Victoria schools work to lower dropout rate
VISD officials track down students who have left school
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HOW TO RE-ENROLL
Evening courses offered include credit recovery for students who lacked a few credits to graduate, TAKS tutorials for students who did not pass the TAKS, and a GED high school equivalency program.
Former Victoria school district students ...
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HOW TO RE-ENROLL
Evening courses offered include credit recovery for students who lacked a few credits to graduate, TAKS tutorials for students who did not pass the TAKS, and a GED high school equivalency program.
Former Victoria school district students interested in completing high school through the evening program may obtain applications at Profit Magnet High School, 104 Profit Drive in Victoria. For more information, contact Sheila Gann at 361-788-9650.
The school district will pay the $95 GED test fee for any student enrolled in the Profit GED program.
Non-completers can also get their GED through the Victoria College Adult Education Program, 802 E. Crestwood in Victoria or call 361-573-7323.
To determine if you are eligible for either program, contact Sheila Gann at 788-9650.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
GED or high school diploma?
General Education Development a five-part test one completes to be a high school graduate equivalent. The subject areas include: reading, writing, math, science and social studies. No TAKS test or traditional school courses are required. Students must take the THEA to enroll in college, if needed.
High school iploma Must meet all traditionally required high school course credits and take the TAKS test. Students may be THEA exempt if their TAKS scores are high enough.
Dominique Fulton couldn't hold back her emotions when Victoria school district called her to say she'd get her high school diploma.
She hadn't completed high school and enrolled in evening courses this fall at Profit Magnet High School to finish.
"I screamed at the top of my lungs," the 18-year-old said. "As soon as I hung up I called all my family. My mom and everybody were real proud."
During her junior and senior years of high school, Dominique started skipping school. She had already passed her TAKS test. All she needed was 5.5 credits to graduate in June.
She had also been absent for at least 35 days, she said.
Then in August, Sheila Gann, Victoria school district student success administrator, called Dominique and invited her to enroll in the evening program at Profit Magnet High School to recover her missing credits.
Dominique enrolled near the end of August. The program let her work at her own pace, and by mid-October, she completed all her requirements. She now has a transcript she can submit to Victoria College, and will get her high school diploma in June 2010.
Dropouts
Dominique is an example of a student the school district has recovered and helped graduate high school.
On Sept. 8, the school district started an evening program at Profit Magnet High School to help those who had not completed work finish high school or get a GED.
Courses offered include credit recovery for students who lacked credits to graduate, TAKS tutorials for students who did not pass the exam, and a GED/high school equivalency program.
In July, VISD received an academically unacceptable rating by the Texas Education Agency, which measured the district's academic performance level for spring 2009 and the completion rate of spring 2008.
VISD's completion rate of the economically disadvantaged was 67.4 percent, as opposed to the 75 percent TEA requirement.
Between Aug. 24 to Sept. 25, the Victoria school district searched for the 446 students who should have graduated by June 2009 but didn't.
Dropping out
The state gives students four years and two months to graduate. If not, they are considered non-completers. However, if the student returns for a fifth year, he or she counts as a continuer and is removed from the dropout list, Gann said.
Students drop out for different reasons, Gann said.
"Many students actually end up being a big source of income," she said. "So, they have to drop out to work full time. Some students have babies, so for the male, they have to support the child. The females have a small baby and end up having to get up the next day and go to school."
Others think they can make it financially without an education, she said.
"Some students decide they're 18 and they don't need an education," she said. "They see others who have gotten jobs."
Recovering students
School district officials encouraged those they found still living in the Victoria area to enroll in the evening courses at Profit, Gann said.
Advertisements ran in the Advocate and on television about the evening program to inform the public.
Principals, attendance liaisons, and staff made phone calls and home visits to the students' last known addresses.
Trey Edwards, principal at the Mitchell Guidance Center, recovered between 20-30 students he knew.
"Every student I contacted showed up to enroll, except one," Edwards said.
Edwards said personally going out to find the non-completers had an impact on their decision to enroll.
