The Conroe Independent School District is casting a wide net to catch any students at risk of dropping out.
The district had a completion rate of 98.2 percent in 2008-09, the highest among the top 50 largest districts in the state. While the completion rate measures the number of students graduating in four years or returning for a fifth year in high school, only about 1 percent dropped out of school.
“All means all; every student is important,” said Don Stockton, superintendent of CISD. “What we’re trying to incorporate is all means every single student. So we have to have programs that fit all students. We are trying to reach all our students.”
The district created a multitude of programs to keep all students in school, tailored for such vulnerable groups as new immigrants, academically challenged, special education, pregnant teen, new parents and those who have to work to support their families.
The programs start at the school level, where each principal is given a dashboard program to track their students. By monitoring the absences and transfers of each student, the principal is the first line of defense for dropout prevention. The program gives a snapshot of attendance, school groups, student discipline and student assessments and grades.
“The principal dashboard was developed for principals to have one place to look for information they will need on a daily basis,” said Gale Drummond, assistant superintendent for second education. “A principal can look at the dashboard every morning to see which student were absent the previous day, know which teachers will be absent on the current day, be aware of any discipline issues and look at information regarding classes he/she want to observe that day. Principals say this is a huge timesaver and helps them stay aware of what is happening on their campus.”
Over the years, programs have been created and introduced at different school to deal with struggling student. It could include a program for new immigrants which provides extra daily help in their native tongue to master core subject. It also means night programs to recovery credits for failed courses or to make up missing requirements. It could be providing money for child care for teenage mothers or fathers or identify the unique educational needs of special education students. It is also introducing technical education programs for students who do not want to pursue academics.
“High school graduation is one of the first milestones in a student’s life,” Drummond said. “It is the key that will open doors not only to college, but also into the workforce. All of our schools strive for students to be involved in at least one school activity so that they have ownership. With that comes the desire to meet the expectations that all students will graduate and be prepared for the next step in life.”
For Stockton, the mission begins with caring employees.
“My mission has always been that every child feels that every adult here cares about their success,” Stockton said.
At Conroe High School, the district introduced the Newcomers Center, where 28 new immigrants to the country are enrolled. The program provides orientation in their native tongue and works closely with parents to get a commitment for education. Those in the program – parents and students - sign a contract to continue their education. The school provides an empowerment program 20 minutes a day to provide lessons in basic concepts in math, science, history and Language Arts in both Spanish and English. Students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities to become part of the school, said Rodrigo Chaves, director of Community Outreach and Dropout Prevention for CISD.
For pregnant teens and new mothers, the district offers to pay for child care that allows the parents to attend classes. For special education students, there is a team of three social workers to help identify issues and develop feasible individual education plans that will help them succeed.
The schools also offer alternative programs for students who are not academically inclined and want to pursue work after school. The district has a program with Lone Star College – Montgomery in Conroe to teach skills like welding, nurse’s assistant and computer applications.
For the academically challenged, a night school began five years ago in Conroe and expanded to Oak Ridge North. The program was designed to provide opportunities for credit recovery for failed courses, but it has been used on a case-by-case basis to meet the needs of other students, such as pregnant teens and new mothers; students who need to work, or recent transfers into high schools who need to complete classes to graduate.
“After Hurricane Katrina, we had a senior who was able to graduate on time thanks to the night school,” Chaves said.
The program has certified teachers and a special education teacher, but the work is completed via a computer program. This allows flexibility for student, where they do not have to attend classes every day, but can complete some of their assignments remotely via computers. The night school uses the PLATO system, a series of modules designed to take students through the course material
Students who want to pursue a GED rather than a high school diploma can use the service of the Region 6 Service Center at Hauke Alternative School. The program, where grants pay the $100 fee for the test, is particularly important for students who recently immigrated to the country and have not mastered the English language. The exit TAKS test is only given in English, while the GED can be provided in Spanish, French or English, Chaves said. Because the test is taken at an alternative school, CISD can count these GED students in enrollment.
“It is a very good chance for students not fluent in English,” Chaves said.
Whatever the route to graduation, it goes beyond a single dropout prevention program. It is a districtwide effort.
“I don’t know that I can recognize any one program,” Drummond said. “I believe that this type of achievement comes from many people working together - students, parents, teachers, counselors, administrators, as well as all support staff.”
Drop Out Prevention Programs
In the last school year, 2008-2009, The Conroe Independent School District achieved a completion rate of 98.2 percent, which measures the number of students that graduated in four years or that will return to school for a fifth year of study. It is the highest completion rate among the top 50 schools in the state. Following are some of the program uses to retain students:
Principal’s dashboard – a daily monitoring device that captures absences, discipline issues, student assessment and school group achievements
Newcomers Center – Program for recent immigrants at Conroe High School which engages parents and students in the process and provides additional study time in the student’s native tongue.
Night School – Night school is available at Conroe High School and Oak Ridge High School for credit recovery for failed classes or on a case by case basis for student who have to work or complete requirements for graduation.
New Parents – The district can provide funding for child care for new parents.
Special education – Three social workers monitor special education students and develop feasible plans for their success.
Technical Program – Technical programs in welding, nursing assistant and computer applications are offered in conjunction with Lone Star College
Source: Conroe Independent School District