West Virginia Department of Education
Innovationzone and Drop-out PreventionGrant
Pleasefill out all appropriateboxesand respondto all questions.
The applicationand plan must be in 12 pt. font and is limited to 20 pages.
Application is due by 4:00 p.m. December l,20ll
Section1- Applicant Information
Name of entityapplying:
County:
Principal:
Contact Name & Title:
Phone:
Email:
Independence Middle School
Ralelgh
RandyAdkins
Randy Adldns, IMS Principal
304-683-4542
rtadkins@access.kl 2.wy.us
Number of studentsserved/affectedby plan:
Number of teachersinvolved/affected by plan:
Number of service personnelinvolved/affected by plan:
60-509
43
0
Please place a check beside the approprlqte enttty(ies) applying for innovstlon zone designatlon
X)(X School
_Department or Subdivisionof School
of Schools(fill out multiple listingsbelow)
-Coalition
EducationInstitution (*mustcheckanotherentity)
_Higher
Systemof Schools
_Feeder
District
Application
_
Please place a check beside the appropriate grantfor which you are applying
InnovationZoneGrant
XXX Drop-OutPreventionGrant(mustincludecommunitypartnersandthreeyearbrrclget
proposal)
LEADERSHIP TEAM IWEM
BERS
Identiff the schoolor consortium'sleadershipteam.For dropout preventiongrants,the leadershipteam
shouldincludecommunitypartnersfaddadditionallinesas necessaryl.
Name
Title
Signature .
t j
.n
Randv Adkins
IMS Principal
rTnnPr #d-rrlnzr
Tamber Hodoes
IDISPrincioal Intern
ChrtsPerkins
IHS Principal
e2uz-,C-fuZ--zzt
Margaret O'Neal
United Wav of Southern VW
a*^'9 (L[);*A"
Debbie Williams
Raleigh Countv FRN
t LN^- /, l.!-Ltn-';
CeIiVanDvke
RESA7 Adolescent Health
i'"\l \r-\..L)
Emilv Meadows
RESA7 Reg.SchoolWellness
,r-t, tD [Wt tt,chrtt a)
I
Keith Butcher
tuIillerHall
Millard Francis
PattyBryant
RESA7 ExecutiveDirector
Raleigh County Schools(RCS)
Direc'tar of Secondarv Ed,
RCSDirector of Attendance
RCS.4sstDlrector of Attendance
"k
f uM,
4f f i:
v/zar#q
' faJi{/lj.-/8.ttsx'
-fl&h,*-*'14.-.-#
Sheila Lucento
RCSCounsellngandTest
Coordlnator
,"^-
RCSDirector of Federal Proorams
trV-arx*
SandvTrent
,*/L//,t-t,t
Pleaseensureyou haveall of the supportlng documentsrequlred completedand atlnchedta the end
oltJris application
/.
/,
/
Recordof Commiunentfrom Staff,Parent,and LSICCouncil
LocalEducationalAgencyReport of Support or Concerns
Multiple CommunityPartnerRecordsof Commitmentfor DropoutGrants
Section2- Abstract and Waiver Requests
Provide a project summary that briefly describes the project's vision, goals, activities, and key
features for student successthatwill be addressed.Pleaselimit the length of the abstract to
the text box found on this psse onlv.
Multipleresearchers
haveshownthat droppingout of schoolcanhavedevastating
effectson students,
communities,
andour nation.Typicaldropoutsearnlessandcontributefewertax dollars,haveincreased
healthcosts,driveup criminaljustice
costs,anddrawheavilyon welfareandpublicassistance.
Theseresults
areconcerning
to botheducators
andcommunitymembersin Raleigh
County,WestVirginia.
A localgroupof concerned
leadersreviewed
the mostcurrentWestVirginiaDepartment
of Education
(2009-20L0)
dataandfoundour statedropoutratewas2.7Yoand
our countyaveragewas2.5%o,
bothof these
ratesweresignificant
but not shocking.Surprisingly,
uponcloserinspection,
we foundthat onelocalhigh
school,Independence
HighSchool,hasa dropoutrateof 5.5%whichalmostdoubledthe stateandcounty
average.Also,concerning
wasthat thisratehasbeenincreasing
for the pastthreeyears.
Thisalarmingly
highratepromptedthe formationa localLeadership
Teamto exploreanddevelop
DropoutPrevention
lnitiatives
in thisareaof our county.Ourvisionisthat our schoolcommunitywill
recognize
andaddress
issues
that maycompromise
MiddleSchool(lMS)
schoolengagement
at Independence
sothat morestudentsat Independence
HighSchoolwill graduateandbe preparedfor theirfutures. After
practices
carefulassessment
of multipledatasources
andpromising
ourTeamhopesto accomplish
the
followinggoals:
1. Quicklyidentifystudentsthat maybe at riskof droppingout by developing
andmaintaining
an Early
grades,and
WarningSystem(EWS)
at Independence
MiddleSchool.
ThisEWSwilltrackattendance,
discipline
sothat struggling
studentscanbe quicklyidentified.
grades,and/ordiscipline
2. lmprovethe attendance,
of IMSstudentsthat maybe at-riskof dropping
out asidentifiedby the EWS.We planto keepthesestudentsengaged
in theireducationandmotivate
themto achieveby buildingconnections
with themandtheirfamiliesthroughan after-school
programanda follow-upprogram.
enrichment
3. Unitethe communityin dropoutprevention
effortsthroughregulardialogueaboutthe issue.
Research
listedabovehavebeensuccessful
in helpingstudents:
hasshownthat allthe activities
(evidenced
(evidenced
increase
learningandachievement
improveattendance
by improvements
in grades),
by attendancerecords),and improveattitudestowardschool(evidenced
by fewerabsences
andfewer
suspensions).
in thoseareastheirdisengagement
from
Ourteambelieves
that by helpingstudentssucceed
middleschoolwill be reversed
andultimately,
the highschooldropoutratewill be reduced.Thiswill ensure
that morestudentswill be preparedfor their futures.
