Early Warning
Systems
Screening,
Intervening &
Progress
Monitoring in
High School
Jill Koenitzer, Technical Assistance Coordinator, WI RTI Center
Michelle Polzin, Technical Assistance Coordinator, WI PBIS Network
Mandi Spiegelberg, High School teacher, Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District
The Wisconsin RtI Center/Wisconsin PBIS Network (CFDA #84.027) acknowledges the support of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction in the development of this
PowerPoint and for the continued support of this federally-funded grant program. There are no copyright restrictions on this document; however, please credit the
Wisconsin DPI and support of federal funds when copying all or part of this material
Agenda
• Introduce Early Warning Systems (EWS)
• Establish purpose for implementing Early Warning
Systems (EWS)
• The Early Warning System Process
• Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School EWS
experiences and lessons learned
Wisconsin’s
Vision
in detail...
Early Warning
Systems
(EWS)
Early Warning Systems
Early warning systems (EWS) rely on readily
available existing data housed at the school to:
• Predict which students are at-risk for dropping out
of high school or not moving to next level
• Target resources to support off-track students
while they are still in school, before they drop out
• Examine patterns and identify school climate
issues
Existing Data Considerations
How do we identify
students who are not likely
to graduate?
How do we identify
students who are not
college and career ready?
Risk Indicators—Use your ABCs
Attendance
• Attendance/tardies
• Chronic absenteeism
• Mobility
• Engagement
• Participation
Behavior
•
•
•
•
Office referrals
Suspensions
Behavioral screening
Internalizing behaviors
•
•
•
•
Developmental assets
At-risk support
Behavioral plan
Family stressors
•
•
•
•
Academic screening
Common assessments
Standardized testing
Grades
•
•
•
•
Retention
Accelerated learning
Interventions, Title I
Head Start, Summer School
Social-Emotional
Coursework
*See handouts : Predictors of Post Secondary Success and Risk
Indicators for Not Graduating
Establishing Purpose for
Implementing EWS
Show of Hands
or
Percent of Americans with a high
school diploma
Percent of students who repeat 9th
grade that graduate
Percent of crimes in U.S. committed
by a high school dropout
Percent of black dropouts that have
spent time in prison
Percent of Hispanic dropouts that
were due to pregnancy
85%
93%
15%
35%
53%
75%
90%
60%
41%
25%
Percent of U.S. jobs a high school
dropout is NOT eligible for
Which group has a higher dropout
rate:
90%
75%
Black
9.6%
Hispanic
17.6%
Salary & Unemployment Rates
www.statisticbrain.com
Higher Education Means…increased employment
opportunities
What if we don’t change?
http://carnegie.org
Agenda 2017: Wisconsin DPI
State level
District level
School Level
Grade Level
What valued
knowledge, skills, and
dispositions do our
students need for
success?
State level
District
level
School
Level
Grade Level
Early Warning Systems fit in a
Culturally Responsive Multi-Level
System of Support
Universal Screening
A process in which data from multiple measures
are analyzed to determine whether each student
is likely to meet, not meet, or exceed academic
benchmarks or behavioral expectations.
This screening process is also used to gauge the
effectiveness of our universal level of instruction
and support.
Source: Wisconsin RtI Center glossary
Let’s Talk Percentages
Academic & Behavioral Systems
Do you know how
your students are
responding to
instruction and
climate?
What do your
percentages look
like?
Illinois PBIS Network, Revised May 15, 2008.
Adapted from “What is school-wide PBS?”
OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports.
