Chamber News

Patrick County Schools Achieves 85.5% On-Time Grad Rate

Patrick County Public Schools, Patrick County, VA, Achieves a 85.5% On-Time Graduation Rate New “Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate� Accounts for Student Mobility and Retention

PRESS RELEASE October 8, 2008 More than 81 percent of the students in the class of 2008 for the state of Virginia graduated on time with a diploma, according to data reported today by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). Dr. Roger Morris reported that Patrick County Public Schools exceeded the state and area average rate by achieving a rate of 85.5%. The graduation rates for the Commonwealth, school divisions and high schools were calculated for the first time by tracking individual students from year to year using the commonwealth’s longitudinal student data system. This new, more accurate statistic is known as the Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate. “Effective programs to improve outcomes for students are driven by accurate data,� said Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright. “With the Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate, we are replacing estimates with hard information that will shape local and statewide strategies to increase the likelihood that young people graduate with a diploma.� The Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate is a cohort graduation rate that expresses the percentage of students who earn a Board of Education-approved diploma within four years of entering ninth grade for the first time. It is calculated using a formula endorsed in a 2005 compact signed by the nation’s governors and subsequently adopted by the General Assembly and Board of Education. Percentages are based on longitudinal student-level data and account for student mobility and retention practices. Students with disabilities and English-language learners are counted as “on-time� graduates even if they require more than the standard four years to earn a diploma. “The fact that better than eight of ten students in Virginia graduate on time with a diploma is gratifying given that estimates relied on in the past were much lower,� Board of Education President Mark E. Emblidge said. “But even as we recognize this success we must do more to raise graduation rates, especially in schools serving minority and low-income communities.� In releasing the new graduation rates, Dr. Wright cautioned against misinterpreting the data, noting that thousands of students who entered the ninth grade in 2004 remain in school and continue to work toward finishing their diploma requirements. Other students completed high school with a GED or a locally awarded certificate of completion. “The drop out rate is not the inverse of the graduation rate,� Dr. Wright said. VDOE will release cohort dropout rates for schools, school divisions and the commonwealth in early 2009. In July, the National Governors Association (NGA) reported that 16 states had published cohort graduation rates based on the NGA formula, which is contingent on the development of a longitudinal student-level data system and the accumulation of four years of data. North Carolina, the only neighboring state that has implemented the NGA formula, reported a cohort graduation rate for 2008 of 69.9 percent. Massachusetts, which is often ranked with Virginia in state-by-state comparisons, reported a rate of 80.9 percent for 2007. Morris stated, “The results of our students is a testament to the collaborative efforts of our students, parents, staff, and community. What was particularly significant is the results from our subgroups, especially African-American students and students with disabilities.� The on-time results are as follows: Patrick County Virginia All Students 85.5% 81.3% Black 90.9% 72.6% Hispanic 87.5% 70.4% White 85.5% 85.3% Disabilities 91.7% 81.1% Disadvantaged 75.3% 69.8% LEP 85.7% 68.5% When asked why students may not finish on-time, Dr. Morris stated that in some instances students get ill and have to have a reduced load, students might fail a class and need extra time to complete, or a student may transfer in from another school and may need to ‘catch-up’. “We do all we can to help students earn their high school education or the GED.� Dr. Roger N. Morris, Division Superintendent Patrick County Public Schools P.O. Box 346 Stuart, Virginia 24171 PH: (276) 694-3163 FAX: (276) 694-3170.