The Journal Sentinel has a story in Friday’s edition that at first glance is rather alarming.
From it:
Wisconsin’s graduation rate declined slightly in 2010 to 85.7% under a new calculation method that is supposed to better represent how many students receive regular diplomas within four years of high school. … The Northern Ozaukee and South Milwaukee school districts suffered some of the greatest losses in employing the new calculation method, falling from 92.6% to 78.9% and 96.2% to 82.6%, respectively.
Wait. A 13.6 percentage point decline in graduation rates? In one year?
Of course, there is a lot more to this story, and it all comes down to how the figures are calculated. More from the story:
Under the new method, the state tracks students from their freshman year to graduation four years later. The process is mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind law, which requires all states to calculate their graduation rates the same way by the end of the current school year.
Previously, Wisconsin officials counted the number of students who graduated with a regular diploma and subtracted those students known to have dropped out during the previous four years, potentially undercounting dropouts and including students who took longer than four years to graduate.
So, what does this all mean for South Milwaukee? I asked Superintendent Rita Olson for her take on this, and here is her email response:
Of course, we are looking into the discrepancy between the “legacy” rate (the percentage of students who graduate each year) and the new “cohort” rate (the percentage of students who graduate within four years). We believe that one of the contributing factors is that South Milwaukee requires students to have 26 credits for graduation, whereas many other districts require only 21 to 24 credits. So, for example, if a student transfers into our district at the beginning of senior year with 16 credits from another district, they would be re-classified as a junior in South Milwaukee. It would be almost impossible for them to pick up another 10 credits in order to graduate in one year.
In addition to analyzing our data to find out why we have the discrepancy, we are also working on a new schedule at the high school that allows for a “resource block.” During this time, students will be able to receive individualized attention and interventions with classroom teachers.
Dr. Olson also spoke with the reporter for the story and told her much the same thing: that “educators are investigating why the district’s graduation rate declined so much using the new method.” From the story:
She suggested that the district’s requirement that students acquire 26 credits, combined with the high school’s block schedule, could make it difficult for students to graduate in four years, especially if they transfer from other schools with lower standards and traditional schedules.”Now they’re punishing kids that it might take a little longer for,” Olson said.
So, as usual, you can’t always take statistics at face value, especially when they don’t support what you see with your own eyes.
And all of what I’ve seen — from my time on the school district’s long-range visioning and planning committee last fall to what I’ve witnessed in the growth of my son in 5K at Rawson Elementary — has instilled great faith in the South Milwaukee school system.
I look forward to my son and now 3-year-old daughter growing up in South Milwaukee schools, and I have complete confidence in the education they’ll get at every level. From where do I draw this belief? It’s the people.
The CEO of MillerCoors, my employer, is fond of saying that “people make it happen.” I couldn’t agree more. And it’s the people of the South Milwaukee School District — the teachers, staff, administration, school board and others — who make it happen with our kids.
No matter what the numbers say.
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