HOUSE SELECT STUDY COMMITTEE(cid:1) ON(cid:1) HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION(cid:1) AND DROP OUT RATES(cid:1) REPORT TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2007 NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY TABLE OF CONTENTS(cid:1) Letter of Transmittal 1(cid:1) Announcement of Creation of Committee 2(cid:1) Committee Proceedings 6(cid:1) Findings and Recommendation................................................... 10 (cid:1) LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL - A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO(cid:1) ESTABLISH THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE STUDY COMMISSION ON(cid:1) HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AND DROP OUT RATES 12 (cid:1) Appendix A. Summary of the Minutes from the Meetings in Charlotte and Haywood County 15 (cid:1) Appendix B. Letter of Authorization/Committee Membership 36(cid:1) Appendix C. NEA's Plan for Reducing School Dropouts 39(cid:1) Appendix D. Cohort Graduation Rate 41 (cid:1) STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA(cid:1) HOUSE SELECT STUDY COMMITTEE ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AND DROP OUT RATES March 7, 2007 TO THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 2007(cid:1) GENERAL ASSEMBLY(cid:1) Attached for your consideration is the final report to the House of(cid:1) Representatives of the 2007 General Assembly. This report was prepared by the(cid:1) House Select Committee on High School Graduation and Drop Out Rates (cid:1) pursuant to G.S. 120-19.6(a) and Rule 26(a) of the Rules of the House of(cid:1) Representatives ofthe 2005 General Assembly.(cid:1) Respectfully submitted, Representative Earline Parmon, Chair Representative Thomas Wright, Chair 1 •(cid:1) Strategies, programs and support services that should be provided ifthe compulsory school attendance age is raised to enable students to graduate from high school, and time lines for implementing those strategies, programs and support services; •(cid:1) Related laws and policies that must be addressed to ensure the availability of support services for students; •(cid:1) Possible exemptions from the law for certain students, including those who fulfill their graduation requirements early and receive a diploma, complete an alternative education program, or whose parents consent to their leaving school before they graduate or reach the maximum compulsory age; •(cid:1) The fiscal impact on the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency(cid:2) Prevention and the Department of Correction; and (cid:2) •(cid:1) Input on the issue from school personnel, dropouts, and students at risk of(cid:2) dropping out of school. (cid:2) "A student who graduates from high school is less likely to grow up and live in poverty and has a much greater chance at a prosperous and rewarding future," said Rep. Earline Parmon (D-Forsyth), who will co-chair the new committee. "I'm hopeful this Committee will discover how to increase graduation rates and, by association, how to improve the lives of the young people of North Carolina." "Our state's drop out numbers are unacceptable," said Rep. Thomas Wright (D New Hanover), who will co-chair the new committee. "We need to find out why our students are leaving school and how to keep them there." State Board of Education Chairman Howard Lee has called on the General Assembly to change the state's compulsory age law, which currently allows a student to drop out of school at 16 years old. "We do students a disservice to send the message that it is acceptable to drop out of school when they are 16 years old," Chairman Lee said in March in response to the release ofthe latest drop out statistics. "A high school diploma is a minimum requirement for future success, and we will continue to press for changing the compulsory school attendance age." Raising the compulsory age is one issue that the House Select Committee will examine in the coming months. Education Week Magazine recently cited a national study showing North Carolina's high school graduation rate at 66 percent. Among African American males it is 49 percent and Hispanic males graduate only 47 percent. North Carolina's high school dropout rate, already too high, may be even worse this year, the state's top-ranking education official warned last week. State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson said the state's annual report on high school dropouts is due to be released in December. School officials shouldn't expect encouraging news, she said during a speech in Elizabeth City. During the 2004-05 school year, approximately one out of every 20 North Carolina high school students dropped out of school thus jeopardizing their potential for future success, according to the Annual Dropout Event Report presented to the State Board of Education in March. This equates to an annual high school drop out rate of 4.7 percent. State law requires that school officials record the reason for a student's decision to drop out of school. In 2004-05, 60 percent of students dropped out due to attendance issues. Other 3 Researchers will then conduct site visits in districts with low-performing high schools to identify how they can better use resources to increase student achievement. The House Select Committee on High School Graduation and Drop Out Rates will hold numerous meetings between now and the start of the 2007 session, which convenes on January 24. The Committee, which includes former school teachers and principals, will present its legislative recommendations to the full House of Representatives at the start of the 2007 session. Legislators are expected to hold meetings in Raleigh and in other cities across the state as they study the state's high school graduation and drop out rates and look at possible solutions. 