College and Career Readiness

High schools face unique issues and challenges in keeping all students on track to graduate and in meeting students' individual needs to ensure college and career readiness. SEDL offers a range of professional development and consulting services as well as resources to support secondary educators as they work to increase graduation rates, ensure rigorous instruction in college preparatory and career technical courses, and address college- and career-ready standards.

Professional Development

Services We Provide

Our Center for High-Performing Schools provides professional development and consulting services to build the capacity of secondary educators. Services can address a wide range of needs including:

Implementing an Early Warning Data System and making data-based intervention decisions to keep students on track to graduate
Developing and implementing Response to Intervention in secondary settings
Developing content-area and career technical education teachers’ understanding of adolescent literacy and strategies to help students access and comprehend texts
Deepening teacher content and conceptual knowledge to support implementation of rigorous college- and career-ready standards, including the Common Core State Standards

Featured Product

Early Warning Data System: Keeping Students on Track to Graduate

The transition to high school is a crucial point along a student's path to graduating. The Early Warning Data System tracks research-based ninth-grade indicators related to dropout, such as poor attendance and low grades, and automatically flags students at risk of not graduating. With this tool, school staff can quickly review data and plan interventions as early as 20 to 30 days into a school year. The original tool was developed by the National High School Center (NHSC) at the American Institutes for Research. In collaboration with the NHSC, the Texas Comprehensive Center at SEDL adapted the tool to produce this customized database version, which embeds new features such as expanded reporting and progress tracking, including the ability to track behavior referrals. Read more

Significant Work

Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC): The SECC provides professional development and technical assistance to the state education agencies of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina to build their capacity to support districts and schools engaged in reform in meeting student achievement goals. Work varies by state.

Texas Comprehensive Center (TXCC): The TXCC provides professional development and technical assistance to the Texas Education Agency and the state’s 20 regional education service centers to build their capacity to support districts and schools engaged in reform in meeting student achievement goals.

Race to the Top Reform Support Network: SEDL is working with ICF International and other partners to advance education innovation and reform. Current work involves assisting with Communities of Practice addressing stakeholder engagement, school turnaround, and teacher and leader effectiveness.

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Past Work

Southeast Comprehensive Center (2005–2012): The Southeast Comprehensive Center provided technical assistance and professional development to state education agencies in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina to build their capacity to support districts and schools engaged in reform. Work varied by state. For example, staff assisted Alabama regional school improvement teams in addressing high school graduation and dropout rates and provided support for the Louisiana High School Redesign initiatives.

Texas Comprehensive Center (2005–2012): The Texas Comprehensive Center provides technical assistance and professional development to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the state’s 20 regional education service centers to build their capacity to support districts and schools engaged in reform. For example, staff assisted TEA in developing a Texas-specific database version of the Early Warning Data System, which identifies ninth graders at risk of dropping out.

Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement: SEDL provides content for and maintains the Web site of the Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, led by Learning Point Associates.

Regional Educational Laboratory (REL): Under our REL contract, SEDL staff worked directly with high schools to help them integrate technology into the curriculum, improve school safety, and implement our Working Systemically approach to turn around schools and improve student achievement.

Texas High School Completion and Success (THSCS) Grant Program Evaluation: SEDL, with its partners Gibson Consulting and Academic Information Management, Inc., conducted an evaluation to determine the degree to which THSCS grant funds had been used to improve high school student retention, graduation rates, and access to higher education. SEDL coordinated and conducted site visits, surveys, and best practices research; provided quality assurance; and produced a final evaluation report.

Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) (1998–2006): Under a contract from the U.S. Department of Education, SEDL hosted the CSR awards database, which lists information about districts and schools that have been awarded CSR funds.

Smaller Learning Communities (SLCs) (2000–2006): As one of the partners in the SLC Partnership, led by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, SEDL provided technical assistance and professional development to high schools who receive grants from the U.S. Department of Education to implement high school reform. SEDL also hosted the SLC awards database of schools and districts involved in the program.

Resources

	Early Warning Data System (EWDS) The Early Warning Data System (EWDS) Tool tracks research-based ninth-grade indicators related to high school dropout, such as attendance and academics, and automatically flags students who are below the specified benchmarks leading to graduation. The tool provides leading indicators so that school staff can quickly review data and plan interventions as early as 20 to 30 days after the beginning of the school year.
	Secondary Content-Area Literacy: Time for Crisis or Opportunity for Reform?: Texas Comprehensive Center Briefing Paper, Number 12 This brief examines the critical need to implement instruction at the secondary level around adolescent, or content-area, literacy. The challenge is to connect the teaching of literacy to the rest of the secondary education improvement agenda.
	The Problem with Math is English This publication illustrates how students often understand fundamental mathematical concepts at a superficial level. Written to inspire aha moments, the book enables teachers to help students identify and comprehend the nuances and true meaning of math concepts by exploring them through the lenses of language and symbolism.
	Southeast Comprehensive Center eBulletin, Volume 5, Number 2: Increasing High School Graduation Rates and Improving College Enrollment for High-Need Students This edition of the Southeast Comprehensive Center eBulletin highlights data on high school graduation rates.
	Southeast Comprehensive Center eBulletin, Volume 3, Number 2: Effective Interventions for Dropout Prevention This edition of the Southeast Comprehensive Center eBulletin highlights effective interventions for dropout prevention.
	Beyond Adoption—Implementing Rigorous College- and Career-Readiness Standards: Southeast Comprehensive Center Briefing Paper, December 2011 This briefing paper provides details on the meaning of college- and career-readiness standards, effective implementation of these standards, next steps in the implementation process, and progress being made by state departments of education in the Southeast toward this crucial goal.