CHS Graduation Rate

The 2015 numbers are out. Here is a Village Green article from today:

Report: Columbia HS Graduation Rate Rises 5% Over Four Years

The four-year sample since the state changed how it determines the rate is still small, and annual fluctations at any school can puncture apparent trends (for instance, one could also note that Columbia's rate fell 2.5 percent from the previous year), but does look like SOMSD is moving in the right direction.

The figure that always stands out for me, as a reminder of the stakes, is the raw one: 47 freshmen at Columbia in 2011-12 -- the equivalent of almost two classrooms -- did not get a diploma with the rest of their class.

(ETA: Apologies in advance to anyone who questions that raw number because of transfers into and out of the district. I recall that the cohort calculation accounts for such moves, but I'm posting on the fly and don't have time at the moment to brush up again on how it does.)

The state's breakdowns by year for 2012 to 2015, and by demographics for 2015:

http://www.state.nj.us/education/data/grate/2015/4YearGradRate.xlsx

http://www.state.nj.us/education/data/grate/2015/4Year.xlsx

This question is primarily an excuse to highlight this article in the Village Green ...

http://villagegreennj.com/schools-kids/chs-asian-american-club-explores-culture-confronts-stereotypes/

... but it's something that puzzled me about the demographic breakdowns. Why, for instance, would the Asian line be blank for Columbia? And are there really no African-American or Hispanic students at all in this cohort at schools like Glen Ridge, Livingston, Millburn and Verona?

DaveSchmidt said:

This question is primarily an excuse to highlight this article in the Village Green ...

http://villagegreennj.com/schools-kids/chs-asian-american-club-explores-culture-confronts-stereotypes/


... but it's something that puzzled me about the demographic breakdowns. Why, for instance, would the Asian line be blank for Columbia? And are there really no African-American or Hispanic students at all in this cohort at schools like Glen Ridge, Livingston, Millburn and Verona?

Even more surprising was the blank amount under two or more races at Columbia.

if the numbers are small, they don't report them because it is too easy to figure out who it is.  I don't know if that applies here, but maybe.

RobinM2 said:

if the numbers are small, they don't report them because it is too easy to figure out who it is.  I don't know if that applies here, but maybe.

That's definitely true for test score reporting.  (And the reason why you don't see some of these for CHS ... and also why you don't see much reporting on Af Am students in Millburn, for example.)

Do these numbers include special education students who have significant disabilities and stay in school through age 21?

jmitw said:

Do these numbers include special education students who have significant disabilities and stay in school through age 21?

From Frequently Asked Questions:

When is a student still considered enrolled?
A student is considered enrolled if he or she is included in a program of instruction that leads to a regular high school diploma. That program could be in an alternative program, an adult school program, a bilingual program or a special education placement, as long as the student is working toward a diploma. Students who take part in alternative program options are not counted as transfers, as long as they are still in the home school district. If the programs are outside of the district, they would be coded as transfers to a public school outside the district. Students who are not on track to graduate in four years may continue their education working toward a diploma, but they will not count in the district’s four-year graduation rate. In 2012, the Department of Education will begin to report a five-year rate based on the 2007 cohort in addition to the four-year rate of 2011 for the same cohort. However, keep in mind that the official graduation rate is the four-year one.

In NJ, ALL students in special ed are working toward a regular high school diploma.  Even the student whose goals are point to communicate and feeding themselves.

sac said:

RobinM2 said:

if the numbers are small, they don't report them because it is too easy to figure out who it is.  I don't know if that applies here, but maybe.

That's definitely true for test score reporting.  (And the reason why you don't see some of these for CHS ... and also why you don't see much reporting on Af Am students in Millburn, for example.)

Probably the case. Just noticed that Columbia's white, African-American and Hispanic subsets add up to 492, but the school total is 510.

A decline for 2016. From the Maplewoodian:

CHS Graduation Rate Dips to Three-Year Low

It's worth noting that given a fifth year, the 2015 cohort raised its rate by three points, to 94 percent. So while there's plenty of room for the 2016 rate to improve, there is still some time, too.