Type Date Here

Type Presenter Name/Contact Here

Two At-Risk Students:

Using Data to Explore Why One

Stays on Track and the Other

Drops Out

30 June 2010

Let’s first look at the HS investments in two high-risk cohort students, with similar profiles

• Gender • Male • Male

• Ethnicity • African-American • African-American

• Special Status? • No; not EC or ELL • No; not EC or ELL

• MS in SY0607 (grade 8) • A different MS than Student B • A different MS than Student A

• Achievement Level:Math 08 test*

• Level 1 (Below Basic) • Level 1 (Below Basic)

• Achievement Level: Reading 08 test*

• Level 4 (Above Proficient) • Level 4 (Above Proficient)

• Grade Level in SY0809 • 10th grade (no retention) • 10th grade (no retention)

• Missed days in SY0809• 2 absences• Zero suspensions

• 3 absences• Zero suspensions

EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 2

Student BStudent A

*Students had raw scores within 3 points of each other on both Math 08 and Reading 08 tests; their performance was very equivalent

Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data

By SY0809, both students were in 10th grade, but had taken very different math classes in HS thus far

EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 3

Student A

• I am a 10th grader at High School X

• In 9th grade, I took Algebra 1A in semester 1

and Algebra 1B in semester 2

• In 10th grade, I took Technical Math 1

(semester1) and Geometry (semester 2),

both with other 10th and 11th graders

Student B

• I am a 10th grader at High School Y

• In 9th grade, I took Introductory Math both

semesters

• In 10th grade, I took no math in semester1 and

repeated Introductory Math in semester 2. I

was the only 10th grader in that class

Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data

In 9th grade, Student A had math classes that were significantly larger, but this switched in 10th grade

EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 4

26

21

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Student A Student B

# o

f st

ud

en

ts

Average math class size: 9th grade

(SY0708)

Average math class size: 10th grade

(SY0809)

22

25

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Student A Student B

# o

f st

ud

en

ts

Classes

taken• Algebra 1A

• Algebra 1B• Intro Math

• Intro Math• Technical Math 1

• Geometry• Intro Math

Avg % EC n/a n/a 14% 0%

Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data

In 10th grade, Student B spent less time in core subjects compared to Student A; he spent less time on math and no time on science

EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 5

25% 25%

25% 25%

13% 13%

13% 13%

13% 13%

13% 13%

0%

50%

100%

Student A Student B

Percent of time by class:

9th Grade (SY0708)

Percent of time by class:

10th Grade (SY0809)

13%25%

25%13%

13%

25%

25%

25%13%

13%13%

0%

50%

100%

Student A Student B

Voc/Career

PE

Computer Skills

Social Studies

Science

Math

ELA

Co

re

Co

re

Although math

composed 25%

of Student B’s

time, this was due

to repeating of

Intro Math

Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data

Both students had new math teachers (0-3 years of experience) at some point in grades 9-10

*A teacher effect score is represented in terms of standard deviations of student test scores. So, a score of 0.2 means that the teachers’ students

scored on average 0.2 standard deviations higher than we would have predicted had they had an average teacher. (A value of zero is average.)

Note: None of the teachers for either student were National Board certified

EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 6

Student A

Student B

9th grade 10th grade

• Had a new, non-career

teacher with 1 year of

experience (no teacher effect score available)

• Had the same math

teacher for both semesters:

a career teacher with 4

years of experience and a

teacher effect score* of 0.07 for Geometry

• Had different math

teachers for both semesters

of Intro Math – one with 32+

years of experience (no data available for the

other)

• Had different math

teachers for each semester

of Algebra, and both had

less than 3 years

experience

Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data

By the end of 10th grade, these two students are in dramatically different places in math

EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 7

Student A• I tested at Achievement Level 3 (Proficient)

on my Geometry EOC exam!

• I am on-track in math for my grade level,

and can continue on with classes like

Algebra 2, Statistics, Pre-Calculus…

Student B

• I haven’t taken an EOC math test in either grade 9 or 10, because I did Introductory

Math in both years

• I am really far behind in math for my grade

level now, and I don’t know where to go

from here

Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data

Summary: How were investments different in Student A vs. Student B?

• Math classes taken• On-track classes: Algebra 1,

Geometry, Technical Math• Repeated Introductory Math

multiple times

• Average math class size• 26 in 9th grade• 22 in 10th grade

• 21 in 9th grade• 25 in 10th grade

• % of time on core subjects• 75% in 9th grade• 75% in 10th grade

• 75% in 9th grade• 63% in 10th grade

• % of time on math• 25% in 9th grade• 25% in 10th grade

• 25% in 9th grade• 13% in 10th grade

• Teacher experience• Had a mix of new and more

experienced teachers• Had a mix of new and more

experienced teachers

EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 8

Student BStudent A

Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data

Where are they now, at the end of SY0910?

EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 9

Student A Student B

• Still enrolled in CMS

• Completed 10th grade in

SY0809; now enrolled in

grade 11 at High School X

• Was retained; started the

school year as a

repeating 10th grader at High School Y

• Dropped out of school in

January 2010

Quick Reactions:

What information shown is most relevant to these outcomes?

What does it make you want to find out?

Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data