Collaboration at Work: Supporting at-risk ninth grade students through the implementation of a Freshman Focus Team.
Format
Individual Presentation
Format
Individual Presentation
First Presenter's Institution
North Atlanta High School, Atlanta Public Schools
First Presenter’s Email Address
shellie.marino@apsk12.org
First Presenter's Brief Biography
Shellie has been a public educator for over 25 years, serving as a classroom teacher, Student Intervention Specialist, and School Counselor. She has been a leader in her field through her involvement in the Georgia School Counselor Association Leadership Team and the American School Counselor Association RAMP Lead-Reviewer. She has been a presenter for numerous school counselor workshops and professional learning opportunities at the district, state and national levels.
Second Presenter's Institution
North Atlanta High School, Atlanta Public Schools
Second Presenter’s Email Address
DLWilliams@apsk12.org
Second Presenter's Brief Biography
Dionne has been a public educator for over 20 years, serving as a classroom teacher and School Counselor. She has been recognized as the APS High School Counselor of the Year in 2024 and has experience as a presenter for district professional learning/in-service workshops.
Third Presenter's Institution
North Atlanta High School, Atlanta Public Schools
Third Presenter’s Email Address
VenJohnson@apsk12.org
Third Presenter's Brief Biography
Venisha has been an educator for over 15 years, serving as a public school interrelated classroom teacher, Intervention Specialist, and Assistant Principal. She has also taught in youth detention centers and psycho-education facilities. She has led within her school community by implementing innovative practices and processes focused on increasing student achievement.
Submitter
I am submitting this proposal as one of the presenter(s)
Location
Plimsoll
Strand #1
Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership
Strand #2
Home: Family & Community Engagement
Relevance
I. "Head"
- This presentation demonstrates how to positively impact student achievement through the process and power of collaboration.
- When school staff are brought together with a clear purpose supported by research-based data, all students benefit from more impactful and effective student support services.
V. "Home"
- Maximize school and community partnerships and resources through collaborative initiatives
Brief Program Description
When an urban high school formed a Freshman Focus Team, it could have become just another committee meeting added to everyone’s already busy schedule. But with a clear, data-driven purpose, the team evolved into a high-functioning collaborative, resulting in streamlined student support and interventions that removed barriers to student success. Come see how we did it and why others are copying what we do!
Summary
Like most high schools in America, North Atlanta struggles with a high ninth-grade failure and retention rate compared to other grades. Learning of the significance and predictability of a student’s ninth-grade year, we created a team of our ninth-grade student services staff to examine more effective and efficient support for our students and families. Initially, our team consisted of the ninth-grade school counselors, administrator, graduation coach, school social worker, MTSS Specialist, SEL Coordinator, and Latino Community Liaison. Bi-weekly team meetings focused on identifying at-risk students and their individual needs. This ensured our team that every at-risk student had several layers of support.
We quickly recognized the value of the collaborative efforts in our meetings, which created a cohesive, high-functioning group. Each team member was empowered to be more impactful by maximizing school and community resources. As various issues arose, other support staff whose roles were interwoven with our work were included. The expertise and skill set of each member were essential to covering all bases of our freshmen-class needs.
The team collaborated to implement innovative academic interventions. “Freshman Refreshment is a Saturday opportunity for ninth-grade students to recover assignments for classes in which they were failing. Students had access to teachers and peer tutors who were present to help with their coursework. Most of the students attending were at-risk, giving the team members a unique opportunity to demonstrate how invested we are in helping them succeed. Aside from saving students from failing, the relationships developed among the students, team members, and teachers were invaluable.
By the end of the school year, the implemented interventions impacted over 25% of the 575 students in our freshman class. Our freshman retention rate decreased by 13.5%, the lowest in over 5 years. The work of this team has caught the attention of our school and district leaders, along with school board members. As a result, the framework our Freshman Focus Team provided timely, enriched interventions that has become the model and gold standard in our school district.
Evidence
Total # Students in Cohort
Total # Retained Students in Cohort
% of Students in Cohort Retained
NAHS Total for Cohorts 24-27
2302
146
6.3%
2024
563
36
6.30%
2025
576
39
6.70%
2026
576
38
6.50%
2027
587
33
5.62%
Learning Objective 1
Attendees will identify the key components needed to create a high functioning, solution-focused collaborative team within their school/organization.
Learning Objective 2
Attendees will examine the framework of Freshman Refreshment, an academic intervention targeting at-risk students.
Learning Objective 3
Attendees will analyze how the use of community resources can promote student achievement
Keyword Descriptors
Collaboration, At-Risk Students, High School, Academic Intervention
Presentation Year
2025
Start Date
3-5-2025 9:45 AM
Recommended Citation
Marino, Shellie; Williams, Dionne; and Johnson, Venisha, "Collaboration at Work: Supporting at-risk ninth grade students through the implementation of a Freshman Focus Team." (2025). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 75.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2025/2025/75
Collaboration at Work: Supporting at-risk ninth grade students through the implementation of a Freshman Focus Team.
Plimsoll
When an urban high school formed a Freshman Focus Team, it could have become just another committee meeting added to everyone’s already busy schedule. But with a clear, data-driven purpose, the team evolved into a high-functioning collaborative, resulting in streamlined student support and interventions that removed barriers to student success. Come see how we did it and why others are copying what we do!