MAXIMIZING STUDENT
OUTCOMES THROUGH K-12
ALIGNMENT
Rebecca Sarlo, Ph.D.
Stephanie Martinez, Ed.S.
What is the Purpose of Our K-12 Systems?
FDOE Mission Statement
• Increase the proficiency of all students within one
seamless, efficient system, by providing them with the
opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills through
learning opportunities and research valued by students,
parents, and communities, and to maintain an
accountability system that measures student progress
toward the following goals:
• Highest student achievement (Full Option Graduation)
• Seamless articulation and maximum access
• Skilled workforce and economic development
• Quality efficient services
“One Unified System”
• Successful high school completion begins with
kindergarten
• Each grade/school level inherits an aggregate of
student gaps, weaknesses, and strengths produced in
the previous grade/school level
• Most successful “intervention” is to ensure that
students enter each grade/school level with as much
strength as possible
– With both the academic and social-emotional skills needed to
be successful
“One Unified System”
• Vertical Programming—articulation K-12- is the most
effective way of ensuring that students graduate from
the system as full-option graduates
• An agreed upon “method” of vertical communication of
student data/needs—that leads to vertical
programming– is critical
• All grades/school levels need to know student needs
prior to their entry—preferably months ahead of time
– The best “screening” tool is the compilation of student
historical data
– This becomes more evident as students move beyond
elementary school
Every System Is Perfectly Aligned to the
Results That It Gets
--George Batsche-ism
What Does this Data Seem to Tell Us?
Percent of Proficient Readers
“Low” Performing School
100%
90%
Without significant organizational
changes, the school should expect
approx. 68% of its students to need
support in Reading.
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1
2
3
Year
4
5
Percent of Proficient Readers
“High” Performing School
100%
90%
Without significant organizational
changes, the school should expect
approx. 28% of its students to need
support in Reading
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1
2
3
Year
4
5
What Does this Data Seem to Tell Us?
“Low” Performing School
Percent of Students with Excessive
Absenteeism
Without significant organizational
changes, the school should expect
approx. 40% of its students to
demonstrate disengagement by
missing school
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
1
2
3
4
5
Percent of Students with Excessive
Absenteeism
“High” Performing School
100%
Without significant organizational
changes, the school should expect
approx. 21% of its students to
demonstrate disengagement by
missing school
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
1
2
3
4
5
Maximizing Student Outcomes
• To improve student outcomes and allow for
full-option graduation, districts must build
systems which allow schools to more
effectively…
– Prevent disengagement and academic skill gaps
from occurring in the first place
– Respond more readily to student engagement
and academic deficits when they do occur
Critical Elements of an MTSSS Model
District-Based Leadership Team (DBLT)
District Policies, Procedures, and Resources which allow
for the development of effective:
– School-Based Leadership Teams (SBLT)
– Data-Based Problem-Solving
– Multi-Tiered System of Supports which address students’
behavioral and engagement needs
– Data Systems which allow for prevention and timely response
to student skill gaps
– Schedules to Support Multi-Tiered Intervention
– Methods of evaluating Instructional/Intervention Fidelity
– Student/Family/Community Involvement
Critical Elements of an MTSSS Model
• SAME critical components should be present K-12
• Implementation of the critical components will look
different at the middle-and high-school levels
– The differences are influenced by organizational
structure, focus on content and credits, and the logistics
of scheduling
• District support of specific critical component
development/implementation will likely need to
differ based on the targeted school level
Similarities and Differences
between School Levels
Same
•
•
•
•
•
Consensus Building
Monitor Skills AND Content
Schedule Development
Integration of the Tiers
Parent/Student Involvement
Different
• Standards-Based
Instructional Focus
• Problem-Solving Process
• School-Based Leadership
Teams
• Data Days to Evaluate
“Health and Wellness”
• Data Based Decisions
• Multi-Tiered System which
address students’ behavioral
and academic needs
• Importance of Fidelity
Building Consensus in a K-12 System
• Consensus building at the elementary level typically
centers around a need to improve literacy outcomes
• Consensus is more difficult to develop at the secondary
level
– The “Compelling Why” of RtI Implementation is different for
Secondary Schools
– Most personnel are content specific and generally most
interested only in their own content area
– Even cross-content problems (e.g., student literacy) do not
typically constitute a strong enough hook to build consensus
– For behavior, there is often an expectation that students
should already know how to behave and thus behavioral
problems warrant discipline not intervention
Building Consensus across a K-12 System
• Districts can support consensus building around
the implementation of MTSSS by at all levels by…
• Establishing and communicating a K-12 vision
– Sunshine State School District creates a sound educational
environment that provides all students the academic and social
emotional competencies and skills necessary to become full option
graduates
• And, supporting all schools in redefining their own
mission statements to align with the K-12 vision
– Redefining Elementary and Middle School’s mission to include
preparing students to successfully transition to the next school level
will help to strengthen vertical articulation and the effectiveness of
feeder patterns
Building Consensus across a K-12 System
• Providing ready access to data which can be
used by schools to determine their
contribution to realizing the K-12 vision is
critical
• Developing an Early Warning System will
help to unite all staff members around a
single goal (e.g., full option graduation) and
emphasize the importance of all
grades/school levels
District First Steps…
Schools will be empowered to prevent
engagement/skill gaps and readily respond to them
when they occur when the District establishes…
• A K-12 vision and aligns the curriculum and instructional
goals of each school level with the vision
• Communication plans, protocols and practices for vertical
and horizontal articulation of student needs, gaps, and
strengths
• A data system which allows for the integration and fluid
analysis of engagement and academic data AND the vertical
articulation of both engagement and academic data between
grade/school levels
Developing a District-Wide
Early Warning System
• The best predictor of future failure is current failure and
disengagement
• Assessing risk across multiple variables allows teams to provide
early intervention and prevent disengagement from school and
course failures
– At-risk and off-track students are identified through analyzing
a combination of engagement and academic data.
