focus on freshmen: battleground for success

Focus on Freshman: The battle ground for success.

Chris Ford and Sean WoodsHollister High School

cford@hollister.k12.mo.us

Purpose of Reading:

Listen to how the father responds to his child each time.

Specifically, what is the father doing to help his child?

Shhh…

The End

Put your name as the character listed here. What did you imagine to be?

How did someone help that dream or stifle it?

How can you encourage the dreams of YOUR Alexander’s?

What dreams do HHS students have when they enter the doors

of our high school?

Hollister is located in SW Missouri across

the lake from Branson, Missouri.

Branson

2011-12Student Demographics

Hollister High School Enrollment

378

Percent Free/Reduced Lunches

63.3% 63.0% 63.1%

64.3%

67.1%

72.1%

Hollister High SchoolFailure Rate

14.0% 13.9%

4.5%

Hollister High SchoolA/B Rate

48%

HHS Graduation Rate

76%82.2%

89.6%92.9% 95.5%

Bridgeland, DiIulio, and Morison (2006) interviewed high school dropouts to find out why they didn't finish school

Did not like school 51.2

Could not get along with teachers 35.0

Could not get along with students 20.1

Was suspended too often 16.1

Did not feel safe at school 12.1

Was expelled 13.4

Felt I didn't belong 23.2

Could not keep up with school work 31.3

Was failing school 39.9

Bridgeland, J.M., DiIulio, J.J., & Morison, K.B. (2006).

Drop Out Facts• Choices made at or around 9th grade can

impact student’s lives forever.• The estimated tax revenue loss from every

male between the ages of 25 and 34 years of age who did not complete high school would be approximately $944 billion, with cost increases to public welfare and crime at $24 billion (Thorstensen, 2004).

Drop Out Facts

• More than one semester “F” in core subjects and fewer than five full course credits by the end of freshman year are key indicators that a student is not on track to graduate (Allensworth & Easton,2005).

• Low attendance during the first 30 days of the ninth grade year is a stronger indicator that a student will drop out than any other eighth grade predictor, including test scores, other academic achievement, and age. (Jerald, 2006).

Drop Out Facts• 75% of America's state prison inmates are

high school dropouts (Harlow, 2003).• If literacy levels in the United States were the

same as those in Sweden, the U.S. GDP would rise by approximately $463 billion and tax revenues would increase by approximately $162 billion (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2003e).

• Hollister's solution to the Drop Out Rate?

• Hollister's solution to the Drop Out Rate?

Focus on Freshman

What do you know about Freshman?

Freshman Failure Rate

23%

7.5% 7% 5.7%

Researched Strategies for a Focus on Freshman

• One strategy to address the challenges facing freshmen is the creation of ninth grade academies that are apart from the rest of the high school or the creation of separate stand alone schools. (Reents,2002) One hundred fifty four ninth grade only schools were operating during the 2004/2005 school year. (NCES, Common Core of Data).

• In schools in which transition programs are fully operational, researchers saw a dropout rate of 8%,while schools without transition programs averaged 24% (Reents, 2002).

Focus on Freshman

• Relationships• Summer Transition• Freshman Team (Focus Team)• Extra Help• Instructional strategies (best practices)

Extra Help

– During School• T.N.T time (Tigers

Need Time)– After School

• Transportation• Snacks

Extra Help Snacks

Scheduled extra help time during the

school day.

TNTTigers Need Time25 minutes a day

4 days a week

Freshman Team

• Freshman Teachers– Meet during lunch period– No lunch supervision

• Analyze Data– ‘F’ list – Office Discipline Referrals

• New position – Freshman Lifeguard

Freshman AcademyTeam Meeting

10-11-11 • Updated ‘F’ List (5 min)

– Differences in last list– New names?

• Update on AM (5 min)– Parent reaction– Student reaction– Behavior card (CI/CO)

• Discipline Data (10 min)– Areas of emphasis you see– Areas of emphasis in the data

• Other parents to schedule meetings with (5 min)– Who wants to head this up?– Documentation

• Next meeting (2 min)

Freshman Lifeguard

• One hour a day• Analyzes our ‘LIST’ of missing work and cross

references it with our ‘F’ list• Sets up times with students before and after

school for Extra Help• Contacts parents• Refers students to counselor/admin

Summer Transition Program

• Summer Transition Program• First Year - 13/118 students transition program.

