Prepared for Graduation:
Reducing Dropout and Promoting College &
Career Readiness Among At-Risk Students
Dan Boudah
East Carolina University
Daniel J. Boudah, Ph.D.
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Prepared for Graduation
•  Grant-Funded Project
•  Goal: to improve outcomes of at-risk
students with and without disabilities
with regard to academics, attendance,
behavior, attitudes, retention, and
graduation rates
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Three-Part Intervention
Supports:
Academic
Mentoring
C&C Ready
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Academic Support
Utilize Content Enhancement Routines and
Learning Strategies from:
•  Strategic Instruction Model
•  Xtreme Reading
Daniel J. Boudah, Ph.D.
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Strategic Instruction Model
(SIM)
Teaming
& Support
Series
Math
Strategies
Learning
Strategies
Curriculum
Content
Enhancement
Routines
Social
Skills
Curriculum
Motivation
Strategies
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Academic Support
•  content area teachers enhance literacy
instruction for all students in content area
classes (Tier 1)
•  some teachers provide more intensive
reading strategy instruction to small groups
of identified students in a specific reading
course: Xtreme Reading (Tier 2)
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CONCEPT DIAGRAM
➂
Key Words
United
States
Athens
leaders
➀
CONVEY CONCEPT
➁
OFFER OVERALL
CONCEPT
➂
NOTE KEY WORDS
➃
Democracy
➀
a form of government
CLASSIFY
CHARACTERISTICS
Always Present
Sometimes Present
leaders accountable by elections
direct representation
citizens have equal voting rights
indirect representation
individuals can oppose government
centralized power
all views are tolerated
decentralized power
statement of civil & political rights
separation of power
accountable
Never Present
rule by king
rule by dictator
censorship of press
hereditary transfer of power
unified power
views
tolerated
➄
Examples:
EXPLORE EXAMPLES
Nonexamples:
United States
direct
China in 1993
England in 1993
Athens (500 B.C.)
England under Henry VIII
Russia
1993
Macedonia (under Alexander)
indirect
rule by dictator
➅
➆
PRACTICE WITH NEW EXAMPLE
TIE DOWN A
DEFINITION
A democracy is a form of government in which leaders are accountable to the people through elections, citizens have equal voting rights,
individuals can oppose the government, all views are tolerated, and there is a statement of civil and political right
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➁
The
Program
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Learning Strategies Curriculum
Knowledge
Acquisition
Strategies
Information
Storage
Strategies
Expression &
Demonstration of
Competence
Strategies
Word Identification
First-Letter
Mnemonic
Sentence Writing
Main Idea
Paired Associates
Paragraph Writing
Visual Imagery
LINCS Vocabulary
Theme Writing
Paraphrasing
Self-Questioning
Test-Taking
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prediction
M
pre
dic
tion
A
before
speak
act of
P
the act of speaking before
S
something foretold; a prophecy
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Academic Support
Professional development activities:
•  Introduction of new strategies and techniques
•  On-going coaching to insure fidelity to
implementation
•  Materials
•  Structured planning time to align routines &
strategies to Common Core curriculum
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Mentoring Support
•  provided by teachers and district volunteers
•  orientation and training provided to mentors
regarding challenges, confidentiality, and
resources for mentoring
•  mentors matched with identified students
•  mentors met with students one-on-one during
regularly scheduled times each week, during
school hours, on the school campus
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Mentoring Support
•  mentors engage students in conversations
around the specific challenges or needs of
each student (e.g., attendance, behavior,
academic struggles), as well as help establish
and monitor goals for addressing challenges
(not tutoring)
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Support for College & Career Readiness
•  vocational exploration
•  job site visits matched to student interests
and aptitudes
•  information about college options,
applications, and financial aid
•  college campus visits
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Team Effort
•
•
•
•
•
school district leadership team
project director
mentoring/vocational coordinator
professional developers
site contacts: principals, career counselors
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Target Students
Year 1: 58 students
•  45% female / 55% male
•  76% 9th gr / 24% 10th gr
Year 2: 61 students
•  34% female / 66% male
•  84% 9th graders
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Data Collected
•  grade point average
•  percentage on grade level
•  proficiency and passage rates on End of Course
state assessments
•  absenteeism/truancy rate
•  discipline problems (referrals)
•  attitude toward school (sense of connectedness)
•  completion of IGP
•  percentage remaining in school
•  additional mentoring and voc support indicators
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Year 1 Outcomes:
Tier 1 Academic Support (GPA)
4
3.5
3
2.71
2.5
2.5
2.70
2.45
2.85
2.72
2.56
3.04
2.91
2.72
2.47
Q1 GPA
Q2 GPA
2
Q3 GPA
1.48
1.5
Q4 GPA
1
0.5
0
All Students
Male
Female
XR
Daniel J. Boudah, Ph.D.
