Brian Piazza

04/27/2015

Educational Improvement Plan

EDL 710

Section 1: Problem/Issue Identification

I’ve set forth to create an Education Improvement Plan (EIP)  that can be implemented at Ossining

High School where I currently work as the Freshman Counselor. The issue I have seen at Ossining is

that we have a fairly high number of 9th grade students who do fail classes as 9th graders, some of

whom eventually will not graduate high school in four years, if at all. My original theory was that

perhaps the Freshman Counselor Model, which has one school counselor assigned to the entire grade,

was no longer working and should be replaced with a 9-12 Counseling model which is employed at a

number of high schools in New York State. After a number of months of research, internship, and

reflection I have developed an Educational Improvement Plan that I believe can be implemented at

Ossining High School. The plan I outline in this paper would help achieve the stated goals of my EIP

which are to decrease the number of 9th grade students failing classes, and increase the Ossining

High School Four-Year Graduation Rate.

Ossining High School is located in Ossining, NY a town in Westchester County, NY located

approximately 30 miles north of New York City. Ossining is a very diverse community. This

diversity is represented in the school’s student body. The current ethnic makeup of OHS students is

displayed in the following charts...

Black or African American

Hispanic or Latino

Asian or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander

White Multiracial

210 581 54 460 11

16% 44% 4% 35% 1%

The high school graduation rate at Ossining High School (OHS) is not at an acceptable level. The

graduation rate for the 2013-2014 school year was 79%. The graduation rate is a direct result of the

credits that students earn over their four years at Ossining High School. Students who do not get off

to a good start academically during their 9th grade year are much more likely to not graduate on time

or at all.

Ossining High School has used the model of a Freshman Counselor for over 10 years. This

counseling model was created to give 9th graders the attention and support they need to stay on track

academically as they transition to high school.  Currently, at Ossining High School we do not have a

true transition program. Education Researchers Kyle McCallumore and Ervin Sparapini suggest that

a transition program for 9th graders is absolutely necessary…

“Research shows that it is imperative that measures be put in place to smooth the transition.

Schools with fully operational transition programs have an average dropout rate of only 8%, while

schools without such programs have a dropout rate of 24%” (p.62, 2010).

Student’s success in 9th grade is generally a strong indicator of what the four-year graduation rate

will be. The students who aren’t successful in 9th grade end up under-credited and more likely to

never graduate at all. In their 2012 article “The 9th Grade Shock and the High School Dropout

Crisis” Nikolas Pharris-Ciurej, Charles Hirschman and Joseph Willhoft discuss the importance of a

smooth transition to high school in 9th grade…

“Even if the transition to high school is not problematic for all students, we think there is

considerable evidence that many adolescents are ill prepared for the abrupt changes in school climate

between middle school and high school. High school teachers tend to have higher expectations for

performance than do middle school teachers and are often perceived as showing less personal interest

in their students (Barber and Olsen, 2004). For students who are used to receiving emotional support

from middle school teachers, the high school environment may appear to be impersonal,

bureaucratic, and alienating. Early failure in the first months, or even weeks, of 9th grade can create a

downward slide. Small missteps, combined with inattention and school absences, can quickly turn

into failed tests, and then a failed course. Most failing students do not drop out of high school

immediately, but they may lose confidence and develop poor habits that make it difficult to recover.

The “one-size-fits-all” model for the transition to high school is not working for many students

(Cohen and Smerdon, 2009)” (p.725, 2012).

There is a clear correlation between success in 9th grade and improved graduation rate. The question

that must be answered, is there a better way to support 9th grade students than the current 9th grade

counseling model? If we are to keep the current 9th grade model what needs to be improved about

the program? If we choose to change the Freshman Counselor model, what will it be replaced with?

The educational improvement plan that I suggest is a multi-faceted approach to deal with the issues

of the 9th grade failure rate and high school graduation rate. There are four major components of this

plan:

Creating an “At-Risk Counselor” position in place of the “Freshman Counselor” position

Developing a Freshman Academy at Ossining High School

Implementing Freshman Study Hall Classes for students eligible for Academic Intervention

Services

Hiring a Guidance Intern to support At-Risk 9th grade students academic, personal, and

social growth

Section II - Needs Assessment

The Freshman Counselor Model was implemented at Ossining High School during the 2002-2003

school year. It has continued to exist because it is seen as a good way to help students transition from

middle school and find success in high school.

With the understanding of how critical success during 9th grade is, let’s look at the following data.

The data collected on the Freshman Failure rate at Ossining High School is displayed below. The

statistics for 3rd Quarter of the 2014-2015 school year are especially troubling.

School Year Percentage of 9th Grade Students Failing One or More Courses

2011-2012 18% (51 out of 287)

2012-2013 16% (49 out of 302)

2013-2014 18% (55 out of 303)

2014-2015 33% (110 out of 335)**

**2014-2015 Data is based on Ossining High School 3rd Quarter Report Cards**

The evidence displayed above regarding the 9th grade failure rate makes it unclear whether or not the

freshman counselor role is still working. One of the main reasons to maintain the position of

Freshman Counselor is because of its supposedly positive impact on 9th graders academic transition

to high school and the overall graduation rate at Ossining High School (OHS). Ossining High

School’s graduation data accumulated over the past 10 years does not show any growth or

improvement due to the 9th grade counselor position. The data is consistent in showing that 20% of

students will not graduate in four years. The results below have been taken from New York State

Education Department School Report Cards issued over the past 10 years.

The Ossining High School Graduation Data is also represented in the chart below:

Year Ossining High School 4-Year Graduation Rate

2013-2014 79%

2012-2013 78%

2011-2012 78%

2010-2011 80%

2009-2010 80%

2008-2009 70%

2007-2008 76%

2006-2007 81%

2005-2006 79%

2004-2005 83%

Over the past 10 years the four-year graduation rate has hovered at around 80%. While many high

schools would be quite happy with these results, Ossining High School must have higher standards

than that.

The table below compares data between Ossining High School and a small sample size of high

schools in surrounding districts. In the date above we see that Ossining High School is

underperforming in terms of Four-Year Graduation Rate. Ossining High School’s graduation rate is

well below that of neighboring Sleepy Hollow and Fox Lane High Schools.

High School

Freshman Counselor

Total Number of Counselors

In-District Alternative

High School Option

Number of

Students (2011-2012)

% of Students Eligible for Free

or Reduced Lunch (2011-2012)

% of Students

identified as LEP

(Limited English

Proficiency) (2011-2012)

Graduation Rate (2013-

2014)

Ossining High

School Yes 7 No 1287 30% (387) 9% (114) 79%

Hendrick Hudson

HS Yes 5 Yes 855 13% (116) 1% (10) 93%

Sleepy Hollow

HS No. 9-12 4 No 887 44% (389) 16% (145) 84%

Peekskill HS

Yes. Freshman Academy 3 Yes 880 66% (582) 7% (65) 67%

Fox Lane HS No. 9-12 7 Yes 1329 13% (172) 5% (67) 91%

Port Chester Senior

HS

Yes (Changed to 9-12 in

2014-2015) 6 No 1188 47% (560) 12% (148) 75%

In the data above we see that Ossining High School is underperforming in terms of Graduation Rate.

Ossining High School’s graduation rate is well below that of neighboring Sleepy Hollow and Fox

Lane High Schools. Although, there are multiple factors that impact this difference in graduation

rate, we must look at what options may be available at other schools that we do not offer. Both

Sleepy Hollow and Fox Lane High Schools use a 9th-12th Grade Counseling Model. In addition, Fox

Lane offers an Alternative High School setting, which may benefit students who are at-risk to not

graduate high school.

Section III - Timeline

The Educational Improvement Plan that I will implement includes a different approach to the current

counseling model and the development of a Freshman Academy that focused on improving the

transition of 9th grade students. This plan does not eliminate the Freshman Counselor position. It

merely adapts the position to serve our most at-risk students. Over the next 4 years the Freshman

Counselor position will evolve into a counseling position that serves the neediest at Ossining High

School. This change will include the gradual moving of a 9-12 model for the other six school

counselors in the Guidance Department.

In addition to the counseling position transformation, we will implement a massive change to the

structure of Ossining High School that will better serve our 9th grade students through the creation of

the Freshman Academy.

The Educational Improvement Plan will implement a number of changes over the following years.

The Timeline for the implementation of these plans is as follows:

Spring 2015

Proposal submitted to Administration requesting 9th Grade Counselor Position will be

rebranded into an At-Risk Counselor position

At-Risk Counselor will take on a caseload that includes the lowest performing 25% of

students per grade between the 2015-2016 School Year and the 2018-2019 School Year

A proposal to create a Freshman Academy Ossining High School will be submitted to

Administration. This proposal would reorganize the physical space of the building to allow

for one wing (the annex) to house all of the 9th grade classes.