Summer Transition Program

• Summer Transition Program• First Year - 13/118 students transition program.• Second Year - 38/124 students in transition program.

Summer Transition Program

• Summer Transition Program• First Year - 13/118 students transition program.• Second Year - 38/124 students in transition program.• Third Year - 63/140 students in transition program.

Summer Transition Program• Summer Transition Program

• First Year - 13/118 students transition program.• Second Year - 38/124 students in transition program.• Third Year - 63/140 students in transition program.• Fourth Year – 88/132 students in transition program.

P.A.W.S. - Providing A Winning Start

What is P.A.W.S.?• A summer program to prepare freshman for.

– Study Skills– Lockers– High School procedures– Team and leadership building.– Service Learning Project

Students who attend will receive the following:

• A ½ credit of an elective toward graduation.

• A ½ credit of health or PE. (both are required for graduation)

• Skills to enter high school successfully.

• Tools to assist with organizational skills.

• Skills to work effectively and efficiently with others.

• Leadership training through a multitude of sources.

• An extended life plan complete with steps to reach their goals.

White River Valley Trail recognized with national award

• In addition to the Corps of Engineers, the trail received support from the Branson and Hollister chambers of commerce and visitor bureaus, local city governments, Volunteers for Outdoor Missouri, students from Hollister school and College of the Ozarks, Boy Scouts working on Eagle Scout projects, and other volunteers.

Best Practices

• Assessment Learning, Stiggins• Power Standards, Ainsworth• Balanced Math Approach, Ainsworth• Comprehensive Literacy

– Reading and Writing Workshop Model– Literacy Strategies in the content areas

• Power of ICU

Power of ICU

Always Ask….• …What do you owe?• …Who do you owe?• …What do you need?• …How can I help?

• Jayson Nave• Danny Hill

• Post an agenda for the class period in the classroom.

New to HHS this year

• Modified Block Scheduling

Hollister High School2011-12 Bell Schedule(Monday-Wednesday)

Five Minute Bell- 7:55

First Hour – 8:00-8:49 Second Hour – 8:53-9:41 Third Hour – 9:46 – 10:34

TNT – 10:38-11:06Fourth Hour – 11:10 – 12:23

(First lunch – 11:06-11:32)(Second Lunch -11:32 – 11:57) (Third lunch – 11:57 – 12:23)

Fifth Hour – 12:28-1:16Sixth Hour – 1:21-2:09

Seventh Hour – 2:13-3:01Extra Help – 3:15-4:00

Thursday

Five Minute Bell - 7:55 First Hour – 8:00-9:25

Third Hour – 9:31 – 10:56TNT – 11:02-11:34

Fifth Hour – 11:40 – 1:30(First lunch – 11:34-12:00)

(Second lunch – 12:00-12:25)(Third lunch – 12:25 – 12:50)

Seventh Hour – 1:36-3:01PASS – 3:15-4:00

Friday

Professional Clubs - 8:00-8:39Five Minute Bell - 8:39

Second Hour – 8:44-10:09Fourth Hour – 10:12– 12:08 (First lunch – 10:43-11:12)

(Second lunch – 11:12 – 11:40)(Third lunch – 11:40 – 12:08)

Sixth Hour – 12:15-1:40Professional Development

2:00 – 3:30

• Double blocking Algebra 1 for at risk freshman–Acuity Algebra Readiness Assessment–MAP scores from 7th and 8th grade–Summative Grades

Algebra 1 Failure Rate

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1st Semester 2nd Semester

2010-11

2011-12

Using math skills in the classroom

Hands on Activities

Next Steps

• Continue to encourage students to come to our summer transition class.

• Set up pull out times for freshman to be pulled out of non-core classes to make up assignments.

• Become more proactive in seeking out potential students to focus on in the 8th grade.

• Continue to “TENACIOUSLY” seek out ways to provide extra help and extra time to students who need it.

School Wide Changes

• Professional Learning Community• A + School• HSTW Initiative• SWPBS• Required fourth math graduation requirement• Required fourth science graduation requirement – Class of

2017• Project Lead the Way – 2013-14 school year• Focus Teams

A new paradigm at HHS

Contact Information

Chris Ford, Assistant Superintendentcford@hollister.k12.mo.us

Sean Woods, High School Principalswoods@hollister.k12.mo.usTamhra Barnett, Life Guard

tbarnett@hollister.k12.mo.usGinger Williams, Life Guard

gwilliams@hollister.k12.mo.us