APEX

APEX Project History

APEX
From 2002-2005, the Institute on Disability implemented APEX, a dropout prevention and school improvement program, in two NH high schools. APEX I demonstrated the promise of strategically combining PBIS, RENEW, and Student Leadership (including a student-led needs assessment and action project program where students work with PBIS Universal Teams to assess and improve school climate, safety, and learning) to reduce dropout rates, and improve individual student success and overall school climate.

APEX II
From April 2006 through September 2009, APEX II staff members worked with students, families, teachers, and administrators at 10 high schools and their sending middle schools to adopt and implement these three strategies. Some schools also implemented an 8th to 9th grade transition system in order to reduce the schools’ annual dropout rate, created consistency and predictability in the school environment, developed pro-active strategies based on data and designed to prevent problem behavior and reduce failure rates, created a positive learning environment, used data to make decisions,  fostered student leadership, and implemented a research-based individualized school-to-career intervention for the most at risk students.  The APEX II school staff members provided training and technical support to the 10 high schools to implement PBIS and RENEW.