1. 1 Graduation Rates: Students Who Started 9 th Grade in 2000, 2001, and 2002

2. 2 The Bottom Line Latest 4-year statewide graduation rate is 67%, much too low. Ranges from 45% in Big 4 Cities to 91% in wealthiest districts. This disparity declines in the 5 th and 6 th year of high school. After 6 years, 57% of New York City students had graduated; 94% for Low Need. Shows the urgent need for additional funding and accountability, as Regents have advocated. Some improvements: Graduation rates increased for Black and Hispanic students. Graduation rate increased for New York City.

3. 3 Students who started 9 th grade in 2002 after four Years--Statewide 67% of students in the 2002 Total Cohort graduated by June 2006; 16 percent were still enrolled. 2002 Total Cohort Students = 216,910 All Students in Public Schools

4. 4 Students who started 9 th grade in 2001 after five years--Statewide 72% of students in the 2001 Total Cohort graduated by June 2006; 5 percent were still enrolled. 2001 Total Cohort Students = 212,135 All Students in Public Schools

5. 5 Students who started 9 th grade in 2000 after six years--Statewide 73% of students in the 2000 Total Cohort graduated by June 2006; 2 percent were still enrolled. 2000 Total Cohort Students = 210,525 All Students in Public Schools Graduated 73%

6. 6 Graduation Rates: Improving Data School districts have improved their record-keeping over time, counting more students. Example: schools first reported 199,000 students in the group who started 9 th grade in 2000. A year later, they reported 210,000 students in that same group. The increase was due to better record-keeping. The 4-year graduation rates in the following slides are based on the latest, more complete data from school districts. As a result, some of the results may vary slightly from graduation rates presented in 2005 and 2006. Differences are indicated.

7. 7 Graduation Rates: The Total Cohort Graduation rates shown in the following slides for the state as a whole and for all need/resource categories (for example, the Big 4 Cities, New York City, High Need Urban/Suburban districts, and so forth) include all students who began 9 th grade in a particular year (for example, 2002), no matter how long they remained in school.

8. 8 Statewide, the four-year graduation rate of the 2002 Cohort was one percentage point higher than that of previous cohorts. The graduation rates of the 2000 and 2001 Cohorts increased by six percentage points in the fifth year of high school. Cohort Members 2000 210,525 2001 212,315 2002 216,910 adjusted downward from 67%. adjusted upward from 64%.

9. 9 The graduation rate of each successive New York City Cohort has improved. In the 2000 and 2001 Cohorts, 9 to 10% of students graduated in the fifth year. Cohort Members 2000 74,786 2001 72,637 2002 73,864 adjusted upward from 43.5%.

10. 10 In the Big 4 Cities, 56% of 2000 Cohort members had graduated by the end of Year 6. Cohort Members 2000 8,554 2001 8,642 2002 9,048

11. 11 In districts outside the Big 5 Cities, 84% of 2000 Cohort members had graduated by the end of Year 6. The decrease between the 2000 and 2001 Cohorts is due to more accurate inclusion of students in the 2001 Cohort. Cohort Members 2000 127,185 2001 130,856 2002 133,998

12. 12 While the graduation rate of Black Students is unacceptably low, it has improved. Cohort Members 2000 40,373 2001 40,239 2002 41,392

13. 13 The graduation rate of Hispanic students also increased. Cohort Members 2000 34,770 2001 35,122 2002 36,847

14. 14 The graduation rate of White students has been stable across cohorts. Cohort Members 2000 120,371 2001 121,673 2002 122,785

15. 15 At the end of six years, more than three-quarters of general- education students statewide had graduated. The graduation rate increased between the 2000 and 2002 Cohorts. Cohort Members 2000 186,174 2001 185,854 2002 189,457

16. 16 At the end of six years, fewer than half of students with disabilities had graduated. The graduation rate decreased between the 2000 and 2002 Cohorts. The graduation rates for the 2000 Cohort were probably inflated by failure to report some students with disabilities. Cohort Members 2000 24,351 2001 26,281 2002 27,453

17. 17 While the graduation rate of English Language Learners in the 2000 Cohort improved after five and six years, fewer than half had graduated at the end of six years. Cohort Members 2000 11,776 2001 11,302 2002 11,027

18. 18 The graduation rate of female students is higher than that of males and has been steady across the 2000, 2001 and 2002 Cohorts. Cohort Members 2000 102,538 2001 104,217 2002 106,343

19. 19 The graduation rate of male students in the 2002 Cohort was slightly higher than that in previous cohorts. Cohort Members 2000 107,987 2001 107,918 2002 110,567

20. 20 Graduation rates vary widely based on student need and district wealth.

