Communities In Schools Of Jacksonville

TO SURROUND STUDENTS AT RISK OF DROPPING OUT WITH CARING ADULTS EMBEDDED IN SCHOOLS WHO PROVIDE A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT WITH SAFE PLACES TO LEARN AND GROW, A FOCUS ON GRADUATION TO ENSURE SUCCESSFUL FUTURES WITH A MARKETABLE SKILLS, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE BACK.

THE CASE MANAGEMENT DIVISION IS COMPRISED OF FOUR PROGRAMS. SITE COORDINATORS WORK DIRECTLY WITH LOW-INCOME, DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS AT-RISK OF FALLING BEHIND OR DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL. PROGRAMS INCLUDED IN CASE MANAGEMENT ARE THE STUDENT ENRICHMENT PROGRAM, BRIDGE TO SUCCESS PROGRAM, ACHIEVERS FOR LIFE AND GEAR UP. THE STUDENT ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (SEP), WHICH COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF JACKSONVILLE HAS OPERATED SINCE ITS INCEPTION, FOLLOWS THE NATIONAL CIS MODEL THAT USES EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES TO SURROUND STUDENTS WITH A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT TO HELP THEM STAY IN SCHOOL, GRADUATE AND ACHIEVE SUCCESS IN LIFE. AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, ADDITIONAL FOCUS IS PLACED ON COLLEGE AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT. FULL-TIME SITE COORDINATORS WERE PLACED ON 13 SCHOOL CAMPUSES IN THE 2022- 23 SCHOOL YEAR TO WORK INDIVIDUALLY AND IN GROUP SESSIONS WITH ABOUT 75 STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR TO ADVOCATE, MENTOR AND COUNSEL THEM. HOME VISITS AND PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT ARE ESSENTIAL PARTS OF THE PROGRAM, AND SITE COORDINATORS CONNECT STUDENTS TO NEEDED COMMUNITY RESOURCES. HUNDREDS OF OTHER STUDENTS ARE REACHED THROUGH SCHOOLWIDE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE SITE COORDINATORS, SUCH AS CAREER FAIRS, MEN'S AND LADIES' SEMINARS, LITERACY PROGRAMS AND PARENT EVENTS. SEP PROVIDED SERVICES TO A TOTAL OF 923 STUDENTS. 166 SENIORS (98%) IN THE SEP PROGRAM GRADUATED. 93% OF ALL STUDENTS IN THE SEP PROGRAM WERE PROMOTED. THE STUDENT GPA WAS 2.56. 68% MISSED LESS THAN 21 DAYS, 87% HAD NO IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS AND 86% HAD NO OUT-OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS. BRIDGE TO SUCCESS PROGRAM PROVIDES SITE COORDINATORS WHO WORK WITH STUDENTS CURRENTLY OVER-AGE FOR THEIR GRADE LEVEL. 78%, OR 25, OF SENIORS IN THE BRIDGE TO SUCCESS PROGRAM GRADUATED. 91% OF ALL STUDENTS IN THE PROGRAM WERE PROMOTED. OF THE TOTAL 514 STUDENTS SERVED, THE AVERAGE GPA WAS 2.25. 31% MISSED LESS THAN 21 DAYS, 74% HAD NO IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS, AND 67% HAD NO OUT-OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS. ACHIEVERS FOR LIFE (AFL) IS A DROPOUT PREVENTION INITIATIVE DEVELOPED AND FUNDED BY THE UNITED WAY OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF JACKSONVILLE AND JEWISH FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES. AFL TARGETS SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS EXHIBITING RISK FACTORS OF SCHOOL DISENGAGEMENT INCLUDING LOW GPAS, LOW FCAT SCORES AND EXCESSIVE ABSENCES, FOR WHOM CIS PROVIDES FAMILY SUPPORT, A MENTOR AND ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE. OF THE 1,314 STUDENTS SERVED, 99% WERE PROMOTED, 80% MISSED LESS THAN 21 DAYS, 62% HAD NO IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS, AND 69% HAD NO OUT- OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS. AVERAGE GPA WAS 2.55. GEAR UP, A SEVEN-YEAR FEDERAL PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WORKS WITH A COHORT OF STUDENTS STARTING IN 7TH GRADE AND CONTINUES WITH THESE STUDENTS THROUGH 12TH GRADE PLUS ONE YEAR OF POST- SECONDARY EDUCATION. THE COHORT OF STUDENTS FROM GEAR UP GRANT A WERE IN THE 12TH GRADE AT 7 HIGH SCHOOLS. GEAR UP GRANT B STUDENTS WERE IN 8TH GRADE AT 10 MIDDLE SCHOOLS. OF THE 1,009 STUDENTS SERVED IN THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR, 94% (387 SENIORS) GRADUATED, 96% WERE PROMOTED, 52% MISSED LESS THAN 21 DAYS, 88% HAD NO IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS, AND 83% HAD NO OUT- OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS. AVERAGE GPA WAS 2.52.

COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF JACKSONVILLE OFFERS A QUALITY, FREE, AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM IN ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE AND HIGH DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH A SAFE ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY CAN COMPLETE THEIR HOMEWORK UNDER CERTIFIED TEACHER SUPERVISION AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES LIKE SPORTS, SYMPHONY AND ROBOTICS. FOR STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE, THE AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM OPERATES MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FOR THREE HOURS EACH DAY AND FOCUSES ON SIX CORE AREAS - ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT, SPORTS AND RECREATION, LIFE SKILLS, CULTURAL ENRICHMENT, PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND COMMUNITY SERVICE. EACH AFTERNOON, STUDENTS ARE WELCOMED INTO A GENERAL MEETING PLACE, CHECKED IN BY QUALITY AFTER-SCHOOL STAFF AND ENJOY A NUTRITIOUS SNACK. STUDENTS THEN SPEND UP TO 75 MINUTES EACH DAY WORKING ON ACADEMICS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A CERTIFIED TEACHER AND AFTER-SCHOOL STAFF MEMBERS. AFTER ACADEMICS, STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES SUCH AS CHEERLEADING, DANCE, ARTS AND CRAFTS, AND SPORTS. EACH OF THESE ACTIVITIES IS LED BY HIGHLY QUALIFIED AFTER-SCHOOL STAFF MEMBERS WHO ARE BACKGROUND SCREENED BY DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. CERTAIN AFTERSCHOOL SITES ARE ABLE TO OFFER UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES TO STUDENTS. THE JUMP START STRINGS PROGRAM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE JACKSONVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, ALLOWS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TO LEARN AND PLAY STRING INSTRUMENTS WHILE BEING INSTRUCTED BY THE SYMPHONY MUSICIANS. PARTICIPATING STUDENTS HAVE A CHANCE TO PERFORM FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. OTHER UNIQUE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE ROBOTICS, ANIMATION AND VIDEO PRODUCTION. AFTER STUDENTS COMPLETE THESE ACTIVITIES, THEY GATHER TOGETHER TO ENJOY A NUTRITIOUS DINNER AND THEN ARE DISMISSED AND PICKED UP BY PARENTS OR APPROVED GUARDIANS. IN THE 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR, CIS'S AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM SERVED A TOTAL OF 3,295 STUDENTS IN 27 SCHOOLS - 11 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, 8 MIDDLE SCHOOLS, 1 4TH-8TH ACADEMY AND 7 HIGH SCHOOL. 95% WERE PROMOTED. THE AVERAGE GPA WAS 2.7 FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 6-8. 71% MISSED LESS THAN 21 DAYS OF SCHOOL.

SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1999, COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF JACKSONVILLE'S AMERICORPS DUVAL READS LITERACY PROGRAM HAS PROVIDED INTENSIVE ONE-ON-ONE AND SMALL GROUP LITERACY TUTORING FOR UNDERPERFORMING STUDENTS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHO ARE READING ONE OR MORE GRADE LEVELS BELOW THEIR CLASS. AMERICORPS MEMBERS PARTICIPATE IN A RIGOROUS TWO-WEEK TRAINING AND ORIENTATION TO LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS IN NEED OF LITERACY TUTORING. TRAINING IS PROVIDED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA LITERACY INSTITUTE, AND ALIGNS WITH THE DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS CURRICULUM. ONCE THE SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS, MEMBERS ENGAGE THE SCHOOL STAFF AND PRINCIPALS TO HELP IDENTIFY STUDENTS WHO NEED LITERACY TUTORING AS INDICATED BY READING ASSESSMENT SCORES. STUDENT READING ACHIEVEMENT IS MEASURED THROUGH CIS'S PARTNERSHIP WITH DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS (DCPS). THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, STUDENTS AND AMERICORPS TUTORS WORK WITH DCPS-PROVIDED PROGRAMS ACHIEVE3000 AND I-READY TO DETERMINE THEIR STATUS AND PROGRESS IN MATH AND READING. THE DATA IS USED TO IDENTIFY LOW-LEVEL READERS, CREATE A TARGET DATA BASELINE OF STUDENT READING SKILLS AND COMPARE THE PRE- AND POST- TEST SCORES TO MEASURE PROGRESS OF STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE ACADEMIC YEAR. THE PROGRAM'S GOALS ARE TO PROVIDE 90 MINUTES EACH WEEK OF INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP LITERACY TUTORING TO AT LEAST 400 UNDERPERFORMING READERS AND TO ACHIEVE 80 PERCENT OF THE STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE LITERACY TUTORING DEMONSTRATING READING IMPROVEMENT AND 70% BEING PROMOTED TO THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL. IN THE 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR, 791 STUDENTS RECEIVED LITERACY SERVICES FROM CIS. OF THOSE, 97% WERE PROMOTED. 61% MISSED LESS THAN 21 DAYS, 99% HAD NO IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS AND 94% HAD NO OUT-OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS.