School Start Window

Aug 25th – Sept 26th

Do you feel like this yet?

School Start WindowObjectives

• Building a Team• Best Practices for Recovery

• Deadlines• Resources

Building a Team

Front Office Staff Teachers

District Staff Counselors

Administration Registrar/PEIMS

Support Staff

Build The Excitement!!!!• Give your campus daily updates on the process

• Make your campus aware of the goals

• Post “We want ZERO dropouts” signs

• Develop a catch phrase for recovery

Determine Roles and Responsibilities of Team Members• Who updates Leaver Code changes?

• Who can do home visits?

• Who can verify enrollment?

• Who completes pink and blue forms?

• Who can help make phone calls?

Brainstorming

• Spend a couple of minutes to think about who can support you on your team

BEST PRACTICES Tips and Ideas for Dropout Recovery

School Start Window Best Practices

Phone Calls• Call all contacts, including all

emergency contacts

• Review SR290 and call all listed phone numbers

• Be direct during phone conversations with parents or family members, for example have parents provide you with a date for enrollment and the name of the school

• Check for sibling enrollment especially if student has siblings in elementary school for updated phone number or current address

Phone Calls• When calling schools have all the student’s

information handy

• Fill out the pink form while you are on the phone with a parent or school staff

• For 9th grade no shows; call the high school they were supposed to go to see if they have any information

• Make sure to acquire campus long distance code to call out of town numbers

School Start Window Best Practices

Home Visits

• Take phone call documentation forms, withdrawal forms, flyer/business card, and phone

• Visit all addresses listed on P290, address listed on Declaration of Residence if applicable, and address on parent’s driver’s license in CUM folder

• Check for sibling enrollment especially if student has siblings in elementary school for current address

• Look inside window to see if home/apartment is vacant

• Talk with neighbors or apartment managers to see if they know where the family relocated too

School Start Window Best Practices

School Visits

• Follow up with students and families that have informed you that they will be enrolling in another school. Consider going with the family to enroll to ensure enrollment occurs

• Visit charter school and public schools that will not verify enrollment over the phone

School Start Window Best Practices

Databases• Have Registrar log into TREX and while in the system do a request

for records WITHOUT actually requesting recordso There have been occasions when you can find a student’s

registered at a school, but the student’s information is not listed in PET

• Log into PET and search by name and birthdate onlyo There have been occasions in which students may have a 2

social security numbers or a State number and a social security number

School Start Window Best Practices

Databases• Search Texas GED Certificate/Transcript Search https://

bass.tea.state.tx.us/Tea.GEDi.Web/Forms/CertificateSearch.aspx

• Search Travis County Appraisal District for owners of properties that family is leasing from to see if the owner is aware of where the previous tenant relocated to

http://www.traviscad.org/property_search.html

• Search White Pages for current phone number and address

• Search People Search Engines such as https://www.instantcheckmate.com/ https://pipl.com/

School Start Window Best Practices

Other Students

• Can be the best resources for getting a student to return to school

• Offer an incentive for student if the other student returns to school

• Write a note to the student you are looking for and have a friend deliver it to the student

• Ask students if they have seen or heard from the other student over the summer

School Start Window Best Practices

Campus Partners• Talk to campus partners that student was involved; they oftern

have different contact information

• These can include; CIS, Lifeworks, Boys and Girls Club, PALS, Afterschool Clubs, African American Youth Harvest Foundation

Social Media• Search popular social media sites to find students and/or

parents

• Popular sites inclue: Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

School Start Window Best Practices

Elementary Schools• Search for siblings at feeder elementary schools

• Request any contact information that the elementary school may have

• Ask if there have been any records requests for the siblings in or out of state

Scenarios• Pair up and develop a “plan of attack” to recover

this student.

• Share your scenario and strategy with the big group

School Start Window Best Practices

• Be Prepared Clear Plan of

Action

• Set clear roles for those aiding with Dropout Recovery

• Communicate frequently to discuss progress

Clear Roles & Responsibilities

• Document all your efforts, Let your data shine

Proper Documentation

Tracking Leavers in eCST

What information is available for users to see?

Cohort Year

Attempted/Earned Credits

Withdrawal Date Most recent

service tracking date and service administered

Barrier to enrollment

Latest note that corresponds with service tracking

Documentation submitted to PEIMS

How do you access the Dropout Recovery Page?

• After accessing eCST select the Dropout Tab

• Select the school that you wish to view

• Select “List”

Dropout Tab

List

School

Submitted Doc

• Allows users to see that all required paperwork has been submitted to Campus PEIMS clerk

Submitted Doc Dropdown Menu

DO (Dropout) Reason

Helps school staff track specific barriers that are preventing students from enrolling in school

Will provide ability to report number of students who need to work

School Start Window Deadline Dates

School Start Close Window• Sept 26th 2014• All students from the prior school year must be enrolled in a

school by this date• Students who are found after Sept. 26th but were enrolled prior

to Sept. 26th, can be removed from your leaver rosters if found by PEIMS submission date (Early December)

School Start Window Best Practices

AISD Protocol for Documentation• If a parent/guardian gives you a name of school their

student is enrolled, verify the information with the schoolo Complete a Phone Call Documentation Form, Pink Form

and give form to PEIMS clerk to processo For additional questions about coding call Accountability

• Documentation in ECSTo Document recovery efforts in the Service Tracking pageo Update Dropout Recovery tab daily

CHARTER SCHOOLS

Online Charter Schools

• iScholars Magnet Red Oak Academy of Red Oak ISD

• iUniversity Prep• Texarkana ISD Virtual Academy• Texas Connections Academy• Texas Online Preparatory School• Texas Virtual Academy

Charter High Schools

• Austin CAN• Premier High School • American Youthworks• Premier at Lanier• Premier at Travis• Garza

Charter Middle Schools

• KIPP• Texas Empowerment

Academy• East Austin College Prep• Austin Achieve• Harmony Public Schools

Additional Questions

Bertha ArellanoDropout Prevention Specialist Support

bertha.arellano@austinisd.orgOffice: 512-414-0322 Mobile: 512-7504651

Neasel ConnerTruancy and Dropout Prevention Support

neasel.conner@austinisd.orgOffice: 512-414-0111 Mobile: 512-627-8450