Education Law

A more accurate and useful graduation rate

BoardBuzz was happy to see that Virginia can now report a more accurate on-time graduation rate. Unlike past graduation rates that estimated a graduation rates, Virginia now is able to determine how many first time 9^th graders graduated four years later. And according to the Washington Post Virginia’s new on-time graduation rate is 82 percent. 

Of course an accurate graduation rate in and of itself doesn’t help students graduate, but the data used to calculate these rates can be quite useful. Educators and policymakers can use the data collected by the state to implement policies and practices to prevent students from dropping out. In Virginia they found such early warning signs such as:

• Nearly 60 percent of dropouts repeated at least one grade in high school;
• More than 40 percent were freshman or10^th graders who were at least age 17;
• Dropouts were more likely to miss days of school; and
• English language learners (ELL) were the most likely group to drop out.

As our Center for Public Education’s report on dropout prevention found prediction is a key element in any school’s dropout prevention strategy, along with intervention, prevention and recovery. 

Although BoardBuzz applauds Virginia for calculating a more accurate high school on-time graduation rate, there are still concerns. For example, the graduation rate only gives credit to schools graduating students in four years or less, with the exception of select English Language Learners (ELL) and Students with Disabilities. As the recent Center for Public Education report Better late than never clearly shows, on-time graduation may be best but students are much better off after high school if they graduate late than if they drop out or even if they go onto receive their GED. And that means that schools should get credit where credit is due by counting all the students who graduate late  — not just ELL or Special Education students. 

To learn more about graduation rates check out the Center for Public Education’s The straight story on high school graduation rates.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on April 01, 2009 (boomark / email).