Freshman Counselor and At-Risk Counselor proposals will be presented to faculty and

submitted to the Central Administration and the Board of Education for approval

Proposal submitted to Administration to hire two teacher interns from a local university to

fulfill the duties of teaching Freshman Study Hall classes in 2015-2016

Upon approval the creation of Freshman Study Hall periods will be built into the master

schedule for 2015-2016. Students will be placed in these classes if they are eligible for

Academic Intervention Services (AIS).

Teachers will be given the opportunity to apply to work in The Freshman Academy

Assistant Principal will assign 9th Grade Teacher Classrooms in the New Freshman

Academy

Building and Grounds moves teacher equipment and materials to the Freshman Academy

The Freshman Academy will take over one wing of the school building. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd

Floors of the Ossining High School Annex.

There will be 325 freshmen and 24 classes in the OHS Annex, the new OHS Freshman

Academy. All English, Social Studies, Math, and Elective classes will be held in the Annex.

Freshman will leave the Academy for their Science class, Physical Education and Lunch

Periods

Reach out to Pace University School of Education and Long Island University School

Counseling Program connections regarding applicants to fill intern positions

Summer 2015

Interview and hire two teachers or teacher interns for the Freshman Study Hall classes

Interview and hire guidance intern to work specifically with at-risk 9th grade students

Identify the lowest performing 25% of the Class of 2018 (current Freshman) based on 9th

grade final grades

Identify the lowest performing 25% of the Class of 2019 (current 8th Graders) based on 8th

grade final grades

Assign the two groups above to the “At-Risk Counselor”

Master Schedule is created to reflect 9th Grade Study Hall classes and restricted Lunch

Periods

Fall 2015

Freshman Academy opens on September 4th 2015

The Freshman Counselor will continue to perform his current job duties as outlined in the

Ossining High School Guidance Plan with an increased caseload of the 25% most under-

credited students in the 10th grade Cohort

At-Risk Counselor will meet with all students on his caseload individually by November 15th

Teacher Interns teach and run Freshman Study Hall classes

At-Risk Counselor and Guidance Intern identify 9th graders in need of academic and

behavioral support, as well as attendance monitoring

Spring 2016

Principal, Assistant Principal for Guidance/Science and At-Risk Counselor will review

previous years academic data and make any adjustments in program for upcoming school

year

Three new Teacher Interns hired for 2016-2017 school year to continue and expand

Freshman Study Hall classes

One new Guidance Intern hired for 2016-2017 school year to continue supporting at-risk 9th

graders academic, personal, social and emotional growth

Summer 2016

The At-Risk Counselor’s caseload will grow to take on the lowest 25% of performing

students from 9th, 10th and 11th grade.

The Six School Counselors in the Guidance Department will move from a 10th-12th

Counseling Model to 9th-12th grade Counseling Model.

The AP for Guidance will assign the six school counselors the remaining 75% of the

incoming 9th grade class

Spring/Summer 2017

Freshman Academy, At-Risk Counselor Position, Freshman Study Hall classes, and

Guidance Intern support are evaluated for upcoming school year

The At-Risk Counselor’s caseload grows to take on the lowest 25% of performing students

from grades 9-12. These students are identified by final grades from 2015-2016 school year

AP for Guidance assigns the six school counselors the remaining 75% of the incoming 9th

grade class

The turnaround from concept to actual implementation of the Educational Improvement Plan (EIP)

can be done fairly quickly. The plan is not expensive to implement, however it will take a lot of

thought to complete some of the tasks. Full implementation is possible for the 2015-2016 school

year, but is also unlikely. It is more likely that the implementation of the Freshman Academy

component of the EIP would take longer than the reconfiguring of guidance caseloads, rebranding of

the Freshman Counselor position and the hiring of intern staff. However, the goal should be to try to

implement all components of the EIP by September 2015.

Section IV - Organizational Chart

The Freshman Counselor position was implemented by the current Principal (Mr. M.) and Assistant

Principal in charge of Guidance (Ms. L.) in 2002-2003. Any changes to the current guidance

structure would have to be approved by these two administrators as well as the Superintendent of

Schools (Mr. S.) and the members of the Board of Education.