<2.0 GPA
SPED
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Year 1 Outcomes:
Tier 2 Academic Support (Reading)
9
8.0
8.0
8
8.0
7.4
7.1
6.9
7
6.2
5.8
6
4.8
5
4.5
Pre Grade Eq
4
Post Grade Eq
3
2
1
0
All
Male
Female
< 25%
Daniel J. Boudah, Ph.D.
SPED
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Year 2 Outcomes:
4.00
Tier 1 Academic Support (GPA)
3.50
3.12
3.00
2.89
2.75
3.08
2.79
2.70
2.55
2.51
2.50
2.78
2.85
2.44
2.23
Q1 GPA
2.12
Q2GPA
2.00
Q3 GPA
1.61
Q4 GPA
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
ALL
Male
Female
XR
< 2.0 GPA
Daniel J. Boudah, Ph.D.
sped
Workforce
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Year 2 Outcomes:
Tier 2 Academic Support (Reading)
10.0
9.4
9.0
8.0
7.1
7.2
7.1
7.0
6.0
6.6
5.8
6.1
6.0
5.8
5.4
5.2
Pre Grade Eq
5.0
4.3
Post Grade Eq
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
All
Male
Female
< 25%
Daniel J. Boudah, Ph.D.
sped
workforce
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Year 2 Outcomes:
Absenteeism
4.50
4.20
4.20
3.91
4.00
3.55
3.50
3.00
2.73
2.64
2.67
2.48
2.50
2.16
2.00
1.89
1.72
1.52
1.50
2.00
1.79
1.50
1.40
1.20
1.26
2.00
2.00
1.89
1.92
Q1 ABS
2.25
2.06
Q2 ABS
Q3 ABS
1.58
1.37
Q4 ABS
1.00
1.00
1.00
0.50
0.00
ALL
XR
Male
Female
< 2.0 GPA
Daniel J. Boudah, Ph.D.
sped
Wkeys
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Year 2 Outcomes:
Discipline Referrals
1.00
0.91
0.87
0.90
0.80
0.80
0.70
0.64
0.60
0.60
Q1 DisRef
0.50
0.50
Q2 DisRef
0.43
0.38
0.40
0.30
0.32
Q3 DisRef
0.38
Q4 DisRef
0.33
0.33
0.30
0.30
0.30
0.20
0.18
0.21
0.15
0.22
0.19
0.14
0.11
0.11
0.10
0.10
0.19
0.10
0.07
0.05
0.00
ALL
XR
Male
Female
< 2.0 GPA
Daniel J. Boudah, Ph.D.
sped
Wkeys
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Outcomes
Dropouts:
Year 1 = 0
Year 2 = 2
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Outcomes
Mentoring Support
ü 30 mentors involved
ü 2 meetings per week
•  24-item questionnaire: demographics, performance,
connectedness
ü higher sense of connectedness and less sense of
hopelessness about school
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Outcomes
Workforce Development Support
ü  participation in career workshops
•  9 different career clusters
•  included all target students
ü All target students participated in at least one job site
visit
ü End-of-year WorkForce Ready Day
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Outcomes Summary
•  GPAs, attendance, reading scores, sense
of connectedness
•  discipline referrals, absenteeism, dropout
rate
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Lessons Learned
•  need for additional opportunities for job site
visits/shadowing
•  need for opportunities to attain Career Ready
certification
•  need to clearly identify students in need of
mentoring and vocational supports
•  need for greater attention to mentor PD and
coaching
•  need for increased mentoring focus on most needy
students
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Contact
Dan Boudah
boudahd@ecu.edu
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