"When you're meeting them face-to-face and shaking their hand, that makes a big difference," said Edwards, who searched during the day and some evenings for his missing students. "You can blow people off over the phone, but when you know the person and are looking them in the face, and telling them this is a good thing, that's a big benefit."
Edwards said he brought some of the students himself to Profit to sign up for the evening courses.
"A number of them were interested, but they just didn't know how to sign up," Edwards said.
By Sept. 25, the district narrowed the list of 446 students to 107 they could not find or persuade to enroll, Gann said.
Those 107 remain as dropouts in the school district. Gann estimates the completion rate is now somewhere between 78 to 88 percent, and the non-completer percentage ranges between 12 to 22 percent.
Looking forward
There are still wrinkles to iron out for those recovered through the evening program, Gann said.
"Simply enrolling them did not erase the barriers they had for not finishing school in the first place," Gann said. "These students still have work, children, family, and transportation conflicts, to name a few, and we are working with them to alleviate these barriers."
This month, the school district will begin looking for students who are supposed to graduate in June 2010, but for some reason are not enrolled in school.
"We feel that bringing these students back now will allow us to be proactive instead of reactive, ensuring these students will not find ourselves academically unacceptable again," Gann said.
Gann encourages any students who have dropped out to contact her for guidance on how to complete high school.
"We had the whole district pulling together to find these kids," she said. "We want these kids to finish something so they'll have a brighter future."
Comments
Pretty sad that this is now a focus of VISD AFTER they have lost their ceritifcation from the state.
Hey! At least we have real, real, REAL nice new buildings to pay for...
November 9, 2009 at 6:31 a.m.people without college degrees shouldn't bash hard working teachers with college degrees
im just saying
November 8, 2009 at 10:12 p.m.highly qualified means that you teach within your degree as you must have at least 24 credit hrs in your area of study along with the degree. It also means that you have to take a content test from the state along with taking multiple test including the PPR just to have the opportunity. I have seen many good teachers come from the workforce through the Region program that have actually been very qualified to be in any classroom...
along with that once they are certified they have to have 150 hrs of extra professional development every 5 years to keep the certification...
I have also seen multiple schooled and granny'd life time certifications that have a lot to be desired...
It would be unfair to compare VISD to a private school because the Private school can pick and choose who they want to educate and can remove them at their option...
VISD must educate all that come whether or not they want to learn or not...
November 8, 2009 at 9:42 p.m.Actually 18 is legal, in Texas 17 is a gray area.
November 8, 2009 at 9:27 p.m.Actually I don't understand why there is a drop out problem. What happens if a kid does not report to school in the 5th grade? Why does this policy change in the 10th thru 12th? If a kid does not show up as a senior, go arrest the parents just like is done in lower grades. A kid is not a full legal adult until they reach 21. If the kid is considered and adult, arrest him and put him in jail where he can finish school.
November 8, 2009 at 8:57 p.m.scarlett- I agree with you.
One VISD does not intrepret highly qualified as holding a endorsed degree from a college before signing thier contract. Do this and in 1 yr. all this mess will be fixed. Picking bankers and nurses from region 3 and throwing them in a core class that requires TAKS passing is suicidal.
There is no teacher shortage. Human resources doesnt have the intellect to dicifer a highly qualified from an alternative signee pending paperwork. The kids know. Thats why there is no chemistry.
These employees have never student taught or trained that some kids will be as diversified as a polka dotted zebra. But they still learn.
I would give a $3500 stipend to teachers who are well liked. They go get those kids and nurture them to pass. The principals know the popular teachers. My candidate is Mr. Jesse Rios. Those high school kids who left know of him. They relate to him. It wouldnt hurt to ask. Whatever you are doing now isnt working.
