Graduation Cohort

Tony PrattDeputy Assistant Commissioner, Data and Research

2

Agenda

Looking Ahead: Process, Accountability and Reporting

Federal guidelines

Walkthrough of Cohort Application

Questions

3

Looking Ahead – Process

We are committed to finding ways to improve the process• We will be seeking feedback from districts on how to

streamline the documentation/appeals process• We want to finalize graduation rate earlier than

October Appeals: more information in May• We will provide details and plan a support webinar for

district personnel LEA enrollment practices• We have heard this feedback and are exploring ways to

address via policy changes with State Board of Education and the Commissioner

4

Looking Ahead – Accountability

ESEA waiver renewal application was submitted on March 31• Includes proposed

updates to district accountability

Multiple pathways to meet goals for each measure

Proposed High School Measures

High School Math

High School RLA

ACT Graduation Rate

5

Looking Ahead… AccountabilityAchievement – Graduation Rate for All

Students

AMOs (with confidence

intervals)

Relative performance

Higher score used

6

Looking Ahead… AccountabilityGap Closure – Graduation Rate for Subgroups

(BHN, ED, ELL, SWD)

Subgroup AMOs (with confidence

intervals)

Reduction in Dropout Rates

Higher score used

7

Looking Ahead – Reporting

Beginning with the 2015-16 school year, we plan to report a 5-year graduation rate on the Report Card

Special Education – Potentially excluding “medically fragile” students from graduation cohort calculation (for accountability only) in waiver

8

Federal Requirements

ESEA requires that we calculate a 4-year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate

Must be used for reporting and accountability

Guidance is very prescriptive Link

9

Federal Definition

“As defined in 34 C.F.R. §200.19(b)(1)(i)-(iv), the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (hereafter referred to as “the four-year graduation rate”) is the number of students who graduate in four years with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for the graduating class.”

The cohort is “adjusted” by adding any students who transfer into the cohort later during the 9th grade and the next three years and subtracting any students who transfer out, emigrate to another country, or die during that same period.

10

Federal Definition – Calculation

Cohort members who earn a regular high school diploma within four years

9th graders entering the cohort (plus students who transfer in and are added to the cohort, minus students who are removed from the cohort)

11

Federal Requirements – Which Students Count as Graduates?

Students who graduate in less than 4 years Students who graduate in 4 years Students who graduate in 4 years plus a summer

(state option)

AND

Receive a regular diploma• GEDs, modified/alternative diplomas, certificates of

attendance do not count

12

Federal Requirements – Adjusting the Cohort

A student may only be removed from a school or district’s cohort for the following reasons:

Transfers out AND enrolls at another school/program that awards regular diplomas

Moves out of state or out of the country

Is deceased

13

Federal Requirements – Documentation

The federal guidance is very prescriptive about what constitutes acceptable documentation for removing a student from a school or district’s cohort.

All students who are removed from a school or district’s cohort must have accompanying documentation that meets the standards laid out in the federal guidance.

14

Graduation Cohort Timeline

Phase

I

• Feb. 12 - June 30 (Fall/Spring Graduates)• During Phase I districts may make EIS-related corrections and upload

supporting documentation for approved withdrawal codes.

Phase II

• July 31 – Aug. 14 (Summer Graduates)• Phase II is the only time summer graduation completion types will be

accepted.

Phase III

• Sept. 1-11 • Preliminary graduation rates will be published in the cohort application on

Sept. 1 for districts to review and, in select cases, submit an appeal.

Phase IV

• Oct. 12• The department will release final graduation rates on Oct. 12, 2015.

15

Priorities for Phase 1

Ensure that EIS corrections are made by June 30• Duplicate students• Correct withdrawal codes

Upload supporting documentation for withdrawal codes requiring documentation

16

News

Phase I of the 2014-15 graduation rate process has commenced. Below are important instructions, announcements, and resources (e.g., guidance documents, non-public school list).

Phase I: Feb. 12 - June 30 (Fall/Spring Graduates) During Phase I districts may make EIS-related corrections and upload supporting documentation for the withdrawal codes listed below. Additional corrections and/or documentation will not be accepted after the June 30 deadline. The “2014-15 Graduation Rate Process” document, which is available at the bottom of this page, includes all 2014-15 cohort-related deadlines and requirements.

Consistent with 34 C.F.R. §200.19(b)(1)(ii)(B)(1), supporting documentation is required for students who withdrew in the 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years for reasons relevant to the following withdrawal codes:W02 - Withdrawn to a state institutionW05 - Transferred out of stateW06 - Transferred to non-public school in TennesseeW08 - DeceasedW09 - Transferred to mental or drug rehabilitation institution. (This withdrawal code is no longer in use but was previously used to withdraw students.)W10 - Withdrawn to home schoolW17(New) - Transferred to an out-of-state online school.

To download the district’s cohort data, please do the following:Go to the Cohort Data page.Click on the "Show Data" button.After the data has been retrieved, click on the "download csv" link.Save the file to your computer.

17

Instructions

If you have questions or need assistance during the process, please email TNED.Graduates@tn.gov.

Please be sure to include your name and phone number along with your LEA name.

If you have questions regarding an individual student, be sure to include the student’s state ID.

For security reasons, do not send emails containing personally identifiable student information.

Webinar Recording held on February 19, 2013 (Please refer to the guidance documents below for SY 2014-15 updates.)

View Webinar Recording

2014-15 Cohort Application2014-15 Graduation Rate Process (Revised 2/9/15)2014-15 Non-Public School list (Revised 1/16/15)2014-15 DCS Approved School List (Revised 1/13/15)2014-15 Withdrawal Code Guidance (Revised 2/9/15)2014-15 Cohort Document Review Guidance (Revised 2/9/15)34 C.F.R. §200.19(b)(1)(ii)(B)(1) - Federal Law related to the graduation rateUS Ed Guidance

18

2014-15 Withdrawal Code Guidance

19

2014-15 Withdrawal Code Guidance (cont’d)

20

2014-15 Withdrawal Code Guidance (cont’d)

21

2014-15 Guidance for Cohort Documentation Review

22

23

Cohort Application Coding

Y = Included in Cohort Revised Included in Cohort = Yes or No P= Pending (codes 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 17) (after final determination)

Red = Student scheduled to count as dropout (codes 00, 01, 03, 04, 11, and 14)

24

Cohort Reports

Progression Report: provides a list of students who are enrolled but are not on track to graduate based on the cohort year and the last enrolled grade

Completion Report: provides a summary of completion types and counts Withdrawal Report: provides a count of student withdrawals by withdrawal

code Demographics Report: provides student subgroup data Dropout Report: provides a list of students scheduled to count as dropouts

(codes 03, 04, 14 included due to lack of subsequent enrollment) Credits Earned Report: provides a count of the credits the department has

received as of the last processing date Withdrawal Completion Mismatch Report: provides a list of students who

have been withdrawn via codes 00, 01, 02, 05, 06, 08, 10, and 17 and have a completion document (indicating receipt of a regular diploma)

25

As a reminder… We are partners in this work.

We are committed to finding ways to improve the process and understand that it is not optimal.

Appeals: more information coming in May with support via webinar.

LEA enrollment practices may have to be addressed via policy to provide the right incentives.

26

Process or Policy Questions?

For situation-specific (individual students and/or schools) questions or questions we aren’t able to address today, please email Tned.Graduates@tn.gov.