ADVOCACY

PROJECT:
SUPPORTING HIGHLINES
ALTERNATIVE TO SUSPENSION
PROGRAM
Maile Kaneko
Spring 2014
HIGHLINE HIGH SCHOOL
BURIEN, WASHINGTON
Photo courtesy of Highline Times
DEMOGRAPHICS
Demographic Category Number of Students # Percentage %
Race/Ethnicity
White 393 29.3%
Non-white 949 70.7%
Gender
Female 660 49.2%
Male 682 50.8%
Socioeconomic Status
Free/Reduced Lunch (FRL)
FRL 863 64.3%
Not FRL 479 35.7%
English Language Learners (ELL)*
Transitional Bilingual** 150 12%
Not ELL 1100 88%
Special Education (SPED)
SPED 206 15.4%
General Education 1136 84.6%
(Highline School District [HSD], 2013-2014; Office of
the Superintendent of Public Instruction [OSPI],
2012-2013)
RACE/ETHNICITY DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
n=14
n=124 n=123
n=493
n=158
n=37
n=393
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
American
Indian/Alaska
Native
Asian Black Hispanic Multiple Pacific Islander White
(Highline School District [HSD], 2013-2014; Office
of the Superintendent of Public Instruction [OSPI],
2012-2013)
ENROLLMENT BY GRADE
n=421
n=324
n=291
n=306
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade
% Student Population
(HSD, 2013-2014)
FRL
863 students (64.3%)
FRL population
SPED
206 students (15.4%)
3 Programs
Discrepancies in academic achievement data between students who receive SPED
services and those that do not
ELL
150 students (12%)
Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali
Limited electives & blended classrooms

(HSD, 2013-2014)
ACADEMIC DATA FAILING
GRADES
2%
4%
9%
46%
13%
4%
21%
1%
10%
8%
37%
14%
3%
28%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
American
Indian/Alaska
Native
Asian Black Hispanic Multiple Pacific Islander White
% Students with at least one F % Student Population
(OSPI, 2012-2013)
HHS failing grades by ethnic proportion. This figure compares the percentage of student
population in each ethnic group to the percentage of students with at least one F.
DISCIPLINE
588 student referrals during the 2012-2013 school year.
21.3% of students of the total student population had referrals.
On average, 2.2 referrals per day (June 2013) and 4.8 referrals
per day (October 2012).
Disruptive Conduct/Unsafe Activity (138) and Defiance (134).
Majority of referrals given in classroom between 10am 2pm
Overrepresentation of students of color in discipline (City of
Seattle, 2013).

(HSD, 2013-2014)
PERCENT ENROLLMENT & REFERRALS
BY RACE
1.0%
3.4%
16.3%
38.9%
18.4%
2.6%
19.4%
1.0%
10.0%
8.0%
37.0%
14.0%
3.0%
28.0%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
American
Indian/Alaska
Native
Asian Black Hispanic Multiple Pacific Islander White
% Referrals % Student Population
Percent enrollment and referrals by race. This figure reveals the percent of
referrals compared to the percent enrollment at Highline High School for
the 2012-2013 school year.
(HSD, 2013-2014)
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Target population: students who have participated in HHSs
Alternative to Suspension (ASP)/In-School Suspension (ISS)
program

Goal:
Understand the experience of students in ASP/ISS.
Identify areas of strength and areas of growth for the program.
Identify possible resources to support ASP/ISS capacity.

Domains addressed:
Students attitudes and beliefs regarding their academics and personal/social
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
7. It would be helpful to have the following resources in ASP (Please check all that apply):
Help with classes; tutoring
Learning skills such as time management, taking notes, study skills, etc.
How to deal with peer pressure
How to deal with anger
How to deal with stress
Community programs I could participate in
Community resources to help my family
College and career exploration & planning
Help finding a job
Other _________________________

8. ASP/ISS gave me time to work on/complete my classwork:

True False if false, why not ________________________________



9. After ASP/ISS, I am motivated to try to stay in class/not return to ASP/ISS (place an x
on the line):

1------------------------2-------------------------3----------------------4---------------------5
Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree/Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree



8. The part of ASP I like the best is






9. Something I would change about ASP is!
!
!
!
!


OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS
Demographic Information
15 total students (73% male; 27%
female)
Majority of ASP students
interviewed were 9
th
graders
9
th
grade - 53%
10
th
grade - 27%
11
th
grade - 13%
12
th
grade - 7%
Of interviewed students,
overrepresentation of AIAN,
Black/African American, Pacific
Islander, and Multiracial students



ASP/ISS STUDENTS INTERVIEWED BY
RACE
13.3%
0.0% 0.0%
20.0%
20.0%
13.3%
26.7%
13.3%
6.7%
13.3%
40.0%
20.0%
26.7%
0.0%
1.0%
9.2%
2.8%
9.2%
36.8%
29.3%
11.8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
American
Indian/Alaska
Native
Asian Pacific Islander African
American/Black
Latino/Hispanic White Multi-racial
%ASP/ISS %ASP/ISS (specifying multiracial identity) %Encollment
(HSD, 2013-2014)
OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AREAS OF NEED
15 total students (73% male; 27%
female)
Majority of ASP students
interviewed were 9
th
graders
9
th
grade - 53%
10
th
grade - 27%
11
th
grade - 13%
12
th
grade - 7%
Of interviewed students,
overrepresentation of AIAN,
Black/African American, Pacific
Islander, and Multiracial students


ASP/ISS was boring but
gave students time to work
on/complete classwork
Help with classes;
Community programs to
participate in, and;
College/career readiness
I UNDERSTAND WHY I WAS
ASSIGNED ASP/ISS
50.00%
14.29%
21.43%
14.29%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Yes, I fully understand
A little
Not really
No, I have no idea why I was assigned ISS/ASP
%ASP/ISS Students Interviewed
ASP/ISS GAVE ME TIME TO WORK
ON/COMPLETE MY CLASSWORK
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
True
False
IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE THE
FOLLOWING RESOURCES IN ASP/ISS
60.0%
46.7%
20.0%
46.7%
46.7%
53.3%
13.3%
53.3%
40.0%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%
Help with classes/tutoring
Learning skills such as time management, taking notes, study
skills, etc.
How to deal with peer pressure
How to deal with anger
How to deal with stress
Community programs I could participate in
Community resources to help my family
College and career exploration and planning
Help finding a job
IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE THE
FOLLOWING RESOURCES IN ASP/ISS
60.0%
46.7%
20.0%
46.7%
46.7%
53.3%
13.3%
53.3%
40.0%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%
Help with classes/tutoring
Learning skills such as time management, taking notes, study
skills, etc.
How to deal with peer pressure
How to deal with anger
How to deal with stress
Community programs I could participate in
Community resources to help my family
College and career exploration and planning
Help finding a job
STUDENTS SAY
THE PART OF ASP/ISS I LIKE
BEST IS
SOMETHING I WOULD CHANGE
ABOUT ASP/ISS IS
Nothing
I loved the way Ms. Segle
does it. The community
service made me reflect on
what I did
Lunch
Being able to manage my
own time choosing what
class work to work on
I got to get my work done
More tutors to help out with
work
Listen to music
Make it an alternative class
Going outside for a little
They should take issues into
deep investigation
OTHER DATA I CONSIDERED
HPS Strategic Plan: Out-of-
school Suspensions will drop
to zero by 2015 (except when
critical to student and staff
safety)
Qualitative data of staff morale
and capacity
Staff fatigue
Lack of resources with higher
expectations
Lack of equity
Counseling and
College/Career Center
relationship
Clear boundaries and
accountability of each department

(HPS, 2013-2014)
OTHER DATA I CONSIDERED
(from Amarao, 2013)
INTERVENTION
Increase individual support for students in Alternative to
Suspension
Increase capacity for ASP Staff
Recruit and orient volunteers
Provide resources for volunteers to support students around:
Academic goal setting
Career exploration
Student strengths