Waiver Requests
Indicate the specific We(s) of poliq or code that prohibit or constrain the design thatyou wish to
request a waiver from:
_ Specificwaiverrequestedof countypolicy
policy
waiverrequested
of WVBOE
- Specific
Specific
waiver
requested
of
WV
code/statute
_
WV CodeWaiverRequest
(Speciffsectionand
articlel
WVBOE
PoliryWaiverRequest
(specifysectionandarticle)
Impact of the waiver - What will the
waiver enablethe schoolto do
differentlv?
Section3- Vision and NeedsAssessment
CreativeVision for the Pro
L. What is the vision for the purpose and outcome of this nroiect?
Raleigh
CountySchools'Administrators,
Independence
MiddleSchooladministrators,
Independence
HighSchooladministrators
andmultiplecommunitypartnersareconcerned
aboutthe highdropout
rateat Independence
HighSchoolandhaveformeda Leadership
Teamto exploreandaddress
the
issue. We knowthat highschooldropoutscompromise
theirqualityof lifeandhavedireeffectson
theircommunities
andour nation.Althoughthe problemiscomplexmanyschoolcommunities
have
established
intervention
andprevention
strategies
the dropoutratesat theirschools.
that arereducing
OurLeadership
Teamhasassessed
the datafrom Independence
MiddleSchoolandIndependence
High
Schoolandreviewedeffectiveintervention
andprevention
strategies
to developour visionandplan
for reducing
the dropoutrateat Independence
HighSchool.
Ourvisionisthat our schoolcommunitywill recognize
issues
andaddress
that maycompromise
school
engagement
at Independence
MiddleSchoolso
that morestudentswillgraduatefrom Independence
HighSchoolprepared
for theirfutures.We hopeto address
andreversesignsof schooldisengagement
at the middleschoolby quicklyidentifying
thosedisengaged
studentsandconnecting
with them
programanda follow-upprogram.Furthermore,
throughan after-school
enrichment
we hopeto unite
the communityin dropoutpreventioneffortssothat longterm changewill be supportedand
sustained.
Dropping
out hassuchdevastating
andfar-reaching
effectson individuals,
communities,
andour
nationthat our team'sfirstgoalisto quicklyidentifystudentsat riskof droppingout andto accomplish
thiswe willdevelopandimplementan EarlyWarningSystem(EWS).ThisEWSwill be implemented
at
Independence
MiddleSchool(lMS)andit will trackstudent'sprocess
of disengagement
by tracking
problems.ldentifyingstudentsthat are exhibitingone or
absenteeism,
coursefailures,anddisciplinary
moreof these"indicators"
will enablestaffto furtherassess
from
andintervenewith them. Funding
the DropoutPrevention
Grantwouldbe usedto hirea Coordinator
that wouldsetup andmaintainthe
4
EWS.Additionalpersonnel
maybe gainedthrougha partnership
with the Education
Alliance(EA).The
EAhopesto placeAmericorpworkerswithin communities
to establishdropoutpreventionefforts. The
SiteCoordinator
andanyAmericorp
workerswouldbe our DropoutPrevention
Staff(DPStaff).
Fundingwouldalsobe usedto provideanyprofessionaldevelopment
andsupplies
that maybe
necessary
to achievethis goal.
Oncewe haveidentifiedstudentsthat exhibitoneor moreindicators
our nextgoalwillbe to engage
thesestudentsin the learningprocess
andre-ignitea lovefor learningsothat theirdisengagement
from the schoolsystemwill be reversed.Ourplanto engagestudentsincludes
connecting
with them
programanda "follow-up"program.
in an after-schoolenrichment
Teamknowsthat offeringfun,engaging,
OurLeadership
enrichment
activities
throughcommunity
partnerships
will helpkeepstudentsengaged
with schoolandhelpthemfind constructive
waysto use
theirtime. In additionto maintaining
the EWS,the DPStaffwoulddevelopandimplementthe afterschoolprogram.TheDPStaffwouldpartnerwith communityagencies
andtutorsto offer assistance
andenrichment
to studentsat lMS. In additionto tutoring,healthysnacks
andphysical
activities,
studentswouldhavethe optionto participate
lessons,
in NASA/SEMMA
comprehensive
arts,financial
literacy,charactereducation,assetbuildingactivities,careerexploration,
communityservice,and
othertopicsof interest.Transportation
wouldalsobe providedandfieldtripsmaybe organized
to
passion
helpre-ignitea
for learning.Theafter-school
wouldbe offered4 daysa weekfor up
sessions
to 8 weeksduringthe Fallandmaybe offeredagainduringthe Springif datafromthe EWSwarrants
anothersession.
programandEWS.Using
The"follow-up"programwouldexistsimultaneously
with the after-schoof
datafrom the EWSthe DPStaffwouldconnectwith studentsandfamiliesof studentsthat are
(absenteeism,
problems).Thestaff
oneor more"indicators"
exhibiting
coursefailure,disciplinary
program.Theprogramwould
wouldapproach
familiesandrecruittheirstudent(s)
for the after-school
not be offeredasa DropoutPreventionprogramfor "at-risk"childrenbut asa fun, after-school
learningexperience.
Thestaffwouldfollow-upregularly
with familiesthroughphonecallsandhome
program.The"followup"
visits.Somefamilyactivities
mayalsobe offeredthroughthe after-school
programwouldcomplementthe time-limitedafter-school
programbecauseit wouldbe offered
throughoutthe entireschoolyearandpossibly
throughthe Summer;
thiswouldhelpmaintainthe
positiveeffectsof the after-school
program.
efforts.Althoughwe have
Ourfinalgoalwouldbeto unitethe communityin dropoutprevention
communitypartnersengaged
Teamwe feelcontinuing
on our Leadership
a communitydialoguewill
helpusassess
Thisstrategymayalsohelpusrecruitmore
andrefineour efforts,if necessary.
communitypartnersandhelpothersrecognize
that sincedroppingout is a communityproblemthe
solutionsmustbe a communityeffort. TheDPstaffwill partnerwith our localUnitedWayof Southern
WestVirginiato continuecommunitydialogues
aboutthe issue.A communityforumwill alsobe held
to raiseawareness.
primarilyby IMSadministrators.