• Many students experience course failures as a result of
disengagement (e.g., excessive absenteeism, lack of productivity,
inattention)
• Systematically assessing student engagement allows schools to
identify students in need of support before they have failed
courses or acquired skill deficits related to missed instruction
Elementary and Middle School Risk
Indicators
Academic and Engagement Indicators
– Attend school less than 80% of the time
• Due to absenteeism or discipline issues
• Excused or unexcused absences
– Receive a low final grade for behavior
– Fail either math or English/Reading
Retention
– 64% of students repeating a grade in elementary
school eventually drop out
– 63% of students held back in middle school
eventually drop out
Mobility
• Multiple schools during educational career
Kennelly & Monrad, 2007
High School Risk Indicators
Academic indicators
– GPA less than 2.0
– Course Failures
– Behind in Credits
Behavioral/Engagement indicators
– Attend school less than 80% of the time
– Consistently miss instruction due to behavioral issues
– Psychological or Social disengagement
• Lack of peer group
• Lack of involvement in school extracurricular activities
• Low educational expectations
• Lack of personal relationship with adults at school
Retention
– Retained 1 or more years
Mobility
– Multiple schools during educational career
Example: Credits Earned
1st Semester
09-10 < 3 Credits
08-09 < 9 Credits
07-08 <15 Credits
06-07 < 21 Credits
Extreme Off Track
2-3 Years Behind
No chance for graduation in a
traditional school setting
Disengagement
High Off Track
Lacking 2 or more graduation requirements
Behind 4 or more Credits
Currently failing 3 or more classes
Excessive Referrals and/or Absences
Off Track
Lacking 2 graduation requirements
Behind 1-3 Credits
10% Absences
3 or less Level 2 referrals or 2 Level 3 Referrals
9th graders indentified “at high risk” (3 F’s in 8th grade)
At Risk for Off Track
Lacking 1 of 3 Graduation requirements
< 5%Absences
3 or less Level 1 or 2 referrals
On Track
Exceeding or Meeting all graduation requirements (Credits, FCAT Score, GPA)
6 or less Absences
No referrals
Pasco County Schools
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
Grad Plan 07-08
0.00%
Grad Plan 08-09
On Track
At Risk
Grad Plan 09-10
Off Track
High Risk
Extremely off
Track
Early Warning Systems Data
Targeted School Example
• 52.8% (210) of last year's 9th graders are off-track for
graduation
– 19% (75) are off-track due to failed FCAT, Credits and GPA
– 13% (52) of exiting 9th graders failed 3 or more courses
• Almost all of these students are part of the lowest 25%
• Many of these students will count in the total graduation and at-risk
graduation rates
• These students have less than a 15% chance of graduating without
significant intervention
• Course Failures
–
–
–
–
–
Algebra 1 - 43.5%
Spanish 1 - 45%
World History- 29%
English 1 - 28%
Hope (Health and PE) - 58 students- 17%
Early Warning Systems and
Vertical Articulation and
Programming
• While in Middle School, entering 9th graders…
• Demonstrated disengagement through absenteeism
(32%)
• Demonstrated disengagement through excessive
behavioral referrals/suspensions (22%)
• Had a history of course failures in English/Reading
(29%)
– 48% scored non-proficient on the Reading FCAT
• Had a history of course failures in math (37%)
– 41% scored non-proficient on Math FCAT
• Had a history of retention (24%)
The bottom line…
• Disengaged students are likely to be disengaged at
the next grade/school level in the absence of
prevention and intervention support
• Students with a history of academic
underachievement or failure are likely to continue to
fail without prevention and intervention support
• Addressing academic and engagement issues earlier
rather than later is more successful and more cost
effective
• Preventing disengagement and/or academic failure
is more effective than reacting to them once they
occur
Integrated, Multi-Tiered
Prevention/Intervention Supports
•
It is not enough to simply identify at-risk students,
leadership teams must follow identification with effective and
appropriate intervention
•
Schools need to provide prevention supports which act to
prevent students from becoming disengaged or developing
skill deficits
•
Schools need to develop a continuum of intervention
supports which are readily accessible as soon as a student is
indicated as at-risk or off-track
•
Creating a comprehensive prevention/intervention program
which addresses academic, behavioral, and socialpsychological disengagement and academic skill deficits as
indicated by data is critical
Supports for ALL (Core)
Academics
• All students
• Evidence‐based core
curriculum & instruction
• Assessment system and
data‐based decision
making
Behavior
• All students, All settings
• Positive behavioral
expectations explicitly
taught and reinforced
• Consistent approach to
discipline
• Assessment system and
data‐based decision
making
Supports for SOME (Supplemental)
Academics
• Supplemental targeted
skill interventions
• Small groups
• Frequent progress
monitoring to guide
intervention design
Behavior
• Supplemental targeted
skill interventions
• Small groups
• Frequent progress
monitoring to guide
intervention design
Support for FEW (Intensive)
Academics
• More intense targeted
skill interventions
• Customized
interventions
• Frequent progress
monitoring to guide
intervention design
Behavior
• Student centered
planning
• Customized function based
interventions
• Frequent progress
monitoring to guide
intervention design
At all levels multi-tiered supports should
focus on…
• Pre-teaching skills critical to successful transition to
the next grade/school level
• Horizontal alignment of instruction and curriculum
for teaching grade-level standards and behavioral
expectations
• Teaching missing skills or providing necessary
supports (e.g., mentoring, advisement) for student
who arrive with or acquire skill/engagement
deficits
District First Steps…
• Communicate the need and expectation of
instructional/intervention plans to address student engagement
barriers while simultaneously addressing student skill deficits
and learning needs
• Provide professional development and coaching for SBLT to
ensure their understanding of the relationship between
instruction, curriculum, and environmental variables and student
engagement and achievement
• Provide professional development and coaching for instructional
personnel to support their ability to improve student engagement
and academic outcomes through the manipulation of
instructional, curricular, and environmental variables
Example Protocol for Vertical Articulation of
Academic Standards
Overview of Benchmark
MA.3.A.1.1
Model multiplication and division including problems presented in context…
Required Prior Knowledge as Grade-Band Content as
Identified in Prior Year(s)
identified in current grade
Standards
level standards
Expected Student Knowledge
as Identified by Standards for
next grade levels
District First Steps…
• Designing multi-tiered supports which prevent and
respond effectively to academic/engagement deficits
will be greatly facilitated if the District…
– Sets clear expectation for vertical articulation between
grade/school levels
– Establishes protocols, procedures, and processes for
articulation
– Allocates resources necessary to support articulation
between grades/school levels
• Data systems that allow for sharing of data both vertically and
horizontally
• Time for collaboration between grade/school levels
• Trained facilitators/coaches
• Support for unpacking of standards
Scheduling of Multi-Tiered Supports
Districts should support school’s efforts to…
• Maximize academic engaged time in critical areas
• Develop master schedules that reflect the needs of students
• Maximize use of all staff
• Ensure time allocated for Tiers 1, 2 and 3
• Provide meeting time for tier integration work
• Be flexible enough to provide timely intervention and reintegration
Scheduling of Multi-Tiered Supports
District’s should support school’s efforts to…
• Direct a significant amount of resources to critical transition
years (6th and 9th) to prevent academic and behavioral problems
• Provide opportunities for mentoring, advisement, and academic
support within the master schedule for all students
• Include classes which provide instruction in organization, study
skills, note-taking, problem solving, and communication in the
school’s master schedule
• Intensify instruction by providing additional time and personnel or
smaller class sizes for classes which typically result in high rates
of courses failures
Scheduling of Multi-Tiered Supports
District’s should support school’s efforts to…
• Build time into the school’s master schedule to allow for
weekly common planning/PLC time for content teams and
for cross content teams at least monthly
• Intervention teachers plan with core content teachers and
align intervention strategies with core instruction
• Develop school leadership team members who can monitor
and participate in the work of all other school teams
Monitoring the Effectiveness
of the K-12 System
DBLTs should monitor the impact of the k-12
system by evaluating…
– The difference between the expected outcomes
(vision) and the district-wide current levels
(student full-option graduation outcomes)
– The percent of schools/feeder patterns
accomplishing the predetermined goals
Questions?