21. 21 Needs/ Resource Category Cohort Enroll- ment Regents /Local Diploma IEP diploma Still enrolled Trans- ferred to GED Dropped Out New York City73,86450%2%28%0%20% Large City9,04845%3%19%1%31% Urban/Suburban17,64758%3%16%3%20% Rural High Need 14,64771%4%8%3%14% Average70,88078%2%9%2%9% Low Need30,57491%1%5%1%3% Charter Schools25026%0%40%0%34% Total Public216,91067%2%16%1%14% The Percentage of Students in the 2002 Cohort by Outcomes as of June 30, 2006 after 4 years Students in Low Need Districts are twice as likely to graduate in four years as those in Large City Districts.

22. 22 Need/Resource Category Cohort Enroll- ment Regents /Local Diploma IEP diploma Still enrolled Trans- ferred to GED Dropped Out New York City72,63757%3%11%1%29% Large City8,64253%4% 2%38% Urban/Suburban17,05966%3%4%3%23% Rural High Need 14,63473%4%2%3%18% Average69,64683%2% 12% Low Need29,29493%1% 4% Charter Schools22337%0%22%0%40% Total Public212,13572%2%5%1%19% The graduation rates in urban High Need Districts improves in the fifth year. The Percentage of Students in the 2001 Cohort by Outcomes as of June 30, 2006 after 5 years

23. 23 The Percentage of Students in the 2000 Cohort by Outcomes as of June 30, 2006 after 6 years Need/Resource Category Cohort Enroll- ment Regents /Local Diploma IEP diploma Still enrolled Trans- ferred to GED Dropped Out New York City 74,78656%3%5%1%35% Large City 8,55456%4%1%2%37% Urban/Suburban 16,03470%3%1%3%23% Rural High Need 14,66077%4%0%*1%17% Average 68,16185%2%1% 12% Low Need 28,16194%1%0%* 4% Charter Schools 16955%0%9%0%36% Total Public 210,52573%2% 1%21% While the disparity between high and low need districts is smaller after six years than after four, it is unacceptably large. *less than 0.5%

24. 24 Graduation rates vary according to disability status, ELL status, race/ethnicity, and gender.

25. 25 The Percentage of General Education Students in the 2002 Cohort by Outcomes as of June 30, 2006 After Four Years Need/Resource Category Cohort Enroll- ment Regents /Local Diploma IEP diploma Still enrolled Trans- ferred to GED Dropped Out New York City66,27753%0%27%0%19% Rest of State123,18080%0%8%2%10% Total Public189,45771%0%15%1%13% Statewide, 71 percent of general education students graduate in four years.

26. 26 The Percentage of Students with Disabilities in the 2002 Cohort by Outcomes as of June 30, 2006 After Four Years Need/Resource Category Cohort Enroll- ment Regents /Local Diploma IEP Diploma Still En- rolled Trans- ferred to GED Dropped Out New York City7,58719%20%30%0%31% Rest of State19,86645%13%21%3%18% Total Public27,45337%15%23%3%22% Only 37 percent of students with disabilities graduated in four years. Students with disabilities in Rest of State districts were more than twice as likely to graduate as those in New York City.

27. 27 The Percentage of Limited English Proficient Students in the 2002 Cohort by Outcomes as of June 30, 2006 After Four Years Need/Resource Category Cohort Enroll- ment Regents /Local Diploma IEP diploma Still enrolled Trans- ferred to GED Dropped Out New York City8,34722%5%39%0%34% Rest of State2,68044%1%28%2%25% Total Public11,02727%4%36%1%32% Statewide, English Language Learners are likely to remain enrolled a fifth year.

28. 28 The Percentage of Students in the 2002 Cohort by Racial/Ethnic Group by Outcomes as of June 30, 2006 After Four Years Need/Resource Category Cohort Enroll- ment Regents /Local Diploma IEP diploma Still en- rolled Trans- ferred to GED Drop- ped Out American Indian/Alaskan Native 94350%3%17%4%26% Asian/Pacific Islander 14,94374%1%15%0%10% Black 41,39247%3%27%1%21% Hispanic 36,84745%2%28%1%24% White 122,78579%2%8%2%9% Despite improvements, Black and Hispanic students graduated at substantially lower rates after 4 years than White and Asian students.

