“Colorado
graduation rates reach highest marks since 2010…”
(CDE News Release, Jan. 19, 2017)
“The real goal is not just to graduate
more young people, but to keep more young people on the path to success in
adulthood. Giving false diplomas or passing students who aren’t ready helps no
one.”[i]
(John Gomperts, president and CEO of America’s Promise Alliance, May 2016)
I stand and cheer for our 2017 high school graduates on
their way to college! Congratulations
Ava (CU-Boulder), Adwoa (Wake Forest), Betty (George Washington), Jonas
(Harvard), Leo (Colorado College), Miriam (CSU-Ft. Collins)—among others. College ready? No question.
But we must question what percentage of this year’s roughly 50,000
Colorado high school graduates are college-ready, or have demonstrated a
certain level of competency in reading, writing, and math. My text this time is the just released Legislative Report on Developmental
Education for the High School Class of 2015 (May 2017), from the Colorado
Department of Higher Education. (Highlights,
Addendum A.) Read it and I think you
too will find it impossible to cheer for the happy talk of higher graduation
rates. Such as:
·
The national
graduation rate is “at an all-time high of 83.2 percent” (Education Week, May 10, 2017).
·
The Colorado
Department of Education states the four-year graduation rate shows “a marked
increase in the statewide graduation rate with 78.9 percent of the students in
the class of 2016 graduating within four years of entering ninth grade”… and an
increase of “6.5 percentage points since 2010.” News Release, Jan. 19, 2017, http://www.cde.state.co.us/communications/20170119graduationrelease).
·
Denver
Public Schools began the decade with an on-time graduation rate of just
over 50% (51.8% in 2010). Nothing but
progress of late: 62.8% in 2014, 64.8% in 2015, 67.2% in 2016.
Solid data, right? I
doubt it. Such claims are a type of fake news.
Remedial rate – Colorado grads entering Colorado colleges[ii]
|
|
2013
|
34.2%
|
2014
|
35.4%
|
2015
|
36.1%
|
Why? Because they
suggest a higher percentage of students each year are achieving a certain
academic standard. But as a high school
diploma, in our state anyway, says little about graduating with the knowledge
and skills that indicate college-readiness, a greater percentage graduating can
also mean—see box—a higher percentage
require remedial classes.
Can we celebrate a higher graduation rate in May at a Denver
high school—when, in August, an astonishingly high percentage of its graduates
are not seen as college ready for English or math classes, or both—requiring
remedial course work before they are eligible for college-credit classes?
Consider a Chalkbeat
Colorado piece on the 2015 results:
DPS celebrated its gains Thursday by
highlighting the Denver Center for International Studies, which earned a 92.9 percent graduation rate. [Addendum
B has this same figure.]
“It’s not just that they graduate, but
that they are successful when they leave,” said school principal Theresa
Mccorquodale.
Mccorquodale cited a drop in
remediation rates for her graduates.
Some drop: According
to the Legislative Report, the
remediation rate for DCIS students entering a Colorado college was 53.1% in
2014, and 51.4% (19 of 37 students) in 2015.
(See details for this and for paragraphs below, in Addendum B: DPS: CLASS OF 2015 - ACT, GRAD RATE, and REMEDIATION RATE.)
That same year Bruce Randolph High reported a graduation
rate of 79%--even better than the state average!, and a big bounce from 62.6%
the year before. And yet for the fall of
2015, the Legislative Report showed 46.2%
of Randolph’s graduating class entering a Colorado college needed a remedial
class, a rate 10% higher than the state
average (36.1%) for remediation that year.
Abraham Lincoln High may have been proud to show a
graduation rate of 77.3% (266 out of 344 students) in 2015, also a terrific
jump from two years before (64.7%). But the
Colorado Department of Higher Education’s remediation figures show that nearly
two-thirds (59 out of 90) of Lincoln’s 2015 graduates required remedial classes
when entering a Colorado college that fall.
“ACT scores show a smaller share of students
are ‘college-ready’”[iii] Washington
Post, Aug. 24, 2016
|
DPS puts together a different tally for remediation figures
than DHE. (See its report for the class
of 2014-15[iv].
See also Chalkbeat Colorado’s
explanation of Denver’s approach, May 2016.[v])
DPS will challenge the state’s numbers, perhaps rightly.
But for a three-year picture, and state-wide comparisons, the Legislative Report is what we have.
And we have ACT scores too. Let’s look at the 2015 class at
Randolph and Lincoln. When students
there took the ACT as juniors in 2014, they had an average score of 16.4 at Randolph and 16.0 at Lincoln. Such low scores make it likely that of those
who do go on, a large number will not be college ready.
In other words, the (high) remediation rates and the (low) ACT
scores seem consistent. Together they
force us to be skeptical of “encouraging” graduation rates at such schools.
Remedial rate–2015 Colorado grads entering Colorado colleges
|
|
Westminster 50
|
71.6
|
Adams 14
|
69.5
|
Sheridan
|
55.6
|
Pueblo City 60
|
54.9
|
Mapleton
|
53.5
|
Greeley
|
53.1
|
Aurora
|
48.7
|
DPS
|
45.4
|
Of course this is more than a DPS story. When Alameda International shows a graduation
rate (92.9%) nearly as impressive as two well-regarded Jeffco high schools, Evergreen
(95.8%) and Ralston Valley (95.2%), one might cheer. But then you note Alameda’s remediation rate
of 60%, compared to less than 15% for Evergreen and Ralston graduates. Even within a district, a high school diploma
can have a profoundly different meaning. (See details in Addendum C: 6 other metro area school districts.)
Adams City High shows better graduation rates of late: from 67.8%
in 2013, up to 79% in 2016. But DHE’s most
recent numbers also show rising remediation rates for Adams City graduates:
2013: 62.3%; 2014: 64.1%; 2015: 68.8%. (The
State Board of Education will soon take a final look at Adams 14’s turnaround
plan. Please note that 68.8%.)
Sheridan High School (SHS) boasted an increased graduation
figure of 30% points from 2013 (60%) to 2015 (90.1%). One might wish to say: terrific–64 out of 71 SHS
seniors earned a high school diploma that spring. But the DHE report shows that, in the fall of
2015, 10 of the 18 graduates (55%) of the district’s two high schools—Sheridan
High and SOAR Academy (an alternative school)—required a remedial class when
they entered a Colorado college.
Again, in a state with no graduation test, the closest we
have to a “final assessment” for the entire class of 2015 would be its
performance on the ACT taken junior year.
At Sheridan High, it was 15.9; at Adams City High, 16.1. A year later, most seniors in these schools
had the grades and credits to earn a degree.
In such cases, what is the value of that degree? (See details on
Sheridan High in Addendum D.)
A recent Education Week article reported on a study that addressed the skepticism about the upbeat stories on grad rates: “Is the High School Graduation Rate Inflated? No, Study Says.”
Watered-down graduation
requirements, mistaken calculations, and push-outs of unsuccessful students may
have falsely boosted high school graduation rates in a few states, but are not
widespread enough to have inflated the national graduation rate, which is at an
all-time high of 83.2 percent, according to a new study.[vi]
Strange to
see not one mention in the article of remediation rates. It does comment:
If states were lowering
standards for diplomas, the report says, there would likely be declines in
scores on tests such as the ACT and the SAT, and Advanced Placement exams.
Much
here updates the argument I made in
The Denver Post two summers ago: http://www.denverpost.com/2015/07/02/huidekoper-high-school-graduation-rates-arent-necessarily-a-reason-to-celebrate/
|
I simply point out the paradox of seeing schools where ACT scores remain terribly low as graduation rates
rise.
Not inflated? Seriously?
Some will say we have not done enough to match a high
school diploma with the knowledge and skills required to take college-level
classes, and that we should not fault the K-12 system for that failure. And I appreciate why many question the way
colleges determine “readiness”—such as the way most students ended up in my
remedial reading classes at Arapahoe Community College—by taking the
Accuplacer, a 20-question multiple choice test in English.[vii]
Nevertheless, the data available should compel us to stop
celebrating higher graduation rates as if they tell us something important
about what our students have learned.
You can say it’s too cute to call it fake news.
I would answer: it is not honest of us to tell ourselves and
our community that higher graduation rates mean our schools are improving and
our students are making academic progress.
It is clearly dishonest if we are telling students their degree means
something they soon find out is untrue.
What is true—can we please admit this?—is that a high school diploma in
our state, and perhaps in many others as well, says little about our students’
academic skills or whether they are ready for college.
Another View is a newsletter by Peter Huidekoper
Jr. Comments are welcome. 303-757-1225 -
peterhdkpr@gmail.com
Addendum A
LEGISLATIVE REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTAL
EDUCATION FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2015
Highlights
from Academic Year 2015-16
1. Overall, the percentage of the 2015 high school graduates
placed into developmental education
in at least one subject was 36.1 percent, a slight increase from
the previous year of 35.4 percent.
2. Of the high school graduates who matriculated to college in
Colorado, 7,838 students were placed
into developmental education (an increase of 366 students from
last year).
3. The percentage of female college students placed into
developmental education was 37.9
percent, a slight decrease from last year. The percentage of
male college students placed into
developmental education was 34 percent, a slight increase from
last year.
4. At two-year institutions, 79.1 percent of African American
students were placed into
developmental education. At four-year institutions, 49.3 percent
of African American students
were placed into developmental education. Both rates have
decreased compared to last year.
5. At two-year institutions, 71.4 percent of Hispanic students
placed into developmental education
(a slight increase compared to last year). At four-year
institutions, the rate of Hispanic students
placed into developmental education is unchanged from last year
at 39 percent.
6. Of Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) participants, 53.6 percent
were placed into developmental
education which represents a slight increase compared to last
year (53.4 percent last year). Of
non-FRL students, 30.6 percent were placed into developmental
education (31.4 percent last year).
7. When examining developmental education by subject, students
almost equally required support
in mathematics and English.
8. For the third year, students placed into developmental
education had higher first year retention
rates than non-developmental education students at community
colleges.