This chart identifies the individuals who would be involved in the transformation of the Freshman

Counselor role to an At-Risk Counselor role

School Official Position

Seven Member Committee Board of Education

Mr. S Superintendent

Mr. M Principal

Ms. L Assistant Principal for Guidance

Mr. P Freshman Counselor

School Counselors (6) 10th-12th Grade School Counselors (6)

The working relationship between the school staff in the above organizational chart is generally

good. Issues that may be a hindrance to changing the role of the Freshman Counselor are as follows:

The Freshman Counselor role was created by the current high school administration. They

believe that the role is beneficial to students.

Parents appear happy with having the Freshman Counselor as a go-to for assistance with the

transition to high school.

Creating an At-Risk Counselor role will cause reorganization of roles in the Guidance

Department for Counselors, which will be complicated

Marketing and Advertising the role of an At-Risk Counselor may not be palatable to

Community Members at first. Students who are assigned this counselor may consider it a

stigma.

The organizational chart of the constituents who would be involved and impacted by the creation of

the Freshman Academy is more extensive.

School Official Position

Seven Member Committee Board of Education

Mr. S Superintendent

Mr. M Principal and Director of Mathematics

Ms. L Assistant Principal for Guidance and Science

Mr. F Assistant Principal for Social Studies

Mr. P Assistant Principal for Discipline & Attendance

Ms. P Director of English, World Language and ESL Programs

Mr. H Director of Building and Grounds

Mr. D Dean of Students

Faculty (110) All Departments

Mr. P Freshman Counselor

School Counselors (6) 10th-12th Grade Counselors

The relationships between all of these constituents are complicated. The creation of the Freshman

Academy would be controversial and would probably receive pushback from some teachers.

In general, many teachers have expressed that they would prefer to not teach 9th graders. The

reasons cited are 9th graders immaturity, possible unpreparedness for the high level of work and

expectations from high school teachers. Teachers also may not be happy about the reorganization of

the building through the creation of the Freshman Academy. The Annex portion of Ossining High

School which will house the Freshman Academy now houses a mix of World Language, English and

Math classes. Moving teachers away from their normal classrooms and areas will draw their ire.

The Principal and Assistant Principal for Guidance/Science have the ultimate power to decide if a

Freshman Academy is feasible. The two of these individuals really work to create the master

schedule, which will determine whether a Freshman Academy can exist. There is a large degree of

collegiality among the decision makers at the high school building level. The Principal and AP for

Guidance/Science have the power at the high school level. The Principal and AP for Guidance have

been in place at Ossining High School for 17 and 13 years respectively. If they put their backing

behind the Freshman Academy idea, it will be approved by the Superintendent and the Board of

Education.

Section V - Potential Causes of Problems/Barriers to Change

Implementing this Educational Improvement Plan will not be easy. Change is difficult. People are

naturally resistant to change. Especially, those of us who work in education. Moving from a 9th

Grade Counselor to an At-Risk Counselor will not be that difficult internally. The Guidance

Department has been discussing a change to the current model for a long time. The support of those

school counselors who work with students each day will not be very difficult to garner. However, the

marketability of an At-Risk Counselor position to the community will need to be resolved.

In the past, the Ossining Union Free School District has shown a willingness to take risks that

serve the needs of our students. The district moved to the Princeton Plan model for our elementary

schools, which placed students of the same grades together in one school. This is quite different from

the Community Schools Model that many neighboring school districts employ. Another example of

our willing to take risks is the optional Dual Language (Spanish and English) that students have had

the opportunity to enroll in at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Looking back at our districts past willingness to explore creative ways to deal with issues and

better educate our students, I feel they would be willing to take a chance on creating a Freshman

Academy and reimagining the Freshman Counselor position. This gives our school district an

opportunity to take a proactive and creative approach to ensuring student success.

The biggest issues we will face are that educators are resistant to change. In addition, the Freshman

Academy plan includes a physical moving of teacher’s classrooms, which they will not be happy

with. The counter argument to this is that if we don’t try creative ways to solve the freshman failure

issue and resulting sub-par graduation rate, are we just willing to accept these problems as acceptable

and unchanging?

One of the issues that may derail the implementation of this plan is that the master schedule is only

created by two people. The Principal and Assistant Principal (AP) for Guidance/Science. This is a

massive task for two people. To add the creation of a Freshman Academy may be too much for only

two people to work on. Although, this plan would need to be put into place by a bigger team, I feel

that the Principal and AP for Guidance feel that they need to have tight control of the master

schedule and the organization of building; this is another barrier to the implementation of a Freshman

Academy.

One other barrier to this plan would be a lack of financial resources. The plan includes hiring two

teachers or interns, and a guidance intern. These barriers can be worked around. If we do fill these

positions with interns, the school would not necessarily have to pay for them. However, we may not

be able to place interns with students without proper supervision from a collaborating teacher.

