High School Credit Accumulation

INQUIRY TEAM PLAN

Jennifer Carchietta, Deana Ferreira, Bruce Karhoff, Patricia Pena Carty and Georgieann Ramsudh

EDL 708, Research, Assessment, and Data-Driven Decision Making

Professor Tornifolio

November 4, 2013

                    “Data are widely available; what is scarce is the ability to extract wisdom from them”

Hal Varian, UC Berkeley and Google Chief Economist

Methodologies and Models

As a team we first came to a consensus on the methodologies we would employ as our decision making model, as well as the format we collectively believed to best facilitate our group planning meetings. We identified the Expected Utility Model as most effective means to achieve our goals for the school population we were servicing through our analyses. This model for data-driven decision making generates decisions that are effective, but not necessarily decisions that are perfect for the given situation. Through this model, we would consider alternatives to our original problem, selecting one solution after a comparative analysis of the alternatives, and adapting to the needs of our target population as factors changed during implementation of our plan. We felt that this model would not only be most realistic in addressing the needs presented in our focused study, but that we would also gain some flexibility to adjust course for the diverse student population we were serving.

We collectively identified our ideal decision-making process for our group as Brainstorming, and this turned out to be a sound decision. We wanted to meet face-to-face in an environment that welcomed all team members’ ideas without comment or judgment.   Once a range of ideas were put forth by each member, this format allowed for group members to refine or augment ideas that were presented by other members in our meetings.  This allowed shared ownership of successful outcomes, and thus created a collegial atmosphere in which collaboration, constructive criticism, and honest feedback were welcomed. By challenging each other to maintain this highly professional environment and collectively upholding high standards, we were able to create our best possible plan, one that was fluid and open to modification based on emerging student needs.

School demographics

Based on the New York State Report Card (2011-2012), Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy (RKA), MS/HS 141, is composed of students from grades 6 – 12; there are 706 students in the middle school and 629 students in the high school.  The ethnic breakdown of the student population is 13% Black or African American, 53% a Hispanic, 9% Asian or Native Hawaiian, and 25% White.  The student body includes 7% English Language Learners (ELLs) and 12% special education students. The average attendance rate for the school is 92%.  The latest documented graduation rate is 86%,  Our Inquiry Team Plan will support the school’s greater goal of increasing this rate to a minimum of 90% graduation within four years.

Our target population and goals

We chose to focus on a group of twelve high school juniors attending RKA.  These students have critically low credit accumulation, and are in peril of not graduating with their four-year cohort. These students have between 20 and 23 credits, which represents less than 70% of the 33 credits they should have earned through the beginning of their 11^th grade year.  They are in need of a specialized intervention to support both their efforts to get back on track for graduation credit-wiseas well as to  build academic habits that will allow them maintain their progress through graduation.   The gap between actual accumulated credits and the 33 credits these students should have earned at this stage of their high school career is sufficient cause for concern for these students.   Our analysis of their attendance data added to our concern.

We focused our efforts by creating the following goal: By the end of the 2013-2014 school year, 100% of the identified target population of twelve 11^th graders from Cohort 2015 will be back on track for graduation, and will have mastered the necessary organizational and study skills to remain on a trajectory towards successful academic progress. The 2015 Cohort will regain pace towards four-year  graduation by completing three additional credits per semester for the next three semesters. This goal will allow for error and unforeseen circumstances by setting each of the twelve students on a pace for slightly more than the required credit accumulation. This goal accounts for the worst-case scenario in which a student does not complete the full nine additional credits, and provides a realistic cushion of time and opportunity for these students, who have demonstrated poor organizational skills in the past. Their progress towards this goal will be assessed each marking period, and at the end of each semester through next August, to ensure adequate progression towards the year-end goal.

Data Driving Our Decisions

Looking beyond the total credit accumulation data, our Inquiry Team quickly found evidence of factors that contributed to their poor academic record.  It is evident that their latenesses had a significant negative impact on their academic performance to date. Upon closer investigation, we discovered that 11 out of the 12 students were chronically late to the very classes in which they are most severely credit deficient (math or Spanish)—see Figure 1 below.   After our Brainstorming session, the Inquiry Team knew that the intervention decision we agreed upon must include aspects that would support the students with their attendance.   The daily progress reports and conferencing we will later describe will support student attendance, and ensure that all invested parties remain informed of the students’ progress. If the plan needs to be adapted to changing needs at the time of the mid-year assessment of the intervention plan, the expected utility model we have chosen as our framework will provide for the necessary flexibility. 

Figure 1  Lateness Data For Target Population

In addition to reviewing the attendance data, the Inquiry Team also looked at the credit accumulation data disaggregated by subject area.   The Team knew that the intervention would have be limited by time and resources, so we wanted to focus on the subjects in which there was the greatest need for these twelve students.  Figure 2 shows the credit data by subject area for the target population.

Figure 2  Credit Accumulation by Subject Area   

The Team saw that the greatest credit deficiency for this target population was in math (five of twelve students) and foreign language (six of twelve students).   We decided that the intervention must specifically address these two subject areas at minimum.

Brainstorming possible solutions

After analyzing the data, our Inquiry Team brainstormed possible solutions.  One possible solution was for students to work with their current teachers after school on credit recovery. Another idea was to organize a limited evening school program, tailored to the needs of the target population, but that would allow other students with credit deficiencies to participate.  A third idea was to focus the intervention on study skills and strategies to improve attendance.  A final major proposal was for a Saturday morning program.  After brainstorming these ideas, the Team discussed the relative value of each proposal, as per the Expected Utility Model.  We compared each plan to each other, weighing the relative merits of each, and imagined how each proposal might work for the target population, or as Kowalski, et al. put it, we tried to “identify multiple possible futures” for each proposal.  We also considered the budgetary and staffing restrictions we might face.  After considering all the factors--the credit accumulation and attendance data, the various proposals, and the other school conditions--the Team decided that a “good” decision—not the ideal solution—was to create a Saturday Academy with academic and attendance supports built into the school week

Final decision: our intervention plan

After our analysis of the students’ academic performance, attendance records, and known issues with study and organizational skills, we decided upon an intervention strategy that would maximize their credit accumulation opportunities while also addressing their motivation to succeed. We chose to create intensive, small-group, content specific academic supports in the form of a Saturday Academy. The instruction will support students in the subject areas in which they have collectively demonstrated the poorest credit accumulation, math and Spanish. The courses will be project-based.  We will, therefore, arrange for one math teacher and one Spanish teacher to each teach a class on Saturday, each lasting an hour and 45 minutes. Students will be provided with a short break in between classes and a snack to replenish their energy.

To address skill deficiencies, each student will work with an academic advisor of their choice. The advisor must by a faculty member in the department of the subject area in which they are most struggling; this advisor may or may not be the teacher of the Saturday Academy.  Each student will have to meet his or her advisor once a week during regularly scheduled tutorial time after school.  These meetings will serve to offer students individualized homework help, support in their study and organizational skills, and allow for constant monitoring of content-based skills,  with an eye on building capacity so students will continue to see success beyond this school year.

In addition to the two credits students can earn each semester during the Saturday Academy, they will also have the opportunity to earn one credit by completing one course of online credit recovery per semester, bringing their total credits per semester to three. A school counselor will monitor this credit recovery program, and stay in close communication with students’ advisors to ensure that effective strategies in supporting student achievement and motivation are being shared among all the staff supporting these twelve students. The students may choose to work on this credit recovery during the weekly tutorial session.

The school counselor will also have weekly check-ins with each student.  The counselor will provide reminders about the importance of attendance, and closely track and share each student’s attendance for the tutoring and the Saturday Academy.

The parent coordinator will work with the school counselor to offer monthly parent workshops, and actively recruit the families of these twelve students to attend all sessions. The sessions will be open to all parents, but focus on supporting the study and organizational skills these students particularly need to succeed in this credit recovery and Saturday Academy program. The parent workshops will also reiterate to the parents the credit requirements for graduation, and allow the parents of these twelve students to sit individually with the school counselor to create a personalized graduation plan for their children.  We feel that with the additional support at home in keeping these twelve students organized and on point with their weekly assignments, these students have a stronger chance to succeed in the Saturday Academy and credit recovery plan, and ultimately, to graduate on time.

Development and implementation of differentiated, targeted instructional practices

Instructional practices will be aligned to the standards to which students will be held accountable for, and will address a student’s individual academic deficiencies and individual needs.  One of the instructional practices that we will adapt in Saturday Academy is project-based learning. These projects will be aligned to the NY State content standards; the classrooms will be decentralized where the role of the teacher will be that of a coach.  Completion and assessment of the projects will be done using a rubric that has been designed to assess students understanding.  Students will also have the opportunity to work collaboratively with classmates to complete assignments. This constructivist approach to knowledge acquisition will increase student engagement and motivation, and the small learning community will allow the teacher to closely assess student progress and provide supports where needed.

The need of all students will be met because individual coaching will be the central focus of this intervention plan. Students will be provided with a school counselor to focus on attendance, academic advisors who will work with them during the week on content skills, and Saturday Academy teachers to guide and support the students on the specific course project requirements. This coordinated system will ensure that students are supported during and after classes, and will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to track student progress.  

The teachers, school counselor, advisors, and parents of the target students for this Inquiry Team Plan will be informed weekly of student progress via individual student progress sheets. These progress reports will offer short commentaries on student performance during regular classes and Saturday Academy and their attendance record, and a parent signature will ensure that parents remain informed of their child’s progress towards their graduation goal. This collection of daily progress sheets for the week will offer a clear reference for each student’s meeting with their advisor as to the student’s weaknesses and strengths. Any serious issues surfacing from these reports will prompt involvement from the dean or administrators if the school counselor sees a more serious intervention to be fitting. The progress reports will be submitted weekly to the guidance counselor, who will keep them in individual files for each of the students. Trends in a student’s performance, behavior, and attendance—in either positive or negative directions--can therein be closely monitored and addressed. Any issues arising from these observed patterns will be addressed in the greater context of preparing students not just for high school graduation, but also for college and career success. Student responsibility for their own performance will be a large focus, and students will need to demonstrate consistent improvement with skills that will support their success as future professionals.

Training and additional supports

The team of professionals involved in the interventions outlined in the Inquiry Team Plan will meet with the principal once every month to touch base about the efficacy of the various strategies serving the twelve students comprising our target population, and to review student progress. If the team identifies particular challenges that call for additional training or strategies, then the team will request training and support from the school principal. Similarly, if  school counselor or parent coordinator report that the parents express concern in supporting their child’s progress with organizational and study skills at home, then we will respond promptly by offering support and tailoring the next monthly parent meeting to offer strategies specific to the parents concerns.

Training will be provided for the teachers, advisors, school counselor, parent coordinator, and parents in supporting student attendance, in order to avoid absenteeism and the latenesses that so greatly impacted the target group’s academic performance in the 2012-2013 school year. This training will occur prior to the start of Saturday Academy and credit recovery.

Budgetary considerations

The Riverdale Community Center already provides support to the school through a grant funding RKA’s Saturday programs. The Center consults with the school administration to determine school needs. The target population for the Saturday Academy is an at-risk population, and is thus high on the administration’s priorities. Our unique budgetary requirements for the Saturday Academy that we will propose to the Center are four hours of per session for two teachers on each Saturday, and per session funding for the parent coordinator and school counselor to run the monthly parent workshops.  An administrator and school safety agents are already at school on Saturday mornings for existing programs, so there are no further budgetary needs in this regard.  From the school, we are proposing two hours of per session per week for the school counselor to track and meet with the target students after school. Finally, we will require food and Metro cards for these students for the Saturday Academy.   

Sharing ongoing research, analysis and suggestions

It is the hope of this Inquiry Team that the intervention plan outlined above be used as a framework for other similar target populations of students in the future.  The Inquiry Team will make its final assessment of the credit accumulation data from this year’s target population in August, 2014.  If the Inquiry Team finds that this program effectively offered students the opportunity to get back on track for graduation, then we will recommend to the administration a similar program for next year’s sophomores and juniors. Our hope is that the need for credit recovery the year prior to students’ last year in high school will be eliminated, and all students will be on track for graduation with no credit deficiencies going into their senior year by the 2015-2016 school year. Supports for freshmen students will need to be strengthened in teaching organizational and study skills, and students will be more accountable for keeping track of their own progress, offering them more ownership in their own education.

References

Kowalski, T. J., Lasley II, T., & Mahoney, J.  (2008).  Data-Driven Decisions and School Leadership: Best Practices for School Leadership.  Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

New York State Education Department.  (2012).  The New York State School Report Card: Accountability and Overview Report, 2011-12.  Retrived October 28, 2013, from https://reportcards.nysed.gov/files/2010-11/AOR-2011-321000011141.pdf