Appeal affirms graduation rate increase

The state notified the district May 10 that it had accepted appeals for 368 students who lacked recorded educational outcomes, and therefore had been counted as dropouts in earlier reports.

• The four-year graduation rate for the class of 2011 increased to 62 percent.

• The four-year graduation rate for the class of 2010 increased to 55 percent.

• The overall graduation rate improved by 7 percentage points from 2010 to 2011, when all record-keeping adjustments are accounted for across both graduating classes.

Follow-up efforts

After the 2011 graduation rate was finalized in January at 59 percent, PPS high school leaders dug deeper and identified 2011 graduates who had not been counted, including foreign exchange students, summer graduates and others who finished school mid-year. Leaders also identified uncounted graduates for the class of 2010, whose graduation rate had been reported earlier as 54 percent.

As a result, PPS submitted an appeal of the 2010 and the 2011 graduation rates to the ODE.

The new numbers give schools more complete and accurate data to measure their progress between graduating classes.

Highlights include:

• The four-year graduation rate for students attending neighborhood or focus high schools was 74 percent for the class of 2011 and 70 percent for the class of 2010. District alternative programs also posted a 4 percentage point gain.

• Roosevelt High School (11 percentage point gain) and Cleveland High School (8 percentage point gain) remained as the schools with the largest graduation rate increases from 2010 to 2011. Madison High School also posted an 8 percentage point gain.

• All racial and ethnic groups showed gains, but students of color (in all groups other than multiracial) gained more than whites. Hispanic students showed a 14 percent gain from the class of 2010 to the class of 2011. Black, Native American and Asian students all showed gains of between 7 and 8 percentage points.

Diplomas, transfers

Of the 368 students whose status was appealed, 144 had obtained a diploma but had not been counted as graduates. Another 191 had transferred out of the school district, state or country; transfers out of district modify the graduation rate by being removed from the denominator used to calculate the overall rate.

The remaining students obtained modified or adult high school diplomas, which do not affect the graduation rate. However, PPS appealed these outcomes to improve data accuracy.

“Staff in our high schools are working hard to keep better track of students, before and after they graduate," says Trip Goodall, PPS’ high school director. "This work has better captured actual outcomes of our students and real gains in our schools. We can’t accept a 62 percent on-time graduation rate, but we are encouraged by evidence that the achievement gap is narrowing and that our schools are producing better results.”

At Portland Public Schools, this is our goal: By the end of elementary, middle, and high school, every student by name will meet or exceed academic standards and will be fully prepared to make productive life decisions. For more information on Portland Public Schools, call 503-916-3304, e-mail us at pubinfo@pps.net, or visit www.pps.k12.or.us. Portland Public Schools is an equal opportunity educator and employer.