How do I help someone create an academic plan?

Creating an academic plan is going to be different for each student and Thread Family, though there are some steps and strategies to follow. 

Develop an Understanding of Grade Promotion and On Track to Graduate (OTTG) Status:

One of the first steps in figuring out where you want to go is establishing where you currently are.  If students complete the prescribed number of credits per year, they will graduate with their cohort in four years.  However, we know this is not always the case.  Thread has developed a grid to determine where a student sits in terms of OTTG–based on Baltimore City Schools Grade Promotion Requirements.  This takes into account the student year in school and number of credits earned.  Students can be ‘On Track,’ ‘On the Cusp,’ or ‘Not On Track” with regard to graduation.  Depending on where the student is, the academic plan will look different.

Students do not repeat a whole grade in high school.  Grade level and graduation are determined by credit completion.  Students may be listed as a grade level (or more) lower than their graduation cohort, but may only be 1 or more credits behind being promoted.  Determining grade level and what is needed for promotion is key to building an actionable academic plan.  Graduation and Promotion requirements can be found on the City Schools’ website. 

Set Short and Long-Term Goals:

Graduation can seem like a lifetime away–especially in 9th grade.  As graduation gets closer, academic achievement becomes more urgent, but still can seem like a far off goal.  Depending on what student needs are, credit level, OTTG status, etc., setting a series of shorter-term goals will be much more attainable and build confidence through accomplishing incremental steps toward the overall goal of graduation.  This may be in 4 years, 5 years, or longer, depending on where the student is academically.  The important piece to remember is that the goal has to be realistic and not to get caught up on the traditional graduation path.

Identify areas for improvement or areas to maintain.

• Is attendance an issue?  How can we develop a plan to improve attendance in order to improve grades?  Maybe it is a wake-up call every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and a ride to school on Tuesday and Thursday.  Maybe it is a modified sleep schedule.  Maybe it’s identifying resources to help with responsibilities outside of school.
• Is work completion an area for growth?  It is really difficult to go 0 - 60 in a short amount of time.  Setting work completion goals per class is an approachable way to start.  Is Spanish class a difficult one for handing in work?  Start with completing and turning in 75% of weekly assignments on time and build from there.  Is English class one with no missing assignments? Utilize a planner or other tools to ensure this trend continues.
• Is the student not on grade level in terms of credits? Identify the total number of credits the student is behind in being promoted to the next grade-level.  This credit-check worksheet to check off earned credits and identify those still needed.  This is a visual representation that makes the required credits more approachable.  Can the needed credits (or at least some of them) be earned in Summer School?  Make a plan for registration, attendance, and completion in the summer session.
• Is tutoring a need? Is the student in need of tutoring?  Connecting with Thread, making a plan for threadHOURS, and/or utilizing Coach Class and then measuring incremental progress are all small steps to passing a course, getting back on track to graduate, and earning a diploma. 

Utilize Academic Documents/Resources:

You need to know where to get the information that you need to know in order to plan.

• Progress Reports: PRs are a snapshot of progress through the midway point of the quarter.  It offers a prediction of what the quarterly grade will be if the student maintains the same level of achievement.  A great tool to plan for areas to improve in the second half of the quarter
• Report Cards: RCs are the final grade for the quarter.  This factors into the final grade.  Though grades cannot be influenced for that quarter, it is a useful tool in planning for the next quarter.  It also helps to identify what quarterly grades will be needed in order to pass for the year.
• Transcripts: Transcripts show every single course the student has taken through their high school career.  In terms of planning the transcript helps to identify what courses are needed and can be called upon if there is a discrepancy in credits.
• Graduation Status Reports: GSRs are a condensed version of transcripts.  The GSR shows all the required credits, all of the earned credits, all of the remaining credits, and credits in progress.  Additionally, the GSR shows the status for each state test and Service Learning Hours.  This is a great tool for longer-term planning toward graduation and gets more pointed the closer to graduation a student progresses.

Get the Right People Involved:

It may not take a traditional village, but it does take a Community.  Luckily, the Thread community is equipped to support and advocate throughout this journey.  

• Student: What does the student want? Is a year 4 graduation the correct path?  What is actually feasible given additional responsibilities?  Is the GED an option?
• Volunteers: Asking the right questions is often the first step.  This is facilitated through the building of relationships.  Have the conversations, assign roles.  I can’t do rides during the week, but I can do wake-up calls and coordinate threadHOURS support.  You can do rides but are unavailable in the evenings.  I have a math background, you have English.  Get together and plan around everyone’s strengths and capacity to identify goals and responsibilities.
• School Staff: School counselors, teachers, coaches, and/or administrators can play a key role in academic planning.  Counselors can give real, actionable steps for the student to take both in and out of the classroom.  Coaches can provide additional incentives and support in sticking with an academic plan.  Teachers see the day-to-day progress and can offer insight as well as instructional support in achieving course-based goals.  Administrators can help with a multitude of issues and can also be integral in finding creative solutions.
• Thread Staff: Program Managers and Community Managers are the primary relationship holders at partner schools.  They obtain academic information and documents from schools and provide them to students and Thread Families to support in academic planning.  Having trouble getting in touch with teachers or counselors?  Thread staff can bridge that gap.  Needing extra support or resources? Thread staff can connect those supports/resources/organizations.  We also track academic performance internally and can provide functional support in the planning process.

Hold Everyone Accountable:

Once roles are established, set milestones with set dates.  Meet as a group and report out on progress.  If someone is not meeting their responsibilities, call it out–with love–and collectively work to find a solution.  This applies to everyone.  Thread staff hasn’t sent that transcript you asked for?  Call us out!

Celebrate (all) Wins:

As important as accountability is, taking the time to celebrate all wins–big or small–is important to building and maintaining momentum.  The sense of accomplishment is much bigger when shared.  Acknowledge everyone’s contributions to achieving that goal.  Meet that work completion goal?  Go out for pizza and a movie.  All passing grades on a report card? Dave and Busters is always fun.  Work as a group. Celebrate as a group. Identify ways to keep achieving and improving as a group.  Share those wins with Thread!

Ask for Help:

If you do not know the answer to a question–Ask!  Ask your student. Ask your Thread Family. Ask Thread.  Chances are, if you have that question, others have had the question in the past and will have it in the future.  If we don’t know, we will ask and find the answer.