DPStaffwill be monitoredandsupervised
TheDPstaffwill alsobe
5
at leastbi-annuafly
grant
evaluated
bythe Leadership
Teamandheldaccountable
to theirrespective
programsby fulfillingall grantreportingrequirements.
OurTeamfeelsthat our visionhasattributesthat assures
it will be realized
for youthat lMS. First,it
wasdevelopedby a multidisciplinary
teamof educatorsandcommunitymembers.Next,the Team
spenttime gatheringreviewing
andassessing
datato guideour visionandgoals.Finally,
our team
reviewedresearchbasedstrategies
that wouldaddressthe problemsandconcernsthat were identified
duringthe needsassessment.
planwill successfully
We areconfidentthat our prevention
reverse
schooldisengagement
of studentsat Independence
MiddleSchool,
decrease
the dropoutrateat
Independence
HighSchool,
andhavepositive,long-termoutcomes
for our students,
our community
andour nation.
2. How is this vision linked to the schoolor consortium'sfive-vearstrateeicolan?
Thevisionof our Leadership
(lMS)
teamsupportsandenhances
lndependence
MiddleSchool's
strategicplanin a numberof ways.IMShasgivenpriorityto four issuesin theirStrategic
Plan:
1. Thepercentage
of studentsshowingan increasein growthin mathematics
will riseby 5%
peryear
2. Thepercentage
of studentsshowingan inreasein growthin reading/language
artswill rise
per year;studentswill showan averageincreasein their writingscoreof one point
by 80'6
peryear.
3. A safeand nurturingschoolculturewill asslstfaculty,staff,students,parents,and
communityto achieve21stCenturySkills.
4. Theschoolwill acquireandutilizetechnology
resources
bestsuitedto helpstudentsobtain
2l't CenturySkills.
programsand"follow-up"programshaveboth beeneffectivein
Research
tellsusthat after-school
(evidenced
improvinglearningandachievement
in grades),improvingattendance
by improvements
(evidenced
by attendance
records),
andimproving
by fewer
attitudestowardschool(evidenced
absences
andfewersuspensions).
Additionally,
someof the communitypartnersthat we will utilizeat
programtargetmathematics
reading/language
the after-school
enrichment,
artsenrichment,
and
technologyusage.Othercommunitypartnerswill assistwith physicalactivity,wellness,
issues,
comprehensive
issues,
technology
arts,andcharacter
education
that will supportthe academic
IMSasa safeandnurturingschool.
andhelpestablish
3. How is the schoolor consortium'svision connectedto best Dracticeand current researchin
referenceto raisins studentachievementandlor d
revention?
As mentionedpreviously
the dropoutrateat IHSis 5.5%whichisthe highestratein the countyand
morethan doublesthe staterate 12.7%1.
Multipleresearchers
havefoundthat youththat dropout of
highschoolearnlessandcontributefewertaxdollarsto the economy{Wolfe& Haven,2002),have
(Garfunkel
increased
healthcosts(Muennig,
2005),drawheavilyon welfareandpublicassistance
et al,
2005),anddriveup criminaljustice
costs(Raphael,
2004). Thisshowedour Teamthat droppingout is
a problemthat devastates
individuals
andcommunities
andactionmustbetakenasa community.
Thismotivatedusto invitemultiplecommunitypartnersto join our Leadership
Teamandto include
communitydialogues
andforumsasa pieceof our plan.
In orderto preventdroppingout we haveto knowwhichstudentsareat riskand whatfactorsto
address
so our planhadto includea wayto quicklyidentifythosestudentsthat areat riskof dropping
out. lt is likelythat the significant
dropoutrateat Independence
HighSchoolis influenced
by the high
povertyandlackof graduating
rolemodelsbut research
showsthat thesefactorsdo not help
efficientlypredictwhichstudentswill dropout(Gleason
and Dynarski,
2002).Theneedfor a reliable,
quickwayto predictdropoutsleadusto the research
on studentengagement.
(19941
Studentengagement
hasbeenconceptualized
in manyways.PhillipSchlechty
statedthat
studentengagement
refersto a "student's
willingness,
in,
need,desireandcompulsion
to participate
promotinghigherlevelthinkingfor enduringunderstanding."
in,the learningprocess
andbe successful
("lncreasing
p.5). Mostresearchers
agreethat studentsthat arehighly
StudentEngagement",
engaged(cognitively,
emotionally,andpsychologically)
attendschoolregularly,havebettergrades,
problems.Conversely,
andhavefew disciplinary
studentsthat arenot engaged
beginto exhibit
problems
increased
absences,
coursefailures,anddisciplinary
that signala process
of disengagement
is a process
that oftentimesculminates
in droppingout. However,
because
disengagement
that occurs
problems
overtime andis easilyseenin patternsof absenteeism,
coursefailure,anddisciplinary
studentsat riskof droppingout canbe identifiedasearlyaselementary
schoolanddefinitelyby 9th
grade.In their research,
throughEarlyWarningIndicators:A Current
"DropoutPrevention
Distribution
in WestVirginiaSchools",
RobertBalfanz
Byrnescallthesethreeitems
andVaughan
(absenteeism,
problems)
andsuggest
coursefailure,anddisciplinary
"earlywarningindicators"
that
earlytrackingof thesethreeindicators
will helpschoolsreliablyidentifystudentsthat aredisengaging
actioncanbe takenanddroppingout canbe prevented.
sothat appropriate
grades9-12.
