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Wednesday, October 08, 2008
FCPS Reports On-Time Graduation Rate of 91 Percent
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) reports an on-time graduation rate of 91 percent for members of the class of 2008—which includes students who entered ninth grade for the first time during the 2004-05 school year—as part of the Virginia Department of Education’s new on-time graduation rate report. The graduation rate is based on individual student data, tracked over time, that completely account for student mobility and retention patterns. This is the first year the graduation rate is being reported in this manner in Virginia; the class of 2008 is the first high school cohort for which there are four years of longitudinal data, which enables school divisions to track students from year to year and across campuses and divisions.
The statistics—which include disaggregated data for male and female students, seven ethnic minority groups, students with disabilities, students identified as disadvantaged, limited English proficient (LEP) students, and homeless students—track the type of diploma earned as well as the number of students still working toward a diploma, how many students graduated, and how many students dropped out of school.
“The on-time graduation rate report is tailor-made to help us make sure students do not fall through the cracks,” says FCPS Superintendent Jack D. Dale. “We want to help our students stay in school and work with them to help them graduate, no matter what their situation. We will continue to follow students who have not yet completed their requirements for graduation to offer additional support and guidance.”
According to the Virginia Department of Education, a Virginia on-time graduate is a student who graduates from high school in four years or less and earns one of five diplomas: standard, advanced studies (including International Baccalaureate), modified standard, general achievement, or special. Special education students and LEP students who have education plans in place that allow them more time to graduate will be counted as graduates or nongraduates when they earn a diploma or exit high school. Students who earn a General Education Development (GED®) diploma or certificate of completion are not counted as dropouts but are not counted as graduates when counting the Virginia on-time graduation rate.
The dropout rate is not the inverse of the graduation rate and will be calculated for schools, divisions, and the state and released early in 2009.
“This year’s statistics are a great baseline from which to work,” adds Dale. “In addition to adding another level of accountability tied to state accreditation, these statistics enable us to follow our students and focus extra efforts on at-risk students to ensure they earn their high school diplomas.”
The Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate is modeled on a formula endorsed by the National Governors Association and was mandated by Virginia House Bill 19, approved by the 2006 Virginia General Assembly. Public release of the graduation rate includes division- and school-level spreadsheets posted on the Virginia School Report Card section of the Virginia Department of Education web site.
To view FCPS data or data on specific schools, visit http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/src/index.shtml .
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Note: For more information, contact Pat Murphy, FCPS assistant superintendent for accountability, at 571-423-1300.
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