How Does Oregon Report Graduation Rates?

Cohort Graduation Rate

This year’s release reports on graduation rates for students who first entered high school in 2006-07 (for the 4-year rate) and 2005-06 (for the 5-year rate).

How Does the Cohort Rate Work?Follows a group (or cohort) of students

throughout high school – adjusted for students who move in and out of the system

Students who receive a modified diploma, GED, adult high school diploma, or alternative certificate are counted as non-graduates

Schools may meet graduation requirements by either:

Graduating 65% of students within 4 yearsGraduating 70% of students within 5 years

How is the Cohort Rate Calculated?Four-year cohort graduation rate =

number of students in the adjusted cohort that earn a regular high school diploma by August 2010___________________________________________________

Number of first-time 9th graders in 2006-07 adjusted for transfers in and out

Five-year cohort graduation rate =number of students in the adjusted cohort that

earn a regular high school diploma by August 2010___________________________________________________

Number of first-time 9th graders in 2005-06 adjusted for transfers in and out

Why Do We Look At Graduation Rates This Way?In the past, Oregon used a different

calculation to determine graduation rates. Last year, we transitioned from that previous rate (NCES) to the Cohort Rate.

Reasons for the change:Federal requirement for all states starting with

2011-12 AYP reportA more uniform and accurate measure of high

school graduationAllows us to clearly see where each student is

ending up after 4 and 5 years in high school

Comparing to Other StatesCan Oregon’s cohort rate be compared to

other state’s graduations rate?

Not this year as states are still in various stages of implementation

e.g. some states do not currently require their special education students to meet cohort graduation targets

Next year, the cohort graduation rate will be the common standard used by every state and there will be a higher degree of comparability.

2009-10 Cohort Graduation Rates Embargoed until Tuesday, April 26, 9 AM

Student Group 4 year rate (2006-07 cohort) 5 year rate (2005-06 cohort)

All Students 66.4% 69.1%

White 69.9% 72.4%

Asian 76.1% 80.7%

Black 49.8% 52.6%

Hispanic 55.2% 57.6%

Native American 50.3% 55.4%

Students with Disabilities 41.8% 46.7%

English Language Learner 49.7% 57.2%

Economically Disadvantaged 59.8% 62.6%

Females 70.8% 72.5%

Males 62.3% 66.1%

Dropout RatesThe dropout rate is the number of students who

drop out of school (grades 9-12) in a given year divided by the total number of students enrolled that year

A dropout is defined as an individual who has withdrawn from school and has not received a regular diploma, modified diploma, extended diploma, adult high school diploma, alternative certificate, or GED

Students who are deceased, in home school, enrolled in an approved alternative education program, or temporarily absent from school are not considered dropouts

The dropout rate is not the inverse of the graduation rate• In addition to graduates and dropouts, the cohort

includes information on “other completers.” These are students who: received a GED, a modified diploma or alternative certificate, an adult high school diploma from a community college, are enrolled in an alternative school, or are still enrolled and taking longer than four years (or longer than 5 years in the case of the 5-year rate) to graduate.

• “Other Completers” are not counted as a graduates and do lower the graduation rate, but they are not dropouts.

2009-10 Dropout Rate Embargoed until Tuesday, April 26, 9 AM

Student Groups 2009-10 2008-09

All Students 3.4% 3.4%

White 2.9% 2.9%

Asian 1.4% 2.4%

Black 6.2% 6.1%

Hispanic 4.7% 5.1%

Native American 6.7% 6.4%

Students with Disabilities 4.6% 3.7%

English Language Learner 5.9% 6.2%

Economically Disadvantaged 2.8% 3.1%

Females 2.9% 3.1%

Males 3.8% 3.7%

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