Data continue to show ‘unacceptable’ dropout rates
Published: June 1, 2009
California’s public high school graduation rate edged upward in 2007-08 while official dropout rates fell by 1 percent—but to a level state Superintendent Jack O’Connell still labeled “unacceptably high” as he released the figures from an annual report last month.
In all, 68.3 percent of eligible students graduated from high school last year, up from 67.7 percent in 2006-07, while the dropout rate dropped to 20.1 percent. The figures mark the first valid year-to-year comparisons using Statewide Student Identifiers, part of the California Department of Education’s drive to provide better student data. All K-12 students and those still enrolled after grade 12 were assigned an SSID number starting two years ago. Next year’s report will include dropout rates from students in grades 7-8 as well.
“We know that we lose kids even before they get to high school,” said Keric Ashley, director of CDE’s Data Management division. “The dropout problem starts from even the time they are in elementary school: You can see problem signs like poor attendance or poor grades. High school dropout rates are not just for high school. This is a problem for everyone to address.”
O’Connell reported on two new categories this year: re-enrolled dropouts, or students whom school districts or county offices of education report as having dropped out but the CDE database reveals may have re-enrolled elsewhere; and lost transfers, or students shown in the database to have transferred but without a record of where they transferred to.
Racial divides
O’Connell expressed alarm that the data continue to show high dropout rates among black students—34.7 percent in 2007-08—and Hispanics, at 25.5 percent in 2007-08.
“There are long-term economic repercussions from not graduating for the student, for their communities and for our statewide economy,” O’Connell said during a May 12 teleconference. “These data provide even more evidence of the challenge and the moral imperative of closing the achievement gap as well as increasing graduation rates among all students.”
Dropouts depend more on public assistance, earn less money, have poorer health and increased rates of unemployment, mortality, crime and incarceration, according to a recent research report from the California Dropout Research Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara. These factors contribute to significant economic losses at the local, state and federal levels.
Advances in data collection
Student data collection will become more streamlined and systematic late this summer, when the long-anticipated California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System will be launched.
“[CALPADS] will allow for much better tracking of students as they progress and move through different schools,” according to O’Connell. “The state will have much better data that will help us close the achievement gap.”
Once launched, CALPADS will include demographic and program data and will specify whether students are enrolled in Gifted and Talented Education, special education or resource classes. While it won’t change the way data is currently collected via SSIDs, the new program will provide automation in terms of the way data is managed, Ashley said.
“Right now, it takes 90 days to get this kind of information,” he said. CALPADS will maintain an online system that can be accessed at any time.
Of course, data collection only goes so far.
“Data never solves the problem. It just points out where to look and investigate to see what can be done,” Ashley said. “As a former principal, I would take a look at these numbers to see where I need to put my focus: by gender, by program participation. Locally is where this data makes the most sense and has the most impact.”
Related link:
Generate local or state-level reports on dropouts, graduation or other topics from CDE’s DataQuest @ http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest