Reducing Dropouts

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PAMELA LEWIS, MSW DIPLOMA PROJECT ADVISER
Mark Twain MS District 3
BY
LUPITA RUBALCAVA, MS DIPLOMA PROJECT ADVISER Dr.
George Washington Carver MS District 5
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• Dropout A student who leaves school before
  receiving his/her high school diploma.
• Force-out A students who is suspended from
  school, expelled, or simply asked to leave (O.T.
  students often fall into this category)
• Tune out A student who stays in school, but is
  disengaged from learning.
• The transition from Middle to High School is
  often the toughest time for students. If
  students are not prepared for the transition the
  road ahead can be quite difficult, which often
  leads to students leaving school without a high
  school diploma.

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• LAUSD identifies potential dropout students
  through 3 specific dropout lists.
• The dropout lists are dispersed 3 times during
  the school year (September, February May)
• The DPA, along with a team of other school staff
  should work together to clear students off the
  list.

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• Potential Leaver Dropout- Salmon List
• Students who were enrolled in grades 7-12 for
  part of the previous school year (i.e.
  2006-2007), but enrollment has not been
  verified/documented in another school. Student
  has an N in field 212 indicating records have
  not been requested. This student is counted as a
  Leaver and will be counted as a dropout if the
  school cannot document that the student has
  transferred to another school.
• Potential No Show Dropout- Tan List
• Students who completed the previous school year
  but did not return for the next school year or,
  a student who pre-registers and does not show up
  by Norm Day.
• Potential No Show Matriculating Dropout- Green
  List (High School Only)
• Students who completed middle school and were
  expected to
• enroll at the feeder high school but do not and
  are not enrolled
• in any LAUSD school.

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• The team should work collectively to clear the
  dropout lists
• Accounting Procedures
• No Shows
• SIS/ISIS Data Collection
• Parent Assurance Letter (PAL)
• 8th Grade Matriculation Form
• (Refer to Tips to clear dropout lists form)

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• Monitor Attendance
• Home Visits
• Run list of withdrawn students
• Communicate with Feeder Schools
• Utilize COST/RCT

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• Working together we can make a difference in the
  lives of our students.
• Working together we can reach the ultimate goal
  of
• Improving our Graduation Rate
• Decreasing the number of Dropouts
• The diploma way is the only way!

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• QUESTION 1
• Students drop out mostly for social, family, or
  personal reasons that have little to do with
  school.
• MYTH

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• QUESTION 2
• Dropouts are more than twice as likely to say
  they left for reasons related to school than
  because of family or personal circumstances.
• REALITY

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• QUESTION 3
• Dropping out is a sudden and often surprising
  event that cant be predicted.
• MYTH

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• QUESTION 4
• For most, dropping out is the culmination of a
  long-term process of educational withdrawal
  preceded by years of poor academic performance
  and disengagement from school.
• REALITY

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• QUESTION 5
• Dropping out is a personal decision that has
  nothing to do with how schools operate.
• MYTH

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• QUESTION 6
• Schools that serve high poverty populations often
  serve a disproportionate number of potential
  dropouts.
• REALITY

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• QUESTION 7
• Students drop out because they are bored, not
  because they struggle academically.
• MYTH

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• QUESTION 8
• Between 1974 and 2004, the annual earnings of
  families headed by a high school dropout declined
  by nearly one-third.
• REALITY

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• QUESTION 9
• If we just made sure students were academically
  prepared to handle high school coursework, the
  dropout problem would go away.
• MYTH

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• QUESTION 10
• Poor academic preparation puts students at risk
  of dropping out, but simply raising eighth grade
  test scores will not solve the problem. Even
  high-achieving students can have a rocky
  transition to ninth grade, especially in large
  high schools that provide little social and
  academic support.
• REALITY

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• QUESTION 11
• Students drop out because they have low
  ambitions.
• MYTH

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• QUESTION 12
• Todays teenagers are the most academically
  ambitious generation in the U.S. history. All
  but one percent of sophomores say they plan to
  graduate from high school, nearly ninety percent
  say they plan to continue their education, and
  three in four say they plan to earn a bachelors
  degree or higher.
• REALITY

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• Demographic Background
• Poverty
• Minority Groups
• Male
• Limited English Proficient
• Learning / Emotional Disabilities
• Overage for their grade
• High mobility

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• Family Factors
• Single Parent Families
• Parent Dropped Out of School
• Lack of Supervision
• Lack of Educational Support
• Older Siblings Dropped Out

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• Adult Responsibilities
• Parental Roles
• ie Incarceration, Illness, Work
• Raising Children
• Job

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• Educational Experiences
• Struggled Academically
• Low Grades / Test Scores
• Retained
• Disengaged
• Absenteeism / Truancy
• Poor Classroom Behavior
• Lack of Participation in School Activities
• Poor Relationships With Teachers and Peers

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• WHAT TO BE AWARE OF
• New and larger educational setting
• Coursework is more intellectually demanding
• Students feel less academic support
• Peer relations are more complicated
• More autonomy with less supervision

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• 4 POWERFUL 6TH GRADE PREDICTORS OF SLIPPING OFF
  PATH
• A final grade of F in mathematics
• A final grade of F in english
• Attendance below 80 for the year
• A final Unsatisfactory behavior mark in at
  least one class

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• According to research (John Hopkins University)
• 80 of dropouts send signals in middle school and
  their 9th grade year.

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• PREPARING THE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATING CLASS OF
  2015!
• Incoming 6th graders /Fall 2008-09

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TITLE MIDDLE SCHOOL CULMINATION ACTIVITY AND
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION GOALS Improve student
achievement and emotional and social growth
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• Expectations For Students
• Pass the CAHSEE
• Meet A-G requirements

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• CRITERIA FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL CERTIFICATE OF
  COMPLETION
• Passing all courses, and
• Meeting Standards-Based Promotion criteria
• Identified in BUL-721 (Rev.)
• Grades 6th - 8th

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• CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION IN CULMINATION
• Passing all courses (6th - 8th)
• No more than two Us in Cooperation during the
  8th grade year (different teachers)
• No more than two Us in Work Habits during the
  8th grade year (different teachers)
• Attendance rate of 95 (6th - 8th) excluding
  serious or major illness
• Abiding by school and District policies

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• REFER TO ATTACHMENT C PARENT LETTER
• SHARE INFORMATION WITH FEEDER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS,
  PARENTS, COUNSELORS, TEACHERS (ALL STAKE HOLDERS)

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THANK YOU AND ENJOY THE REST OF THE CONFERENCE!