Accessed at http://pbis.org/schoolwide.htm
1-5%
Tier 3/Tertiary Interventions
•Individual students
•Assessment-based
•Intense, durable procedures
5-15%
Tier 2/Secondary Interventions
•Some students (at-risk)
•High efficiency
•Rapid response
•Small group interventions
•Some individualizing
80-90%
Tier 1/Universal Interventions
•All settings, all students
•Preventive, proactive
Recommended Practices
Research-based
practice
For grades K-4
Use existing data and
administer
standardized
screeners multiple
times per year
Promising practice
Above 4th grade
Use existing data
to screen students
multiple times per
year
Fuchs, D. Smart RtI: A Next Generation Approach to Multi-Level Prevention
Wisconsin DPI:
Dropout
Early
Warning
System
DPI DEWS: Purpose
• Considered part of an RtI system
• A data-based report done early enough to effectively
intervene
• Identifies students who may be at risk for dropout or
late graduation
• Used, along with other data, in local educational
decisions for support services and interventions
DPI DEWS: Access your reports
• DEWS Action Guide
http://wise.dpi.wi.gov/wise_dashdews
• Access student reports,
rosters and risk scores
pages 6-9 of guide
DPI DEWS: Interpretation
• DEWS provides a score from 0-100 for current MS and
HS students
• Score = rate at which students similar to current student
in previous cohorts in WISCONSIN graduated
• Score of 75 = 75% of prior students with similar
characteristics graduated on time
DPI DEWS: How it Works
DPI DEWS: How scores are determined
• DEWS score calculated using a combination of
demographic and student outcome measures to
improve accuracy
– Attendance, disciplinary events, assessment scores,
and student mobility
• Student risk is calculated individually for each
student
• Students are classified as at risk if their score
crosses a threshold set by DPI
• Used, along with other data, in local educational
decisions for support services and interventions
DEWS…
• Used, along with other data, in
local educational decisions for
support services and
interventions
NHSC Early Warning Systems
•
•
•
•
•
MS and HS level tools
Screen multiple times per year
Aid in diagnostic process
Monitor student progress
Valid and reliable thresholds established
• National High School Center
• www.betterhighschools.org
• Early Warning Systems in Education
www.earlywarningsystems.org
Getting Started with Early Warning
Systems
Download
The
Guides
Follow
7-Step
Process
http://www.betterhighschools.org/documents/EWSHSImplementationguide.pdf
STEP 1
Establish Roles
and
Responsibilities
• Can be a new or pre-existing team
• Team must receive PD to use tool effectively
• Early identification of students at risk
• Assign interventions & monitor progress
• Meet at regular intervals
• within first 20 days of school
• after every grading period (i.e.: 8x/year)
STEP 2
•
•
•
•
Download and
Use the EWS Tool
http://www.betterhighschools.org/ews.asp
Set up thresholds for flagging students
Download available student data
Ensure data is entered at regularly scheduled
intervals
• Reports available and accessible to all EWS
team members
Risk Indicators in the EWS Tool v2.0
Indicator
Time Frame
Incoming risk* Prior to the start of school
Benchmark (red flag)
Exhibited locally validated
indicators of risk
Attendance
First 20 or 30 days, each
Missed 10% or more of
grading period (e.g.,
instructional time (absences)
semester), end of year (annual)
Course
failures
Each grading period, end of
year
Failed one or more semester
courses (any subject)
Grade point
average
Each grading period, end of
year
Earned 2.0 or lower (on a 4point scale)
CCSR End of
Year (OnTrack
Indicator)
End of year
Failed two or more semester
core courses, or accumulated
fewer credits than the
number required for
promotion to the next grade
*Indicators must be locally validated
Localize Risk Indicators in the Tool Settings
Localize Risk Indicators in the Tool Settings
STEP 3
Review the
EWS Data
• Understand patterns in student engagement
and academic performance
• Identify students at-risk for dropout
• Organize and sort students into groups
based on risk factors
• Consider allocation of resources for flagged
students (needs vs. available interventions)
Find, Organize and Sort Students
STEP 4
Interpret EWS
Data
• Dig deeper into complex causes of student
disengagement and academic failure
• Examine additional information not included
in EWS tool
• Additional teacher input
Why?
