High School Graduation Coach

Department or Location:

School-Based

Position Type

Certified / Contracted

Job Title

High School Graduation Coach

FLSA Status

Exempt

Reports To

Principal

Days Worked

190 Days (10 months)

Job Qualifications

Education: The applicant must hold a Bachelor’s degree.

Certification or Licensure: Meets Georgia state certification requirements in the appropriate field of education preferred. Eligible for Georgia certification.

Skills: Knowledge of middle school course requirements and high school graduation requirements, ability to communicate with and motivate students. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively with youth and adults, the ability to analyze testing data; to develop, implement, and track intervention plans and strategies, and to understand the multiplicity of social services available in the community to support students at risk of not graduating.

Work Experience: The applicant must have at least three years of successful experience working with children.

Primary Duty

This position is responsible for working to ensure smooth transitions of middle school students to high school and high school students into post-secondary options or work. High School Graduation Coaches will identify youth at risk of dropping out due to academic and/or psycho-social barriers. Once students have been identified the coach will connect students to intervention programs to prevent grade retention, Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT)/End of Course Test (EOCT) failure while ensuring a solid academic foundation that promotes the successful transition out of high school.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Identify at-risk students.
• Utilize the components of a profile of characteristics of potential dropouts to identify high school students at risk of dropping out. These characteristics include:
• History of school failure, retention, and/or overage for the grade.
• Low CRCT scores, reading and/or math achievement.
• Failure of the GHSGT or EOCT;
• Special education/disability.
• Attendance problems/truancy.
• Behavioral problems, history of suspensions, high-risk peer group.
• Disengagement from school, low expectations, lack of extracurricular involvement.
• Family status or risk factors: economically disadvantaged, high mobility, non-native English speakers.
• Generate School Support and Develop Graduation Team(s)
• In collaboration with a school’s existing leadership, develop a Graduation Team(s) that
  
  

includes administrators, teachers, advisors, counselors, school social workers, and/or any other

relevant service providers. The Graduation Team(s) will help identify at-risk students, assess

school and student needs, and develop/coordinate appropriate interventions.

• Graduation team(s) may utilize existing school-based teams, such as School Leadership,
  
  

Improvement, and/or Student Support Teams.

• Develop School-wide Support and Interventions
• Work with faculty and administrators to develop credit recovery and alternative options and to
  
  

adapt curriculum and differentiate instruction to meet the needs of identified at-risk students.

• Attend, participate in, and redeliver as appropriate all required High school Graduation Coach
  
  

training provided by the Department of Education.

• Provide training and/or support to middle school and high school teachers on support measures
  
  

that work with youth identified as at risk of not graduating.

• Provide Direct Service and Case Management
• Develop and implement individual, small group, and whole school intervention and prevention
  
  

strategies to increase the likelihood that students will stay in school and graduate.

• Work with students to develop a graduation and career plan (Peach State Pathways) to include
  
  

the best program to meet academic and post-secondary goals.

• Develop Transition Programs and Vertical Teams with Middle and High Schools
• Collaborate with feeder middle school(s) to identify incoming middle school students at risk
  
  

of high school failure.

• Conduct quarterly vertical team meetings among middle, and high school faculty and staff to
  
  

develop action steps to improve individual student and subgroup transition success rates.

• Collaborate with teachers, counselors, and/or advisors to ensure the continued use of the
  
  

transition process for 8th graders and freshmen to help students successfully adapt to the rigors

of the high school experience.

• Develop Relationships with Parents/Guardians, Community Organizations, and Other Resources
• Connect individual students and their parents/guardians with community organizations and
  
  

programs, such as Communities in Schools, Family Connections, Georgia College 411, Early

College as well as area technical colleges.

• Develop or work with local mentoring programs, business, and/or community coaches to
  
  

connect individual students with mentors.

• Provide support and outreach to parents/guardians of students identified as being at risk of not
  
  

graduating.

• Assessment and Reporting
• Track the progress of individual students and subgroups as they progress toward high school.
• Conduct and analyze ongoing formative and summative evaluation data of program
  
  

effectiveness.

• Provide and/or submit reports to the Department of Education as scheduled/ requested.
• The employee shall carry out such other and further duties, whether specifically listed above or not,
  
  

as assigned by the Associate Superintendent of Academic Services to achieve efficient operation.The employee shall carry out such other and further duties, whether specifically listed above or not, as are assigned, or required by such employee’s supervisor, other appropriate school personnel, laws, board policy, administrative regulation, and department handbook, as are reasonably necessary and allowable under Title II, Part A guidelines to achieve the efficient operation of the school system and its mission of the school system and its mission.

Work Environment / Physical Demands

The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to walk, stand, and sit.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Required to attend school meetings, programs, and activities outside the instructional day as mandated by the RCSS contract. Some work beyond the school day may be required.