Lazaro Aleman: Greene Publishing, Inc.
In keeping with a statewide trend, Madison County High School’s graduation rates have been rising steadily during the last five years, with slight slips here and there.
Information released recently by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) shows Madison County graduation rates have climbed from 66.3 percent in the 2011/12 school year, to 80.1 percent in 2015/16 -- an overall increase of 13.8 percent. The climb, however, hasn’t been without some slips.
Consider: In 2012/13, the rate dropped from the 66.3 percent in 2011/12 to 64.0 percent. It then rose to 75.7 percent in 2013/14, only to drop to 58.1 percent in 2014/15. Then last year, 2015/16, it jumped to 80.1 percent.
The FDOE gives no explanation for the rates or ups and downs, other than to note that it’s all part of an overall statewide trend.
Indeed, the FDOE reports that Florida’s latest high school graduation rates rose by 2.8 percentage points over the previous year. And they have overall increased 21.5 percent since 2003-04, going from 59.2 percent in that school year to 80.7 percent in 2015-16. Which 80.7 percent the FDOE proclaims a “13-year high.”
The department further notes that although Florida’s overall graduation rates vary by race and ethnicity, all groups have increased their graduation rates since 2011-12.
“The subgroup with the largest percentage point increases over 2014-15 include African Americans (4.3 percentage points) and Hispanic (2.8 percentage points),” the FDOE states.
The FDOE figures show that from 2011-12 to 2015-16, white students went from a graduation rate of 79.5 percent to 85.1 percent; African-Americans went from 63.7 percent to 72.3 percent; and Hispanics went from 73.0 percent to 79.5 percent.
Asians, meanwhile, went from 88.5 percent to 91.9 percent during the same period. Graduation rates increased as well for all ethnic groups.
In terms of gender, the graduation rate increases for the period between 2011-12 through 2015-16. A break down shows as follows: white female students, up from 83.4 percent to 88.3 percent; white male students, up from 75.7 percent to 82.0 percent; African-American females, up from 70.0 percent to 77.7 percent; African-American males, up from 57.4 percent to 67.0 percent; Hispanics girls, up from 77.2 percent to 83.2 percent; and Hispanics boys, up from 68.9 percent to 75.8 percent.
Asian girls, went from 90.5 percent to 93.2 percent during the period; and Asian boys went from 86.5 percent to 90.6 percent.
Per the FDOE, federal regulations require that each state calculate a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, which includes standard diplomas but excludes both regular and adult GEDs, as well as special diplomas. The U.S. Department of Education (USED), moreover, adopted the particular calculation method in an effort to develop uniform, accurate and comparable graduation rates across all states.
“The USED required states to begin calculating the new graduation rate in 2010-11,” the FDOE reports. “This graduation rate is currently in Florida’s school accountability system in the high schools grades calculation.”
Florida’s graduation rate is a cohort graduation rate, the FDOE further explains, defining a cohort as a group of students on the same schedule to graduate.
“The graduation rate measures the percentage of students who graduate within four years of their first enrollment in ninth grade,” the FDOE states. “Subsequent to their enrollment in ninth grade, students who transfer out and deceased students are removed from the calculation. Entering transfer students are included in the graduation rate for the class with which they are scheduled to graduate, based on their date of enrollment.”
The FDOE makes the point that Florida’s 80.7 percent graduation rate does not mean that 19.3 percent of students in the cohort are dropouts.
“Students in a cohort can be classified as graduates, dropouts and non-graduates,” the FDOE states. “Non-graduates include students who have been retained and are still in school, received certificates of completion, or received GED-based diplomas. In Florida’s 2015-16 cohort, 3.8 percent of the students dropped out and 15.5 percent are still enrolled in school, earned a certificate of completion, special diploma or GED-based diploma.”