SDC Table of Contents

Elementary and Middle School

Attendance Supports

Attendance is the foundation that puts a student in a position to take advantage of all opportunities to be successful and advance to the next grade level. Grouping students by attendance trends allows school leadership to efficiently organize resources and align attendance supports to the needs of their students. For example, a student with an 85% attendance rate may need a different support from one whose attendance rate is 40%. Assigning a point person responsible for individual student follow-up allows for close monitoring , proactive response and the implementation of practices which support improved attendance for each student.

Objectives:

  • Every student with <90% attendance is assigned to an attendance support.
  • All students are assigned to an Attendance Point Person.

i-Ready

The Curriculum Associates® i-Ready formative assessment is a computer-based adaptive diagnostic given to K-8 students. Student scale scores are correlated to a grade level performance along with additional details on domain performance. Reviewing i-Ready ELA and Math data alongside NYS Exam scores, marking period performance, attendance, and other factors helps to identify groups of students who need additional support and, most importantly, identify specific deficiencies for individual students. Using this information, schools will be able to match students to academic supports for progress monitoring.

Objectives:

  • Fall: All students who are below grade level on i-Ready 1 are assigned to an academic support.
  • Spring: All students who are below grade level according to i-Ready are assigned to an academic support.

High School

Initial Planning and Supports

For schools that work with New Visions coaches, this SDC comprises objectives from the Graduation Planning, Regents Planning, and Attendance SDCs. They are grouped together to include tasks that are critical for planning for the upcoming school year.

Objectives:

  • Identify the best case graduation outcome and select a graduation date (e.g. June 2020) and diploma type (e.g. Regents) for all students.
  • Plan students to sit for needed Regents exams, including resitting for College Readiness.
  • Assign every student with <90% in the prior school year to attendance to an attendance support.

Attendance Supports

Attendance is the foundation that puts a student in a position to take advantage of all opportunities to be successful and advance to the next grade level. Grouping students by attendance trends allows school leadership to efficiently organize resources and align attendance supports to the needs of their students. For example, a student with an 85% attendance rate may need a different support from one whose attendance rate is 40%. Assigning a point person responsible for individual student follow-up allows for close monitoring , proactive response and the implementation of practices which support improved attendance for each student.

Objectives:

  • Every student with <90% attendance is assigned to an attendance support.
  • All students are assigned to an Attendance Point Person.

Graduation Planning

A graduation plan is the foundation on which all other student planning is done. It is each student’s best-case outcome, not a prediction of likeliest outcome, and it allows a school to backwards-plan key actions to give all students the best chance to graduate. Recording plans in the Portal makes them transparent so multiple people can ensure key actions occur and monitor progress towards outcomes. These plans are the starting point for most subsequent check-ins and are made valid through the combination of credits and Regents planned for each student.

Objectives:

    • Identify the best case graduation outcome for each student
    • Select a graduation date (e.g. June 2020) and diploma type (e.g. Regents) for all students in the senior cohort.
    • Assign any endorsements or credentials students are planned to receive.
    • Monitor progress by recording graduation plans in the Portal to ensure critical tasks include the most up to date information, accessible to all stakeholders

Credit Gaps

If a student is missing credits needed for graduation - whether because the student has not attempted credits or failed prior attempts - an explicit plan should exist for when the student will attempt to earn the credit. This plan should prioritize closing credit gaps in the current term by adjusting the student’s program, but where that is not feasible, identifying what courses a student will take in the future and when. Recording these plans in the Portal, using course codes, helps manage a complicated process and simplifies future decision-making.

Objective:

  • Address all Credit Gaps for, at a minimum, all planned June and August Grads by making necessary program changes for the current term in STARS/Powerschool or planning in the Portal for the student to make up the credit in a future term using course codes.
  • Address Credit Gaps for students in younger cohorts.

Regents Planning

Planning ahead for Regents exams includes both planning early within the term and planning forward for upcoming administrations. Planning Regents exams early ensures that schools have time to carefully consider each student’s pathways and to communicate early with students about plans. Early planning is also important to ensure schools can provide preparatory opportunities that provide students with the best chance to pass needed exams. Planning forward for upcoming administrations ensures that schools are making real the grad plan set for each student; in circumstances where students are planned to graduate in June, it is clear which exams will be attempted in which administration. Recording Regents plans in the Portal enables multiple staff in a school to weigh in during decision-making, understand plans after they are set, and be responsive in next term course planning.