Independence
HighSchoolhasapproximately
587studentsandencompasses
and
Approximately
5.5%of thesestudentswill dropoutbeforetheygraduate.AfterreadingBalfanz
Byrnes's
our Teamknewthat implementing
an EarlyWarningSystem(EWS)
asa partof our
research,
planwouldhelpusquicklyidentifystruggling
to
students.We decidedthat it wouldbe mostbeneficial
implementthisat tndependence
MiddleSchoolsowe couldidentifydisengaged
studentsbeforehigh
school.
BothIndependence
MiddleSchoolandIndependence
HighSchoolshow
a strongcommitmentto
keepingstudentsengaged.Bothschools
havehighlyqualifiedteachersin over94%of theirclassrooms
Boththe HighSchoolandthe Middle
andprovideregularprofessionaldevelopment
opportunities.
Schoolhaveprograms
to encourage
knownas"PatriotPride"(students
who meet
schoolengagement
highattendance,
are rewardedwith certainincentives).Both
behavior,anddisciplinestandards
schoolsoffer after-school
tutoringfor studentsand hostnumerouseventsto reachout to parentsand
some
community.In additionto promotingschoolengagement
in theseways,IHShasestablished
dropoutpreventionefforts. IHSofferscreditrecoveryoptionsand requiresanystudentcontemplating
droppingout to participatein an ExitInterviewwith the Principal.Most recently,IHSbroughtDave
Weber,a dynamicmotivational
speaker,
to address
students,
staff,andthe communityabout
in yourvision.Despitethesegreateffortsboth IMSandIHShave
overcoming
barriersandbelieving
yearlyprogress
for adequate
because
they
standards
struggled
to meetNoChildLeftBehind(NCLB)
havefailedto meetacademicproficiencystandardsandlorfailedto meetgraduationrate standards.
interventions
Thesefindingsledour teamto findevidenced-based
that wouldaddress
school
grades,
were
anddiscipline.Theseinterventions
specifically
by improving
attendance,
engagement
foundin, "DropoutRiskFactorsand Exemplary
A TechnicalReport",publishedby
Programs:
DanLinton,JaySmink,andSamDrew
in Schools
andauthoredby CathyHammond,
Communities
(2007).Thisreportsummarized
exemplaryprogramsin the areaof dropoutprevention.OurTeam
reviewedtheseprogramsandwe weredrawnto two differentprogramsthat provedeffectivein
on
absenteeism,
dropoutrates,increasing
achievement
decreasing
decreasing
truancy,decreasing
attitudestowardschool.
standardized
tests,andimproving
Thefirst of theseprogramswas,LosAngeles'BetterEducated
Studentsfor Tomorrow(LA'sBEST).LA's
is an after-school
educationandenrichmentprogramwhichwasfoundto improveschool
BEST
on standardized
tests,andimproveattitudestowardsschool.lA's
attendance,improveachievement
BEST
is a partnership
betweenthe schoolandothercommunitypartnersandprovidesa safe
recreational
enrichment
activities,
healthysnacks,
academic
supportandenhancement,
environment,
activities,
familyengagement,
andlifeskillsdevelopment.
Theotherprogramthat inspiredourteamwasCheckandConnect.Thisprogramfocuseson
absenteeism,
in decreasing
truancy,decreasing
relationship
buildingandwasfoundto be successful
a
schoolcompletion.In summary,
creditaccrualandincreasing
decreasing
dropoutrates,increasing
programcoordinator
is hiredto trainandsupervise
"check"student
"monitors"that regularly
(absenteeism,
grades,discipline)
dailyor weekly.The"connect"partof the program
"indicators"
with studentsandfamiliesthroughregularphonecalls,meetings,
involves
the monitorsconnecting
andhomevisitsto strengthen
theirtiesto school.
to one more
ourTeamgavecarefulconsideration
Althoughno formalresearch
wasconducted
componentduringthe formationof our visionandplan,currentworkloadof the facultyat lMS. Based
that anyplanwe
fromfacultywe determined
from IMSadministrators
andinformation
on information
devotion
weregoingto implementwouldneedto haveits own staff. IMSteachersshowconsiderable
themto takeon the
andnurturingenvironment.Expecting
to teachingandcreatinga supportive
follow-up,and
enrichment,
dropoutindicators,
additionaldutiesandresponsibilities
of monitoring
I
communitydialogue
wouldbe unreasonable.
Additional
to helprealizeour vision
staffis necessary
the effortsof the IMSstaff.
andcompliment
4. How has the school or consortium's current data influenced the creative vision described in
uestion one?
BothIndependence
HighSchoolandIndependence
MiddleSchoolarelocatedin CoalCity,West
Virginia.Bothschools
drawfrom 28formercoalminingcommunities
but onlythreehavemineswhich
currentlyproducecoal. Thisseverelylimitsemploymentopportunitieswithinthe schoolareaand has
resuftedin a highpercentage
of economically
disadvantaged
students(52.55%at IMS).Whileeachof
these28 communities
is unique,the demographics
of CoalCityresidents
arefairlycommonto the
According
to U.S.Census
Bureaudatafrom }OLO,
CoalCityhasa populationof
othercommunities.
Themedianhousehold
1,815andmostreporttheirraceasWhite(97%1.
incomeis 532,592whichis
livebelowthe
approximately
55,000lessthanthe WestVirginiaaverageandt4Yoof the residents
povertyleveland;unfortunately,
lt wasnot
thisratejumpsto L7o/o
for children(city-data.com).
surprising
reporthavinglessthana highschooleducation;
to learnthat 31.4%of CoalCityresidents
ge of 24.8%.Thisdataandthe previously
mentionedresearch
on the
this is higherthanthe stateavera
far-reaching
effectsof droppingout persuaded
usto includethe communityin our visionfor dropout
prevention.
