East Aurora High reports higher graduation rate, focuses on freshman supports and attendance
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Summary
Principal Jennifer Mitchell and East Aurora High staff reported a rise in graduation rates and outlined goals to reduce disciplinary referrals, raise freshman on-track rates and sustain attendance gains; the school is partnering with WestEd on next year’s improvement plan.
East Aurora High School Principal Jennifer Mitchell told the Aurora East USD 131 Curriculum Committee that the school’s graduation rate rose 2 percentage points to 90% in the 2023–24 school year and that a full block schedule has been implemented for students and staff.
Mitchell said the school met its stated goal to increase graduation by 2 percentage points and noted mixed results on early-warning measures. “Our ninth grade on track rate in 23–24 was 81%, and that was down from the 84% in the 22–23 school year,” Mitchell said. She said that decline prompted a renewed focus on credit recovery, stronger freshman supports and programs to foster belonging as students transition to high school.
The school also reported progress on disciplinary referrals and attendance. Mitchell said the improvement plan set a target to decrease overall referrals by 5% in 2024–25; as of April 28 the school had recorded 4,454 referrals and was “on track and exceeding that 5 percent decrease.” She identified attendance-related referrals—students who miss school or are present but do not attend classes—as the current priority and described hallway sweeps and scanner-based tracking used to identify students.
On attendance and related incentives, staff said average daily attendance stood at 90% as of April 28 and that the school has used family engagement, raffles and recognition boards to encourage regular attendance. On freshman recovery, Mitchell said the school added a “Freshman Connections” subcommittee, more robust orientation, after-school tutoring and expanded recovery options so students can recover units before failing a semester course. She reported a first-semester freshman on-track rate this year of 85% and a school goal of 87% for 2024–25.
Mitchell also described the school’s data practices and supports: counselors maintain monthly monitoring systems; student support teams review feeder-school information to anticipate needs; and the leadership team is working with a WestEd coach to refine the improvement plan for next year. “We have fully implemented a block schedule this school year for all of our students and staff,” Mitchell said.
Committee members asked for clarification on how attendance referrals are generated; Mitchell described teachers submitting referrals for class cuts and deans using ID scanners when students are in hallways past the allowable time, after which deans follow up the next day.
The presentation concluded with staff open to questions; no formal committee action to approve the school improvement plan was recorded in the transcript.