Organizational Design 21 st Century Learners/Workforce Development Deep Support- Advising and Guidance Mentoring and Coaching Deep Experience Curriculum Technology Deep Learning- Student Voice Assessment for Learning Learning to Learn

+ NHSC recommended practices to support Youth with IEPs Family Engagement Community Engagement Tiered Approaches Tutoring as an academic support

+ NHSC recommended practices to support Youth with IEPs Advisories and team teaching Small learning communities and personalization Partnerships between high schools and feeder schools 9 th grade transition programs

+ NHSC recommended practices to support Youth with IEPs Achievement in core courses Career and college readiness Content recovery courses Support for students with IEPs outside of school

+ Take a look the outcomes…. What observations do you have about exit data?

+ Resources IES Practice Guide: Dropout Prevention 8.pdf Middle School Early Warning Sign System High School Early Warning Sign System

+ Contact Information Leisa Gallagher Coordinator, Superintendent’s Dropout Challenge MDE Director of Reaching and Teaching Struggling Learners, MDE-OSE Work phone Cell phone preferred