VISION & YEARLY BENCHMARKS
Vision data
By 2018-2019,75% of students in ASP/ISS will report improved confidence in
their ability as a learner.
By 2018-2019, 90% of students in ASP/ISS will report positive self motivation
to excel in school.
Yearly benchmarks
In order to reach vision data, the goal of yearly benchmarks is to student
confidence by 3% each year and student motivation by 2%. Additional
surveying is recommended to obtain a more accurate baseline.
WHERE TO INTERVENE
Micro Level
Individualized support for students
Provide choice for students
Meso Level
Increased capacity for ASP/ISS program
Change student perceptions of discipline
from punitive to restorative
Macro Level
Create partnerships with HHS and CBOs, Colleges,
etc.
Direct intervention in school-to-prison pipeline
PRE AND POST DATA - AVERAGE
1.2
0.8
1
-0.2
1.6
1.8
1.6
1.6
-2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2
I feel I have the needed ability, knowledge, and/or
skills needed as a learner/student
I feel confident as a learner/student
I feel motivated to reach my potential
I know my skills and interests (in regards to possible
careers)
Pre Survey Post Survey
-2 = Not at all 0 = Neutral 2 =
Mostly
PRE AND POST DATA - AVERAGE
1
0.2
0.8
1
0.2
0.4
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
I understand how my success in school can enhance
my future career opportunities
I have researched possible careers/jobs
I know how to find the education/training needed to
achieve it
Pre Survey Post Survey
0 = No
1 = Yes
EVALUATE THE INTERVENTION
Outcome
Area
Immediate
outcomes
Proximal
outcomes
Distal
outcomes
Academic Outcomes
25+ individual tutoring
hours provided
5 Students Reached
24 Assignments
completed
Increased grades
Increase of
assignments turned in
as compared to out-of-
school suspensions
Decrease in % of
students failing
classes
Increased graduation
rate
Students
Attitudes/Beliefs
Students self-reported
increases in:
confidence,
motivation, and ability
to identify skills and
interests
Increased self efficacy
Increased motivation
to succeed in school
Increased positive
attitudes about
ASP/ISS
Staff Capacity &
Morale
Additional staff
support for 2 days
per week
Increased
capacity for
ASP/ISS
Increased staff
support
Increased staff
morale
The addition of a second person in the Alternative to Suspension
programs was invaluable. I found that when I had large 3 or more
(most recently 7-8) students at a time the second person was able to
add more one on one time with students. [The volunteer] was able to
focus on tutoring students, individually in math and help them with
problem areas.

I also found I was able to have him work with student who had either
been in ISS before or first time students who could not move past their
anger of being in ISS. He was able work talk to them about why they
were here, work on homework and talk about some behavior issue. I
discovered that in some case he was able to get the students engaged
faster, he could relate with the student because of gender or race. In
the ISS setting the more help we can give the student the more
productive their time will be.
--Mary Segle, ASP Coordinator

MONITOR PROBLEM DATA
Compare to year 1 benchmark





Continue:
Individual student support that is consistent and reliable
Optional worksheets for students to complete with volunteers
Modify:
Create partnership with local colleges & universities to provide tutoring
Encourage career exploration of students with volunteers
Abandon:
Use of demographic data from surveys. Use demographic data from student
database instead.

Baseline Year 1
Benchmark
Result Met
Benchmark?
60% 63% 60% No
80% 82% 100% Yes
Learn about myself
Learn about myself as an advocate
Barriers and risks
What would I do differently
REFERENCES
Amurao, Carla. (2013). Fact sheet: How bad is the school-to-prison pipeline. Accessed
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/tsr/education-under-arrest/school-to-prison-pipeline-fact-sheet/
City of Seattle Race and Social Justice Committee (2013). Eliminating racial inequity in school discipline: A call to
action. Seattle, WA: City of Seattle.
Highline School District [HSD] (2013-2014). Current student enrollment.
HSD (2013-2014). Current student enrollment by race and ethnicity.
HSD (2013-2014). Current student enrollment by grade.
HSD (2013-2014). Current student enrollment Free/reduced lunch.
HSD (2013-2014). Discipline data trends.
HSD (2013-2014). English language learners.
HSD (2013-2014). Special Education.
HSD (2013-2014). Students with at least one F grade.
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction [OSPI] (2012-2013). Highline high school summary. Access on 2
November, 2013