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Keeping Every Student on the Path to High School Graduation, College Readiness and Adult Success

Investing in Innovation (i3) winner

Diplomas Now

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Data Supports• Easy access to student data on the

Early Warning Indicators• Benchmarks tied to national and state

standards• On-site facilitator to leverage EWI

data

Professional Development Supports

• Job-embedded coaching - Math and English instructional coaches

• Professional learning community• Professional development linked to

grade/subject specific instructional practice

Student SupportsInterventions to address early warning indicators of• Attendance• Behavior • Course Performance

Diplomas Now: Comprehensive Approach to School Improvement

Multi Tiered Response to Intervention Model• 10 to 15 City Year AmeriCorps members: whole

school and targeted academic and socio-emotional supports

• Communities In Schools on-site coordinator: case managed supports for highest need students

Shared Cohort of students

Teacher Team

• Whole school attendance, positive behavior, college-going culture

• Strengthening student resiliency

Organizational Supports• Inter-disciplinary and subject focused

common planning time• Bi-weekly EWI meetings• On-site school transformation facilitator

Instructional Supports• Double dose math & English• Extra help labs• Common college preparatory or high

school readiness curricula

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Diplomas Now provides the range and intensity of supports required in the nation’s most challenged secondary schools

Core Function Means and Methods

Whole School

• Structure, instruction teacher support and student support• Track the Early Warning Indicators (Attendance, Behavior, Course

Performance)• Scheduling, staffing and budget supports

Targeted Supports

• Young adult AmeriCorps members to ”nag and nurture” students to success

• 8-15 full-time, full-day City Year Corps members serving as near-peer role models to mentor, tutor, provide behavior and attendance coaching and extended day learning

Intensive Supports

• School-based professional Site Coordinator• Targets the highest need students with intensive case management

and referral to outside agencies where needed.• Brokered services through CIS partners

DN High School or Middle School School Lead

• Provision of English and math coaches at each DN school• Monthly implementation review with Diplomas Now team

Supporting all students to graduation and college readiness

• Whole School Reform

• City Year Corps Members

• Case Management

• Early Warning System

• On-site coordination

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Investing in Innovation (i3)• $30M federal grant + $6M match through generous support of the

PepsiCo foundation

• 60 schools in 10+ districts reaching 57,000 students

• Conduct randomized experimental study validating the impact of the model, and focusing on the conditions necessary to:

Achieve 80% grad rates in high schools

Reduce by 66% the number of students entering high school below grade level

Diplomas Now-Investing in Innovation Fund Winner

1,700 Applicants 49 Grantees

“Cutting-edge ideas that will produce the next generation for reform.”

- Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Chicago Public Schools, Detroit Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, Miami-Dade Public Schools, Louisiana Recovery School District, School District of Philadelphia, New York City Department of Education, District of Columbia Public Schools,Seattle Public Schools, Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, Northeast Independent School District (TX), Richland County School District One (SC), Southwest Independent School District (TX) , San Antonio Independent School District (TX), Whitehall City School District (OH)

District Partners

State Departments of Education of Louisiana, South Carolina and New York, Union Park High Schools, Deloitte Consulting, School Loop, Pearson PreVent, the City of Philadelphia.

Other Partners

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Early Warning Indicator and Tiered Intervention

• On-Site Talent Development School Transformation Facilitator for EWI data and intervention management and analysis, teacher team facilitation, and intervention integration and support

• City Year team of 8 -18 corps members to provide school-wide and targeted interventions

• CIS On-site coordinator to provide case management and integrated student supports

School Organization

• Teacher teaming with common planning time for teacher teams to discuss EWI data and interventions

• Strong whole school elements including:– School-wide climate and attendance

initiatives

– HS Readiness Curriculum

– Extra-help courses

– Instructional Coaches/Job-Embedded Professional Development

– Extended Learning Time/School Day

Diplomas Now Partnership Model

Diplomas Now partners with schools to align school organization, human capital, professional development, curriculum enhancement and an early warning system to meet the needs of all students, increasing the effectiveness and capacity of schools to bolster student achievement and school success.

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Talent Development SecondaryFour Pillars & Core Components

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7

Freshman

Strategic Reading

ALFA LAB

Transition to Advanced

Mathematics

Freshman Seminar

Sophomore

Reading and Writing in Your

Career

Geometry Foundations

Career Academy Blended

Mathematics

Junior

College Prep Reading and

Writing

Algebra II Foundations

Career Academy Blended

Mathematics

Senior

Career Academy Blended

Mathematics

Talent Development High School Curriculum and Instruction

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ELA Math ScienceSocial

StudiesClimate & Character

Student Team Literature

Savvy Readers’ Lab

TD Writing Program

Hakim’s History of US

Everyday Math (district program)

Transition Math & Algebra

Math Acceleration Lab

FOSS & STC science support

Hakim’s Story of Science

District program support

High Five As & Bs Climate Program

Mastering the Middle Gradescurriculum

Talent Development Middle School Curriculum and Instruction

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Goal: To coordinate and create interventions for students who are exhibiting early warning indicators and to closely monitor their progress so that students are successful.

