08/02/05–Forty-five states have agreed to join an effort to develop a common definition for their high school graduation rate, the National Governors Association (NGA) announced July 17 at the group’s annual meeting.
The states -- along with 12 national organizations -- signed a compact that aims to create a uniform standard that will allow the comparison of graduation rates among states.
Currently, states use a hodge-podge of methods, which allows states to report misleading information to disguise poor performance, says Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the new NGA chair.
Under the current system, it is often impossible to tell whether a particular student who had not graduated on time has dropped out, transferred to another school, or taken time off and plans to return.
The compact calls for states “to calculate the graduation rate by dividing the number of on-time graduates in a given year by the number of first-time entering ninth graders four years older. Graduates are those receiving a high school diploma.”
The formula would allow adjustments for transfers, special education students, and English language learners. The compact says, “Data systems will ideally track individual students with a longitudinal student unit record data system.”
Three of the largest states -- California, Florida, and Texas -- did not sign the compact, along with Maryland, and Wyoming.
The NGA selected 10 states for its Honor States grant program to carry out high school reform initiatives aimed at raising graduation rates and ensuring students are prepared for college and work.
The selected states -- Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Virginia -- will receive up to $2 million in matching grant funds. The program is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Fewer than two-thirds of the teenagers surveyed by the NGA said their high school had done a good job of challenging them academically.