29. 29 The Percentage of Students by Gender in the 2002 Cohort by Outcomes as of June 30, 2006 After 4 Years Need/Resource Category Cohort Enroll- ment Regents /Local Diploma IEP diploma % Still enrolled Trans- ferred to GED Dropped Out New York City Female36,79956%2%25%0%17% Male37,06543%2%31%0%24% Rest of State Female69,54480%1%8%2%10% Male73,50272%2%11%2%12% Total Public Female106,34371%2%14%1%12% Male110,56762%2%18%2%16% Females are substantially more likely than males to graduate in four years. The difference is larger in New York City than the Rest of State.

30. 30 Graduation Rates: Accountability for School Districts Under the NCLB accountability system in New York State, individual school districts and schools are held accountable for all students who start 9 th grade in a particular year (for example, 2002) and stay in school for at least 5 months during high school and do not transfer to another district or school. Therefore, the graduation rates for New York City’s community school districts and for all other school districts are computed in this way. Those are the rates you see in the following slides.

31. 31 The four-year graduation rate in Buffalo has declined. Cohort Members 2000 2,869 2001 2,874 2002 2,896

32. 32 Rochester’s four-year graduation rate decreased as cohort membership increased. Cohort Members 2000 2,106 2001 2,270 2002 2,427

33. 33 Syracuse’s four-year graduation rate for the 2002 Cohort was lower than for previous cohorts. Cohort Members 2000 1,390 2001 1,337 2002 1,502

34. 34 Yonkers’ four-year graduation rate has declined slightly, but the cohort membership has increased. Cohort Members 2000 1,406 2001 1,555 2002 1,678

35. 35 Total Public High School Graduates Each Year A record number of students graduated in 2005-06. Year Number of Students Earning Regents or Local Diplomas 1995-96136,754 1996-97138,990 1997-98139,531 1998-99140,365 1999-00141,510 2000-01141,634 2001-02143,070 2002-03143,818 2003-04153,202 2004-05153,202 2005-06161,732

36. 36 The Bottom Line Latest 4-year statewide graduation rate is 67%, much too low. Ranges from 45% in Big 4 Cities to 91% in wealthiest districts. This disparity declines in the 5 th and 6 th year of high school. After 6 years, 57% of New York City students had graduated; 94% for Low Need. Shows the urgent need for additional funding and accountability, as Regents have advocated. Some improvements: Graduation rates increased for Black and Hispanic students. Graduation rate increased for New York City.

37. 37 What Successful Schools Do to Raise Graduation Rates Focus on improving the 9th grade promotion rate. This starts with “bridge” programs in the summer for students with low 8th grade scores. New York City has been able to estimate the probability of graduation based on a threshold number of credits upon entering 9th grade. That knowledge makes the summer bridge program an urgent matter. Figure out which children are in which cohort at the start of school. This makes the challenge more focused. Know the data, know the children personally, and make sure all the other adults do, too.

38. 38 What Successful Schools Do to Raise Graduation Rates Tell entering 9th graders that some will graduate in four years, and others “have skills that we will work on,” and they too will graduate in years five or six. Let no one feel excluded or like a failure. Work on those skills through morning, afternoon and evening sessions in flexible groups so students can easily move to a new group to learn the next skill set as they progress.

39. 39 What Successful Schools Do to Raise Graduation Rates Use short diagnostic tests often during the year to check gains in the skills measured by the standards and the Regents exams. Keep reassessing to ensure that students really grasp the content. By the middle of 9th grade, the students needing intensive help get an “Advocate,” who is a teacher committed to talking with each of the 15 students in that teacher’s care every single day.

40. 40 What Successful Schools Do to Raise Graduation Rates In June of senior year, identify students who are a credit or two away from graduation. Assign someone to stay in daily contact with each of them and their families. Support the students through summer school and the August Regents and graduation. Schedule twice weekly meetings of teachers to examine student work, teacher practice, and the interim assessments that gauge student progress. Share the notes from these professional conversations. Make sure the support systems are in place: attendance taking and analysis, social services, guidance.

41. 41 Graduation Rates: Students Who Started 9 th Grade in 2000, 2001, and 2002