What does "Higher" graduation rate mean?

State Superintendent of Public Education Tony Bennett is "beaming" about a steady increase in graduation rates since the state implemented a new standardized formula for their calculation in 2006. What that means is hard to say. Time Magazine's article on teen employment suggests kids are only staying in school because they can't get jobs. (It's not because of "high school reinvent".) For the time being at least, more kids are staying in school for four years and coming out with a diploma. More kids have the opportunity to take advantage of the four years they spend in high school.

Whether they're doing that or not isn't clear. One way schools have of keeping kids around is to make it easier to pass their courses. Dumb it down. Course grades are meaningful only in a relative sense and as any university and business will testify, a high school diploma doesn't mean much unless you know the standards of the school district and even the individual school that gave it.

With the adoption of spring testing, the state also eliminated the Graduation Qualifying Exam given to high school sophomores as a "requirement" for graduation (except when they were given a waiver). Instead they're now giving "End of Course Examinations" (EOC's) for the "core forty" math and English courses. FWCS did not publicize their scores for the first round of these tests, but their passing rates were about 20%. The statewide rate was about 40%. Not very impressive. Needless to say, (in FWCS) the course passing rate as determined by their grades are typically in the range of 50-60%. High school teachers are afraid to flunk too many kids. (In middle school it doesn't matter, since everyone gets promoted regardless.)

The only way to know what's really going on is to give every graduating senior a national standardized test. The SAT's and ACT's given for college entrance are the closest thing we have to that right now, but they're optional. So, unfortunately, unless the feds get involved individual states and school districts can play too many games. That's what they've been doing up to now and that's why they'll scream about any such attempt at federal interference.