Anotherrivetingsourceof datathat we usedto guideour visionwasBalfanzand Byrne'sreviewof
individualstudentleveldatafor 6thand9thgradersacrossthe stateof WestVirginiain the three
problems,
rates,behavioral
andcoursefailures).Upon
dropout"indicatof areas(attendance
reviewing
MiddleSchoolwas
thesecompilations
our Leadership
Teamfoundthat Independence
identifiedon threeseparate
tables.Sadly,Independence
MiddleSchoolwasidentifiedashavinghigh
and
fevelsof classfailuresamong5thgradestudentslLgYa
of 5thgraderswerefailing1 or morecourses)
highfevelsof studentsfailinga Mathematics
courselL6%ol5thgraderswerefailinga Mathematics
MiddleSchoolwasalsoidentifiedasoneof the 25
course).Because
of thesefindings,Independence
schoolsin WestVirginiawith the highestpercentage
of studentswith two or morekeyindicators.
Middle
Theseresultsencouraged
effortsat Independence
our Teamto focusour dropoutprevention
Schoolasopposedto the highschool.
A reviewof morerecentacademicdataalsoindicatedsomecausefor concernat lMS. No ChildLeft
that IMShasfailedto meetadequate
Behind(NCLB)
reportcarddatafor the pastthreeyearsindicated
yearfyprogress(AYP)for the pastthreeyears,despitean attendancerateof 960/o
or above. Most
recentWESTEST
2 dataindicatesabovestateaverageproficiencyin all areasexceptmathematics.
lower
and/oreconomical
disadvantage
showedsignificantly
Additionally,
studentswith a disability
proficiency
in aIIWESTEST
2 areas.
the
Information
datahelpedourTeamfurtherassess
WestVirginiaEducation
System(WVEIS)
of these181failed
studentsfailed181courses;
academics
at lMS. WVETS
showedusthat in 2010-2011
9
courses39wereMathematics
courses
and23wereEnglish
courses.Alsowe foundthat 22 students
were retainedin the 2010-2011
schoolyear,the majorityof theseretentionswere8thgraders(16of
the 22). WVEIS
data,NCLB
data,anddatafrom Balfanz
andByrnesreviewmotivatedthe Teamto
focuson improvingthe academicperformance
of IMSstudent'sidentifiedby the EWS.
Furtherdiscussions
with IMSfaculty,reviewof the IMSStrategicPlanandreviewof WVEISdata
indicatehighlevelsof absenteeism
amongcertainstudentsat Independence
MiddleSchool.Balfanz
gOYo
and Byrnesstatethat 6thgradestudentswith attendanceunder
areat riskfor droppingout and
althoughIMSdid not appearin their research
asa schoolwith highnumbersof studentsattending90%
or less,IMSstaffareconcerned
aboutthe absenteeism
of theirstudents.WVEIS
datafrom 2010-2011
indicated
that 51 studentsat IMShad17or more"unexcused"
absences,
anystudentwith 17or more
unexcused
absences
metthe thresholdfor attendance
under9O%for2010-2011.
Overwhelmingly,
IMSteachersfeelthat absenteeism
is the majorproblemaffectingtheir student'sacademic
performance
and Balfanzand Byrnesagreestatingin their research,
"Attendancehasprovento be the
drivingfactorin gettingstudentsbackon-trackto graduation,
aheadof otheracademic
indicators."
(p.9)Thesefindingsurgedour teamto includestrategies
to improveattendance
of the students
identifiedby the EWSin our plan.
Thefinalindicatorthat canpredictdroppingout anda lackof schoolengagement
is
problems.
disciplinary/behavior
Fortunately,
IMSdoesnot seemto havean unusually
highpercentage
(lSS)
of in-school
or out of school(OSS)
offenses.NCLB
dataalsoindicated
that IMSmetthe NCLB
discipfinary
standard.WVEIS
datastatesthat in Z:OLO-Z:OLL,
153studentscommittedoffensesthat
resultedin OSSand 156studentscommittedoffensesthat resultedin lSS.Accordingto the IMS
StrategicPlantheir levelsof ISSandOSSareaverage.TheIMSStrategicPlanalsoindicatesthat
arehighestin disrespectful/inappropriate
conduct,aggressive
studentcodeof conductviolations
conductandfailureto obeyrules/authority.
In summary,
thisdatashowedusthat we neededto address
schoolengagement
at Independence
MiddleSchooltoreducethe dropoutrateat Independence
HighSchoolandthat our community
neededto be involved.Specifically,
we feelthatwe needto implementinterventions
at IMSthat will
improvethe attendanceratesandgradesof the studentsthat will be identifiedby our EWS.Although
in that areaaswell.
disciplinedoesnot appearto be an issuewe expectto seeimprovements
10
Section4- Goals,Obiectives,Evaluation,Timeline
GOALS:
o Quickly identify students at IMS that are disengaging from the school system.
.
Keep students at IMS engaged in the learning process.
o Unite the IMS/IHS community in purpose and action to reduce the IHS dropout rate.
Obiectives
ldentllythe ma*rcable
o*'atlvesthotwlll b
usedtodete'fi,tne sufr;e'6
In ochl*lngthe* gals
Activities
Develop actlvities for each obJective that are: Creattve and
lnnovadve; Impact sfitdent success;Allow for greater
flerthflfty; change the way the school(s)/distict curcently
operatc
(Must be specific,
measurablg attainable,
relevan! and timely goals
Personnel
Timeline
Budget
Indicatethe name
andtitle of perconnel
A'd'twilIbe
responsihlefor the
ac{dvldes.
Identify thetimeline
for the activities
(Include
month/yeor)
Indicate budget
requlrements (lnclude
furmulasasedto derlvetotals
ln budgetsectlons e.g.3 subs
@$743/daY=tstoll
{SMART)
1,Throughout
the grant period
Dropout
Prevention(DP)
Staffwill identify
studentsat IMS
that exhibitone
or more drop out
indicatorsas
measuredby the
EWS.
L. Hire DPstaffto completeactivities
z. DPstaffwill receiveany necessarytraining and
professionaldevelopment
1.fan-March
1. IMS
Administration 2AL2
2. DPStaff
3 . IMSstaffwill receiveany necessarytraining and
technicalassistance
4. Implementan EarlyWarningSystemat IMSthat
grades,and discipline.
tracksstudentabsences,
3. DPStaff
4. DPStaff
5. DPStaff
2. Feb-March
20L2
6. Continuallymonitor the data in the EWSand any
studentexhibitingone or more indicator
11
A. PT Coordinator220
days,4 hours/day,
+
$20/hour=$17,600
fringe$1,936= $19,536
3. Throughout
the grant period
B. 2 Americorp
workers,$2,500each
4. Throughout the match=$S,000
grant period
5. Regularlyupdatethe EWS
DP Staffsalary/fringe
5. Throughout
the grant period
Supplies(computers,
software, curricula,
misc.officesupplies,
postage,copies,
printers)=$8,000
Training (DPstaff,lMS
stafl tutors, bus drivers,
parents, Leadership
Team)=$10,000
DPStafftravel to
meetingsand trainings
@ the approved rate
currently $.5S/mile
=$5,000
2. Throughout
the grant period
studentswith
one or more
dropout
indicatorswill
show
improvementsin
attendance,
gradesand/or
discipline.
Hire DPstaffto completeactivities
2. DPstaffwill receiveany necessarytraining and
professionaldevelopment
3. Implementan after-schoolprogramfor students
with one or more dropout indicators
4. Implementa"follow-up"programfor students
with one or more dropout indicators
5. IMSand after-schoolstaffwill receiveany
necessarytrainingand professionaldevelopment
1. IMS
L . fan-Feb2012
Administration
2. Throughout
2. DPStaff
the grant
period
3. DPStaff
3. ByAugust
4. DPStaff
20LZ and
throughout
the grant
period
4. By fuly 20Lz
and
throughout
the rant
period
DPStaffsalary/fringe
(sameas above)
Supplies(sameas
above)$8000+ snacks
$5,000=$13,000total
After-school
salary/fringe
A
10Tutors,192
hours,$18/hour =
$34,560+fringe
$3,802=$38,362
B. Transportation
Salaries3 bus
drivers, 144 hours,
$18/hour=$7,488+
fringe$824=$8,312
Training (sameas
above)
Travel $5,000fsameas
L2
above)+ $790 (gasfor
bus transport)=$5,790
total
3.rHS/rMS
1 . Conductregularcommunitydialoguesabout
dropout prevention.
community
members'
2. Conducta communityforum aboutdropout
involvementin
prevention.
dropout
prevention
3. Seekfundingfrom additionalsourcesto sustain
efforts will
dropoutpreventionefforts
increase
4. DPstaffandLeadershipTeamwill receiveany
throughout the
necessarytraining and professionaldevelopment
grant period as
measuredby
attendanceat
forums,
dialogues,and
LeadershipTeam
meetings.
1.DP
Staff/Leadership
Team
Throughout
the grant
period
2.DP
Staff/Leadership
Team
2. Throughout
3. DP
Staff/Leadership
Team
3. Throughout
the grant
period
the grant
period
DP Staff Salary/fringe
(sameas above)
Supplies(sameas
objective 1)
Training (sameas
above)
Travel (sameas above)
Section5- Proiect Evaluationand Sustainability
1. Howwill you evaluateand report t}le impactthis innovationhason increasingstudentsuccessand,/orother statedgoalsand
obiectives?
13
DPstaffwill usedatafrom the EWSto monitorthe effectsthisInnovation
is havingon students.Attendanc€
rates,grades,and
discipline
will be monitoredandimprovements
in allareasfor allstudentsparticipating
areexpected
in the DPservices.These
resultswill be quantitative
andotherqualitative
datawill be gatheredaswell. DPstaffwilladminister
an evaluation
that will
gatheredfrom the community
measure
attitudetowardschoolandreportanyandallfindings.Anydataandrelevantinformation
forumswill alsobe reviewedandconsidered
whendetermining
the impactthisinnovation
is havingon studentsuccess.
Additionally,
studentengagement
datamaybegatheredusingthe Instructional
Practices
Inventory.
2. How will this innovationbe sustainedbeyondthe initial fundi
od?
DPstaffandotherLeadership
Teampartnerswill seekadditionalgrant
fundingandcommunitysupportto continueandsustain
this innovation.However;if fundingis not obtainedour progresswill not be lost. TheEWSwill be functionalandcanbe usedby
IMSadministration
to continuedropoutpreventionefforts.
Section6- Budget fustification
The InnovationZoneallocationfor FY2012is approxirnately$435,000.Applicantsshouldprepareproposalsand accompanyingbudgets
for no morethan two schoolyears. Thebudgetshouldsupportthe activitiesdescribedin the aboveapplicadon,Maior ltem rcquestsmust
be supportedwith activttieswithin in the application.Youmayrequestup to $50,000.
*RegularlZ applicantsneedto only flll in the FY2012budgel
The Dropout PreventionInnovationZoneallocationis $2,200,000.Thesefunds will be awardedin one competitive grant processand
applicantsmustprepareproposalsandaccompanying
budgetsfor three schoolyears.Thebudgetshoutdsupportthe activitlesdescribedin
tlle aboveapplication.Majoritem requestsmustbe supportedwith activitleswithin in the application,Thebudgetrangefor eachproposal
is $50,000to $100,000for eachof the threeyears(total 3 yearawardrange5150,000to $300,000).
Becausethe proposedproiectswill not be fundeduntil January2011,the operatingcostsfor year one will not be for a full schoolyear.
Appli€antsshouldconsiderthe following as they developthe YearOneBudgeh lJ more tunds may be allocatedto programplanningand
professionaldevelopmentin yearoneand 2) countieswill be ableto carry overeachyear of grant fundingfor oneadditionalyear.
L4
Amount Requested
Total
26,000.fEducation
AllianceAmericorp)
Professional
Salaries
64,648.
FringeBenefits
6,562.
6,562.
Equipment
0
0
Supplies
13,000.
