Graduation Advancement

Global Partnership Schools’ Graduation Advancement program will serve students in need of a flexible alternative option, including those who have dropped out of high school or are at risk of dropping out, those who have adult responsibilities that interfere with attending a traditional high school and those who require additional support in literacy or other academic areas because of special needs. In addition to flexible scheduling and virtual learning, a unique feature of the Graduation Advancement program is the carefully designed professional internships that build on the in-class curriculum.

The Challenge at Hand

  • Three of every 10 students in this country do not graduate in 4 years.
  • Only 58 percent of African-American students, and 55 percent of Hispanic students earn their diplomas in 4 years.
  • Nearly 75 percent of state prison inmates are dropouts.
  • Within the population of African-American dropouts in their thirties, 52 percent have been imprisoned.
  • On average, 80 percent of dropouts are students who became over-age and under-credited during high school.

Addressing the Needs of Over-Aged, Under-Credit Students

It’s clear that the traditional high school program and structure does not work for the over-age and under-credited students. Alternative programs to engage and graduate these students are imperative to the success of our education system. The need to prepare students with not only a high school diploma, but for success in postsecondary education is particularly dire.

In today’s globally competitive workforce, postsecondary education is becoming a requirement. While this is the case, only 53 percent of American students earn some type of degree or credential after high school, and this percentage is closer to 20 percent for low income, African-American, and Hispanic students.

Creating an Opportunity That Works

We know a number of things about the over-age and under-credited population, which have informed the development of Global Partnership Schools Graduation Advancement program. The Graduation Advancement program incorporates key instructional, structural, and social-emotional supports to meet the needs of over-age and under-credited students.

Instructional Needs

Students who enter high school with low grades and standardized test scores from their Eighth-grade year are at risk for becoming over-age and under-credited. Poor credit accumulation in the Ninth-grade is another signal that students may become part of this population. Many of these students need strong support in literacy.

Students may be reading several grade levels below average, but many high school teachers are not equipped to address the needs of these students. Instead of receiving the timely attention to their literacy needs, these students slip further behind every day. While students may be reading at an elementary grade level, it is imperative that they receive instruction and materials that are relevant to their age. This is the case for all content areas in which over-age and under-credited students may need to earn credits. While remediation may be necessary, these students will disengage if instruction is not contextualized within and relevant to their growing responsibilities. In the 2006 study, “The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts,” 47 percent of dropouts reported uninteresting classes as one of their top five reasons for dropping out. However, while material must reflect maturing students’ interests and responsibilities, a great amount of structure and scaffolding is necessary in order to build up a deficient skill set and knowledge base. In the same 2006 study, 36 percent of dropouts reported too much freedom and not enough structure as one of their top five reasons for dropping out.

Many over-age and under-credited students are English Language Learners who have not received the quality instruction necessary to get them on track. Students who have special education needs are also highly at-risk for becoming over-age and under-credited. The Graduation Advancement program incorporates effective strategies for addressing the needs, styles, and strengths of these learners.

Structural Needs

Many students disengage from school because of early adulthood responsibilities that they face. Students may have jobs that earn money for their family, younger siblings to care for, or their own children to care for. The structure of a program to meet the needs of these students must have a level of flexibility to accommodate these adult responsibilities. The Graduation Advancement program allows students to maintain non-traditional schedules, providing instructional blocks during the morning, afternoon, or evening.

Social-Emotional Needs

Addressing the social-emotional needs of over-age, under-credited students is critical. Many have experienced years of failure, and have deep-set and negative feelings toward school and teachers. Many of these students have experienced behavioral problems; the truancy that has played a great part in many students’ over-age and under-credited status is partly due to suspensions. The Graduation Advancement program focuses on multiple supports addressing:

  • Emotional needs
  • Health
  • Communication and problem-solving
  • Parenting
  • Other life skills

Advisory and mentorship are also key to success for these students. The Diploma Works advisory model ensures that each student is provided with a caring adult relationship focused on academic, social, and professional success.

The Graduation Advancement Program

Drawing from the research outlined above and outcomes from a growing number of effective programs in place to serve the needs of over-age and under-credited youth, the Graduation Advancement program will offer a curriculum/internship connection. This speaks to many of the needs and conditions within facing these students. While there are programs that create schedules around jobs, or embed skills development within their curriculum, the Graduation Advancement program is unique in that it will deeply embed contextualized, standards-based instruction within an internship. Furthermore, a majority of the instruction will be provided through virtual learning environments and personalized to meet each student’s needs.

The Graduation Advancement program offers what over-age and under-credited population are in need of:

  • Contextualized, relevant, standards-based curriculum
  • Workforce experience
  • Personalization
  • Flexibility

Curriculum/Internship Connection

The Graduation Advancement program is based on the understanding that many of our over-age and under-credited students do not succeed when presented with the traditional high school curriculum, as well as the understanding that many of these students are already seeking or engaged in jobs within the community. These students will have greater success in achieving a diploma if the standards-based curriculum that they study is more relevant to their current experiences and responsibilities.

The Graduation Advancement program will partner educators with local businesses and organizations to provide students with an internship that drives the content of their curriculum. Educators and local businesses will work together to develop a contextualized, project-based curriculum that aligns to the content and practice of a student internship. Students will engage in instruction (both online and face-to-face) that is deeply embedded in real-world, relevant content, developing skills for the workforce while earning a high school diploma.

For more information on the Graduation Advancement program, please contact Dr. Brooke Stafford at 585-355-4305 or bstafford@gps.us.com.