Wilson High's Ninth Grade Center credited with large drops in failures and suspensions, staff present survey data

District and high-school administrators presented a year-plus review of Wilson High School's ninth grade experience on March 17 and told the board the program is associated with measurable improvements in behavior and course outcomes.

Doctor Weber and Mr. Ramon (presenting for the high-school leadership team) described a set of structural and procedural changes targeted at ninth graders, including altered cell-phone procedures, extended lunch periods, a full-time tutoring center, expanded social events and staff recognition efforts. "We felt it pretty pretty immediately that it was a success," Weber said when introducing the data.

Mr. Ramon described three priorities: student development and growth, belonging and engagement, and staff/teacher engagement. He said building consistent procedures helped students focus in class and that teachers reported higher participation. "It's like I have them back again," one teacher told administrators in feedback summarized during the presentation.

District and high-school staff presented outcome and survey data they said supported the approach. Key figures cited by presenters included: - Failures among ninth-graders declined by about 40 percent. - In-school and out-of-school suspensions fell by about 50 percent. - Overall behavior incidents were down about 41 percent. - A survey of freshmen produced 316 responses out of 511 total freshmen (response rate reported by staff). Among respondents: - About 93 percent rated their overall freshman experience as neutral or better. - About 91 percent said teachers were making classes more engaging (neutral or better). - About 91 percent rated their preparedness for the remainder of high school as neutral or better. - About 68 percent of respondents reported participating in extracurricular activities; staff said the goal is to increase that into the 80s. - About 85 percent reported a sense of belonging. - About 96 percent said they felt safe at school.

Presenters emphasized the combination of interventions. Mr. Ramon said extending lunch provided time to socialize and to use gyms; a tutoring center gave students a place to work and seek help during lunch. He also credited altered cell-phone procedures for improved attention in classes.

Two freshmen, Johnny Challenger and Nashar Mercado, spoke about their experience. Challenger said his freshman year "has resulted in further discovery of who I am and what I'm capable of overcoming," and Mercado said removing phones "has been great for me. It's making me be focused on my school work more, and making me actively participate in school more."

Board members asked about next steps, including whether the district had disaggregated the survey data to identify groups of students who might be less positive about the experience. Presenters said they had collected respondent emails and other demographic markers and planned further analysis; they also agreed a parent survey would be useful and said they intended to poll parents going forward.

No formal board action was required for the presentation. Staff said the next steps include deeper analysis of the survey results by subgroup and continued development of professional learning for teachers to increase classroom engagement.

Why it matters: administrators linked the ninth grade design and targeted student supports to improvements in behavior and course outcomes, suggesting strategies the district may continue and replicate to improve high-school success metrics.

Provenance: administrators presented raw survey and outcome data during the March 17 board meeting and answered questions from board members.