• Additional assessments
• Student & parent interviews
STEP 5
Assign & Provide
Interventions
• Map interventions from school, district and
community
• Organize interventions into tiered levels of
support and determine entry/exit decision
rules
• Match students to interventions based on
need
Create a continuum of support
(ordered by intensity of intervention & effort needed to implement)
Tier 1/Universal
School-Wide Assessment
School-Wide Prevention Systems
Drop-in
Tutoring
Check-in/ Check-out
(CICO)
Tier 2/
Secondary
Lunch & Learn
Academic Seminar
Formal Tutoring
Small Group Comm. Arts
or Math Interventions
Read 180
Adapted from Illinois PBIS
Network, & T. Scott
Tier 3/
Tertiary
Social/Academic Instructional
Groups (S/AIG) Academic Seminar
Group Intervention w. Individualized
Feature (e.g., Check and Connect
and Mentoring)
Brief Functional Behavior Assessment/
Behavior Intervention Planning
(FBA/BIP)
Complex or Multiple-domain FBA/BIP
Wraparound
Intervention List & Descriptions
STEP 6
Monitor Student
Progress
• Monitor students who are participating in
interventions
• Determine effectiveness of intervention overall
for groups of students
• Identify student needs that are not being met
• Identify new interventions to meet student needs
• Communicate with and engage family members
High School Data Room
Example SWIS-CICO report
STEP 7
•
•
•
•
•
•
Evaluate and
Refine EWS
Process
Team evaluates EWS process on annual basis
Evaluate risk indicators & thresholds
Evaluate decision rules & interventions
Evaluate impact with student outcome data
Reflect on strengths and challenges
Make recommendations for improving the
process
Example Multi-Year Data
Example Multi-Year Triangle Data
Step 1
Establish Roles
and
Responsibilities
Step 7
Evaluate &
Refine EWS
Process
Step 2
Use the EWS
Tool
Step 6
Monitor
Students
Step 3
Review the EWS
Data
Step 5
Assign & Provide
Interventions
Step 4
Interpret the
EWS Data
Early Warning System
• National High School Center
• www.betterhighschools.org
• Early Warning Systems in Education
• www.earlywarningsystems.org
• YouTube Channel webinars: NHSCenterMedia
Wittenberg-Birnamwood High
School
Early Warning Systems
Implementation
WBHS Demographics
• Wittenberg & Birnamwood are rural communities in
central Wisconsin.
• WBHS enrollment has been declining over the past
five years. Current enrollment = 376
• 88% White, 5% American Indian, 3% Hispanic
• 35% Low SES
• 15% Students with disabilities
WBHS History
• We had a lot of data but didn’t use it effectively
• Learned that we had to schedule collaboration and
not assume that staff knew how to do this
• Having a decision making model has helped us to
focus rather than jumping from initiative to initiative
• Sixth year of PBIS. Has become part of the culture of
our school.
District Goals
•All students will improve literacy skills in reading and
writing across the K-12 curriculum in alignment with
the common core standards
•All students will improve math literacy skills through
the study of and alignment with the common core
standards
•The District will improve student learning with aligned
curriculum, assessment, and instruction.
•The District will ensure that students have a safe,
welcoming and productive learning environment.
EWS Connection to District Decision
Making Model
WBHS Goals & EWS
The use of the EWS High School Tool supports
the WBHS goals by providing a resource
framework to identify students who are off track
for graduation, so that staff-designed, evidencebased programs and practices, based on data,
can be put into place early and systematically in
order to prevent student failure.
STEP 1
Teams
Teams were chosen with the intent to represent all departments.
• 9th Grade Team: Principal, School Counselor, Math Teachers,
ELA Teacher, Science Teacher, Health/PE Teacher, Social Studies
Teacher, Special Education Teacher, School Psychologist
• 10th Grade Team: Principal, School Counselor, PE Teacher, Math
Teacher, Social Studies Teacher, Science Teacher, ELA Teacher,
Business Ed Teacher, Special Education Teacher, School
Psychologist
STEP 1
Teams
• Norms: Stay on task, Start and end on time, Everyone
contributes, Non-judgmental conversations, Comments are
solutions-based
• Roles: Principal facilitates meetings, but all participate.
• When: Teams meet monthly during the school day for two
class periods each. Substitute teachers cover classes.
• Where: Teams meet in the data room.
STEP 2
Using the EWS Tool
• Data is downloaded into the EWS tool prior to
every team meeting by Dean of Students
• Data sheets are handed out on confidential data
sheets at each team meeting
• Data is also visually represented on data wall in
locked data room
Student Flags
STEP 3
Reviewing
the Data
STEP 3
Reviewing the Data
STEP 3
Reviewing the Data
Information on student
data cards:
 Special Education
 ELL
 Booster/Intervention
Classes
 Attendance Risk
 Behavioral Risk
 Grade/Credit Risk
 DEWS Risk
STEP 3
Reviewing the Data
Who is at risk?
