Retain & Regain:

A Dive Into School

Retention

Student Retention

Student retention shows the ratio of students who continue at an education institution after enrollment.

According to Webster, dictionary retention is defined as:● the act of keeping someone or something● the ability to keep something● the power of retaining: Retentiveness

Merriam-Webster. (2019, February 1). Retrieved from Merriam-Webster dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retention

At Excel Midsouth, we’ve seen the following trends with student retention:

● Students who enrolled in Excel and remains through the Term but doesn’t come back

● Students who enrolled in Excel and complete the graduation requirements

● Enrolled at Excel but does not complete any credits

● Enrolled at Excel full time but is dropped in all classes but one

Eight

Retention

Dimensions

Enroll-Students likely to persist

Know-Why students leave

Intervene- To Prevent Attrition

Deliver- Desired Experiences

Reframe-The Significance of

Attrition

Organize-To address retention

issues

Track- At-risk Students

Promise- Only What we can

deliver

2018-19 School Year Retention

● Excel Memphis ended the school year of 2017-18 with a total of 140 active students and enrolled 118+140 = 258 for Term 1.

● Term 1 school year 2018-19, we had a total of 258 enrollments. At the end of Term 1, 75 students have withdrawn. (258-75 = 183)

● At the start of term 2 enrollment was 458 and 220 students withdrew due to an extended term and graduation.

2018-19 School Year Retention

● At the end of semester 1 (Term 2), Excel Memphis student

body count was 141.

● At the start of Term 3, enrolled 325 students (325+141 = 466).

● 282 current students remain after 184 students have

withdrawn

What are the

barriers faced

by students of

Excel Center

Memphis?

You were right!!!

Student

Housing

Relationships

Health/Mental Health

Job

Transportation

Attitude

HOW STUDENT RETENTION EFFECTS

FUNDING●BEP Basic Education Program

○Indiana – ADM

○Missouri – 6 Buckets

○DC – Per Pupil Funding

●The BEP, is the funding formula for Tennessee’s K-12 public schools. The

BEP represents a huge portion of the state budget – over $4.7 billion

dollars, or more than a quarter of total state dollars in the budget.

HOW STUDENT RETENTION EFFECTS

FUNDING● Budget is broken into the following categories –

Salary, Benefits, Classroom, Non-Classroom

Expenses

● Distributed based on FTE (Full Time Equivalent) of

Students Throughout State

● 2018-19 - Per Student Amount - $8,647.55

● Ex: $8,647.55 x 100 Students = $864,755

● FTE – Based on 6.5 Hours in Class/Day

● GECM – Lobbied with State to Have Charter Law

Changed: FTE at 4 Hours vs. 6.5 Hours

● Tennessee Department of Education School

District (Shelby County School) GECM

HOW STUDENT RETENTION EFFECTS

FUNDING

M T W Th F M T W Th F M T W Th F M T W Th F M T W Th F M T W Th F M T W Th F M T W Th F M T W Th F

Term 1 12.5%

Dates 7/23 9/21 44 7/23 7/24 7/25 7/26 7/27 7/30 7/31 8/1 8/2 8/3 8/6 8/7 8/8 8/9 8/10 8/13 8/14 8/15 8/16 8/17 8/20 8/21 8/22 8/23 8/24 8/27 8/28 8/29 8/30 8/31 9/4 9/5 9/6 9/7 9/10 9/11 9/12 9/13 9/14 9/17 9/18 9/19 9/20 9/21

Term 2 17.5%

Dates 9/24 12/20 56 9/24 9/25 9/26 9/27 9/28 10/1 10/2 10/3 10/4 10/5 10/15 10/16 10/17 10/18 10/19 10/22 10/23 10/24 10/25 10/26 10/29 10/30 10/31 11/1 11/2 11/5 11/6 11/7 11/8 11/9 11/12 11/13 11/14 11/15 11/16 11/19 11/20

Term 3 35.0%

Dates 1/7 3/1 39 1/7 1/8 1/9 1/10 1/11 1/14 1/15 1/16 1/17 1/18 1/22 1/23 1/24 1/25 1/28 1/29 1/30 1/31 2/1 2/4 2/5 2/6 2/7 2/8 2/11 2/12 2/13 2/14 2/15 2/18 2/19 2/20 2/21 2/22 2/25 2/26 2/27 2/28 3/1

Term 4 35.0%

Dates 3/4 5/3 39 3/4 3/5 3/6 3/7 3/8 3/18 3/19 3/20 3/21 3/22 3/25 3/26 3/27 3/28 3/29 4/1 4/2 4/3 4/4 4/5 4/8 4/9 4/10 4/11 4/12 4/15 4/16 4/17 4/18 0 4/22 4/23 4/24 4/25 4/26 4/29 4/30 5/1 5/2 5/3

Term 5

Dates 5/6 6/6 23 5/6 5/7 5/8 5/9 5/10 5/13 5/14 5/15 5/16 5/17 5/20 5/21 5/22 5/23 5/24 5/28 5/29 5/30 5/31 6/3 6/4 6/5 6/6

WEEK 6WEEK 5WEEK 3Terms

DURATION

(WORK DAYS)

END

DATE

WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 4START

DATE

WEEK 7 WEEK 8 WEEK 9

The Memphis Excel Retention Solution

What is the S.I.P Team?

- The Goodwill Excel Center Midsouth S.I.P Team is the student intervention

planning team.

- Our primary goal is to define, develop, and analyze trends related to student

academics, attendance, and truancy.

S.I.P Team Identifying Factors

- Truancy

- Assessment

- Communication

- Collaborative Supportive Services

The Solution FactorsTruancy

- Tardy Slips (students receive 3 per term)

- Truancy Letters

3 day letter(Student, Life Coach, Teacher)

5 day letter and Student Success Plan Implementation(Student, Retention

Specialists, Life Coach)

7 Day letter (Student, Life Coach, School Director and Retention Specialists)

Assessment

- Weekly Academic Data Tracking/ Classroom Data Boards in every class (make it a

competition between classes).

- Student retention can improve if students know where they are. This increase student

morale and motivation and creates accountability amongst each individual class to reach the

weekly goal.

Collaborative Supportive Services

- Individual Classroom Wide Rewards

- Individual Department Rewards

- School Wide Rewards

Communication is Key

during ALL phases in order for the S.I.P

process to yield effective and positive results!!!

Session Takeaways

Ask Others Around You...

- Is students retention an issue at your school site?

- What plan(s) do you have in place currently to address student

retention?

- Is it working?

- What can you do to make your current practices even better?