PROPEL
Pathways for Reaching Opportunities in Preparing for Excellence in Life
APPENDICES
Appendix A – Calculation of the Graduation Rate...... 27
Appendix B – Steering Committee Members...... 29
Appendix C – Research and Data Analyses on Which the Action Plan Was Created...... 30
Forsyth County Propel Interviews With Administrators Using Research Protocol
Forsyth County High Schools (6) Responses to Questions of Research Protocol
Forsyth County High Schools (6) Responses to Questions of Research Protocol Compared to
Responses to Similar Questions from Selected Forsyth County Middle Schools (3)
Percent of High School Students and Middle School Students, 15 Percent or Greater, Who Responded Disagree or Strongly Disagree on the Students’ Perception Survey
Eighth Grade Students’ Perception Survey Results
High School Students’ Perception Survey Results
Percent of Certified Staff, 15 Percent of Greater, Who Responded Disagree or Strongly Disagree on the Certified Staff Survey
Certified Staff Survey Results
2009 Enrollment and Demographic Data by Percent Enrollment in Forsyth County High Schools
Range of 2009 Demographic Percentages of Forsyth County High Schools
Graduation Rates of Forsyth County High Schools, 2004 – 2009, and State Percentages
Percentage of Students by Range of Days Absent For All Students and All Subgroups
End-of-Course Tests All Students and All Subgroups
Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) Percentage of 11th-Grade 1st-Time Test Takers at Each Performance Level: Comparison for All Students and All Subgroups
Advanced Placement Exams
Advanced Placement (AP) Course Participation by Race/Ethnicity – Number of Participants and Percentage of Enrollment
Average SAT Scores for High School Seniors
Average ACT Scores (Composite & Subtest) for All Students at the System, State, and National Levels
Exiting Credentials for 2009 High School Completers
Post-Secondary Data Su
Three-Year Comparison of Graduation Rates
Three-Year Comparison of Dropout Rates for Grades 7-12
Three-Year Comparison of Dropout Rates for Grades 9-12
Community Data Al
Kids Count Community Data
Appendix D – PROPEL Economics of Education Summit Agenda, Relevant Questions, Comments,
Participants, and Evaluation...... 105
Appendix E – List of Community Participants...... 117
APPENDIX A
CALCULATION OF THE GRADUATION RATE[1]
How is the graduation rate calculated?
To comply with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), Georgia has defined a graduate as a student who leaves high school with a Regular Diploma (this does not include Certificates of Attendance or Special Education Diplomas) in the standard time (i.e., 4 years). In prior years, Georgia has reported a completion rate that allowed the inclusion of students receiving a Certificate of Attendance or a Special Education Diploma. Because of the NCLB timeline for reporting information, graduation rate is calculated by using information in the relevant Student Records.
The actual graduation rate calculation is a proxy calculation; in other words, the lack of unique statewide student identifiers does not allow for tracking of individual students across the four high school years. The graduation rate reflects the percentage of students who entered ninth grade in a given year and were in the graduating class four years later. The 2008-2009 K-12 Report Card provides the 2009, 2008, and the 2007 graduation rates. A brief description of how the graduation rate for 2009 is calculated follows:
- Sum the 9th-grade dropouts in 2005-2006, the 10th-grade dropouts in 2006-2007, the 11th-grade dropouts in 2007-2008 and the 12th-grade dropouts in 2008-2009 for a fur-year total of dropouts.
- Divide the number of students receiving regular diplomas by the four-year total of dropouts plus the sum of students receiving Special Education Diplomas plus the number of students receiving Certificates of Attendance plus the number of students receiving regular diplomas. The number of students represents an approximation to the students in the ninth-grade in 2005-2006 that should have graduated in 2009 and is the denominator in this step.
- Change the result in step 2 from a decimal to a percentage (example: 0.83 equals 83%).
Graduation Rate Formula:
Numerator: / # of students who graduate with regular diplomasDenominator: / # of dropouts in 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th from appropriate years
+ graduates + other completers
What is meant by high school completers, graduates, and exit credentials?
Completers are those students who exit from high school with some credential. Some exit with regular diplomas and others exit with either a Special Education Diploma or a Certificate of Attendance.
Graduates are a special group of completers. Graduates are students who have met course and assessment criteria. Graduates have completed a high-school program of study with a minimum of 22 units and have passed the four subject areas (English, mathematics, science, and social studies) of the Georgia High School Graduation Test and the Georgia High School Writing Test. Graduates may earn one of several kinds of endorsements:
- Diplomas with Both College Prep and Vocational Endorsements. Students graduating who have met the criteria of both the college preparatory program and vocational education program and who have passed the assessment requirements. Formal seals of endorsements for both programs are affixed to the high school diplomas for these students.
- Diplomas with College Prep Endorsements. Students graduating who completed a program of study of 22 units in a college-preparatory program and who have passed the assessment requirements. A formal seal of endorsement is affixed to the high school diplomas for these students.
- Diplomas with Vocational Endorsements. Students graduating who completed a program of study of 22 units of which 4 must be in vocational education and who have passed the assessment requirements. A formal seal of endorsement is affixed to the high school diplomas for these students.
Other Completers include those students who exit high school with either a Special Education Diploma or a Certificate of Attendance.
- Special Education Diplomas. Students with disabilities assigned to a special education program who have not met the state assessment requirements or who have not completed all of the requirements for a high school diploma but who have nevertheless completed their Individualized Education Program (IEP) and graduated in 2009. The diplomas identify graduates as Students with Disabilities.
- Certificates of Attendance. Students completing high school who met all requirements for attendance and units but did not meet the standardized assessment criteria for a diploma. These students are awarded the Certificate of Attendance in place of the high school diploma. After leaving high school, students receiving the Certificates of Attendance are provided opportunities to retake the required assessments and, if they pass, are awarded the appropriate diploma.
APPENDIX B
STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Co-Chairs
Jason Branch, Principal, South Forsyth High School
John Hall, Editor, Forsyth County News
Cindy Salloum, Director of Teaching and Learning, Forsyth County Schools
Members
Julie Benvenuto, Graduation Coach, North Forsyth High School
Donna Brinson, Dean of Academic Affairs, Lanier Technical College
Stephanie Boylan, Social Services Project Administrator, Forsyth County Department of Family and Children Services
Buster Evans, Superintendent, Forsyth County Schools
Norma Malone, Teacher on Special Assignment, English Language Learners Transition Center
James McCoy, President, Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce
Nicole McCoy, Executive Director, Forsyth County Community Connection
Tracy Moon, Chair, Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce
Bonita Pruitt, Counselor, Liberty Middle School
Rebecca Rusk, Chief Clerk of Court, Juvenile Court
Eric Silveus, School Resource Officer, Forsyth County Schools
APPENDIX C
RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYSES ON WHICH THE ACTION PLAN WAS CREATED
Forsyth County Propel Interviews With Administrators Using Research Protocol
Forsyth County High Schools (6) Responses to Questions of Research Protocol
Forsyth County High Schools (6) Responses to Questions of Research Protocol Compared to Responses to Similar Questions from Selected Forsyth County Middle Schools (3)
Percent of High School Students and Middle School Students, 15 Percent or Greater, Who Responded Disagree or Strongly Disagree on the Students’ Perception Survey
Eighth Grade Students’ Perception Survey Results
High School Students’ Perception Survey Results
Percent of Certified Staff, 15 Percent of Greater, Who Responded Disagree or Strongly Disagree on the Certified Staff Survey
Certified Staff Survey Results
2009 Enrollment and Demographic Data by Percent Enrollment in Forsyth County High Schools
Range of 2009 Demographic Percentages of Forsyth County High Schools
Graduation Rates of Forsyth County High Schools, 2004 – 2009, and State Percentages
Percentage of Students by Range of Days Absent For All Students and All Subgroups
End-of-Course Tests All Studentsand Disaggregated
Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) Percentage of 11th-Grade 1st-Time Test Takers at Each Performance Level: Comparison for All Students and Disaggregated
Advanced Placement Exams
Advanced Placement (AP) Course Participation by Race/Ethnicity – Number of Participants and Percentage of Enrollment
Average SAT Scores for High School Seniors
Average ACT Scores (Composite & Subtest) for All Students at the System, State, and National Levels
Exiting Credentials for 2009 High School Completers
Post-Secondary Data Su
Three-Year Comparison of Graduation Rates
Three-Year Comparison of Dropout Rates for Grades 7-12
Three-Year Comparison of Dropout Rates for Grades 9-12
Community Data Al
Kids Count Community Data
at the System, State, and National Level
Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT)
Percentage of 11th-Grade 1st-Time Test Takers at Each Performance Level:
Comparison For All Students Advanced Placement Exams Advanced Placement Exams Average ACT Scores (Composite & Subtest) for All Students
at the System, State, and National Levels Exiting Credentials for 2009 High School
FORSYTH COUNTY PROPEL INTERVIEWS WITH ADMINISTRATORS
USING RESEARCH PROTOCOL
In 2008, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education commissioned research to determine if there are characteristics, practices, programs, and/or conditions common to schools that have increased the graduation rate significantly and over a short period of time. The research focused on three criteria, high schools that:
- Had a graduation rate of at least 85 percent in 2008,
- Increased the graduation rate by at least 10 percentage points over five years, 2004 – 2008, and
- Sustained the 85 percent graduation rate and 10 percentage point improvement through 2009.
The 15 schools that met the criteria for this research are referred to as 85/10 schools.