13,000.
ProfessionalDevelopment
10,000.
10,000.
Travel
5,790.
5,790.
Contracts/Consultants
0
0
Other
0
0
Total
100,000.
26,000.
90,648.
126,000.
In-Kind l0ptional]
Exoenditure
26,000.
Total
ProfessionalSalaries
fl,o48.
FringeBenefits
6,562.
6,562.
Equipment
0
0
Supplies
15,000.
13,000.
15
90,648.
Development
Professional
8,000.
10,000.
Travel
5,790.
5,790.
Contracts/Consultants
0
0
Other
0
0
Total
100,000.
26,400
FY 2OL4
In-Kind (OptionaD
Professional
Salaries
FringeBenefits
Equipment
ProfessionalDeveloPment
Contracts/Consultants
16
126,000.
f
$ .*
C\-.-=li
Appendix
Recordof Commitment
Use thls form to repofr the staff commltment regardlng the lnnovatlon appllcatlon and plon, A copy
must be forwarded to the Innovation Zone Commlttee with the appllcatlan and the plan.
Sch o ol:
\::" ' l l
- I l|. :
" ' :)tv :
r.* \ N ' \
{' --' t u" \
"
(if applicable):
Department
Noticeof Meeting IDate provided to faculty or department/subdivision): ' ( \r
\
MeetingDate: '\\ \ - ,-\, \ \ \
t\rr
FacultySenateElectedOfficers:
(Name)Frc J Fatr; e ,rnnoture:
Prestdent:
jl,eah
Vtce-PresIdent: (Name) -Lb,Ae rs ort Slg natu re:
ServicePersonnelRepresentative:
Name:l' , ,.,
r
t!,,t,:t)
i
a;-/t
/tl
Slgnoture: t,Ut
' \t
!
.- r
(--L- L!-:t.-\
l-.r-
\
Posttton:
-S++y' {r. i'a''-( -.
Parent Representatives:
uo-u@
LSICRepresentatives:
Name:Dgau
ph;l^t
Nome:
Suurru&nt*
Slgnature:
, Rq<
Ig'p9c Q.rrlv'et,(
Name:
We certlfy that 80 percent of the faculty affected by the appllcatlon /plan has voted to support the
applicatlon/plan.
[This ReportCertificationis not requiredof institutionsof highereducationin their applicationor plan).
tt
LocalEducationalAgencyReportof Supportor Concerns
Use thisform to report the county board or boards ond superintendent'ssupport or concerns,or both, about the
innovation to the principal and faculty senate. A copy must beforwarded to the lnnovation Zone Committee.
School: IndependenceMiddleSchool
(if applicable)
:
Department
Receipt
of Application: October27.2011
Dateof School/Department/Subdivision
Meeting: November
22.2011
Dateof Regularly
Scheduled
CountyBoardof Education
CountyBoardof EducationElectedOfficers:
President:(/Vame,fRichard V. Snuffer Il
Signatil
(Name)Larry D. Ford
Vice-President:
Signature:
Members
Name:
C v n th ie
Name:
Iack G. Roon
Name:
Richard H- larrell
A- le fe r v
Support:
S<-a*
or-\a+\r-A--
Concerns:
)\)orrrl-
(Reportof the LocalEducation
Agencymustbe forwardedto school/department/subdivision
for submission
to WestVirginiaBoardof Education
with theapplication/plan).
is not requiredof institutions
of highereducation
in theirapplication
or plan).
fThisReportCertification
School board supports middle school seeking dropout grant > Today's Front Page > The R... Page I of I
Novernber
26,2011
I
.c'0hl
Search
1-9,L1
By SarahPlummer
Reqister-HeraldReporter(http://rvurw.ruoieter-herald.com)
The RaleighCountyBoardof Education
grantproposalthat
agreedTuesdayto supporta competitive
aimsto addressa troublingrisein drop-outratesat Independence
HighSchool.
RegionlAdolescentHealthCoordinator
CeliVanDykespokebeforethe boardduringTuesday's
meetingto askfor supportandoutlinethe premiseof the WestVirginiaDepartment
of Education
Innovation
Zoneand Drop-OutPrevention
Grantproposal.
Dueto the stateby Dec.1, thisgrantrequests$100,000for threeyearsto addressdropoutrates,said
VanDyke.
Accordingto WestVirginiaDepartment
of Education(2009-2010)
data,the statedropoutratewas2.T
percentandthe RaleighCountyaveragewas2.5 percent.
See complete story in Sunday's edition of The Register-Herald.
The Register-Herald,
Beckley,WestVirginia801 N. KanawhaSt.,P.O.Box2398,Beckley,\AM,
25802
h@://www.register-herald.com/todaysfrontpagelx229379556lSchool-board-supports-mid...
lll2Sl20ll
CommunityPartnerSupport
Usethisform to documentcommunityorganization/agency
supportand partnershipfor the innovqtiondropout
plan/project. Usea separateform for eachcommunitypartner. Dropoutgrants must includemeaningful
documented partnerships.
School/Schools/District:In d e p e n d e n c e Mi ddl e
Raleigh
District:
S chool
C o u n ty
Date[s)of School/District/Community
PartnerDialogues:
.:\a.\rr
U ni ted W ay of S outhern W V , Inc.
Nameof CommunityOrganization/Agency:
Margaret
Ann
0
N eal
C o ntactPe r so n:
m oneal@ u n i t e d w a v s w v .
or E
C o ntactPer so nemailaddress:
:
,
o
4
-2
5
3
-2
rL
L
C o ntactPer so nphonenumber:
P .0 . B o x 5456, B eckl ey, W V 2580f
C o ntactPer so naddress:
Explain the community organizationfagency'scommitment to the Plan/Project:
The United Way Worldwide ai.ong with each of our independent United Way organizations
i m p ro v i n g
a re
c om m it t ed
to
nrry
rrlnrk
sr r h sf
rri f h
r n ce
th e
.a h r r se
ra te
nnd
of
teen
student
nreqnanc-v
drop
W e have seen fi rst
outs.
the
al armi ns
r:ate
of
droo
hand t hr ough
outs
in
We are cornmitted to lending our resources in any way possible
southern West Virgi-ni-a.
this project.
List the resourcesand contributions [not monetary) that the organization/agencyis making to this
Plan/Project:
As a trained moderator, we offer our services to help plan, organize and facilitate
co mm unit y dis c u s s i o n s
stu dent m oder at o rs to
I
am also
serving
W e are al so
a ro u n d d ro p o ut preventi on.
a 1 l o w p e e r to peer forums
as a conrmunity member on the
Agency Representative (Na me)
our
l.eadership
Signature:
So,-.!l,*-r, l,((
1.1
f ooccaal -l
avai l abl e
mlddle
team for
an
Raleigh
to help t r ain
gn sc noor s.
County.
towards
CommunityPartnerSuPPort
supportand partnershipfor the innovationdropout
IJsethisform to documentcommunityorganization/agency
Irseaseparate
ptan/proiect.
formfor
meaninsfut
nrantsmustinctude
"";:r::#T2r}7"!ri[!i!*r?.rooort
qs\i\q\rq
=s\<\\e
School/Schools/District:
L>rj\.ocl\\
N-S.N\I
District: \..x?--.:S\PartnerDialogues:r t"'\ili; \rr
Date(s)of School/District/Community
..
\e\&l\\\
rq:r\tl":\r\
a
\\L\\
Name of Community Organization/Agency:
Contact Person: Q-e.\.
1*
\E:sCr
l.b
C o n tactPe r so nemailaddress' s'.
ContactPersonphone number: '.'
ContaCt perSOn addreSS: \\gC)
Cxxs,rE>c-<:\
x-r.>.
\\'->\-\r\'.
r>;r'..r' -r\
r rr.*-Q
$t)g\
t),r_rr'..r_v
commitmentto the Plan/Project:
agency's
Explainthe communityorganizationf
\S\
t>?
'\.<y\/R_\sr\).--L
.
is makingto this
and contributions(not monetary)that the organization/agency
List the resources
Plan/Project:
,-N
Signatute, C.s::f:-,\-'*-\<FJ
AgencyRepresentative(Name)\cti.\c.\.S\t\t.
Title; C\-Nc:-r.,e:.r ucrS
\eq-:\\-
Qtgr
N.r"\r\s\
t1
PartnerSuPPort
CommunitY
partnership
supportand
organization/agency
IJsethisform to documentcommunity
usias;eparate
fo';f"i'"ffi-Iy:ri:t;ff,rD.ropout
ptaniprolert.
for the innovationdropout
meaninsfut
mustinctude
srants
od/
District:
PartnerDialogues:
Date[s)of School/District/Community
Co,tr,",///F'Kzl
Name of CommunityO^rganization/Agency:
ContactPerson:
ContactPersonemailaddress:
ContactPersonPhonenumber:
Tssa t
ContactPersonaddress:
E x p l ain the co m munityorganizationfag e n c y ' s c o mmit me n t t o t h e P |, y n / , P ' ro ie c t : j
and contributions[not
List the resources
Pla n / Pr o j e "' - -;'-
is makingto this
monetary)that the organization/agency
'f
/;^ J' !r, ,n u ,',/,,,,,j
r , ltJ ,' f , /o' .) r r , q
r e:' t' ' r ' ,r '
f .irn i l),r'ilyot
Lt
CommunityPartnerSupport
Usethisform to documentcommunityorganization/agencysupport and partnershipfor the innovationdropout
plan/proiect. Usea separateform for eachcommunitypartner. Dropoutgrants must includemeaningfut
documentedp artn erships.
School/Schools/Distri
rrtIt
District:
Date[s)
ofSchool/District/Coilmunity
Partner
Dialogues:
tOf,gt, I t t
Name
ofcommunityorganization/Agen
,v, 8E5n L
SC4OOI llltl lyWS
ContactPerson:
ContactPersonemail address:
ContactPersonphonenumber: 3OL-l- JSk " LlI I &
ContactPersonaddress:
-{ vf . //.) ,
Explainthe communityorganizationfagency'scommitmentto the Plan/Project:
1"\,hariI llU tltlus ,rrrrl s
Poo. heat*h itndf'or poar C' t t Zensh,p
'm*fi9 fiAurq-fur tudarl's
s-fude(ts
List the resourcesand contributions(not monetary)that the organization/agency
is makingto this
Plaq/Project:
a
I wetlwssucauncils
and r(ltDna-lsclt}o
Agency
Representative
tNo^qfu, ly-Mg-AdlUJS r,nnorrrrthh
rn",Regton
al &.hnoil'),t-l
I nrcsS{trct rtI i *
r.
fu
t'/t-)
_l
CommunityPartnerSupport
Usethisform to documentcontmunityorganization/agency
supportand partnershipfor the innovationdropout
plan/project, Usea separateform for eachcommun,ity
partne,r.Dropoutgro.ntsmust includenteaningful
documenteclp artn ershrps.
Sc h o o/Sch
l
o o ls
District:
D a t e ( s)o f Scho o l/District/Community
P art n e rDia lo g u e s :
Nameof'ComnrunityOqganization
f
C o n tactPer so n :
C o n ta ctPe r so nemail address:
C o n ta ctPer so nphone number:
C o n ta ctPer so na ddress:
".0,lndl3ll NflSASEMHA
E x p l a inth e co m munityorganization/agen c yc'osmmit me n t o t h e P la n / P ro je c t :
\^lV5lI NAsn SEMnq
List the resourcesand contributions[not monetary)that the organization/agency
is makingto this
Plan/Proiect:
YC{rr
sc>St ov:rs
AgencyRepresentative(Name)
'
:)c\ifoyT\_
Sianatu
gl€lla--x*easJ.rn-$.-r /lt f
L1