Presentation I

A Discussion with School Boards: Raising the Graduation Rate, High School Improvement, and Policy Decisions

Presentation I

• Overview

1. Graduation Rate Issue

2. Graduation and Completion Index

Presentation II

• Introduce Eight Areas of High School Improvement

1. Rigorous Curriculum and Instruction

2. Assessment and Accountability

3. Teacher Quality and Professional Development

4. Student and Family Supports

Presentation III

• Continue Eight Areas of High School Improvement

5. Stakeholder Engagement

6. Leadership and Governance

7. Organization and Structure

8. Resources for Sustainability

Presentation IV

• Virginia Early Warning System Tool and Guide

Presentation V

• Next Steps for Policy Issues and Implications

Presentations

Presentation I

• Present information on the Virginia Graduation Rate

• Review the Standards of Accreditation requirements concerning the Graduation and Completion Index and accreditation for 2011-2012 and beyond

• Review a comprehensive, systematic process for high school improvement through the Eight Elements of High School Improvement

• Present information on the Virginia Early Warning System Tool and Guide

• Promote discussion on policy issues affecting high school improvement efforts

Presentation I

Goals for Presentations

Presentation I

Why Do Students Drop Out of School?

• Reasons students drop out:*

o Life Events - an event or need outside of school

o Fade Outs – these students no longer see the point of staying in school

o Push Outs – schools sometimes apply administrative rules that have the effect of pushing out of school low achievers and students with behavior problems

* Grad Nation: A Guidebook to Help Communities Tackle the Dropout Crisis (America’s Promise Alliance, February 2009) http://www.every1graduates.org/PDFs/GradNation_Guidebook_Final.pdf

Presentation I

National Graduation RateTrends

• Each year, almost ONE-THIRD of all public high school students—1.2 million—fail to graduate with their class. That’s one student every 26 seconds.

• ABOUT HALF of African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans in public schools fail to graduate.

• There are nearly 2,000 HIGH SCHOOLS with less than 50 percent graduation rates concentrated in 50 large cities and in 15 primarily southern and southwestern states.

The Silent Epidemic: http://www.civicenterprises.net/pdfs/thesilentepidemic3-06.pdf

Virginia High School Cohort Rate

Using longitudinal information from the Education Information Management System (EIMS), the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) was able to produce a cohort report for the Class of 2008.

Presentation I

Virginia Graduation Rate*

•Dropouts from the class of 2008 will cost Virginia almost $7.6 billion in lost wages over their lifetime.

•About $6.5 billion would be added to Virginia’s economy by 2020 if students of color graduated at the same rate as white students.

•The average high school dropout in Virginia produces a lifetime net fiscal “surplus” of $17,690 more in taxes than he/she would impose in transfer costs and institutionalization costs.

•For Virginia high school graduates, the surplus is $368,870, a loss of $351,180 for each dropout.**

*Visions to Practice Conference, July, 2009, Mary McNaught, Chief of Staff, Civic Enterprises

** Council on Virginia’s Future, “The High Cost of Low Educational Attainment” August, 2008

Presentation I

Standards of Accreditation

In February, 2009, the Board of Education strengthened Virginia’s accountability program by:

• Requiring high schools—beginning with the 2011-2012 school year—to meet an annual benchmark for graduation.

• Revising Virginia’s accreditation standards to create a graduation and completion index for high schools.

Presentation I

Graduation and CompletionIndex

Beginning with accreditation ratings announced in fall 2011, high schools must earn a minimum of 85 points on the graduation and completion index—as well as achieve the required pass rates on state tests in English, history/social science, mathematics and science—to be Fully Accredited.

• High schools that do not attain the minimum graduation benchmark, but meet all other requirements, can be Provisionally Accredited until fall 2015 by achieving interim graduation benchmarks.

• High schools that achieve the required pass rates on state assessments, but do not meet the provisional benchmarks for graduation and completion, will be rated as Accredited with Warning.

Presentation I

Graduation and Completion Index (cont.)

Presentation I

Graduation and Completion Index

The Graduation and Completion Index awards:

• 100 points for students who graduate with a(n)

o Advanced Studies Diploma

o Standard Diploma

o Modified Standard Diploma

o Special Diploma or General Achievement Diploma

• 75 points for students who earn a GED

• 70 points for students still in school

• 25 points for students who finish high school with a Certificate of Completion

Presentation I

Graduation and Completion Index

85 points Fully Accredited

80-84 points Provisionally Accredited

79 points and lower Accredited with Warning

Index Points

Accreditation Status

In 2016-2017, all schools must have a Graduation and Completion Index of 85 and meet the standards in the four academic areas to be Fully Accredited. Any high school with index point totals less than 85 or below the standards in any of the academic areas will be Accredited with Warning.

• If the future accreditation standards were applied to the Virginia on-time graduation rate for 2008-2009, it may have resulted in the following accreditation ratings:

o Thirty six divisions would have had all of their high schools Fully Accredited

o Forty five divisions would have had high schools Provisionally Accredited

o Fifty divisions would have had high schools Accredited with Warning

Presentation I

Standards of Accreditation