November 8, 2009 at 8:45 p.m.jackdeuce..apparently you have not paid much attention to NCLB. Teachers MUST be highly qualified to teach in their subject area. They have a limited amount of time to get the certification if they do not already have it. Once again it is a catch 22, by these drop-outs leaving school, teachers are able to focus more on the children/students who do want an education but then the district does not get as much money from the state because of the ADA percentage dropping. These students who drop-out don't hurt our test scores but they hurt our district, school and nation in MANY more ways. You want answers to these problems, don't just ask assistant superintendents, principals, etc... get your hands and feet dirty get down in the trenches with these teachers who teach at the schools where the socio-economic percentage is 75% are better. These HARD WORKING teachers could tell you what needs to be done to correct the situation. The problem is no one wants to accept the responsibility for these kids failing. Least of all the parents. Yes, there are parents that push their children to be successful at school, but there are TOO MANY who completely undo what the teachers are trying to do but not backing the education system. I'll get off my soap box now and let someone else use it awhile.
November 8, 2009 at 7:21 p.m.I'm aware there is no direct connection between the City Council and VISD.
I was just commenting that if this problem is as severe as some think it is, then maybe the City Council should find a way to involve themselves. Certainly the council is interested in the success of the City???
Just a wayward thought
In most cases, I would say the parents are to blame for their kids dropping out. In some, I would say the kid does something similar to mimi312's, and leaves the parent scratching their head as to how to solve the problem.
November 8, 2009 at 7:18 p.m.The bigger problem is the parents that provide minimal guidance to the kids. Our city is filled with them.
Oh well, the city needs people that can learn how to use a shovel.
This seems to be a situation where there is more than enough blame to go around. First, the TEA sets a totally arbitrary 75% standard for attendance by students from the lower socioeconomic strata, which is bad enough by itself. But then, to declare that a school district that fails to meet their arbitrary standard is ACADEMICALLY Unacceptable is a prime example of political correctness run amok. What the h___ does the attendance of this student cohort have to do with the ACADEMIC quality of education provided by VISD? NOTHING!
Next, as several commenters have pointed out, the schools are being held accountable for the result of parenting that ranges from poor to abysmal. If the parents care nothing for education, and transmit this attitude to their children, how, exactly, are the schools responsible for the result?
VISD is to be commended for going the extra mile to find those students with the intelligence to complete high school and encouraging them to do so. However, I have to wonder what the benefit would be, locally, regionally and nationally, if the resources devoted to this effort were redirected to enriched education for those students identified as gifted and talented. There is something to be said for looking to get the most bang for your buck, particularly when the buck is the taxpayers'.
November 8, 2009 at 2:50 p.m.The district’s central administration knew of the 75% graduation requirement way before the failing results were released. This benchmark has been in place for years. I would question the Asst Supt of Secondary Instruction as to why dropouts have not been aggressively tracked and encouraged to return to school before VISD got hammered for it.
It’s one thing for a small district to fail this requirement where one or two students can drop the percentages drastically into noncompliance, but when your actual graduation rate is 7.6% below state standard, considering VISD’s size, that’s a lot of students that should have been accounted for and were not. Someone wasn’t doing their job to follow these dropouts.
Oh yea, you think the Victoria CofC has a tough time attracting new business? Try to do it when your city’s school district has a failing mark!
November 8, 2009 at 1:08 p.m.arent isd's held accountable by state test scores at the different grade levels and the drop out rates ?
November 8, 2009 at 12:04 p.m.I don't care if a teacher is "qualified." I want my children to be inspired by a caring individual who is passionate about the subject matter. Even Einstein said that he didn't "teach" his students - he created the conditions in which they could learn. How do you hold teachers "accountable" for the academic performance of 30 or more "academically diverse" students? Especially when one of the common characteristics of academically successful students is parental involvement. Or, according to this article, those caring adults in our community who take an interest in and reach out to a student. So many factors that you can't find a scapegoat...
November 8, 2009 at 11:46 a.m.This city is not expanding. Look at the census figures. Pop. increased 3,000 in past 10 years. Almost a dying city from a statistical standpoint.
VISD has many issues and I'm not sure where to begin but many kids are bored in class. Many teachers are not qualified to teach the classes they are teaching.
Spend the money to hire qualified teachers and hold teachers accountable.
Also, the work at your own pace idea has merit. There are many school districts in the country that have a similar program, except it is geared toward AP type students who want to get on with life and not sit in a high school for 4 years. It is not geared as a reward for dropping out.
The state itself needs to overhaul it's system and priorities.
November 8, 2009 at 11:12 a.m.I graduated from Memorial in 2003. It is nice to hear that they come up ways to get people High School Diplomas. But honestly, why should the district allow kids to go back and go at thier pace. They should have to re-enroll in actual high school. I had to sit through 4 years of high school. I was bored, I played football, I was envolved in Student Council, I had a job. But I still went to school and graduated. So now I look and there is a easier way to get out of school.
Honestly, thats how student will start to view this program. That they can leave regular school, and do this and still get the same diploma. Its not fair. But VISD is all about the money.
I moved here in 2001. I have never seen a place that has schools. Bring those schools together and 9 years later take them apart. Victoria as a community waste so much money. Sidewalks, jogging trails. Promoting the city is great. But you promote the city and if it works, more tourist and more residents. Victoria has so many internal issues to fix, the city is expanding faster than the city trys to work on its existing issues.
November 8, 2009 at 11 a.m.N45BA - Not everyone is a bad parent - But I do agree there are some. I have seen what you speak of and it's deplorable. Parents who buy their elementary age kids violent video games and allow them to watch inappropriate shows/movies or listen to music that contain 4-letter words with every note...
Roberttx, my daughter is far from stupid and far from lazy! As a matter of fact, From the very beginning of her educational life, she not only met the district/state's expectations but consistiently EXCEEDED them! I've kept each and every report card/TAKS report and can verify what I speak of.
Nor am I a worthless parent and should you care to contact me privately, will give you names of teachers to whom I reached out to in order to keep my child on the right track!!!
No the problem in this instance is VISD....
Prior to my daughter dropping out, she had a problem with excessive skipping classes. I went to the school to see how, working together, we could solve the problem. Initially, I had several of her teachers, one, who recently received a well deserved recognition, two years later is still keeping in contact with her and encouraging her....
When I reached out to the parent liason at the Admin. building, her solution was to get a court-order allowing my child to drop out of school to avoid a truancy charge. I adamently disagreed with it and told everyone who'd listen. I even objected at the court hearing! Which, by the way, was conspiciously un attended by any representative of VISD....
My daughter DID get her GED and scored in the top percentage NATIONWIDE!!!! She took the THEA and has been taking college courses at VC for 3 semesters. Additionally, she holds down a full-time job! Lazy? Worthless? Stupid? Nope!
November 8, 2009 at 10:42 a.m.I don't agree that drop-outs should be written off and despised. They are a part of OUR community. If these are the "children having children" then they are our future. Shape our future, don't write them off. Drop-outs exist - now what?
November 8, 2009 at 10:35 a.m.N45BA,
City Council does not have anything to do with the schools. The duties of schools and cities are not combined like they are up north.
November 8, 2009 at 9:53 a.m.Having students drop out of school for whatever reason boils down to everyone's problem. We want this next generation to be as educated as possible. When we have service people, we want them to be responsible, mature, efficient and knowledgable in the area of service. If we need a nurse's aide, we hope that the person has been educated and absorbed the skills necessary for the assignment of taking care of us. When we hire someone to care for our children (daycare or inhome childcare) we depend on the caregiver to be mature, able to follow instructions and literate. (Who wants someone who can't comprehend instructions on medicine bottles, etc.)
That is the way I look at the students who drop out of school--it is a matter of money to the district, but the lack of education for that student affects all of us in our daily lives. Sure the students "get bored", don't we all have those days in our workplace? That boredom needs to be challenged by the school district and the parent. Take that energy that the student isn't tapping into and channel it into outside activities (service projects in town, sports, volunteer work at Christ's Kitchen, Salvation Army, etc.)
Let's support the program that help bring back the students who slip through the cracks and give the students still in the system consistent guidelines that can be carried over to the outside world.