The purpose of this research is to analyze the characteristics, practices, programs, and conditions of Forsyth County high schools and to compare the analysis to the 85/10 high schools.
Methodology
The methodology of this research follows.
- After introductory emails from Dr. Cindy Salloum, Director of Secondary Education, Forsyth County Schools, the researcher contacted each of the principals of a Forsyth County high schools.
- Questions used in interviews with the 85/10 schools were modified slightly and sent to the principal of each Forsyth County high school.
- Telephone interviews were scheduled with each Forsyth County high school.
- The interviews were conducted between April 15 and April 28, 2010. Eleven individuals participated in the interviews, including the principal of each school. The same questions were asked of each school, and responses were recorded. The range of the duration of the telephone interviews was 30 minutes to 60 minutes.
- All responses from the Forsyth County high schools were organized into categories very similar to the categories used in the questions.
- Responses were analyzed.
- Results are reported.
- Subsequently, three middle schools were identified and similar interviews are scheduled and will be conducted, analyzed, and reported.
Limitations of the Research
This study reports the relative importance of conditions, programs, practices, and characteristics as determined by those interviewed. All Forsyth County high schools were implementing many strategies to improve the graduation rate. However, they were asked to indicate the most important strategies they used overall and in certain categories used in the 85/10 study.
One Forsyth County high school is a nontraditional school and another is in it first year of operation. Thus, several questions did not pertain to those schools.
School administrators, themselves, were interviewed, sometimes with other staff members. Many were reluctant to focus on their leadership skills.
FORSYTH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS (6)
RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS OF RESEARCH PROTOCOL
TOPICS
/ NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOLS (MENTIONED TOPIC AS IMPORTANT IN INCREASING THE GRADUATION RATE / COMPARISON WITH 85/10 HIGH SCHOOLS
CURRICULUM
/Overall =
Career and Technical Emphasis / 5 / =Strong Focus on Standards Mastery / 5 / =
Postsecondary Emphasis / 5 / =
Rigor / 3
Advanced Placement Courses / 3
Relevance / 2
Writing Across the Curriculum / 2
Curricular Academies / 1
ASSESSMENT
/ Overall =Benchmarks / 5 / =
Edusoft / 3 / N/A
Common Assessments / 2 / =
Alternate Assessments / 2
INSTRUCTION
/ Overall =Faculty Collaboration / 6 / =
Review for GHSGT and EOCT / 5 / =
Review for SAT & ACT / 5 / =
Integrating Technology / 3 / =
USA Test Prep / 3 / =
Personalized Instruction / 2 / =
On-Line Learning / 2 / =
AT-RISK STUDENTS
/ OverallRTI (Response to Intervention) / 4
Identify At-Risk / 3
Monitor Progress / 3 / =
PROGRAMS
/ Overall =APEX / 5 / N/A
Credit Recovery / 4
Remediation / 4
Success Plans / 3
Saturday School / 3
Before and After School Tutoring / 2
Night Program / 2
Summer Camp / 1
Nova Net / 1 / N/A
EXPRESS / 1
RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS
/ Overall =Developed through Variety of Strategies / 6 / =
TRANSITION 8th to 9th GRADES / Overall
Uses a Variety of Strategies / 5
9th GRADE / Overall
Freshman Night/ Festival / 4 / =
Freshman Academy / 1
GRADUATION COACHES & COUNSELORS
/ Overall =Advisement Program / 5 / =
Meet with Students and Parents / 4 / =
Emphasized Focused Instruction / 4 / =
Coordinate all Programs / 1
MISSION, GOALS, & PLANS
/ Overall =Focus on Improvement / 6 / =
Developed by Teams (Department) / 3
AIM (A+ Improvement Model) / 2 / N/A
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
/ OverallTeaming/Collaboration / 6 / =
Teams Use Data / 6 / =
IE2 (Investing in Educational Excellence) Flexibility / 4 / N/A
Common Planning Time / 2
Backward Design / 1 / =
Plan-Do-Check-Act / 1
Informal Processes / 1
PAC (Performance Appraisal Cycle) / 1 / N/A
STRUCTURE OF SPACE AND TIME
/ OverallCommon Location of Content Areas/Grades / 2 / =
Location 9th Grade / 2
Flexible Time / 2
Hybrid Block / 1
Grade 8 ½ - Perhaps / Perhaps / N/A
RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARENTS
/ OverallFocus on Relationships / 6 / =
Visit School / 5 / =
Communication Focus / 5 / =
Night Meetings / 4 / =
PTSO/Academic Booster Club / 4
Home Visits / 3
ANGEL (Teacher Evaluation) / 2 / N/A
Parents Use School’s Technology / 1
CREDE (Program for Hispanic Students) / 1 / N/A
Infinite Campus / 1
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
/ OverallCommunity Mentors / 4
Speakers / 2 / =
United Way / 2 / N/A
Rotary / 1 / N/A
Job Shadowing / 1
Volunteers in the School / 1 / =
Service Learning / 1
Internships/Apprenticeships / 1
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
/ Overall =County Office Coordination/Opportunities / 6
Focus on Instruction / 6 / =
Redeliver Expectation / 2 / =
Research-Based / 2
Learning Community / 1
Review PAC and AIM / 1 / N/A
New Teacher Orientation / 1 / =
EXAMPLES OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
/ OverallN/AAssessment for Learning / 1
Toolkit for Parents / 1
Content Literacy Strategies / 1
Marzano / 1
Depth of Knowledge / 1
Content Areas / 1
Instruction in AP and IB Strategies / 1
LEADERSHIP[2]
/ Overall =Shared Decision-Making / 6 / =
Effective Leadership / 6 / =
CULTURE
/ OverallCaring, Family Atmosphere / 4 / =
High Expectations / 3
Open and Respectful / 3
Strong Communication / 2
CHALLENGES
/ Overall =New Math Curriculum / 4 / =
5th Year Seniors Not Count for AYP / 3 / =
Elimination of Career Tech and Special Education Diplomas / 2 / =
New Graduation Rule / 2
Reduced Number of Electives / 1
Too Much Testing and Timing of Testing / 1 / =
Growth / 1
Demographic Shifts / 1 / =
Incorporate Students’ Personal Technology into Learning, i.e. Cell Phones / 1
Teaching and Learning Totally Digital (No Texts) / 1
Hispanic Population / 1 / =
FACTORS USED TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL DROPOUTS / Overall =
FORSYTH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS (6)
RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS OF RESEARCH PROTOCOL COMPARED TO RESPONSES TO SIMILAR QUESTIONS FROM SELECTED FORSYTH COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOLS (3)
TOPICS
/ NUMBER OF SIX HIGH SCHOOLS THATMENTIONED TOPIC AS IMPORTANT IN INCREASING THE GRADUATION RATE / NUMBER OF THREE SELECTED MIDDLE SCHOOLS THAT MENTIONED TOPIC AS IMPORTANT
CURRICULUM
Career and Technical Emphasis / 5 / 2Strong Focus on Standards Mastery / 5 / 1
Postsecondary Emphasis / 5 / 1
Rigor / 3 / 2
Advanced Placement Courses / 3
Relevance / 2 / 2
Writing Across the Curriculum / 2
Curricular Academies / 1
Strong Connections Classes / 1
Advanced Content for Gifted / 1
PLUS Classes / 1
ASSESSMENT
Benchmarks / 5 / 3Edusoft / 3
Common Assessments / 2 / 3
Alternate Assessments / 2
Create Portfolios / 1
Use Formative and Summative Assessments / 2
INSTRUCTION
/ 2Faculty Collaboration / 6
Review for GHSGT and EOCT / 5
Review for SAT & ACT / 5
Integrating Technology / 3
USA Test Prep / 3 / 1
Personalized Instruction / 2
On-Line Learning / 2
Hands-on Learning / 1
Focus on Acceleration / 1
AT-RISK STUDENTS
RTI (Response to Intervention) / 4 / 2Identify At-Risk / 3 / 2
Monitor Progress / 3 / 1
PROGRAMS
APEX / 5Credit Recovery / 4 / 1
Remediation / 4 / 3
Success Plans / 3
Saturday School / 3
Before and After School Tutoring / 2 / 1
Night Program / 2
Summer Camp / 1
Nova Net / 1
EXPRESS / 1
RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS
Developed through Variety of Strategies / 6 / 3TRANSITION 8th to 9th GRADES
Uses a Variety of Strategies / 5 / 3
9th GRADE
Freshman Night/ Festival / 4 / 1
Freshman Academy / 1
GRADUATION COACHES & COUNSELORS
Advisement Program / 5Meet with Students and Parents / 4
Emphasized Focused Instruction / 4
Coordinate all Programs / 1
MISSION, GOALS, & PLANS
Focus on Improvement / 6 / 3Developed by Teams (Department) / 3 / 3
AIM (A+ Improvement Model) / 2
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Teaming/Collaboration / 6 / 2Teams Use Data / 6 / 3
IE2 (Investing in Educational Excellence) Flexibility / 4 / 2
Common Planning Time / 2 / 3
Backward Design / 1
Plan-Do-Check-Act / 1
Informal Processes / 1
PAC (Performance Appraisal Cycle) / 1
STRUCTURE OF SPACE AND TIME
Common Location of Content Areas/Grades / 2Location 9th Grade / 2
Flexible Time / 2
Hybrid Block / 1
Grade 8 ½ - Perhaps / Perhaps
RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARENTS