Data-Driven
Decision Making to Increase
School-Completion Rates
Today’s Focus
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Why we use data in decision making
Where to find and access your data
NDPC-SD’s Dropout Prevention Intervention
Framework
Understanding and working with your school’s data
Why Data-Driven Decision
Making?
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Seeing trends and patterns can help
Identify causes and focus TA efforts
Target school and student risk factors
Monitor progress and evaluate efforts
Strengthen accountability
Data lend substance to your argument
“Without data it’s just another
opinion”
Early Warning Identifiers
Identify and monitor building-wide trends in
academics, behavior, engagement, exiting and
school completion
Identify current students who are at risk of
dropping out so you can intervene appropriately
Identify
incoming students with histories of
and
in time
academic problems, truancy, behavior problems,
and retention so they can be placed in the
appropriate tier of intervention
Data Resources
ZoomWV/WV-e is a real-time, longitudinal data system that insures
high-quality educational information. Helps drive educational
initiatives to improve instruction and student performance in West
Virginia, in part by making information available in easy-to-understand
aggregate reports at the state, regional, county, and school level.
West Virginia Early Warning System (BrightBytes) is an
online dashboard that serves as a decision support system for
educational leaders. It weights each indicator based on your school’s
specific details and then based on a unique analysis, provides a risk
analysis for each student plus an overall risk analysis for your school.
Helps conceptualize and structure the work in a systematic and
comprehensive manner that helps a team implement and sustain their
local school-completion initiative.
Identify Objectives
and Define Questions
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What problem(s) do you want to address?
Who is impacted by the problem?
What is the magnitude of the problem?
What do you hope to change/accomplish?
How will you measure success?
How will you sustain this effort?
Factors that Support School
Completion
Appropriate
Social Behaviors
Improved
School
Completion
Rates
Sufficient
Academic Success
High School
Engagement
Effective Transition
Services
Decreased Dropout
Rates
Indicators – What to Look At?
Indicator
Data Source
Graduation and Dropout
ZoomWV
Attendance
ZoomWV and ZoomWV-e
WV Early Warning System
Course grades
ZoomWV-e
WV Early Warning System
General Summative Assessment
ZoomWV and ZoomWV-e
WV Early Warning System
Course-completion data,
pass/failure
ZoomWV-e
WV Early Warning System
Indicators – What to Look At?
Indicator
Data Source
Discipline
ZoomWV-e
WV Early Warning System
Retention
ZoomWV-e
WV Early Warning System
Professional Learning
Office of Research, Accountability
and Data Governance
School Climate
School Climate Survey
Transition
One Year Follow-up Survey
High-Yield Indicators
Academic Achievement
Attendance
Behavior
Family Engagement
Research from several U.S.
school districts provides a
strong foundation for
defining early warning
signs that students might
drop out, but local
adaptation is key
(Allensworth & Easton, 2007)
SWD Graduation Rate and
Modified Diploma
Four-year SWD graduation formula:
# of SWD cohort members who earned a regular high school
diploma by the end of the 2014-2015 school year
# of first-time SWD 9th graders in fall 2011 (starting cohort)
+ students who transfer in (during school years 2011-2012,
2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015)
- students who transfer our, emigrate, or die (during school years
2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015)
+ cohort members earning a modified diploma (in four years)
Note: SWD = any student with an IEP during any time between 9th and 12th
grades
Graduation Rate and
Modified Diploma
WV’s Adjusted Cohort
Graduation Rate Question and Answer Guide
• RESOURCE
http://wveis.k12.wv.us/wveis2004/documents/WV%20
Adjusted%20Cohort%20Guidance_091913.pdf
Or, go to http://wveis.k12.wv.us/ then click on
Calendar, under “WVEIS Events Calendar” click on
Graduation Cohorts (located in the 3rd row of the 1st
column)
Graduation Rate and
Modified Diploma
• Why are students who graduate with modified diplomas not
counted in the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate or
five-year adjusted cohort graduation rate?
– As federal guidelines state, alternative graduation credentials
that are not fully aligned with a State’s academic content
standards may not be counted as a regular high school diploma
for the purpose of calculating the four-year adjusted cohort
graduation rate or five-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.
Thus, students who graduate with a credential other than a
regular high school diploma, such as a the State of West Virginia
High School Equivalency Diploma, modified diploma, or
certificate of attendance, may not be included in the numerator,
but must be included in the denominator of the four-year
adjusted cohort graduation rate and five-year adjusted cohort
graduation rate.
Analyze Data and Identify Needs
• Have the right data? Verify that you have all the right
pieces
• Have good data? Does the data appear to be reliable
and correct?
• Have enough data? Use as much of the data as you can
get your hands on…Having multiple years worth of data
will let you spot any patterns
• What does the data show and what does it mean?
Connect the dots… Graphs can make it easier to see
patterns and trends. Consider the causes of what you
see.
Develop Your Plan
 Work as a team to develop an intervention plan
– Based on your results, identify the area(s) you need to
address and the tier(s) of intervention at which to
implement
– Identify the desired outcomes and measurable
outcomes, determine the activities, develop timelines,
and identify additional expertise or resources you will
need
– Build in evaluation activities so you can show results
– Design the plan for sustainability
Address the Potential Variables
Within the Context of Your School
 Facilitate the implementation of evidence-based
strategies that promote:
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School attendance
Academic success
Prosocial behaviors
A positive school climate
Student engagement
Parental engagement
 Remember: focus on alterable variables—things
you can change!
Tiered Approach to Intervention
• School-level reform can reduce student risk factors
that lead to dropping out
• Implementation of early intervening strategies that
are universal in nature and focused on prevention
• Targeted program offerings to provide extra help for
certain groups of students who share particular risk
factors
• Intensive, personalized interventions focused on
individual students in greatest need
Put the Plan into Action
• Conduct baseline measures
• Train the teachers, staff and others who will be
involved in the project
• Begin implementing the interventions with:
Ongoing checks for fidelity of implementation
Ongoing data collection for progress monitoring and
documentation
• Report ongoing progress at school and to the
community – Share your successes – Ask for
help if you need it!
Review
Use early warning systems to identify
building and student-level needs
Examine at least the high-yield indicators:
Attendance, Behavior, Course Performance, & Family
Use a structured process to guide your
work: NDPC-SD Dropout Prevention Intervention Framework
Transforming Your Data
NDPC-SD Data Tools
• A set of Excel-based tools that can help a school
team organize, examine, analyze, make
meaning of, and share its data to the end of
developing and implementing a local
intervention plan.
– Building-level data: identify systemic issues at the
whole-school level; good for prescribing universal and
some targeted interventions
– Student-level data: identify dropout risk level and
areas of need of individual students so they can
receive appropriate tier(s) of support and intervention
Core Data Tool – Start Here!
• Provides a high-level look at the main variables
impacting graduation and dropout rates
• Serves as a starting point from which you will
begin your data explorations
• Acts as an initial screener to help narrow down
your focus
Core Data Tool
• Organizes and analyzes 3 years of building-
level data for SWD and all students:
– Graduation rates
– Dropout rates
– Attendance rates
– Proficiency rates on State English/ELA and
mathematics assessments
– Office & disciplinary referral rates
• Generates a printable data table and 22 charts
Guiding Questions: Core Tool
• What trends in graduation, dropout attendance,
and academics do the charts show?
• Are there differences in performance between
groups of students (“gaps”)?
• Has your school achieved its various targets
across the years? What trends do you see?
• How do the referral rates look? Is there disparity in
the rates between SWD and SWOD or all
students?
• Where do you think you need to dig deeper?
School Info Tab
Core Data Tab
1. Enter data for most recent three (3) years
2. Use spreadsheet to plan and monitor
• Enter school targets for the data elements
• Spreadsheet will calculate if targets were met
and distance from performance to target
Core Data Tab
Note: ZoomWV displays data for SWD and All students
groups
Core Data Tab cont.
Core Data Tab cont.
All Charts Tab (example)
Graduation Rate Trend
90.0%
Graduation Rates (Percent)
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
2012-13 rate
Students with disabilities (SWD)
2013-14 rate
Students without disabilities
2014-15 rate
All students
Other Factors to Examine
Grade retention
Who’s on track/who’s not
Parental engagement
School climate
State/District/School policies & procedures
Professional development
Transition support for all transition points
Grade Retention
• What percentage of your incoming 9th grade
SWD were retained one or more times in
elementary or middle school? …how many
incoming Regular Ed 9th graders?
• What were the retention rates in other grades?
• How many high school students have been
retained two or more grades?
• How many students in each grade are NOT on
track to move ahead a grade next year?
Parental Engagement
• What percentage of parents participate
and interact with the school?
– Attend IEP meetings
– Attend parent-teacher conferences
– Volunteer for school activities/events
– Help with extracurricular activities
– Expect and promote graduation
• Level of parents’ education
– Dropout is a family tradition
– So is school completion!
Parental Engagement
• Do parents in your school encourage their
children and stress the importance of school?
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Do they help them plan for higher education?
Do they keep them focused on learning?
Can/do they help with homework?
Do they make sure their children get to school
every day?
• What does your school do to encourage and
support parental engagement?
Who Cares?
Encourages schools to focus on the most
important “R” RELATIONSHIPS.
To promote positive School Climate,
students must universally…
• Feel physically safe
• Feel social and emotional security
• Believe they are supported in their learning
and goals (both short & long term)
• Believe their social and civic learning and
activities are important and supported
• Believe they are respected, trusted and
connected to the adults and the learning
environment
School Climate
• What extracurricular activities are
available in your school?
• What are the participation rates in these
activities for Special Education and
General Education students?
• Does your school use a school climate
survey?
• Do the students/school staff/parents
perceive school as a safe, welcoming
environment?
Policies and Procedures
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Is there a system in place to track dropouts?
What is done to reengage dropouts?
What are the school’s attendance policies?
Is participation in activities tied to GPA?
Are Special Education students encouraged
to participate in CTE?
• What dropout prevention interventions or
programs are currently in place? …how is
their effectiveness evaluated?
Professional Learning
• What steps does the district/school take to
help certify SpEd teachers who are not
“highly qualified”?
• Are professional preparation sessions
developed based on data from the
district/school that shows a need for such
training?
Transition Planning
• Who is responsible for transition planning
in your school?
• What agencies participate in your school’s
interagency transition council?
• To what extent are the students
responsible for their own IEP
development/transition planning?
• Does the school have formal interagency
agreements in place?
Preparing for Career and College
Look at Post-School Outcomes!
Category
% of students enrolled in post-secondary education
% of students engaged in competitive employment
% of students enrolled in post-secondary education
and engaged in competitive employment
Percentage of SY ____ grads
Recap
Understanding and using your school’s data will
support the selection and implementation of evidencebased practices and strategies that promote:
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a positive school climate,
better school attendance,
prosocial behaviors,
increased academic success,
stronger student and family engagement,
and ultimately, improved dropout and graduation
rates.
Questions
Additional Information
astohr@k12.wv.us
phomberg@k12.wv.us
sbeck@k12.wv.us
dlharless@k12.wv.us
vwilson@k12.wv.us
Presentation adapted from:
National Transition Technical Assistance Center
University of North Carolina Charlotte
Dr. Matthew Klare
Email: mklare@uncc.edu
Voice:704-687-8606