Section VI - Action Steps

There are a number of steps that need to be taken in order to implement this educational

improvement plan at Ossining High School. Here is a list of the action steps that must be taken:

Spring 2015

EIP will be presented to Guidance Department and AP for Guidance/Science to garner

support for its implementation

Educational Improvement Plan (EIP) must be presented to Principal and high school

Administration Team

EIP must be approved by the Superintendent and Board of Education

EIP should be unveiled to the Ossining High School Faculty and Staff

Faculty and Staff will be given opportunity to provide feedback on the plan

Parents and Community members will be invited to learn about the EIP at an open Forum.

This will also provide them with a chance to ask questions and share any concerns.

EIP must be approved by the Superintendent

EIP will be presented to the Board of Education for approval

Summer 2015

9th Grade Counselor Position will be rebranded into an “At-Risk Counselor” position

“At-Risk Counselor” will take on a caseload that includes the lowest performing 25% of

students per grade between the 2015-2016 School Year and the 2018-2019 School Year

The Six School Counselors in the Guidance Department will move from a 10th-12th

Counseling Model to 9th-12th grade Counseling Model.

Ossining High School will create a Freshman Academy and reorganize the physical space of

the building to allow for one

The Freshman Academy will take over one wing of the school building. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd

Floors of the Ossining High School Annex.

There are 325 freshmen and 24 classrooms in the OHS Annex, the new OHS Freshman

Academy. All English, Social Studies, Math, and Elective classes will be held in the Annex.

Freshman will leave the Academy for their Science class, Physical Education and Lunch

Periods

Restrict Freshman Lunch Periods to periods 4, 5, and 6

Creation of Freshman Independent Study Periods. Students will be placed in these classes if

they are eligible for Academic Intervention Services (AIS).

Building and Grounds team moves 9th Grade Classrooms into the Ossining High School

Annex

An unused Conference Room in Science Wing attached to Annex is turned into Freshman

Teacher Collaboration center.

Teachers will be able to use the Freshman Teacher Collaboration center to meet during Prep

Periods to brainstorm ideas to support 9th Grade students.

Spring 2016

The Freshman Academy and At-Risk Counselor role will be evaluated by a committee of

stakeholders at the end of the 2015-2016 school year

The stakeholders involved in this evaluation will be the At-Risk Counselor, Principal, AP for

Guidance/Science, a 9th grade teacher from each department, one 9th-12th grade school

counselor, two 9th grade students, two parents of 9th grade students

Changes to Freshman Academy will be implemented based on recommendations of this

committee

The creation of the At-Risk Counselor position and the implementation of the Freshman Academy

will be positive changes for students of Ossining High School. It is very important that these

programs have the support of faculty, staff, students, parents and the community. In order to garner

this support we will need to be transparent about the issues facing our 9th grade students. This will be

accomplished by holding a forum for community members to learn about our plan and share their

thoughts. The plan will also be unveiled to faculty and staff to explain its importance and take in

feedback.

This plan has been created to support the best interests of students. Allowing students to continue to

fail is not ethical or fair. If we maintain the status quo, we will continue to see that roughly 20% of

students never graduate Ossining High School. Doing nothing is unacceptable. As a school we must

take action and implement this improvement plan to make a change and improve the outcomes for

the students of Ossining High School.

Section VII - Budget

The cost of implementing the Education Improvement Plan will not be great. The plan reassigns the

human capital we already have in the building and reorganizes the physical space at Ossining High

School. There is no cost to reclassifying the Freshman Counselor position as an At-Risk Counselor.

There should be no cost associated with the moving of classrooms into the Freshman Academy. This

work could be done by the high school's building and grounds crew, who are 12-month employees

and available over the summer.

The costs associated with the program would be to hire 2 full-time teachers, substitute teachers or

teacher interns to run the Freshman Study Hall classes. This cost would be roughly $10,000-

$120,000 for the year, depending on the option that is decided upon.

The cost of hiring a Guidance Intern would be $0 to $6,000 for the year. This intern would work

exclusively with at-risk 9th grade students providing support for their academic growth, monitoring

attendance, and assisting in their social and emotional development.

The funding for the components of this program is shown in the chart below. Luckily enough,

Ossining High School has received $124,000 in state aid for the 2015-2016 school year. This

represents a 19% increase in state aid funding compared to the 2014-2015 school year. Ossining

High School also recently was awarded $840,000 in Gap Adjustment Aid for the 2015-2016 school

year. This money can also be accessed to pay for the minimal costs related to this educational

improvement plan.

