10/15/15

Moving from Research

to Prac3cal Applica3on
in Dropout Preven3on

Loujeania Williams Bost, PhD

Director, National Dropout Prevention Center for Students
with Disabilities
Nevada Secondary Transition Conference
October 17, 2015

Objec3ves
Provide an update of the high school gradua8on from a
na8onal perspec8ve- what has changed ? What gains have
been made?
Provide a review of past research and how implementa8on
of recommenda8ons from prior research has informed our
current prac8ce.
Provide latest research ndings and discuss knowledge
shiBs

Engage par8cipants to discuss our next level of concerns
and poten8al strategies for addressing them

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A Look At The Na3on

Good News- Grad Na3on Report

While no state has yet achieved an on-8me 4year cohort rate
of 90%, ve states are within two points at 88% - IA, VT, WI,
NE, TX

There is a decline by 1/3 over the past decade (2,007 in 2002
to 1,359 in 2012) in the number and % of students aVending
high schools in which the gradua8on rate is less than 60%.
The rst ever adjusted cohort gradua8on rate shows the
na8on crossed the 80% threshold for the rst 8me in history
(47 states and an AFGR for ID KY, and OK)

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More Good News- Grad Na3on Report

Since 2006, gains have been driven by a 15% point gains for
Hispanic students and 9% gains for African American
students.
If this average of 1.3% points per year is maintained during
the next 8 years, the na8on will reach its 90% gradua8on goal
by 2020
We have evidence based and promising prac8ces that can
when implemented over 8me with delity enable schools to
make signicant progress in helping youth with disabili8es
stay in school, progress in school, and graduate

Not So Good News

Students with disabili/es: The na8onal average

gradua8on rate for students with disabili8es is 20

percentage points lower than the overall na8onal average.

The 90 percent goal will not be reached if students with
disabili8es, who represent 13 percent of all students
na8onally, con8nue to have low gradua8on rates.

Gradua8on rates for students with disabili8es also vary
drama8cally by state, with a 24 percent gradua8on rate in
Nevada and an 81 percent gradua8on rate in Montana

10/15/15

Not So Good News

Young men of color: In spite of gains made by
all students of color over the past six years,
young men of color con8nue to lag behind
other subgroups of students.
Most big ci8es with high concentra8ons of
low-income students, however, s8ll have
gradua8on rates in the 60s and a few in the
50s.

Challenges We Face
Chronic absenteeism, missing more than
10 percent of the school year, for any
reason, is an early indicator of poten8al
dropout.

Middle grades are pivotal years, seeng a
student on a path to high school, college
and career, or a path to disengagement
and low achievement in key subjects.

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Challenges We Face
There are more than six million people
between the ages of 18 and 24 who currently
are not in school, in possession of a high school
diploma or working.
Success in life cannot just come from a
classroom educa8on. Students need to develop
addi8onal skills, such as self-awareness and
self-control, and collabora8on and conict
resolu8on.

What Can Be Done

Awareness
Accountability
Ac8on
Targeted reform in secondary schools
Targeted interven8ons
Closing the opportunity gap
Building sustainable systems

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Recommenda3ons from Past Research

Diagnos8c processes for iden8fying student-level
and school wide dropout issues
Targeted interven8ons for a subset of middle and
high school students who are iden8ed as at risk for
dropping out
School wide reforms designated to enhance
engagement

Use a

Diagnostic Approach Institute

of Educational Science Dropout Prevention Practice Guide

Comprehensive, longitudinal, student level databases that

include unique student identifiers
Enables SEAs and LEAs to conduct causal analysis
Use data to identify incoming students with histories of academic
problems
Monitor Academic Progress of all students
Review student level data to identify students at risk of dropping
out
Monitors students sense of belonging

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Targeted Interven3ons
Caring Adult Advocates
Academic Support & Enrichment
Improvement in Behavior and Social
Skills

School wide Reforms

Personalized Learning Environments/
Processes
Rigourous and relevant instruc8on in
academic and career skills

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What we Learned
Use your district and school data t systems to
learn about your school and students
Use a con8nuum of 8ered interven8ons to
address risk in academics and behavior
Adults maVer in youths lives
Instruc8on must be revelant, rigorous and
engaging

Latest Research Findings

A Literature Map of Dropout Preven3on
Interven3ons for Students With Disabili3es
Julia Wilkins Na3onal Dropout Preven3on
Center for Students with Disabili3es (NDPC-SD)
Clemson University
Sloan Huckabee College of Health, Educa3on,
and Human Development Clemson University

10/15/15

What We Know About Patterns

of Risk
Freshmen with 04 absences in a 90-day grading period
have a greater than 80% rate of graduation, while
freshman with 1014 absences in the same period
graduate at a 40% rate.
Freshmen with no course failures have a greater than
80% chance of graduating, while those with two failures
have a 55% graduation rate, and those with four failures
have a 30% rate.

