Two At-Risk Students:
Using Data to Explore Why One
Stays on Track and the Other
Drops Out
Type Date Here
30 June 2010
Type Presenter Name/Contact Here

Let’s first look at the HS investments in two high-risk
cohort students, with similar profiles
Student A Student B
• Gender • Male • Male
• Ethnicity • African-American • African-American
• Special Status? • No; not EC or ELL • No; not EC or ELL
• MS in SY0607 (grade 8) • A different MS than Student B • A different MS than Student A
• Achievement Level:
• Level 1 (Below Basic) • Level 1 (Below Basic)
Math 08 test*
• Achievement Level:
• Level 4 (Above Proficient) • Level 4 (Above Proficient)
Reading 08 test*
• Grade Level in SY0809 • 10th grade (no retention) • 10th grade (no retention)
• 2 absences • 3 absences
• Missed days in SY0809
• Zero suspensions • Zero suspensions
*Students had raw scores within 3 points of each other on both Math 08 and Reading 08 tests; their performance was very equivalent
Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data
EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 2

By SY0809, both students were in 10th grade, but had
taken very different math classes in HS thus far
• I am a 10th grader at High School X
• In 9th grade, I took Algebra 1A in semester 1
Student A and Algebra 1B in semester 2
• In 10th grade, I took Technical Math 1
(semester1) and Geometry (semester 2),
both with other 10th and 11th graders
• I am a 10th grader at High School Y
• In 9th grade, I took Introductory Math both
semesters
• In 10th grade, I took no math in semester1 and Student B
repeated Introductory Math in semester 2. I
was the only 10th grader in that class
Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data
EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 3

In 9th grade, Student A had math classes that were
significantly larger, but this switched in 10th grade
Average math class size: 9th grade Average math class size: 10th grade
(SY0708) (SY0809)
26 26 26
25
25 25
# of students
# of students
24 24
23 23
22
22 22
21
21 21
20 20
Student A Student B Student A Student B
Classes • Algebra 1A • Intro Math • Technical Math 1
• Intro Math
taken • Algebra 1B • Intro Math • Geometry
Avg % EC n/a n/a 14% 0%
Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data
EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 4

In 10th grade, Student B spent less time in core
subjects compared to Student A; he spent less time on
math and no time on science
Percent of time by class: Percent of time by class:
9th Grade (SY0708) 10th Grade (SY0809)
100% Voc/Career 100%
13% 13% 13% 13%
PE
13% 13% Computer Skills 13%
25%
13% 13% Social Studies
Science 25%
13% 13%
50% Math 50% 25%
13%
Core
Core
ELA
25% 25%
13%
Although math 25%
composed 25%
25% 25% of Student B’s 25%
time, this was due 13%
0% to repeating of
Intro Math
0%
Student A Student B Student A Student B
Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data
EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 5

Both students had new math teachers (0-3 years of
experience) at some point in grades 9-10
9th grade 10th grade
• Had different math • Had the same math
teachers for each semester teacher for both semesters:
of Algebra, and both had a career teacher with 4
Student A less than 3 years years of experience and a
experience teacher effect score* of
0.07 for Geometry
• Had different math • Had a new, non-career
teachers for both semesters teacher with 1 year of
of Intro Math – one with 32+ experience (no teacher
Student B years of experience (no effect score available)
data available for the
other)
*A teacher effect score is represented in terms of standard deviations of student test scores. So, a score of 0.2 means that the teachers’ students
scored on average 0.2 standard deviations higher than we would have predicted had they had an average teacher. (A value of zero is average.)
Note: None of the teachers for either student were National Board certified
Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data
EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 6

By the end of 10th grade, these two students are in
dramatically different places in math
• I tested at Achievement Level 3 (Proficient)
on my Geometry EOC exam!
Student A • I am on-track in math for my grade level,
and can continue on with classes like
Algebra 2, Statistics, Pre-Calculus…
• I haven’t taken an EOC math test in either
grade 9 or 10, because I did Introductory
Math in both years
• I am really far behind in math for my grade
level now, and I don’t know where to go
Student B
from here
Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data
EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 7

Summary: How were investments different in Student
A vs. Student B?
Student A Student B
• On-track classes: Algebra 1, • Repeated Introductory Math
• Math classes taken
Geometry, Technical Math multiple times
• 26 in 9th grade • 21 in 9th grade
• Average math class size
• 22 in 10th grade • 25 in 10th grade
• 75% in 9th grade • 75% in 9th grade
• % of time on core subjects
• 75% in 10th grade • 63% in 10th grade
• 25% in 9th grade • 25% in 9th grade
• % of time on math
• 25% in 10th grade • 13% in 10th grade
• Had a mix of new and more • Had a mix of new and more
• Teacher experience
experienced teachers experienced teachers
Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data
EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 8

Where are they now, at the end of SY0910?
Student A Student B
• Still enrolled in CMS • Was retained; started the
• Completed 10th grade in school year as a
SY0809; now enrolled in repeating 10th grader at
grade 11 at High School X High School Y
• Dropped out of school in
January 2010
Quick Reactions:
What information shown is most relevant to these outcomes?
What does it make you want to find out?
Source: ERS analysis of District “A” data
EDUCATION RESOURCE STRATEGIES, INC. 9