Strategies to Increase Graduation Rate: Utilizing a Multi-Tiered System of Student Support. #WIN

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Purpose Built Schools Atlanta

First Presenter’s Email Address

ccolbertwilliams@purposebuiltschools.org

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Chasha Colbert-Williams currently serves as the Director of Community Engagement & Student Experience with Purpose Built Schools Atlanta. Dr. Colbert-Williams began her career in education over 17 years ago and has served in various roles such as school counselor, counselor coordinator, and assistant principal. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Child and Family Development from Georgia Southern University; Master of Education in School Counseling from Fort Valley State University; Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Georgia College and Sate University; Educational Specialist and Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership both from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Colbert-Williams has a passion for ensuring students not only receive academic support, but students are supported in the areas of social, emotional, and post-secondary. Dr. Colbert-Williams enjoys working directly with students and families to remove barriers and ensure whole child and family success.

Second Presenter's Institution

Purpose Built Schools Atlanta

Second Presenter’s Email Address

lthomas@purposebuiltschools.org

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. LaShawna Thomas is a Professional School Counselor at George Washington Carver STEAM Academy with Purpose Built Schools Atlanta (PBSA) in Atlanta, Georgia. Her educational training includes earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Early Childhood Education and a Master of Education degree in School Counseling from Georgia Southern University and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from NOVA Southeastern University. While she has only been with the PBSA family for two years, she has been a Professional School Counselor at the high school level since the 2003-2004 school year and has absolutely loved it! She feels that working with high school-aged students is quite rewarding, however, working with at-risk students, she feels, has proven to be most rewarding!

Third Presenter's Institution

Purpose Built Schools Atlanta

Third Presenter’s Email Address

kbledsoe@purposebuiltschools.org

Third Presenter's Brief Biography

Ms. Katoya Bledsoe is a professional school counselor who began her career as a special education teacher 16 years ago. Ms. Bledsoe has proudly served as a high school counselor for the past ten years. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child and Family Development from Georgia Southern University; Master's degree in School Counseling from Georgia Southern University; and Master's degree in Special Education from Valdosta State University. As a professional school counselor, Ms. Bledsoe is most passionate about the opportunities she has to provide counseling services to students and families in underserved communities. Ms. Bledsoe is an advocate for encouraging all students to strive for their personal best and become a valuable contributor to their community. She believes in empowering every student with opportunities for success.

Fourth Presenter's Institution

Purpose Built Schools Atlanta

Fourth Presenter’s Email Address

tbanks@purposebuiltschools.org

Fourth Presenter's Brief Biography

Ms. Tamika Banks has served as Graduation Coach for Carver STEAM for the past 3 years. She has been in education a total of 8 years and has held numerous positions. Her areas of emphasis are credit recovery, finding unknown students, and supporting the counseling team ensuring students are on-track for graduation. As a dedicated educator who has built relationships, earned trust and respect from students, colleagues and administrators, Ms. Banks continues to make strides in maintaining her focus to achieve goals as it relates to the school’s graduation rate. Tracking the progress of individual and sub-populations of students as they progress toward graduation continues to be the top focus of “the work”. Meeting with individual students and their parents/guardians prior to a student dropping out to discuss consequences of choices and alternatives to ensure a student finds success is what drives the passion behind “the why”.

Fifth Presenter's Institution

Purpose Built Schools Atlanta

Fifth Presenter’s Email Address

rtate@purposebuiltschools.org

Fifth Presenter's Brief Biography

Ms. Rochelle Tate is a Master's Level Social Worker with over 16 years of experience providing support and advocacy to children and their families in a Georgia Department of Human Services and school setting. Ms. Rochelle Tate received her Bachelor of Arts from Savannah State University, her Master's in Social Work from Clark Atlanta University, Whitney M. Young School of Social Work, and her Educational Leadership Certification from the University of West Georgia. Her work has allowed her to help others through conflict resolution, crisis management, community collaboration, and therapeutic support. Ms. Rochelle Tate's work has primarily involved working with students and families, impacted by trauma, and coping with economic hardship, and social, emotional, environmental, and school issues.

Location

Session Five

Strand #1

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Strand #2

Home: Family & Community Engagement

Relevance

The proposal relates to academic achievement as it focuses on graduation rate and student academics. We focus on family and community engagement as we work collaboratively with families to remove barriers as it relates to attendance. In addition, we support families in securing community resources for any needs they may have.

Brief Program Description

    • This presentation will focus on the process used to support student success and increase the graduation rate at Carver STEAM (Atlanta, GA). The graduation rate is one of the key indicators on the CCRPI that reflects the percent of students graduating within four years with a high school diploma. In this session, learn how consistency, collaboration, innovative practices, and resilience ensured an increase in student achievement.

Summary

    • Public school districts across the nation have been charged with bridging instructional gaps due to the global pandemic, COVID (Addis & McNulty, 2021). As a result, students experienced instructional deficits, increased failure rates, increased student retention, and decreased graduation rates (Addis & McNulty, 2021; Gilreath, 2020). Though the aforementioned has had an impact on all students, however, it has particularly had an exponential impact on students who have previously been identified as “at-risk” due to low socio-economic statuses and increased environmental trauma (Addis & McNulty, 2021). Because of this, school systems across the nation were tasked with identifying strategies that would begin to close gaps on student success (Addis & McNulty, 2021). Traditional, pre-pandemic alternative programs used as interventions for students at risk were proving ineffective (Addis & McNulty, 2021). Secondary schools needed an immediate solution that encompassed an interdisciplinary approach that not only addressed students’ academic needs, but also examined behavioral, social and emotional needs (Durrance, 2023). Promoting a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to increase the graduation rate ensured all factors presenting as barriers for cohort 2023 were addressed at the school.

Prior to the 2022-2023 school year, the counseling department met to audit transcripts for the Class of 2023. After a discussion of the audits, on-track/off-track students, and identifying potential barriers to success, a Graduation Rate Team was assembled. This team was comprised of an administrator, graduation coach, counselors, social worker, and instructional support staff. The team formed an agenda that would drive the weekly graduation rate meetings. The meetings would focus on ensuring student success by discussing and reviewing students' credit summary, current grades, attendance, progression of APEX credit recovery courses, and alternative options to obtaining a high school diploma. At the onset of these meetings, it was found that the school had a graduation rate of 58%. By maintaining a consistent cadence of meetings and discussing various strategies to ensure student success, the school has experienced an upward trend in its graduation rate.

Evidence

Learning Objective 1

• Collaboration across multiple departments (counseling, instruction, administration, students, families

Learning Objective 2

• Individualize approach to student success

Learning Objective 3

• Use data to inform next steps

Keyword Descriptors

graduation rate, individual advisement, student achievement, collaboration, attendance, credit recovery, CCRPI, high school, wraparound supports, family engagement

Presentation Year

2024

Start Date

3-5-2024 10:15 AM

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS
 
Mar 5th, 10:15 AM

Strategies to Increase Graduation Rate: Utilizing a Multi-Tiered System of Student Support. #WIN

Session Five

    • This presentation will focus on the process used to support student success and increase the graduation rate at Carver STEAM (Atlanta, GA). The graduation rate is one of the key indicators on the CCRPI that reflects the percent of students graduating within four years with a high school diploma. In this session, learn how consistency, collaboration, innovative practices, and resilience ensured an increase in student achievement.