ALSDE GRADUATION COHORT

COHORT DEFINITION

The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate is the number of students who graduate in four year with a regular diploma divided by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for the graduating class.We begin a cohort by selecting all first time ninth grade students and then tracking those students as they move through the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades and adding any students who transfer into the cohort and removing any students who transfer out. The fact that a student is retained at any point does not change their cohort.

Current Enrollment Status

Currently/Still EnrolledGraduate

Withdrawn – Removed from cohort

Withdrawn – Still in cohort (Dropout, Completer, No Show, Missing, other)

WHO WILL COUNT AS A GRADUATE IN THE

COHORT GRADUATION RATE?

Code GRADUATE CATEGORIES IN COHORT GRADUATION RATE

01 Graduate – Alabama High School Diploma

02 Graduate – Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced Endorsement

06 Graduate – Alabama High School Diploma with Career Tech Endorsement

07 Graduate – Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced Career Tech Endorsement

13 Graduate – Credit-Based Diploma

14 Graduate – Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced Academic and Advanced Career Tech Endorsements

WHAT EXITING STUDENTS WILL BE

CONSIDERED A NON-GRADUATE?

Non-Graduates

03 Non Graduate –Completed all required Credits but failed to pass the required number of subject subtests of the AHSGE.

04 Non-Graduate - Exited with a document other than a diploma - Special Education – Graduation Certificate

05 Non-Graduate - Special Education – Alabama Occupational Diploma

09 Non Graduate - Exited with a document other than a diploma – GED

11 Non Graduate – Retained in 12th Grade (Special Education ONLY)

12 Non Graduate – Failed to complete all credit requirements

Approved Data Collection Snapshots Used

Fall Attendance End of Year Attendance (9th Month) Summer School Completers Dropout Report

Cohort: Build process

Start with Fall collection of first-time 9th graders who actually attended an Alabama school. (Fall Collection, 2006-2007 school year).

Update dropouts, using Dropout collection and Prevention and Support verification.

Update each student’s demographics, based on 9th month collection. Add any new 9th grade students not found in any other cohort. (9th Month Collection, 2006-2007 school year).

Cohort: Build process (2)

Update any students in cohort found in summer school completer process.

Repeat for 10th grade (using Fall, Dropout, 9th Month and summer school completers from 2007-2008).

Repeat for 11th grade (using Fall, Dropout, 9th Month and summer school completers from 2008-2009).

Cohort: Build process (3)

Repeat for 12th grade (using Fall, Dropout, 9th Month and summer school completers from 2009-2010).

WHAT CHANGES CAN BE REQUESTED IN CURRENT STATUS OF A STUDENT IN

THE COHORT?

Making Cohort Changes

Category Need Docu-ments

If Approved by SDE - Resultant Action* In School Cohort =Also in System Cohort

Move to Graduate Status YES Remain in Current School Cohort

Move to Withdrawn Status – Moved Out of State or Country or to a Private School or Private Tutor

YES Remove From State Cohort

Move to Withdrawn Status – Went to Another Public School in Alabama

YES Remove from School Cohort but Add to Another School Cohort

Move to Withdrawn Status – Location Unknown NO Remain in Current School Cohort

Move to Dropout Status YES Remain in Current School Cohort

Move to Foreign Exchange Status YES Remove from State Cohort

Duplicate Student Record NO Merge Records in Cohort

Still Actively Enrolled in School NO Return to Cohort

Never an Enrolled Student in This School YES Remove from School Cohort but Return to Last Known School Cohort

Incarceration /Enrolled in Program that Culminates in Diploma

YES Removed from State Cohort

Incarceration /Enrolled in program that Does NOT Culminate in a Diploma

YES Remains in School Cohort

Switch Cohort Year YES Moved to Appropriate Cohort - * Note if in Alabama School in 8th & 9th Grade – Cohort Stands

Making Cohort Changes – Documentation Needed

Category Required Documentation

Move to Graduate or Completer Status Diploma or Certificate

Death Letter from Family or Obituary Notice

Move to Withdrawn Status – Moved Out of State or Country or to a Private School or Private Tutor

Request for Records or Official Proof of Current EnrollmentIf Out of Country – Letter from Family/ Relative or letter from School Principal verifying move will be sufficient

Move to Withdrawn Status – Went to Another Public School in Alabama

Request for Records or Proof of EnrollmentProof in State Locator- This should only happen if not properly enrolled in another system or a technical glitch

Move to Dropout Status Letter of Withdrawal with a Dropout Reason as the Withdrawal Reason

Move to Foreign Exchange Status Document of Status in US

Never an Enrolled Student in This School Proof never enrolled from Student Management System or No attendance string in any official data collection ??????

Incarceration Proof that student is in a Facility/program that culminates in a diploma

Switch Cohort Year Transcript

ALSDE GRADUATION COHORT

Categories of Students and Cohort Status

ENROLLMENT STATUS COHORT STATUS

Withdrawn to Another Alabama Public School or System – Found in new School

No Longer in This School’s Cohort but in New School Cohort

Withdrawn to Another Alabama Public School or System – Not Found in new School by SDE

IN COHORT

Withdrawn Out of State or Out of Country No longer in any Cohort in State

Withdrawn Private or Church School or Private Tutor

No longer in any Cohort in State

Withdrawn – Incarceration – Program Culminates in Diploma

No longer in any Cohort in State

Withdrawn – Incarceration – Program Does Not Culminate in Diploma

IN COHORT

Dropped Out IN COHORT

Categories of Students and Cohort StatusENROLLMENT STATUS COHORT STATUS

Currently Enrolled / Still Enrolled IN COHORT

Foreign Exchange Student No longer in any Cohort in State

Duplicate Record Records should be merged if possible so student is only in Cohort 1 time

Graduate or Completer IN COHORT

Missing Record No end of Year Record Found – IN COHORT

NO SHOW IN COHORT

Cohort: Graduation Rate for AYP AAI

Graduation Rate Calculation Formula: 100 times [Graduate Count] divided by [Total in Cohort]Missing and No Shows are counted in the Total as are Graduates, Completers, Dropouts, Withdrawn but Remain, Still Enrolled, and Other.

The Cohort Graduation Rate will be used as the AYP AAI for High Schools beginning this year.

The AAI will include a calculation for each Subpopulation where N-Count >= AYP minimum N-Count as well as the All Student category. Thus, if a school has 5 sub-populations counted in AYP that have a large enough N-count in the 12th grade cohort from the previous year, then each of the 5 sub-populations and the All Student category must make the AAI AYP in order for the school to make AAI AYP.

Cohort: Availability

Online 24/7 Accountability Web Portal (ap.alsde.edu)

Cohort: View options

Restricted to system or school level access View only school information View all schools in system

View various disaggregated subgroups/subpopulations.

Filter by any available column Add/remove columns to customize view

COHORT: FULL SCREEN

Cohort: Subpopulation

Select desired subpopulation

Summary numbers reflect selected subgroup

Only students matching selected subgroup are displayed.

Cohort: Year makeup

Displays school year and initial grade for currently displayed cohort.

Cohort: Summary

Displays summary of students matching selected subpopulation.

Graduation rate is calculated by dividing total students by graduates.

80014

42835

2986

2318

3565

3196

6742

18371

1

Cohort: View/Download Options

Choose which fields to include in grid Download current grid as Excel file Download all fields (based on current

selection) as Excel file

Cohort: Column Selection

Select columns to include in grid by dragging from field chooser to grid.

Remove columns from grid by dragging header to field chooser.

Can reorder columns in grid.

Cohort: Filter/Sort

Select column header to sort Enter text in filter row (row above data)

to restrict by matching text

Cohort: Update

Select appropriate action for student.

Similar to potential dropout application.

Must provide proper documentation to Prevention and Support to confirm.

Dropout (5)

Cohort: Full Screen

Graduation Tracking System (GTS) in STI

Use it along with your Cohort Tracking System as to track day to day attendance, behavior , and performance tracking

GTS

How is the GTS aligned to cohort tracking as a progress monitoring instrument?

- GTS reports give school staff daily access to attendance,

behavior, and course/credit performance . -Provides school staff with vital “real-time” information to use

in aligning appropriate social, behavioral, and academic resources to individual student needs in a timely manner.

Cohort: Graduation Rate for AYP AAI (2)

There is no appeal of graduation rate in the August AYP appeals.

All appeals must come through the Accountability Web Portal when opened by Prevention and Support until this cohort is closed for final graduation rate calculation.

Documentation must be faxed or mailed to the Prevention Support Section of SDE .

Instructions for Sending Supporting documentation

Fax Documentation to: 334-353-1825

Summary 2010 Cohort will be available for viewing on the

Accountability Web Portal beginning : March 02, 2012. You will not be able to challenge

this cohort. 2011 Cohort – Graduating Class of 2011 – to be used

in AYP this year – will be open for challenges on March 02, 2012 and will close on March 15, 2012.

Join us on March 02, 2012 for a follow-up webinars at 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Join us on March 02, 2012 at 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. for: Maneuvering Through the Cohort on The Accountability Portal.

Remember: Portal Opens March 2nd

and Portal Closes March 15th.