Washington State’s commitment to closing the gap for Opportunity Youth

A first in the nation comprehensive model

Legislative Evolution

• Building Bridges Workgroup

• 1st WA State Legislation on dropouts

• Recommendation # 3: “Create a Dropout Retrieval System for 16 to 21 Year-Old Youth who are not Likely to Return to High School”

House Bill 1573(2007 – 2009)

• Second attempt passed• No fiscal note – permissive• Established “1418 Implementation

Committee” to develop infrastructure:• Policies and procedures• Rules and recommendations• Model contracts and agreements• Implementation Manual

ESSHB 1418(2010)

• RCW 28A.175.100• Est. WAC 392-700• Performance-based• Case Management

mandated• Compliance monitoring

required• Longitudinal study

required• Over 3600 youth enrolled

OSPI Open Doors(2014-15)

Current Status

Statewide average monthly enrollment– 2014-2015: 2,955 to date– 2013-2014: 2,417 • 414 credentials earned• 6,984 indicators of academic progress met• 3,904.25 HS credits earned• 12,065 College Credits earned

– 2012-2013: 797 • 198 credentials earned

Student Eligibility

• Students must be at least 16 years old and less than 21 years old by September 1 to be enrolled in reengagement

• Additionally, students must meet credit deficiency ratios– Or obtain a waiver from a district designated school

personnel, the juvenile justice system, or case manager from the department of social and health services

Student Completion

Students become ineligible for further funding when they:• Earn a high school diploma• Earn an Associates Degree• Have turned 21 before September 1

Current Status

• 55 unique programs• 68 school districts offer this programming• 4 typical models – – District self operating (6)– Partnering with community organization (9)– Partnering with community/technical college (13)– Partnering with multiple districts in a consortium (37)

• 98 individual pathways/sites statewide

FrameworkElements

Statewide framework of reengagement

Encourages partnerships and collaboration

State K-12 funding follows the student ($5,755 annually)

Performance based & individualized, with multiple indicators of academic progress

Designed as an on-ramp to college/career pathways

Case management required

Model Structure

District

School Type R

Program

Model Structure

District

School Type R

Program

CollegeAgency

District A

Program Program

District B

School Type R

School Type R

Program

Model Structure

District

School Type R

Program

District

School Type R

Program

College

Agency

Program

Program

CollegeAgency

District A

Program Program

District B

School Type R

School Type R

Program

Model Structure

District

School Type R

Program

District

School Type R

Program

College

Agency

Program

Program

CollegeAgency

District A

Program Program

District B

School Type R

School Type R

Program

District AESD

School Type R School

Type R

District B

Existing School

Consortium

District A

School Type R

Approval Process

All programs must submit:1. Letter of Intent to operate within the rules 2. Calendar outlining a minimum of 10 months of operation and 900 hours of

instruction3. Program flow chart of student enrollment and outcomes4. Program narrative 5. Scope of Work agreement outlining the roles and responsibilities of a

partnership

Statewide Framework of

Reengagement

• Process for program approval• Statewide steering committee • Diverse stakeholders• Provides leadership, guidance and support• Meets quarterly

• Participate in “alternative” education work group• Convene programs for annual workshop• Support for regional reengagement professional learning communities

Encourages Partnerships and

Collaboration

• For instruction and support programs are partnering with:

Community and Technical Colleges

Vocational Skills Centers

Work Force Agencies

Regional ESDs Community Based Organizations Private Vendors

Funding Follows the

Student

• Students receive full funding while showing academic progress up to college level.• Enhanced funding for vocational/career technical education and

federal transitional and bilingual also follows students.• Special Education Services are the responsibility of the district and the

funding remains with the district as they serve the student regardless of the program model.

Student Participation Requirements

Students and programs must meet three requirements to continue to receive monthly funding1. Weekly status checks – The program must attempt to have

communication with the students every week2. Minimum attendance period – Two hours of face-to-face time with

program staff for instruction, case management, academic and/or career counseling

3. Academic progress – Students must show academic progress by the 4th count day of enrollment

1. Earns high school or college credit.2. Passes one or more high school equivalency tests.3. Makes a significant gain in core academic skill level as measured by pre

and post testing.4. Completes approved college readiness training.5. Completes approved work readiness training.6. Completes a work based learning experience.7. Enrolls in college course(s) other than Adult Basic Ed, high school

equivalency certificate, or ESL class for the first time.

Indicators of Academic Progress

Indicators of Academic Progress

8. Completes an ESL class 9. Completes an ABE or high school equivalency certificate coursework 10. Enrolls in progressively more difficult math or English college courses11. Passes one or more tests/benchmarks that satisfy State Board

graduation requirements *12. Completes a grade level curriculum in a core academic subject that

does not qualify for High school credit*13. Completes a series of short term industry certificates (40 hour min.)** Additions in the current WAC revision

On-ramp to College or Career Pathways

GED plus pathway

Workforce programs

Certificate programs

College partnerships:New options for existing

partnershipsNew partnerships that

put students in the college environment

Coordination with adult high school completion

programs

Creative 10 week on-ramp to employment

or advanced training in

partnership with colleges

Case Management

A ratio not to exceed 1 fulltime case manager to 75 youth

Assist youth by connecting to resources and remove barriers to success

Can provide academic as well as employment support

Tracking Reengagement

Students

School

code:

• Reengagement schools are designated with an R school type code• Allows the students to be disaggregated from district AYP measures.

Program

code:

• Each program has a unique qualifying code attached to the student record• Allows OSPI to track student data to the specific program and location• Allows OSPI to aggregate data many ways including by state, region, district,

pathway or partner

Program Accountability

Compliance monitoring of began October 2014 under the authority of ESSB 6002 (2014) • To date 30 programs have undergone a compliance review• This has led to a clarification of language and a 3rd WAC revision• Guidance and best practice documents have been created and shared• Ongoing guidance and assistance have been welcomed

Program Accountability

• An EDS application is being designed that will allow data points to be collected that are not measures found in CEDARS, but are desired outcomes in Open Doors• The new student qualification codes will allow the EDS application to

be pre-populated with demographic information

Program Annual Report

District Annual Report

OSPIReceives Report

September 30 October 31

Program Accountability

Programs are approved by the state and will require re-approval.Key performance indicators will include:

1. Student retention2. Academic progress3. Student outcomes4. Process elements

• Meeting program requirements• Adherence to program design• Referral process• Continuous improvement process

Longitudinal Study

• The RCW governing Open Doors requires longitudinal study for 5 years.• OSPI is working with the Education Research and Data Center to align

the cohort and data tracking for compliance. • This longitudinal tracking will include:• College enrollment and completion• Workforce data such as wages and industry

Challenges

Year Round Funding

Continuous Improvement

Barrier Reduction

Aligning drop out prevention, intervention and re-engagement efforts across OSPI, as well as other state agencies, statewide youth-serving organizations, and regional and local education agencies.

www.k12.wa.us/GATE/SupportingStudents/StudentRetrieval.aspx

Contact:

Laurie Shannon, Graduation Specialist Laurie.Shannon@k12.wa.us

Rhett Nelson, Graduation Communications Rhett.Nelson@k12.wa.us