Louisiana’s at risk recognition program, DEWS, (Dropout Earning Warning System) is one of several programs initiated by the state applauded in a national report as some of the country’s best practices in reducing dropout rates.

The National Governors Association report “Achieving Graduation for All: A Governor’s Guide to Dropout Prevention and Recovery: listed programs in the country that effectively curbed dropout rates.

Although the St. Tammany Parish School System does not use DEWS per se, much of the criteria to determine the students at risk are the same. Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Arabie said that several factors are considered for at risk students, including excessive absences, grade point average, LEAP scores and behavior all enter into determining whether a student may be at risk. The school system implemented a new program this year to help students that may be at risk — the graduation coach.

The parish’s dropout rate is 3.1 percent compared with the state at 5.2 percent.

Arabie said that each grade level has different criteria. For eighth graders moving to ninth grade, they consider those that are border line, that just made it into ninth grade.

For those entering tenth grade, they may check the number of Carnegie units.

For 11th graders, the number of Carnegie units and specifically students that are missing a unit are considered for the program.

Seniors are considered at risk if they need to make every Carnegie unit or if they are deficient in one or more areas of the GEE.

The optimum goal of the graduation coach is to raise the cohort graduation level for the parish, currently at 77 percent. At the very least, the new program is designed to prevent dropouts.

The graduation coach can design a program for each individual student whether they need GEE remediation, tutorials from the virtual academy, ACT prep, or credit recovery.

Arabie said that many of the students that need help are not students that normally reach out for help. By incorporating the graduation coach, it is hoped that a more personal approach is made to each student with another adult that can serve as a resource. Some of the coaches even visit the students at home to try to get parental involvement in the process.

The state’s goals have risen to a cohort graduation rate of 80 percent by the year 2014. Currently the rate is 66.6, with an increase from 61.3 percent in 2001. The cohort graduation rate in St. Tammany Parish is currently 77 percent, just short of the 2014 goal for the state.

Cohort graduation rates are determined by those students who graduate from high school in four years, not including students who complete their education with a GED; a GED and industry-based certification; certificate of achievement; failure of GEE or incomplete Carnegie units or both; non-completer; industry-based certification only; local skills certificate; or five year senior.