Monroe High School Graduation Coach and Project Graduation

1. Monroe High SchoolGraduation Coach and Project Graduation Implemented 2009-2010 School Goal = 3% graduation rate improvement each year, beginning with the class of 2010

2. Project Graduation and Graduation Coach • Project Graduation: A community effort of all MHS stakeholders at working together to improve the graduation rate • Graduation Coach: Maximizing current efforts and, in partnership with others, developing additional interventions for students who are at risk of graduating with their cohorts

3. MHS 2009-2010Graduation Coach Caseload Gold Members: These members are strictly from the current freshmen class (2013) and have been selected for the four year Department of Education Graduation initiatives. (15 students selected by grad coach based on risk factors and staff input) Silver Members for the Class of 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013: These students are at risk of graduating on time due to lost credit and other risk factors. (310 studentsselected based on counselor referral)

4. Gold Membership Interventions • MHS Graduation Coach interventions included: • Communication to staff regarding caseload for identification • Mentoring • One-on-one rapport • Bi - Weekly progress reports that include grades/attendance • Daily attendance checks • Tutorial assistance • Weekly home contact • School supply provisions • Earned incentives • Community Interventions, if needed

5. Gold MembersAcademic Interventions • Bi – Weekly meeting with gold students by grad coach • Peer Tutoring offered during core classes • Differenced lessons by freshmen core teachers • Test assistance with peer tutors for core classes • Reinforcement of English Achieve objectives • Constant communication with core teachers by grad coach • Mentoring

6. Data of Academic Interventions of Gold Members: Core Credits Earned

7. Data of Academic Interventions as Documented and Observed by the School Psychologist

8. Attendance Interventions by Grad Coach • Bi-Weekly meeting with each gold freshmen where attendance was discussed • Attendance progress report mailed to parents every 2 to 3 weeksfor gold and silver students • Incentives given to parents and students for improved attendance • If gold member out for more than 1 day for a suspension or one day of illness, grad coach followed up with home contact and delivery of make up work when needed.

9. Attendance Partnership Interventions with Grad Coach • Partnership with attendance office to include letter to parents from the graduation coach when the 7th absence occurred for all students including those in special services. Partnerships build with parent too! • Partnership with assistant principals in processing attendance appeals for gold and silver students

10. Data for Attendance Interventions

11. Behavioral Interventions for the Gold Freshmen and Silver Seniors • Communication with student and teachers as conflicts arose by grad coach and AP • Communication to teacher and assistant principal of relevant information by grad coach • Grad coach worked one on one with student as to better ways to handle: • Anger • Frustration • Fear of academic failure • Fear of success • Being late for class • Teachers • Classmates

12. Data ofBehavioral Interventions for Gold Students

13. Silver Seniors Academic Interventions MHS Graduation Coach interventions included: • Communication to staff regarding this caseload by grad coach • Staff providing positive feedback to at risk students • Staff trying new strategies to engage students • Bi – weekly progress reports that include grades and attendance to parents from grad coach • Attendance: 7th absence checkpoint that includes communication with home from grad coach • Incentive program that involves the staff by grad coach • School supply provisions by grad coach and staff • Silver Seniors monitoring each trimester by grad coach and counselors • Silver Senior special alerts to parents, AP and teachers by grad coach

14. Survey to Senior English Teachers Regarding Project Graduation Dear Senior English Teachers: Could you answer a few questions?  Compare you senior achievement to last year:  • Was your passing rate higher, lower or the same (general view is fine, don’t worry about numbers)? • Overall, was attendance better this year? • Did it help to know which seniors were at risk at the beginning of the tri (silver list)? • Did the bi weekly progress reports to senior parents seem to make a difference? • What would help for next year?

