Interesting practice, Benedict. What types of information have you uncovered in these conversations? How do students react to being selected?
We have similar practices to everyone else here at my school. We have 5 week rotating terms so they get a progress report every 5 weeks. If the student is placed on probation or monitoring for attendence or academic, they are required to sign a progress report every week.We also call students everyday they are absent. STudents are automatically dropped after 14 days with no attendence. Also, once they are placed on probation they have 10 weeks to come off probation or they will be dropped as well.
We are trying to be more proavtive then reactive. We have started pulling reports everyweek and rather then just looking at the students that have dropped below the % range we are also talking to the ones that are within 5 points of the %.
Multiple departments, including faculty and student services, track student progress. When assignments start being missed or scores start dropping, the first available staff member will pull the student aside and have a one-on-one about what is going on in their life and identifies ways in which we can support that student. The student is then referred to the relevant staff member that can best provide that support.
Instructors are advised to compute students grades very quickly and return the documents for "immediate" feedback. Instructors may advise at any time but may also offer progress reports informally by stating the grade or with a printed document. Both parties, at which time can ask or offer assistance at this juncture.
Attendance and Academic assessments are passed out during each term to pinpoint students in either scenario. After that point, a weekly action plan/meeting is executed to get the student back on track.
Along with our official assessments of students, 2x per term, we randomly pull names and speak to students directly to discuss their progress and future plans.
Starting with the second week of the term attendance and grades are checked at least once if not twice a week. If a student fails a quiz/test the teacher contacts them to see if they want tutored help with a study group, or a mentor.
I make it a point to visit each class once a week just so the students know who I am and what service I may provide them with.
Kimberly, how effective is this practice¿ Don´t they quickly figure out who´s calling and ignore the call¿ If so, then what¿
My institution has begun using Focus Groups, that sound a bit like the Learning Labs someone else mentioned. It's a lab like class for a particular area of study is held weekly and open to all students. The time can be used for attendance makeup or tutoring with an instructor in a group setting to help review for a test. We've found this is an excellent way for the instructor to share their passion for what they are teaching in a less structured way. Students of different levels get to meet, share ideas, and observe how the field of study builds as it progresses. We also have grade reports, individual check-ins twice in the term between instructor and student.
It's three absences per semester. On their 4th they get a final notice and on the 5th it's termination from the program. We understand that life happens; illness, family issues ect., so we will give expeptions, but the student must communitcate with us to let us know what is going on. If they are just not showing up and we cannot reach then that's when we terminate them on the 5th absence.
Hello Loren,
Thank you for your question.
I am not aware of an instituion wide definition of at risk students. Since our courses are accelerated though, I consider any student who misses an assignment as being at risk.
Each week I look for at risk students.
Thanks
Erica, is that 3 absences during the week or for the academic period? What's the next step when a student is placed on probation?
Loren Kroh
Michael, how does your institution define an at-risk student? How often during each grading cycle do you identify these students?
Loren Kroh
Julie, please explain horizontal and vertical relationships.
Loren Kroh
Marcia, how do you monitor whether students fully understand the scope and scale of support available to them? How do you get them to use these services?
Loren Kroh
At our school we call the student the first day that they miss the class. I believe it shows that we truly care for their success.
Our school does the same thing, we don't hand out reports every 2 weeks though. Ours are once a month. I enter attendance daily and every Fri I run reports, if someone has missed 3 classes I put them on attendance probation. I also enter the grades and if someone falls below the passing rate I put them on academic probation. I meet with them prior to the probation's as well (once they are close to either of those situations), that's just the last step before withdrawal. Which is the last resort and if all the proper procedures are taken that doesn't happen too often :)
One approach at my institution is for the instructor to first identify at risk students each grading cycle. The instructor can contact the student to discuss their performance and develop a strategy. In addition, instructors routinely contact at risk students' advisors and ask them to contact students individually and discuss their problems. This is helpful since an at risk student may be more comfortable discussing their issues with their advisors rather than their instructors.
One of our intervention strategies is simply to be in relationship with each one of our students so that we can identify concerns early on. We try to have horizontal instead of vertical relationships with our students so we can build trust.
