Advisory period leads to fewer failing grades, Cape school official says

New advisory periods at Cape Girardeau Central High School have led to a decrease in failing grades, according to assistant principal Leigh Ragsdale.

Ragsdale will give a presentation about the results of advisory periods at a special work session at 5 p.m. Monday at 301 N. Clark Ave. before the Cape Girardeau school board meeting at 6 p.m.

The total number of F grades at Central dropped 3.4 percent in the first semester of the 2016-2017 school year, Ragsdale said. The district set a goal of decreasing failing grades by 5 percent by the end of the 2016-2017 school year, and Ragsdale said the school is projected to meet that objective.

"We were extremely pumped with these results," Ragsdale said. "Math alone was huge."

The school had 11 percent fewer F's in math, 6.2 percent fewer F's in social studies and 5.7 percent fewer F's in English, Ragsdale said. Central saw a 1.5 percent decrease in failing grades in science.

In previous years, Central had eight class periods a day. This year, the school has gone to seven class periods with an advisory period each day. Advisory periods have allowed teachers to meet with struggling students in a closer setting to work on problem areas of a particular subject. Intervention sessions with teachers are mostly limited to 10 or fewer students, Ragsdale said.

Central also has seen a rise in grades across several learning levels -- D's and F's turning into B's and C's, and C's turning into B's and A's, Ragsdale said.

In a survey of about 400 students, 70 percent said advisory periods helped them improve their grades.

Ragsdale said disciplinary actions at the school also have decreased. Central offers character-education lessons as an option during advisory periods, Ragsdale said. Advisory periods allow students to work on group projects and service projects, and they also allow groups to meet such as a women's empowerment group (focused on equal rights), girls group (focused on at-risk girls) and CT Kindness. Teachers have brought in guest speakers during some advisory periods.

Some teachers initially were apprehensive to the idea of advisory periods but bought into the idea during presentations last year, Ragsdale said.

Administrators studied advisory periods at other area high schools and thought they could have this type of effect, Ragsdale said.

"The sky is the limit from here," Ragsdale said.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: 301 N. Clark St., Cape Girardeau, MO