1. Increasing Graduation Rates and Advanced Placement Participation…Spokane’s Story
Lori Wyborney-John R. Rogers High School
Shawn Jordan-Secondary School Director

2. Equity Warriors
Helping our young people realize they can do things they never thought they could do
Wanting outcomes for our students equal to what we want for our own children
Wanting Options and Opportunities for all our students

3. Increasing the graduation rate…
A Systems and Community-wide Approach
OUR VISION: All students graduate and are prepared to successfully complete some form of higher education
T-2-4 Goal (Technical, 2-year, or 4-year College/University)

7. What we’ve done in SPS…
Technical System: Data Review, Tracking and Reporting
Three Key Data Points
Graduation Rate
Cohort Retention
College Direct
Use of a Early Warning System
Hard work by our high school teams
Early intervention and follow-up with all students
Monthly drop reports provided to high schools
Tracking every student
Ensuring accurate reporting

8. What we’ve done in SPS…
Re-engagement System: Individual options and plans
Single point for referral and review from counselors
Single point for release and re-engagement for students
Single point for alternative options, programs and services
On Track Academy (Blended Learning)
The Community School (PBL Model)
Open Doors Youth Re-engagement Program
Next Generation Zone
Gateway to College
Transition Program (Students Long-term Suspended)

9. What we’ve done in SPS…
Academic Interventions: Resources and investments that work
Effective core instructional practices
Program evaluation of interventions and investments
Project Based Learning SWS
Literacy Program and Focus
Individualized school plans; school-by-school
After school programming

10. What we’ve done in SPS…
Community Partnerships: Community-wide supports
Collective Impact: Collaborative Networks
United Way
Priority Spokane
Empire Health Foundation
School-Community Partnerships: MOU's, data sharing
Communities In Schools
Treehouse (students in foster care)
College Success Foundation
Trauma Informed and Restorative Discipline Practices

11. What we’re doing now in SPS…
MS to HS transition activities
Expanded counselors at the high schools
Achievement Gap Intervention Specialists (AGIS)
Focusing on preventing ninth grade failures
After school homework and tutoring centers
CAP (Career & Academic Preparation) class for students with IEPs
Truancy Boards
Robust credit retrieval programs
ICAN
Summer school
Career Pathways Diploma

12. Discussion
Talk with others about what you are doing in your district to increase high school graduation rate and any wonderings you have.

13. “Allowing students to enroll in college-level courses while still in high school has been shown to improve graduation rates for underprivileged groups of students.”
Abigail Swisher
Education Expert with New America

14. Why a Focus on Advanced Placement
A need to prepare all students to go to some advanced training (technical, 2- year, 4- year, military, etc….Spokane Public School’s T-2-4 Goal)
Education Research: One of the important factors for leaders to focus upon…
Rigor and intensity of the high school curriculum

15. Why Measure Rigor and Intensity of Curriculum
Two quotes from education expert Richard Adelman
“The impact of high school curriculum of high academic intensity and quality on degree completion is far more pronounced – and positively – for African American and Latino students than any other pre-college indicator of academic resources.” (summary from answers in the tool box-1999)
“The academic intensity of the student’s high school curriculum still counts more than anything else in pre-collegiate history in providing momentum toward completing a bachelors degree.” (Answers in the tool box-2006)

16. Advanced Placement is one of the methods Spokane Public Schools has used to ensure that students have access to a rigorous curriculum.
Also invested in other curriculum upgrades such as:
College in the High School
Project Lead the Way
New curriculum adoptions
Elimination of courses not aligned to post-secondary expectations
College Bridge courses

17. Why Advanced Placement
Proven track record of preparing students for post-secondary
Research shows that students who take AP exams are likely to earn higher first year grade point averages and higher subject area grade point averages in college than students who did not take an AP exam (Ewing and Howell, 2015)
Students who earn credit for AP exams perform better in college courses in that subject
Are more likely to major in the discipline
Take more course in the discipline
Are more likely to graduate within five years
Are more likely to develop interest in STEM fields (College Board, 2013)