 Team looks for patterns.
 First we look at whole group and small group
concerns
 Next we look at individual student concerns
 Team focuses on MAP scores after current
benchmark dates
 Team focuses on grades/attendance/behavior inbetween benchmark assessments
STEP 4
Interpreting the Data
• Team discusses individual and/or groups of
students who are at risk. Staff share any
additional information that may help with
decision making.
• Parents are often contacted when discussing
risk of individual students.
• School counselor or school psychologist may
interview the student to problem solve.
STEP 4
Interpreting the Data
Examples:
• Team dug deeper into MAP scores of students near
the benchmark. The team found a pattern that almost
all of those students struggled most with the strand
“Informational Text”.
• Team hypothesized that some students might not be
trying their best on the MAP test and therefore scores
may be inaccurate of true skills.
• Team hypothesized that individual students are
struggling with mental health issues, relationships,
connections at school, AODA issues, skill deficits, etc.
STEP 5
Assign & Provide
Interventions
Tier 1:
 Core curriculum
 District RtI Team
 WBHS PBIS Team
 Daily Shout Outs
Tiers 2 & 3:
 CICO
 Individual & Small Group Counseling
 Mentoring
 Academic Booster/Intervention Classes
 RtI/PBIS Tier 2&3 Meetings
STEP 5
Assign & Provide
Interventions
Entry/Exit Decision Rules:
 Booster Classes (?)
 CICO (SWIS Data and Attendance)
 Counseling (Parent, Teacher or Self Referral)
 Mentoring (EWS and Tier 2/3 Teams assign
based on data)
Do we have enough available interventions to meet
all student needs?
 Would like to do more mentoring
 Would like to do more small group counseling
 Shortage of mental health resources in the
community
STEP 6
Monitor Student
Progress
• Data is collected throughout the year.
• We need to work on adding progress monitoring tools for
interventions (both for progress of individuals as well as
the intervention as a whole)
• Decision rules/rubric for booster classes
• Need decision rules for other interventions
STEP 7
•
•
•
•
•
Evaluate & Refine
Process
Team evaluates EWS process on annual basis
Evaluate risk indicators & thresholds
Evaluate decision rules & interventions
Evaluate impact with student outcome data
Reflect on strengths and challenges
What are our teachers saying?
There is still never enough time
We need to include all staff somehow
Would like to focus more on groups of students rather
than individuals
We will have more data as we move forward about
effectiveness of EWS
What are our teachers saying?
Staff feel more ownership
Systems approach is more effective
Better awareness of student needs due to data and
collaboration
Problem solving is positive
Outcomes
• Systems change: systems such as our MAP testing,
have been refined and defined to better meet student
learning outcomes
• The collaboration as a staff is “awesome!”
• Awareness of each student and their needs (both
academic and behavioral) has increased tremendously
• A sense of ownership has developed in staff
• A sense of shared responsibility has resulted
• Targeted interventions have been used to increase
scores
The culture of our school - what’s
changing?
•
•
•
•
•
•
- Awareness
- Ownership
- Accountability
- Conversations
- Responses
- Action
Next Steps
• Implement an E/I time 8th period
• Increase instructional time: move meetings to after school,
investigate alternative scheduling options (block, modified
block, etc.)
• Continue to work toward core plus more for ALL students
below grade level
• Refine the art and science of teaching through deeper
investigation of the GRRM
• Learn - attend institutes, conferences, read, collaborate (EE)
• Reflect - evaluate ourselves and identify weaknesses so that
we can continue to improve professionally (EE)
• Expand EWS so that all grade levels meet and review data
(Request from staff to add 11th grade meetings for 2014-15)
Early Warning Systems
Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School
• Jill Koenitzer, koenitzerj@wisconsinrticenter.org
• Michelle Polzin, polzinm@wisconsinpbisnetwork.org
• Mandi Spiegelberg, mspiegelberg@wittbirn.k12.wi.us