15. Feedback from Senior English Teachers Overall, my numbers were better for passing the classes; my attendance rates were much better and fewer seniors failed due to missing too many days.  That was the best part of my job this year was not having to deal with all of the problems with attendance.  Knowing the at risk seniors helped me out immensely…everything worked out very well for me… ~Lisa Sellers

16. Feedback from Senior English Teachers My passing rate was higher this year than last year, my attendance for seniors was better the first two trimesters, and like last years the last tri.  It was VERY helpful to know my at risk seniors at the beginning of each tri, I was able to talk with them about what their concerns were (reading, the novel, the writing, etc.) and in some cases differentiate  assignments/readings/etc. BEFORE the assignment was due and a  poor grade was received, rather than afterward.  It was helpful that phone calls were made to parents, keeping them in the loop.   You’ve done a fantastic job with the project graduation, and the help you gave not only the seniors, but the freshman I had as well.  Thank you for your dedication!   ~ Kathy Liebner

17. Feedback from Senior English Teachers Regarding Project Graduation Interventions • The first at risk program I have seen that works! ~Mary Strevel

18. SILVER SENIORS CREDIT RECOVERY • Credit Recover for the class of 2009 • 32 Credits Earned through BYU • 54% success rate • Credit Recovery for the Class of 2010 • 72 Credits Earned through E 2020 • 1 Credit Earned through BYU • Transfers to Orchard cut due to E 2020.

19. Project Graduation Seniors Attendance Data Baseline Interventions 08-09 09-10 T - 1 16.66% 17.26% T – 2 19.82% 18.33% T – 3 21.13%

20. Graduation 2010 Data

21. Project Graduation : A Culture • PROJECT GRADUATION GOAL:  To involve all stakeholders in the effort to improve the MPS graduation success rate by increasing the number of students who graduate with their cohort group. • Staff • Administration • All Students • Support Staff • Parents • Board of Education • Monroe Community

22. Project Graduation: Building the Culture with the Staff • Staff Survey Objectives (Pre-Survey October 2010) Developed by grad coaches • Educate staff about the intent of project graduation • Provide baseline data to be able to measure the efforts of project graduation and the graduation coach • Engage staff in the process of working together to help our students improve their academic success thus our graduation rate • Direct feedback from the staff as to professional development they would like to help meet the needs of our at risk students • Direct feedback from the staff as to professional development they would like in regards to engaging the at risk student

23. Project Graduation: Interventions by Staff Did you use the Project Graduation student lists to identify which students you had in your class? Is this the first time you have been aware of the students who were at risk for graduation at the beginning of the trimester/semester?

24. Project Graduation: Interventions by Staff Did it help to know who was an at risk student (gold and silver) at the beginning of the trimester? Did you read the suggestions given to you by the graduation coach in your red folder on how to build rapport (connection, link, or bond)?

25. Post - Survey Feedback: Evaluated the effectiveness of suggestions given by grad coach to use with Project Graduation students and hopefully all students

26. Which of the following tutorial options suggested under Project Graduation were you able to use for your gold students?

27. Project Graduation: Professional Development • Professional Development • Weekly articles in the staff newsletter that included strategies, students incentives, suggestions for parent contacts and the latest research in dealing with at risk students • February 16, 2010 Staff In-Service: Engaging Students in the Classroom and Beyond” organized by the graduation coach using survey feedback from staff and students • Graduation coach as a resource to the staff for ongoing suggestions and guidance

28. Project Graduation Data RegardingProfessional DevelopmentDid you read the articles and suggestions provided in MM Coffee (staff weekly electronic newsletter) provided by the graduation coach that included tips for teaching strategies, parental contact, motivational options and ways to engage all students.

29. What teaching strategies or ideas did you use after the professional development "Engaging Students in the Classroom and Beyond” based on being motivated from the program?

30. Areas of Interest for Future Professional Development

31. Project Graduation: Building the Culture with the Students • Student Survey Objectives (Pre-Survey October 2010) • Introduced Project Graduation and its goals to the students in the introductory page of the survey • Provide baseline data to be able to measure the efforts of project graduation and the graduation coach • Engage students in the process of working together to help classmates improve their academic success thus their graduation rate • Direct feedback from the students as to how we can better meet their academic needs • Educate the students as to ways they can help one another

32. Project Graduation: Intervention by Students • Introduced Project Graduation goals to the students at each of the class meetings in September and presented a challenge with it to expand their social awareness and conscience of their class graduation rate • Study Partners • Tutoring • Mentoring • 8th Grade Project Graduation Visit Mentors • Student Task Team

33. Academic Interventions: Peer Tutors • Peer tutoring pilot program developed by grad coach to custom fit the needs of the gold students for their core classes • At least 20 teachers and 220 students all joined in to make this pilot intervention program the success it became • From this pilot, a core tutoring study course is being developed to expand the program for the tutors and the tutees so more students can receive the tutorial benefits

34. Project Graduation:MHS Community Efforts