Changing factors to impact high school graduation

GAINESVILLE - Two weeks ago statewide media reported that a new method of calculating high school graduation rates revealed Georgia's 2011 graduation rate dropped 13 percentage points to 67.4 percent and would likely drop even more this year.

It said more high school students are dropping out than had been previously counted and some of them are taking five or even six years to earn a diploma.

This week Dr. Merrianne Dyer said there is nothing wrong with taking more time to get a diploma. According to the report, Gainesville's graduation rate was about 58 percent.

Really two issues impact that number, she said.  One is the required course units of credit. Gainesville High has had 28 units of credit which essentially says you would achieve the 23 units for the state which you're expected to do in four years plus five more.

Dr. Dyer said that some students that stayed longer than the four years take more advanced placement to earn college credit.

"It's more economical for a family to have their child live at home, take advanced placement classes, and transfer those to college," Dyer added.

The second issue is a question of when students are academically prepared to officially enter 9th grade.

"With the expectation that they will finish in four years, we have students in the 8th grade who have not met the standards on testing and assessments," according to Dr. Dyer.  "The question is do we transition them for half a year and then place them in the 9th grade in January as we did this year, or do we give them a longer amount of time to transition to give them time to meet the standards and then officially go into high school?"

A student can earn high school credits in the 8th grade, so students who need more help in core subjects could begin taking elective credits but they would not be classified as a 9th grader until they met core competency standards.

Dyer said there is another way of looking at the graduation rate.

"It's a four year completion rate and Gainesville High has two different things that impact that," Dyer said.  "One is the 28 units where students were staying in longer than four years, even if you go one summer past spring graduation, you are counted as a non-graduate, even if you went to summer school."

The other thing is the students who just take longer. Dyer says Gainesville has not stressed rushing through, either for the advanced student or the student needing help.

"It is in the planning and the structure like the number of credits and schedules that we'll look at to maximize the students getting through in four years," she said. "It's still more important to us that children receive a diploma."

http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/4/247791