Board reviews graduation cohort report; staff highlights WIN program and data tools to address rising dropout rate for class of 2023

District staff presented the annual graduation cohort report focused on the class of 2023 and described interventions the district is using to support at‑risk students, including the WIN program, Dimensions and an individualized graduation planning process tracked in the DOMO data dashboard.

Presenters said the state-calculated adjusted cohort graduation rate for Norman Public Schools remains higher than the state average but that the dropout rate increased for the class of 2023 cohort. Staff and principals told the board the cohort began ninth grade during the height of the COVID‑19 pandemic and that pandemic‑era attendance patterns and mobility likely contributed to higher dropout rates for that cohort.

District staff described the WIN program (two sessions per day at each high school) as an in‑school intervention for students with attendance, behavior or credit deficits. WIN staff said each high school has roughly 15 students in morning and 15 in afternoon sessions, students enroll in online credit coursework while receiving coaching and supports, and staff estimated the program recovered roughly 300 credits districtwide (presenter corrected an earlier verbal overcount). Other interventions discussed included Dimensions (alternative program), credit recovery, internships and work‑based learning, expanded mental‑health supports, a suspension‑reduction program that provides on‑campus counseling in lieu of long out‑of‑school suspensions, and the newly implemented early college program.

Board members asked about the timeliness of state data (the report uses State Department data for the class of 2023), how frequently principals and counselors review DOMO data (staff said leaders access DOMO daily and run the reports as needed), and how at‑risk students are identified and case‑managed (counselors serve as point people; principals and counselors meet monthly or more frequently by grade and by need). Staff said they hold a monthly inter‑departmental CADRE meeting to review students in need and that the WIN program has targeted interventions and credit recovery supports.

Board members requested additional comparative data (e.g., similar districts) and asked staff to return with targeted metrics and, where possible, more frequent reporting of leading indicators so early interventions can occur before students meet formal dropout definitions.

The item was informational; no vote was required.