November 8, 2009 at 9:38 a.m.don't blame kids dropping out on consolidation. blame lazy / stupid kids and worthless parents.
why are you waiting for visd to contact your dropout and not contacting them to find out how to get your flunkie back into school ???
as for st joe, if you're a borderline student, you're kicked out some point in your sr year. i remember this happening to several kids my sr year.
November 8, 2009 at 9:32 a.m.BTW, great article Advocate staff.
Maybe this is the next big story for the Advocate. Spend some time with our VISD leaders, find out what their plan is to improve the system. Ask tough questions. Put it on the front page. Monitor their progress. Ask them to provide a semester by semester update of any progress towards that plan. Grade them on their progress against surrounding communities.
Whats the dropout rate at St. Joe??? I'll bet it is almost nil. My guess is the parents over there have very high expectations of their children.
Is the problem really that bad??? If it is then someone can find a way to fix it. And No, I don't have kids going to St. Joe. Mine are in the VISD system and doing very well.
Thanks VISD, as for my kids, I am very happy with the service being provided.
November 8, 2009 at 9:01 a.m.I've never spoken to any of our school administrators. I probably wouldn't recognize any of them if I saw them. I am having a hard time believing that they just don't care. I'm sure they understand the need to need to make kids want to stay in school.
mimi312, did you ever think that maybe the problem around Victoria is very close to being a real life mission impossible. Take a look at the parents that are raising the kids that drop out.
I was down at riverside yesterday and watched a family having a picnic. They had three kids all under the age of 7 and at the same time they had their stereo blasting loud enough for me to hear over a 100 yards away, every cuss word I've ever heard. I've heard lots of them, but not out of a stereo and not where children are. This is just a small example of the poor judgement VISD has to overcome.
Go walk around wal-mart any day of the week, you'll see plenty of other examples of extremely bad parents raising kids that have almost no expectations of finishing High School or anything else for that matter.
It's definately an uphill battle for any school district.
You are right, it is all about money. If a kid can go to work and make a few dollars, that is really appealing on the surface. It's very difficult for someone who is on the edge of failing anyway to see the benefits of staying in school.
It's going to take a very aggressive group of people to turn around the downward trend that is Victoria school system.
Our City Council spend millions of dollars and man hours talking about walking trails, garbage cans, advertising campaigns, attorney fees for fellow council members, side walks and other such nonsense. Maybe if this time and money was dedicated to solving our spiraling school system, things would make a change for the better.
November 8, 2009 at 8:50 a.m.I am curious -- the article states that the district "searched" for students who should have graduated in 2009... what are the requirements of a student to be "searched"? I have a student who dropped out in her jr year. No one from the school has EVER contacted her ---
See, here's the thing: The school district doesn't care one itty bitty bit about individual students - what they care about is the money! Warm bodies in the classroom equals money in the rapidly depleting coffers of VISD.
The "unacceptable" rating by the TEA hurt everyone in our school district. The district made a HUGE mistake way back there when they consolidated the two high schools against everyone's wishes. Students in high school, who were on border slipped through the cracks because there were too many students for teachers to keep up with.
The principals at both campuses, answering to the Superintendent and BOE, stressed attendance at all costs, TAKS prep to the exclusion of all else...
Now we are reaping the fruit of the mistakes of our school board members who voted for consolidation!
The new high schools that will open in August 2010 will only be new buildings -- we still have the same problems and those problems go way beyond what we're being led to believe. Our school board representatives won't/don't listen to the parents and the students in put and concerns -- they've sent the message LOUD AND CLEAR!
November 8, 2009 at 8:09 a.m.This is wonderful of her to be able to graduate but I have to ask. She did 5 1/2 credits in a month and a half? My daughter is always telling me how bored she is in school(she's a Jr) and I am beginning to wonder if maybe something needs to be done where all studnets can work at their own pace and if they finish early, so be it.Anyway, to Dominique Fulton, I wish you the very best and I hope you go on to enroll in college.Make the best out of your life.
November 8, 2009 at 12:52 a.m.