In this post, I will talk specifically about graduation rate, how it is calculated (both currently and in the past), as well as how a cohort is developed, measured, and finalized.

Graduation rate is a topic that many in our community are asking about and wondering where we stand.  In the 11 years I have been at RSHS, we have seen our graduation rate climb from essentially 70% to now, usually, well over 80%.  Our most recent rate, which is for the class of 2015, was 77.23%.  This is a drop from the previous year’s rate of 83.55% in 2014.  The two highest rates recorded for RSHS are 83.55% in 2014 and 81.6% in 2012.  Yes, we actually are having a great deal more success with graduation than ever before.  The drop to 77% was disappointing for all of us at RSHS, but we believe we are on the right track and are focused on the right work to ensure even higher graduation rates in the future.

In the video below, I will walk through some historical data on graduation rate, explain how the rate is actually calculated, and describe how it used to be calculated.  Additionally, I will share what a ‘lagging indicator’ is and why it has to be that way in the WAEA calculation model.

Some key terms from the video:

Graduation cohort – a group of students who enter high school at the same time (fall of their freshman year), students who move into our high school who started high school at the same time, students who conclude their senior year at RSHS either as a graduate or non-graduate

Clean transfer – student who is not counted in the final cohort due to moving away (with records requests), entering an accredited home school program granting a diploma, or who died during the four years of their cohort

Graduation rate – number of ‘on-time’ graduates divided by the expected graduates (those still remaining in the cohort)

As always, thanks for reading – have a great day on the #RoadToAwesome

Darrin