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Rockdale County High School administrators describe Student Success Academy and targeted interventions to boost graduation and test performance
Summary
School leaders described a Student Success Academy that expanded beyond after-school tutoring to include Milestone Mania, credit recovery, weekend and virtual options, transportation and meals, and specialized support for student athletes; administrators reported attendance at 92.58% and a marked reduction in disciplinary incidents.
Administrators at Rockdale County High School detailed programs intended to close achievement gaps and increase on-time graduation, telling the Board of Education the school expanded a Student Success Academy (SSA) that provides targeted academic and wraparound supports.
Dr. Ogie Dennis highlighted data-driven targeting: students are identified through the school’s Early Warning System (EWS), which focuses on attendance, behavior and grades, alongside STAR and other assessments. “Students are identified by our EWS data, which is our Early Warning System data, which focuses on our ABCs, which is attendance, behavior, and grades,” Dennis said.
Dennis and the administrative team described SSA components that now include after-school tutorials with certified teachers and peer tutors, Milestone Mania (targeted support for biology, algebra, U.S. history and American literature), year-round credit recovery (including holiday, weekend and virtual options), Saturday academy, and “Making Athletes Successful Students” for athletes to receive academic help before practices. The program also provides meals and transportation to remove barriers to participation.
Administrators said the school’s overall attendance was 92.58% and that disciplinary incidents fell from 205 last year to 54 this year; in-school and out-of-school suspension counts also declined. Staff said teachers compile grade-distribution data every 4.5 weeks to identify students needing intervention.
Administrators emphasized flexibility to meet students’ schedules: virtual sessions for those with jobs or appointments and weekend options for working students. Dennis said the initiatives are intended to increase student growth and graduation on time: “We want to see all of our kids succeed. We want to see them all graduate on time.”
No formal board action was taken; this was a presentation of ongoing programs and outcomes and the board did not vote on new funding during the meeting.