9. At the four-year level, the retention rate for students not
placed into developmental education
was 77.8 percent, compared to 66.3 percent for those placed into
developmental education.
Retention rates have increased for both groups of students
compared to last year (76.7 percent
and 61.4 percent respectively).
10. More than 63 percent of all developmental education courses
were completed successfully, a 0.6
percent increase from the previous year.
11. The estimated cost to the state and estimated tuition cost
to all college students enrolled in
developmental education courses is approximately $29.6 million
in FY2015-16. This is a $9.7
million dollar savings from last year due to students taking
fewer developmental courses and
fewer courses being offered.
2015 High School Graduating Cohort: 53,128
Enrolled in an Out-of-State College: 7,119
Enrolled in Colorado Public College: 22,923
Addendum B
DPS - CLASS OF 2015 - ACT, GRAD RATE, and
REMEDIATION RATE
DENVER PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
|
2014 – ACT*
juniors
|
2015 grad rate** % - total # seniors
|
2015 remediation rate*** % - entering
college
|
Denver School of Science &
Technology-Stapleton
|
24.5
|
81.9 105
|
9.3 5/54
|
DSST: Green Valley Ranch
|
23.2
|
85.4 96
|
13.5 7/52
|
Denver School of the Arts
|
23.4
|
98.1 158
|
29.5 18/61
|
East
|
21.9
|
89.6 616
|
35.8 82/229
|
George Washington
|
21
|
82.6 270
|
32.6 30/92
|
Denver Center for International
Studies
|
21.1
|
92.9 85
|
|
Thomas Jefferson
|
19.5
|
83.5 212
|
44.1 37/84
|
KIPP Denver Collegiate
|
19.2
|
83.5 79
|
40.5 17/42
|
College ready?
|
|||
John Kennedy
|
17.3
|
76.7 279
|
52.5 52
/99
|
South
|
17.3
|
78.6 238
|
43.6 41/94
|
Martin Luther King Early College
|
17.1
|
70 150
|
58.6 34/58
|
DCIS at Montbello
|
17.1
|
86.7 90
|
71.8 28/39
|
High Tech
|
16.9
|
77.8 81
|
60 12/20
|
North
|
16.9
|
70.9 134
|
40 18/45
|
Southwest Early College
|
16.4
|
44.1 59
|
41.2 7/17
|
Bruce Randolph H.S. (6-12)
|
16.4
|
79 81
|
46.2 18/39
|
Manual H.S.
|
16.1
|
52.7 74
|
77.8 14/18
|
Abraham Lincoln
|
16
|
77.3 344
|
|
DPS Average
|
18.4
taken by 4,071
students
|
64.8
|
45.4
626/1,378
|
STATE
|
20.3
taken by
54,512 students
|
77.3
|
36.1
|
Addendum
C – College ready?
2014
– ACT*
juniors
|
2015
grad rate** % - total # seniors
|
2015
remediation rate *** % - entering college
|
|
10 metro area high schools
|
|||
Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts (MAPLETON)
|
17.4
|
87.3
71
|
65.5
19/29
|
Northglenn
High (ADAMS 12)
|
17.4
|
83.8
351
|
61.9 78/126
|
Hinkley
H.S. (AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS)
|
17.0
|
60.3
521
|
48.6
67/138
|
Gateway H.S. (AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS)
|
16.8
|
55.9 397
|
61.8 47/76
|
16.5
|
92.9 170
|
60.5 26/43
|
|
Westminster H.S. (WESTMINSTER)
|
16.2
|
66.2 568
|
70.9 90/127
|
Adams City High School (ADAMS 14)
|
16.1
|
73 366
|
68.8 53/77
|
Jefferson High School (JEFFERSON COUNTY)
|
16.1
|
64.4 118
|
65 13/20
|
Sheridan H.S. (SHERIDAN)
|
15.9
|
90.1 71
|
55 10/18*
|
Aurora Central H.S. (AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS)
|
15.2
|
44.3 479
|
70.3 52/74
|
STATE
|
20.3
|
77.3
61,790
|
36.1%
|
****Not available for the school; these are the numbers for the entire
district (both schools) – from the Legislative Report, above.
Addendum D – Sheridan
High School
How can ACT scores decline,
even as grad rates appear “strong”?
ACT*
juniors
|
grad rate** % -
# grads/total senior class
|
remediation rate ***
|
|
Graduating
class of 2013
|
16.7 (2012)
|
60%
42/70
|
47.4%
|
Graduating
class of 2014
|
16.4 (2013)
|
82.7%
62/75
|
44.7%
|
Graduating
class of 2015
|
15.9 (2014)
|
90.1%
64/71
|
55% for district****
|
Graduating
class of 2016
|
15.5 (2015)
|
84.9% 62/73
|
N.A. yet
|
****Not available for the school; these
are the numbers for the entire district (both schools) – from the Legislative
Report, above.
[i]
“Graduation rates are better, but we’re not there yet.” (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/05/18/graduation-rates-are-better-but-were-not.html)
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