Using Early Identification Systems to Set Students on a Path to College Readiness

• In Event: The Promise and Challenges of a College-Ready Graduation Policy: Lessons From San Francisco

Abstract

Objectives: For many years the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has implemented two initiatives to identify and provide supports to students in transition from middle school to high school to increase high school graduation and college readiness. The Early Warning Indicator (EWI) initiative identifies students who are at risk of dropping out of high school based on eighth grade measures, and the Transition Program (TP) initiative identifies vulnerable students based on school social workers’ familiarity with the students and their families. This study explores which students are identified by the initiatives, how they are supported, and what their educational outcomes are, as well as what factors facilitate or limit the implementation of the initiatives.

Framework: Research indicates that in ninth grade, students are more likely to show declines in key measures of school engagement and academic success including Grade Point Average (GPA) and attendance, both of which are predictive of high school graduation and college readiness (e.g., Felmlee, 2018; Allensworth et al., 2014; Kieffer, Marinell, & Neugebauer, 2014; Neild, 2009). To overcome these challenges, many schools provide programming to students in transition from middle school to high school. Programming may surround specific domains, such as academics, behavior, or social-emotional skills, and may serve all students or vulnerable students only (e.g., Corsello, 2015; Johnson & Simon, 2014; Montgomery, 2011).

Methods: The research design includes longitudinal analysis of students’ administrative data beginning in 2010-11, a survey of and interviews with district and school personnel, document review, and making-meaning meetings between researchers and district staff.

Findings:

Identification - Students are identified by the EWI and TP initiative for different reasons. Nevertheless, there is some overlap in identification: 32% of the identified students are identified by both of the initiatives. The initiatives over-identify males, Hispanic or Black students, and English learners compared to the representation of these groups in the district’s population. Yet, only a portion of migrant, foster, or homeless students, or students with special needs are identified by either of the initiatives.

Supports - We found variation among schools in the number and type of supports offered to identified students. In-person meetings between school support staff and new students/families; success groups for students; and, school staff triage students based on perceived urgency of need are available most often to identified students.

Outcomes - Only about 60% of identified students continue their educational path at the district through the 12th grade. Eventually, about 40% of the ninth grade incoming cohort of identified students graduate from the district. Only 6% (EWI) to 14% (TP) are eligible for admission to California’s public postsecondary system.

Scholarly significance: The study highlights the importance of the processes in a system that aims to link student identification to supports resulting in equitable outcomes leading to graduation from SFUSD school. The study also raises additional questions about district and school-level facilitators including, for example, the degree of the various schools’ need and the amount of resources available to address the need.

Authors

• Hadar Baharav, Stanford University

• Laurel Sipes, Stanford University

• Jennifer Donahue, San Francisco Unified School District