18. How we measure Advanced Placement success and progress
Recommendations from research for measuring AP success center on two metrics:
AP participation
AP passing
“The percent of a school’s students who take and pass AP exams is the best AP related indicator of whether the school is preparing increasing percentages of its students to graduate from college.” (Dougherty, Mellor, and Shuling-2006)

21. Expanding Student Participation in AP
pSAT AP Potential Reports for recruitment
Partnership with Equal Opportunity Schools to help identify and recruit students into our AP courses
Use of gap chart to set goals

22. Expanding Students Participating in AP
Increasing student performance on the pSAT
SPS tests all students 8-11 in pSAT/SAT
Each school is using their test results to analyze their curriculum, set school improvement goals, and to provide support to students
Expanding AP Course Offerings
We provide our schools resources to support staff through professional development
SPS AP Summer Institute
AP Instructional Planning Reports
Scholarships to allow multiple teachers to attend AP exam reading in the summer

23. Expanding Students Participating in AP
Expanding students in AP courses that also take AP exams
AP fee exam reductions
Schools provide more academic support with tutoring
AP Insight and AP Mentoring - two new programs offered by the College Board

25. Removing Access Barriers (From EOS)
Information…do students know about AP and its benefit?
More information about honors and AP in middle school
Expectations…Encouragement
Must use relationships to influence
Must understand cultural differences
Readiness
Growth Mindset
Grit
Academic Sense of Self
Academic Performance
Teacher Recommendations

26. What is the AP Potential of my Students?
How are we doing in participation percentages compared to the state and nation?
Where do we have untapped participation potential in courses we currently offer?
Are there new AP courses that should be added or is there capacity for expanded sections of courses we currently offer?
Is my program participation equitable? Do my AP classes reflect the diversity of our overall student body?
What is the AP Potential of my Students?
How would I grow the AP Potential of my school/district? What changes or improvements are needed in our curriculum?
AP Participation Story Board

27. Discussion
Discuss other ways districts and schools can remove barriers to rigorous curriculum for students or encourage more participation?

28. Data Tool Resources for School Leaders

29. How are we doing in participation percentages compared to the state and nation?

30. Where do we have untapped participation potential in courses we currently offer?

31. Are there new AP courses that should be added or is there capacity for expanded sections of courses we currently offer?

32. Is my program participation equitable
Is my program participation equitable? Do my AP classes reflect the diversity of our overall student body?

33. Is my program participation equitable
Is my program participation equitable? Do my AP classes reflect the diversity of our overall student body?

34. What is the AP Potential of my students?

35. How would I grow the AP Potential of my school/district
How would I grow the AP Potential of my school/district? What changes or improvements are needed in our curriculum?

36. How would I grow the AP Potential of my school/district
How would I grow the AP Potential of my school/district? What changes or improvements are needed in our curriculum?

37. How would I grow the AP Potential of my school/district
How would I grow the AP Potential of my school/district? What changes or improvements are needed in our curriculum?

38. Which courses are we seeing improvement and growth?
How are we doing compared to our state and nation in terms of passing rates?
Which courses are strengths and weaknesses for our school and district?
Which courses are we seeing improvement and growth?
Which teachers are getting incredible results? Do we need to invest in more teacher supports and/or make any instructor changes?
AP Passing Story Board

39. How are we doing compared to our state and nation in terms of passing rates?

40. Which courses are strengths and weaknesses for our school or district?

41. Which courses are we seeing improvement and growth
Which courses are we seeing improvement and growth? Where are we not seeing improvement and growth?

42. Which teachers and programs are getting incredible results?
Do we need to invest in more teacher supports and/or make any instructor changes?

43. Remember the end goals…..
Increased percentages of students participating in AP and simultaneously increasing passing rates for all students

44. Questions?