New Graduation Rate

1
New Graduation Rate

• Reporting Advisory Group
• November 19, 2008

2
Regulations

• Interpretation/clarification of the law
• Proposed by the U. S. Department of Education
• Require a period and a process for public comment
• Take effect 30 days after publication in Federal
  Register

3
New Regulations Why now?

• Used by the current administration to regulate
  (require) their guidance for NCLB graduation
  rate, sanctions for Title I schools identified
  for school improvement, etc.
• Could not get NCLB reauthorized before the change
  of administration in Washington

4
Can/Will Regulations Change?

• Can the new administration change these
  regulations? Yes (must use the same process of
  public comment, etc.)
• Will a new administration change these
  regulations? Maybe (lot of pressure from certain
  groups to make NCLB tougher)
• Will reauthorization of NCLB change the
  regulations? Dont anticipate reauthorization
  until 2010.

5
Why the Graduate Rate?

• Graduation rate is the Other Academic Indicator
  for high schools for AYP in NCLB
• National Governors Association proposed a uniform
  rate and all signed on to use the rate by
  2010-2011
• Preliminary regulations used an Annual Freshman
  Graduation Rate (AFGR) but it was dropped in
  final regulations

6
National Governors Association Rate

• NGA Rate
• Allows special education and recently arrived ELL
  to be assigned to a different cohort to allow
  more time for graduation
• Permits modified diplomas

• 4-year Adjusted Cohort
• cohort reassignment not allowed
• No modified diplomas

7
Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate

• Number of students who graduate in four years
  with a regular high school diploma
• Divided by the number of students who form the
  cohort
• Students who enter grade 9 and any students who
  transfer into the cohort in grades 9 through 12
  minus any students removed from the cohort

8
Extended-Years

• A student who takes longer than four years
• Must be included in the denominator of the
  four-year graduation rate but cannot be included
  in the numerator
• May not be removed by reassignment

9
Removing a Student

• To remove a student from the cohort, a school or
  district must confirm in writing that the student
  has
• Transferred out by enrolling in another school or
  educational program that culminates in the award
  of a regular high school diploma
• Emigrated to another country
• Died

10
Written Documentation

• Transfers
• A request for records
• Completed approved application for home schooling
• Evidence of having transferred from a student
  record system
• Letter from a receiving district
• Not allowed verbal communication with a parent,
  relative or neighbor

11

• Emigrated or deceased students
• A school administrators memo to a student file
• Example a conversation with a parent or other
  person who would know
• Any student who status cannot be confirmed must
  be counted as a dropout!

12
Extended-year Graduation Rate

• States may request approval to use an
  extended-year adjusted cohort that include
  students who graduate in more than four years
• Can be used with the adjusted cohort for AYP
  purposes
• Both graduation rates must be reported to the
  public

13
(No Transcript)
14
(No Transcript)
15
Graduation Rate and Goals

• Every school with a 12th grade must meet or
  exceed the State Goal
• States must establish annual rates for
  improvement that is continuous and substantial

16
Public Reporting

• Annual report card must have disaggregated data
  (school and group) of graduation rates (4-year
  plus extended-year if approved) as soon as these
  regulations take effect
• English Language Learners
• Race/Ethnicity
• Low-income
• Special Education

17
Approval by Peer Review

• AYP Workbooks must be peer reviewed in time to be
  approved for use with the 2009-10 assessment
  results and will include
• Graduation rate definitions and goals
• Identify the high school at the 10th, 50th and
  90th percentile of the graduation rates
• Minimum group size (now 30)
• Use of confidence intervals for student
  performance (now 99) and Safe Harbor (75)

18
Monitoring

• New regulations will be monitored by USDE as part
  of the Title I requirements
• Means NDE will need to monitor districts to
  ensure that appropriate supporting documentation
  exists for students removed from the cohort