Early Warning Indicator Meetings

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Diplomas Now Results: Continuing ProgressAttendance Behavior Course Performance# of Students Failing                   Math and English

# of Off‐track studentsin Attendance*

47% decrease

June 2010

# of Stude

nts

78% decrease

76% decrease

0

40

80

# of Stude

nts

June 2011 June 2010 June 2011 June 2010 June 20110

40

80

English

Math

65% decrease

# of Off‐track students  in Behavior**

0

100

200

# of Stude

nts

Diplomas Now ResultsPhiladelphia, PA

*Off-track in attendance defined as students with below 80% attendance. ** Off-track in behavior defined as 3 or more negative behavior comments in a marking period.

Below are the results Diplomas Now was able to achieve in partnership with four high poverty schools in Philadelphia during the 2010-11 school year. Aggregate results shown for Feltonville, Cooke and Marshall middle schools and Overbrook high school.

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Key aspects of national i3 initiative

Identify some of the most promising school improvement initiatives

Provide support for them to scale up nationally

Research their effectiveness using the most rigorous methodologies available

Document lessons learned about implementation during the scale-up process

Publicize study results to influence national and state policy

National Evaluation: Overview

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Study will compare student outcomes in schools that implement DN to student outcomes in schools that do not.

Assignment to these groups is accomplished through randomization. Eligible schools are assigned DN or Non-DN status via a lottery:

- DN schools implement the DN model- Non-DN schools pursue any other school reform initiatives

National Evaluation: Research Design

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For both middle and high schools:•All Diplomas Now core staffing elements (Talent Development school transformation facilitator, team of City Year corps members, Communities In Schools on-site coordinator)•Staffing model that supports interdisciplinary teacher teams with common planning time during the professional day (both in interdisciplinary team and vertical subject-area professional learning communities) •College preparatory/high school readiness (middle grades) evidence based core academic curricula in math, language arts, science, and social studies•Full-time, school-based ELA and Math coaches •Evidence-based accelerated learning extra-help classes in math and English for all students who need them. •School success courses - Freshmen Seminar (HS), Mastering Middle Grades (MS)•School wide attendance, positive behavior and school climate and culture programs•Extended day programs•At least bi-weekly EWI Meetings attended by teacher teams, and DN partners / student support staff•Appropriate access to student information systems to facilitate creation of Early Warning Indicator and benchmark assessments reports•Johns Hopkins School-Family-Community (NNPS) program•Diplomas Now partners participation on school leadership team, sign off on school schedule , Diplomas Now model is central to school improvement plan•A monthly implementation review meeting with district leadership

For high schools only:•4x4 block schedule (Four extended learning periods or four periods and one enrichment, elective period)•Small learning communities with dedicated administrators and counselors (9th Grade Academy and 2 or more thematic academies for grades 10-12)

Diplomas Now Required Components

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Talent Development Organizational Reforms

Small Learning Communities Teacher Teams Early Warning Indicator Meetings Common Planning Time 4x4 Block Schedule (high school) Extend Time Literacy & Numeracy Courses

(middle school) Climate Twilight School (high school) Distributive Leadership

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Communities In Schools

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The Communities In Schools Model & Diplomas Now:

• Provide annual school- and student-level plans for delivery of prevention and intervention services.

• Utilize school-based case manager concept to ensure appropriate delivery of prevention and intervention services.

• Broker services through CIS partners

ABC/Focus List

Students

Student Supports

STUDENT OUTCOMES

Improved AttendanceImproved Behavior

Improved Academic /Course Performance

= Grade Promotion/Stay In Schools/Graduation Rates

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Classroom Support

Targeted Support

Whole School Prevention

• Critical mass of people power

• Diverse “near peer” role models and tutors

• Full-time and extended day

• Idealistic culture/energy

• Real-time response to need

• Enable differentiated instruction

• Reinforced classroom learning

• For hundreds of students in school

• Academic and socio-emotional

• School climate, attendance, positive behavior and enrichment programs

• Family engagement

Tiers of Impact Corps Member Assets

Improved student Attendance, Behavior and Course Performance: English & Math

Improved on-time grade progression

Student mindset and skills for school achievement and civic participation

City Year’s Whole School Whole Child model

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District Partnership • Create Framework for Partnership• Align DN model to District Vision and Strategy for Turnaround Schools• Establish Initial Financial Framework (Costs, Revenue Streams)• Sign letter of intent for I3 study

Awareness/Discovery for School Leadership • Awareness presentations and discussions around alignment of model to

school’s mission and vision• Discussions with MDRC about the I3 study and lottery process• Review of baseline data• Follow-up conversations with school leadership and other critical

stakeholders (including school visits)

Initial Implementation Planning• Partner school staff awareness and joint planning• School schedule and staffing analysis• Curriculum alignment• Data collection and information gathering

Commitment • Final revisions and sign-off on budget• Finalize letter of intent with school names• MDRC conducts lottery

Diplomas Now Partnership Process

Apr

il/

May

Mar

ch

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EWI SPREADSHEET TRACKER