Helping your Child Succeed in High School

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Helping your Child Succeed in High School
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Graduating from High School

• In order to graduate, students in Georgia must
• Select a program of study
• Successfully complete the required high school
  coursework
• Pass the Georgia High School Graduation Tests
• Satisfy attendance requirements

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Diploma Types
Going away for 9th graders beginning 2008
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Required Courses
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Required Tests
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What topics are Covered on the Tests?

• To find out what each test covers, parents can
  view the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) for
  each subject and grade level at
  www.georgiastandards.org. 

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What happens if my child doesnt pass the High
School Graduation Tests? 

• Students who do not pass all the tests may be
  eligible for a high school certificate or a
  special education diploma. Such students can
  return to retake the test(s) as often as they
  wish in order to qualify for a high school
  diploma.

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U.S. Student Dropout Rates
Source National Center for Public Policy and
Higher Education, Policy Alert, April 2004
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The problem is worse for minority students
Source Swanson, Christopher. Projections of the
20032004 High School Graduates Supplemental
Findings from Who Graduates?
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Why Do Students Drop Out?
Classes were not interesting

• Missed too many days /could not catch up

• Spent time with people who were not interested
  in school

• Had too much freedom / not enough rules

• Was failing in school

Source Civic Enterprises, The Silent Epidemic
Perspectives of High School Dropouts, 2006.
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Challenging students will cut back on dropouts

• Nearly 90 percent of high school dropouts report
  having passing grades.
• 70 percent believe they could have graduated if
  they had stayed in school.
• Even those with lower GPAs thought they could
  have graduated.
• The No. 1 one reason they left? They were

Bored
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In their own words

• A lot of the teachers give you one worksheet a
  day, and after that, youre sitting there the
  rest of the day. Students want to go to school
  and learn things.
• Deloris Johnson, 15, student at South
  Philadelphia High School

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Does raising standards lead to increased dropout
rates?

• During the last decade, a number of states and
  districts have raised graduation standards
• without seeing a decrease in graduation rates.

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Whats being Done?

• New standards to raise the bar

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Hows Hart County Doing?

• School Made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 9
  of 9 areas (2005/2006)

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Whats the School Doing?

• REFORMS IMPLEMENTED
• Modified block schedule
• Smaller classes
• Best teachers assigned to 9th grade
• Failing students are not allowed to participated
  in sports, band or ROTC
• Mentoring Programs
• Scheduled after school tutorial sessions
• More rigorous courses for all students no more
  Tech Prep

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Hart County Graduation Rates
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HCHS Graduation TestLanguage Arts
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HCHS Graduation TestMath
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HCHS Graduation TestSocial Studies
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HCHS Graduation TestScience
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HCHS 11th Grade WritingTest
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What can I do to Help My Child Succeed?

• CIS of Hart County provides during school and
  after school tutoring
• HYDRA provides peer mentoring
• HCHS provides supplemental services
• Encourage your child to take honors courses

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Educate Yourself!

• CIS of Hart County is providing computer sessions
  for parents providing
• I-Parent training
• Georgia Standards review
• School website
• Hope Scholarship Info

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The Story of a Tiny Frog

• ?? There once was a bunch of tiny frogs ... who
  arranged a running competition. The goal was to
  reach the top of a very high tower.
• ?? A big crowd had gathered around the tower to
  see the race and cheer on the contestants.
• ?? The race began. Honestly-- no one in the crowd
  really believed that the tiny frogs would reach
  the top of the tower.

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The Story of a Tiny Frog
You heard statements such as ?? "Oh, WAY too
difficult!! ?? "They will NEVER make it to the
top." ?? orNot a chance that they will succeed.
The tower is too high! ?? The tiny frogs began
collapsing, one by one, except for those, who in
a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher.
The crowd continued to yell, "It is too
difficult!!! No one will make it!"
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The Story of a Tiny Frog

• More tiny frogs got tired and gave up. But ONE
• continued higher and higher and higher. This one
• wouldn't give up!
• ?? At the end everyone else had given up climbing
  the tower except for the one tiny frog who, after
  a big effort, was the only one who reached the
  top!
• ?? THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally
  wanted to ,know how this one frog managed to do it

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How Did He Succeed?

• A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found
  the strength to succeed and reach the goal?
• ?? It turned out that the winner was DEAF!!!!

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You are your Childs 1 Role Model and Motivator
Be enthusiastic. Encourage your children. Praise
them for a job well done. Learn and grow. Get
Involved. Always try to do your best.
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For More Information

• Call the Northeast Georgia PIRC Center at 706
  856 2798 to sign up for a class or for more
  information
• View our website www.gapirc.org(?)