Good News About Good Schools
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008
Fla. graduation rate a new high
Staff and Wire Report
Florida recorded its best graduation and dropout rates ever last school year, state officials announced Wednesday, while Volusia and Flagler counties did better than the state average in both categories.Flagler's performance improved on both measures, while Volusia's graduation rate dipped a little and its dropout rate improved to the best ever reported. Flagler County Assistant Superintendent Janet Valentine attributed the improvements to programs promoting stronger relationships between teachers and students, allowing students to catch up on missed credits and giving extra help to students who initially fail the state test required for graduation. "We're very pleased we're well above the state," said Volusia Deputy Superintendent Chris Colwell, who noted the county rated third best in the state on both measures among the 13 school districts with more than 60,000 students. He said more detailed information is needed to analyze why the graduation rate dipped. The graduation rate measures the percentage of students who graduate within four years of entering ninth grade for the first time. The dropout rate compares the number of students in ninth through 12th grades who leave school without indicating they're enrolling elsewhere against the total school enrollment. The two rates are calculated independently of each other, and they aren't expected to add up to 100 percent. Flagler's graduation rate for last school year was 80.9 percent -- up from 77.1 percent in 2007 -- and its dropout rate was 1 percent, down from 2.5 percent the year before. Volusia's graduation rate was 81.9 percent, down from 82.6 percent, and its dropout rate declined from 1.3 percent to 1 percent. Both counties finished better than the statewide average, where the graduation rate was 75.4 percent, up 3 points from a year ago. The statewide dropout rate was 2.6 percent, down from 3.3 percent in 2007. The dropout and graduation rates improved significantly in Volusia, Flagler and across the state over the last 10 years, according to the Florida Department of Education. Minority students showed the most improvement in both categories last school year, the department reported. "These results reinforce the tremendous academic progress our students have made over the last decade and prove that Florida is home to some of the best teachers in the nation," Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith said in a statement. "It is vital that we continue to build on our progress by elevating the expectation for our children and preparing them with the skills they need to succeed in today's global economy," Smith said. Graduation and dropout rates vary across the nation depending on the way they're calculated. Florida officials defended their rates -- which are better than in some recent national studies -- as more accurate because they track individual students. Florida, however, counts students as graduates who receive standard diplomas, special diplomas that go to disabled students and equivalency diplomas earned by passing an exam within four years of entering ninth grade. Many other studies don't include equivalency diplomas. -- Staff Writers Linda Trimble and Kenya Woodard and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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