5(cid:1) old to provide specialized instruction and counseling to all students in this older age group who would be more effectively addressed in classes apart from younger students." Next, Dr. Chris Cobitz, Reporting Section Chief for Accountability Services. DPI explained the new cohort graduation rate (See Appendix D). Later this year, the State will be able to report the percentage of 9th graders who began in the 2002-03 school year and graduated before June 30, 2006. This is a standardized reporting method that will allow comparison with other states. Finally, Dr. Ken Gattis, Senior Research and Evaluation Coordinator, DPI explained the current definition of a dropout, how the dropout rate is calculated and information about the demographics of dropouts. November 2, 2006 The House Select Committee on High School Graduation and Drop Out Rates held an evening meeting at West Charlotte High School. The Committee heard presentations from the speakers listed on the following agenda about restructuring a large high school into smaller schools within a school, the importance of nontraditional and alternative schools, a successful community-based program aimed at preventing drop outs, and the partnerships that the community college and local public schools have developed to address the dropout problem. Members of the public not listed on the agenda were invited to address the Committee with their concerns, especially about the nee4 to raise the compulsory school attendance age. A summary of the minutes from this meeting can I be found in Appendix A. AGENDA (cid:1) November 2, 2006(cid:1) 6:00 P.M., West Charlotte High School(cid:1) Charlotte, NC (cid:1) Welcome/Introductions Representative Parmon, Cochair Representative Wright, Cochair Approval of Minutes Speakers Ann Clark, Assistant Superintendent, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Jo Ella Ferrell, Principal, Garinger High School Carol Rodd, Case Manager, Garinger High School Brian Freeland, Teacher, Garinger High School Natasha Thompson, Principal, International Studies School at Garinger High School Herman Gloster, Teacher, International Studies School at Garinger High School LaPorsha Holt, Student, International Studies School at Garinger High School 7 Haywood Early College Dr. Doris Hipps, Dean/Principal WIA Gateway Recovery Kyle Ledford, WIA Youth Program Manager Steve Williams, Student Services Director Students Jason King Ashley McCall Program Discussion Danny Miller, Principal Dale McDonald, Principal Donna Parris, CHHS Teacher Parents Haywood County Board of Education Robin Black, Finance Comma Chairperson Michael Sorrells, Bldg and Grounds Comma Member Lunch at the Education Center Visit Central Haywood High School December 20, 2006 The Committee held its final meeting and discussed the proposed recommendation and legislation. The Committee voted to adopt the final report. 9(cid:1) Committee also heard some of the pros and cons for raising the compulsory school attendance age. The Committee also heard about the necessity for additional vocational/technical education classes for students who would be going straight to work after graduation. Due to the short length of time that the Committee has been in existence, there was not adequate time to make a comprehensive examination of all the issues that it was charged to study. The Committee had also only begun traveling across the State to gather public input on the issues and to learn about successful programs. Therefore, the Committee makes the following recommendation: RECOMMENDATION: CREATE A JOINT LEGISLATIVE STUDY COMMITTEE ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AND DROP OUT RATES. The House Select Committee on High School Graduation and Drop Out Rates encourages the General Assembly to enact legislation to establish a Joint Legislative Study Committee to continue to examine ways to improve high school graduation rates, the need for increasing the compulsory school attendance age, and ways to ensure that all North Carolina citizens are prepared for the world of work or to succeed in higher education. (See Legislative Proposal on Page 12.) 11 (cid:1) clerical support staff to the Committee,' and the expenses relating to the clerical employees shall be borne by the Committee. Members of the Committee shall receive subsistence and travel expenses at the rates set forth in G.S. 120-3.1, 138-5, or 138-6, as appropriate. SECTION 1.(b) The Committee shall study the need to raise the compulsory school attendance age, methods for increasing the high school cohort graduation rate, and methods for lowering the dropout rate. In connection with this study, the Committee may consider and report on: (1)(cid:1) The impact of dropping out on the student; (2)(cid:1) The capacity of a 16-year-old to understand the social and economic consequences of dropping out of school; (3)(cid:1) The emergence of major high school reform efforts, including st Learn and Earn Programs, the New Schools Initiative, and 21 Century Schools, and the impact they may have on teenagers who remain in school longer; (4)(cid:1) The importance to the entire State of every student leaving high school prepared to enter the workforce or succeed in higher education; (5)(cid:1) Research on factors related to students' success or lack of success in schools; (6)(cid:1) Strategies, programs, and support services that should be provided if the compulsory school attendance age is raised to enable students to graduate from high school, and time lines for implementing those strategies, programs, and support services; (7)(cid:1) Related laws and policies that must be addressed to ensure the availability of support services for students; (8)(cid:1) The fiscal impact ofraising the compulsory attendance age; (9)(cid:1) Possible exemptions from the law for certain students; including those students who fulfill their graduation requirements early and receive a diploma, complete an alternative education program, or whose parents consent to their leaving school before they graduate or reach the maximum compulsory school attendance age; (10)(cid:1) The fiscal impact of raising the compulsory school attendance age on the. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Department of Correction; (11)(cid:1) The law in other states and the experience of other states that have raised the compulsory school attendance age; (12)(cid:1) Input from school personnel and from dropouts and students at risk of dropping out on the issue; (13)(cid:1) Any changes that are needed to the definition of a dropout and any changes in data collection to ensure consistency and accuracy in reporting the dropout rate; (14)(cid:1) Proven strategies and early intervention programs that can be implemented to prevent at-risk youth from dropping out, especially in the middle grades; 13 Appendix A Summary of the Minutes from the Meetings in Charlotte and Haywood County (A notebook containing the complete minutes for each meeting and all information presented to the Committee is filed in the Library in the Legislative Building.) Thursday, November 2,2006 6:30 P.M. / West Charlotte High School, Charlotte, North Carolina Ann Clark, Assistant Superintendent, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools - Ms. Clark introduced herself as the regional superintendent of high schools in Charlotte. She said that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System has tried to create programs that foster choices among students and parents. The school system has also acknowledged that the comprehensive, traditional ninth to twelfth grade high schools are not models that work for many students, particularly those students in larger urban districts. Ms. Clark reviewed several programs used by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System to help students stay in school and receive a high school diploma. The first initiative at Garinger High School is the creation of two small specialty high schools within the larger facility. Because ninth grade is the grade level where, traditionally, the largest number of students is lost in the transition to high school, both high schools opened classes with only a ninth grade. Ms. Clark explained that the committee would hear Garinger High School administrators, teachers, and parents give their observations about the initiative. The next initiative, the Performance Learning Center, is a small non-traditional, stand alone high school that is a partnership between Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Communities in Schools (CIS). Through this partnership, the Performance Learning Center (PLC) is considered a role model for successful dropout prevention programs. This model is implemented in nine Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schools and several middle and elementary schools. Ms. Clark also recognized the Bright Beginnings Program, a unique dropout prevention program, for four-year olds, which gears younger students towards a more successful path in their K-12 education. On behalf of all the high school principals in Charlotte, Ms. Clark urged the committee to look at and carefully review how students are coded as dropouts for reports, particularly those students who go on to community colleges. Garinger High School Jo Ella Ferrell, Principal - Ms. Ferrell thanked the committee and welcomed them to Charlotte. To address the challenges of dropouts, Garinger High School has the services of a case manager to work with individual students. Ms. Ferrell introduced Ms. Carol Rodd and asked her to speak about some of the students that she has personally assisted. Carol Rodd, School Social Worker/Case Manager - Ms. Rodd explained that her role was to provide intensive case management services. Specifically, she has a caseload of 50 students that are deemed "at-risk". She gave an anecdotal account of two at-risk students 15 (cid:1)