How the Graduation Rate Is Calculated
Dr. Cathy McNeal
Director, Assessment and Accountability
December 15, 2016
1
Alabama Has Multiple Categories in the
Cohort Graduation Rate
• Graduate
– Alabama High School Diploma
– Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced
Endorsement
– Alabama High School Diploma with Career Tech
Endorsement
– Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced Career Tech
Endorsement
– Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced Academic
and Advanced Career Tech Endorsements
2
Alabama Identifies Multiple Categories in the
Cohort Non-Graduation Rate
• Non-Graduate
– Exited with a document other than a diploma
• Special Education – Graduation Certificate
–
–
–
–
Alabama Occupational Diploma
Exited with a document other than a diploma – GED
Retained in 12th Grade (Special education ONLY)
Failed to complete all credit requirements
3
Graduation Rate Cohort Window Is Edited in the
ALSDE Application Portal
Graduation Cohort Summary
• Graduates
• Completers
• Still Enrolled
• Dropouts
• Withdrawn (still in cohort)
• Missing Records
• No Shows
– Missing records and no shows
were not found anywhere in
the state
4
Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rate
• The formula is the percentage of students who
entered ninth grade and graduated within four years.
• The formula equates to the number of on-time
graduates in a given year divided by the number of
entering first-time ninth graders four years earlier,
adjusting for transfers in and out.
• Students are tracked individually from the time they
start ninth grade.
5
Five-Year Cohort Graduation Rate
To determine the Four-Year Graduation Rate
• Use the 2011-2012 to 2015-16 data
• Review the current status of students identified as •
•
•
•
•
Still Enrolled
No Show
Withdrawn (Still in Cohort)
Missing Records
Dropouts
• Go through the four-year process to determine if the
status of these students changed for the Five-Year
Cohort Graduation rate.
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ALSDE Requirements to Edit the Graduation Rate
Functional
7
Editing Categories For Making Cohort Changes
Requires Documentation
Category
Need
Documents
Cohort Status
Move to Graduate or Completer Status
YES
Remain in Current School Cohort
Move to Withdrawn-Out of Cohort Status –
Moved Out of State or Country or to a
Private School or Private Tutor
YES
Remove From State Cohort
Move to Withdrawn-Still in Cohort Status –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
YES
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
YES
Merge Records in Cohort
Still Actively Enrolled in School
YES
Remain in Current 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
8
& 9th Grade – Cohort Stands
Glossary of Terms Used in the Graduation
Application
• Still Enrolled (Non- Graduates)
– Students who do not complete all requirement for graduation within a
four-year cohort period but who remain enrolled in school working
toward completion of requirement or who remain enrolled as a special
education student served until the age of 21.
• Withdrawn (Still in your Cohort – Non-Graduates)
– Student is withdrawn but records are not requested or sent to transfer
school. School does not have documentation to support that the
student transferred.
• No Show (Non-Graduates)
– Student leaves over the summer and never returns to complete an
official transfer or drop-out form.
9
A Dropout is a Non-Graduate and Counts Against the
School’s Graduation Rate
• Dropouts (Non-Graduates)
• According to the Common core of Data (CCD) definition, a dropout is an
individual who
– Was enrolled in school at sometime during the previous school year;
– Was not enrolled at the beginning of the current school year;
– Has NOT graduated from high school or completed a state- or systemapproved education program;
– And does not meet any of the following exclusionary conditions:
• Transfer to another public school district, private school, or stateor district approved education program;
• Temporary absence due to suspension or school-approved illness;
or
• Death
10
Glossary of Terms Used in the Graduation Application
• Completers (Non-Graduates)
– Student who exited with a document other than a regular
diploma such as a GED, Alabama Occupational Diploma or
Special Education Certificate.
• Graduate
– A student who completes all requirements for a state
approved regular diploma.
• Switch Cohort Year
– A student who was a first-time 9th grader in a year other
than 2012-13.
11
Certain Withdrawn Students Do Not Count Against a
School’s Graduation Rate
• Withdrawn (Out of Cohort)
– Student is withdrawn, moved out of state or country, to a
private school, private tutor, Online School and records are
requested or sent to the transfer school.
• Withdrawn (Transfer within State)
– Student is withdrawn to another public school in the state
of Alabama.
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