ProgramCost to District

Possible Funding Source

Funding Amount $

(U.S. Dollars) Notes

At-Risk Counselor $0 N/A N/A

Already included in Budget as Freshman Counselor

Freshman Academy $0 N/A N/A

A reorganization of Ossining High School's existing resources, physical

space and human capital

Teachers or Teachers

Interns (2)$10,000 to $120,000 Foundation Aid $124,000

Teachers or Teacher Interns to teach "Freshman Study Hall". Teachers could

be classified as interns/substitute teachers to greatly lower costs

Guidance Intern

$0 to $6000

Gap Elimination Adjustment

Aid $840,000Guidance Intern to support and monitor

at-risk students

Budget constraints will not play a major role in whether or not this educational improvement plan

will be instituted. The New York State Property Tax Cap has severely hamstrung the ability of school

districts throughout New York State to spend money as it lowers the percentage increase of property

taxes per year to below 3%.  

Given the current economic climate in New York State plan has been created with the understanding

that there is very little budget flexibility in this current economic climate.

Section VIII - Reflection

The Educational Improvement Plan I have suggested has four main components:

Changing the Freshman Counselor position at Ossining High School into an At-Risk

Counselor position

Creating a Freshman Academy at Ossining High School

Implementing Freshman Study Hall Classes for students eligible for Academic Intervention

Services

Hiring a Guidance Intern to support At-Risk 9th grade students academic, personal, and

social growth

I believe that it is quite feasible to have all components of this plan implemented at Ossining High

School. The reason is that neither one will cost the district much money. The Educational

Improvement Plan has a number of different components. I think that many of these components

could be implemented rather easily. Without the financial barriers in the way, the biggest issue is

whether or not the faculty would be open to a reorganization of the physical space of the school.

Another large barrier is that the implementation of a Freshman Academy will be a lot of work in

terms of organizing the physical space and developing a master schedule that will work. This work

would typically fall on the AP for Guidance/Science who already has a lot of responsibilities. The

responsibility of creating a Freshman Academy may be too overwhelming to institute by September

2015.

The AP for Guidance/Science is my supervisor, so I understand the innumerable amount of

tasks in her job description. There is a chance she may feel that this plan has too many components

and is too large to be implemented successfully for the 2015-2016 school year. She likes the

creativity of the idea, but does not necessarily feel that it will be feasible.

The strengths of my EIP are that it utilizes resources that our district already possesses. The

EIP does not cost the district much money, and the increase in State Aid from New York State could

be earmarked to cover the minimal costs.

The EIP is well thought out. The organizing of classrooms and the master schedule changes

that would need to happen to support a Freshman Academy are areas that must continue to be looked

at for possible pitfalls.

I really enjoyed the process of creating this EIP. The issues that I looked at during through

this plan are very important to me in my current role as the Freshman Counselor. All of the tasks that

I completed through this process gave me a greater understanding of the challenges facing our

students.  The research involved in this process was very interesting. I was able to compare Ossining

High School’s success with those of our neighboring school districts and read educational theory

about how to improve the transition to high school for 9th graders, leading to an increased graduation

rate.

The tasks I completed included:

Looking at new ways to create educational plans for 9th graders through scheduling

Meeting with 9th grade students to better understand the struggles they face as Freshman and

how to better support their transition

Working with Special Education Students to better understand their learning needs and

interventions that can be used with both Special Education and General Education students

Meeting with the parents of At-Risk 9th Graders to learn about the needs of these students

and how to support both students and parents

Attending Response to Intervention Meetings to collaborate with colleagues about the

outcomes for at-risk students and develop intervention systems

Analyzing the high school graduation data at Ossining High School and other neighboring

school districts who serve a similar population of students in terms of ethnic and

socioeconomic demographics

Researching educational theory regarding the 9th grade experience, high school graduation,

the transition to high school, and programs to support high school students

Completing these tasks helped me better understand the plight of Ossining High School’s at-risk

students. Learning about their needs, the areas they struggle in, and reflecting on interventions that

can be introduced was enlightening. The creation of this EIP allowed me to try to find creative ways

to problem solve an issue that is very important to the future success of our students at Ossining High

School. I have found the process rewarding and fun. This process has helped me become a better

leader and left me prepared for the challenges I will face as an administrator.

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