Improving Graduation Rate

Boone: Strategic efforts
align and provide high quality instruction

• ELL achievement
• Special education achievement and graduation rates
• grade 3 reading
• college and career readiness

in four years, 73% of students will graduate from high school

may have heard of so-called dropout factories around the country but "that's not our story in Worcester at all"

"but that's not good enough, because there are still a quarter of our students not graduating on time"

77% of our students will graduate in four to five years

Dropout rate is 3.1%

125 fewer kids dropped out last school year

Target for 2013: 78% for 4 year

81% for five year cohort

"on the right pathway and getting closer to those goals"

"meeting that expectation"

what's being done?

• New graduation requirements: this year's ninth graders 
• "not just enough to change those graduation requirements"
• professional development for grades 9 & 10 teachers
• graduation specialist at North High: 86 students "were close enough"; 75 of those 86 students graduated by June or through the summer
• $435,000 in competitive grants since January 2014

Rodrigues on Grants:

MassGrad "promising practices" $75,000

• middle school transition teams: 8th to 9th grade teachers working on hand off of students, particularly for students most at risk of dropping out
• transition academy for grade 8 students: 8th graders spending a day at high school to ease adjustment
• high school transition teams
• high school graduation teams: replicating efforts of North High graduation specialist; look at those most at risk and figure out a plan; scaling up at all comprehensive high schools
• competency-based education in alternative settings: Boston Day and Evening Academy for training

Career Academy Grant $45,000 (through Gateway Cities)

• school of technology and business at North High (CTE Pathway) : Microsoft Office and medical billing
• advisory council computer and business industries, WPS staff, community members
• Last year was planning, this year is implementation: 200+ students in grade 9
• hope to become ch. 74 program at North
• PD for teachers also included

Alternative Education: most at risk for not graduating $10,000

this is the one we approved last week

• evaluate alternative programs
• look at strength and weaknesses
• use of existing resources
• look at increasing capacity

English Language Learners Academy (through Gateway Cities) $185,000

• Summer Enrichment Academy: intermediate ELL (EPL 3)
• LOTS of partners: Worcester State, LEI, ACE, Worcester Refugee, Quinsig, Esperanza y Su Exito TV show
• six weeks of programs, five days a week, 9-3
• academic, field trips, family and community engagement
• will be on Worcester State campus

Innovation Schools enhancement and sustainability

we approved this one last week, too: $30,000 each

• Chandler Magnet
• Goddard Scholars
• Lincoln Street
• Worcester Tech

"a great amount of money" 

quality of writing and focus "what would be the best leverage to focus on student achievement"

Boone: advance that agenda for the Worcester community (regarding Gateway Cities)

students will definitely benefit for what happens with these