Objectives:

  • Plan students to sit for needed Regents exams.
  • Plan Regents exams for all students who will be resitting for College Readiness

Regents Prep Supports

Many students, especially those behind on Regents exams, need multiple attempts to pass them, as well as reinforcement of key content and skills. Especially if students pass a course but fail the associated exam, the time between when students were last exposed to key content in the course and when the student will retake the Regents exam makes additional support critical for success. Knowing early who will attempt Regents exams empowers schools to make more intentional decisions about how to support students to successfully reattempt. Closely monitoring attendance at these support opportunities, and intervening where students are not actually participating, is essential for promoting success.

Objectives:

  • All students scheduled to sit for an exam in the upcoming administration are scheduled for an aligned course or a prep support.
  • All students are assigned to a Regents Point Person.

Marking Period Supports

New Visions recognizes that high levels of achievement in all courses are critical to a student’s long term success. Course prioritization helps focus a school’s resources on the highest leverage supports for each student in scenarios where it is difficult to intervene in all possible areas. Using Marking Period 1 data to identify points of intervention early in the term gives school staff time to act.

Objectives:

  • All students failing one or more high priority courses are assigned to an academic support.
  • All students are assigned an Academic Point Person.

Postsecondary

Postsecondary List and Opportunity Program Eligibility: Seniors

A postsecondary list is a list of all colleges and other postsecondary options to which students will submit an application. The list is drafted no later than junior year, and updated in the fall of senior year; and is informed by student interest, counselor expertise, and financial circumstances, including whether or not a student is eligible for an opportunity program to pay for college. Creating a postsecondary list early allows students and staff to gather necessary information and take action to ensure that students have the best options possible for them when they graduate high school.

Objectives:

  • Record financial eligibility for NYS Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) for each planned June and August graduate
  • Finalize and record all colleges, certificate programs, and workforce readiness programs to which students plan to apply

College Application

The college application process is a school-wide effort to ensure that all planned graduates in the current school year complete their college applications and are considered for opportunity programs if eligible. This process is an inherent part of the school’s culture and involves a variety of school staff members. Tracking application status in the Portal helps the school track which students have applied to which schools, and which students require follow-up. In addition, tracking application and outcome data in the Portal helps determine school-specific selectivity ranges to inform the college application process for subsequent cohorts.

Objectives:

  • Ensure students submit complete applications, including supplementary materials if applicable, to all colleges on their list
  • Record all colleges to which students have applied, and whether they applied to opportunity programs.

FAFSA/ TAP

The FAFSA/TAP SDC promotes ongoing, regular support to ensure that all eligible students complete FAFSA and TAP applications to receive financial aid for college. Supporting students through the financial aid process includes FAFSA (federal) and TAP (New York State) application submission, follow-up on incomplete applications and/or errors, and documenting completion. New Visions believes that college counselors, with our support, play a crucial role in helping students and their families through this challenging process. Tracking FAFSA and TAP completion in the Portal provides multiple stakeholders with information on whether students have successfully completed this process so they can follow up accordingly.

Objective:

  • Ensure all students planned to graduate by August complete the FAFSA and TAP, if eligible

Postsecondary Planning for Juniors

The spring of junior year is an appropriate time for students to reflect on and articulate their postsecondary plans and goals, as counselors will be able to provide guidance and suggest changes before a student starts any applications. Recording these goals includes drafting a list of colleges and job opportunities, as well as broader aspirations, such as long-term career paths and what courses of study to pursue.

Objectives:

  • Record financial eligibility for NYS Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) for 11th grade student.
  • Support all 11th grade students to complete a Postsecondary Plan.
  • Document the colleges, certificate programs, and workforce readiness programs to which 11th grade students plan to apply

Postsecondary Choice

Once students have received responses from the colleges, jobs, certificate programs, and other places where they have applied, they need to make a final decision about what they will do after high school. Counselors should meet with students to provide guidance and help them make a choice that aligns with their goals and priorities.

Objectives:

  • Support all planned graduates in making an informed postsecondary choice.
  • Track each postsecondary application outcome for each planned graduate.
  • Indicate postsecondary commitment for each planned graduate.

Transition Plan - Coming 05/01/20