What We Know About Patterns of Risk

Freshmen with a GPA of 3.5 or higher have a nearly 100%
graduation rate, while those with a 2.0 GPA have a 70%
rate and those with a 1.0 have a 30% rate.
Sixth-grade students who fail math or English, have an
80% or lower attendance rate, or earn an unsatisfactory
behavior grade have just a 1020% likelihood of graduating
high school in five years.

10/15/15

Key Risk Indicators

Student absences,
Grade retention
Low academic achievement
Behavior
Family Engagement
School Climate
Critical transition points

Where to Now?

Why Measure Risk

The eec8veness of programs

to reduce dropping out
depends on whether they are
provided to the students who
are most in need, and whether
they are designed to meet
student needs (Program
Planning and Development).

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10/15/15

Why Measure Risk

Regularly analyzing student data is the
cri3cal rst step both for determining the
scope of the dropout problem (Root Cause
Analysis) and for iden8fying the specic
students who are at risk of dropping out
and should be considered for extra
services or supports (Early Warning).
Programs designed to target students at
risk of dropping out need a way to iden8fy
the popula8on they wish to serve
(Delinea3on of level of risk).

Adult Advocates
Role of Mentor

Prac3cal

Monitor students aVendance
Check homework comple8on
Help students develop
conict- resolu8on skills
Communicate with families
and teachers
Arrange for tutoring and social
services
Help students establish
postsecondary and career
goals

Social/Emo3onal
Provide students with
support and
encouragement
Convey the message to
students that teachers care
about their future
Help students see the value
in school and gradua8ng
from school
Model posi8ve behavior
and decision-making skills

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10/15/15

Strategies that Increase Family

Engagement
Conduct home visits to develop rela8onships with
family members
Provide transporta8on or arrange car-pooling to school
events and oer to meet parents in loca8ons that are
convenient for them
Provide assistance for parents in reinforcing classroom
instruc8on and providing behavioral support for their
children at home
Contact parents with posi8ve informa8on about their
children and thank them for their support

Strategies to Increase Academic Success

Tutoring / individual instruc8on
Study skills and test-taking classes
Individual or small group instruc8on in reading
and core academic areas
Extra instruc8on / credit recovery through
Saturday school, aBer-school, or summer
programs
Self-paced online programs

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10/15/15

Ninth-Grade Transi/ons
Use current high school students as
mentors for incoming freshman
Hold a freshman class orienta8on while
students are in middle school
Ins8tute summer programs at the high
school to increase students academic skills,
orient them to the layout of the school, and
enable them to meet high school teachers

Ninth-Grade Transi/ons
Address the instruc8onal needs of students
who enter high school unprepared for
rigorous academic work
Personalize the learning environment
through small class sizes, a freshman
academy, mentoring programs, or student
par8cipa8on in school ac8vi8es

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10/15/15

Strategies for Increasing Student
Engagement
Create small learning communi8es

Show an interest in students on a personal level

Focus on the development of peer rela8onships
Encourage students to par8cipate in school
ac8vi8es
Use instruc8onal techniques that emphasize
the relevance of classroom learning

Career and Voca3onal Prepara3on

Classes focused on employability
skills across a
variety of occupa8ons
Occupa8onally specic programming in a trade,
such as carpentry or plumbing
Training in related skills such as computer
literacy, job seeking, and workplace behavior
On-the-job training for which students can earn
credits
Career days at which students can gain
informa8on from local employers
Connec8ons to postsecondary ins8tu8ons

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Interpersonal Skills
Self Determina3on

Decision making

Problem solving
Goal seeng
Self-advocacy
Leadership skills
Self-management
Self-regula8on

Interpersonal Skills
Social Skills
Mee8ng people

Conict management
Ac8ve listening
Star8ng conversa8ons
Appropriate body language, gestures, and
facial expressions

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10/15/15

Interpersonal Skills
Life Skills

Conict management
Social skills
Goal seeng
Leisure skills
Self-advocacy
Community par8cipa8on
Job-seeking skills

Class / School Restructuring

Reduce class sizes
Create freshman academies
Establish a school-within-a-school
Provide opportuni8es for team
teaching

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10/15/15

New Lessons Learned

Measuring risk indicators is an important rst
step in interven8on
A systems approach is required to make
signicant gains
Early warning interven8on systems can support
on-track success at each level of school
States can support LEAs by providing sucient
infrastructure support to support
implementa8on of ini8a8ves at the local level.

Contact
Loujeania W. Bost- lbost8@uncc.edu
Visit our site at www.transi8onta.org

Thank you

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