Editor's Note: The following letter is in response to the Recommended Reading,"Measures of success," and podcast segment from the November 13, 2008 edition of the Education Gadfly.
To the Editor:
We want to make sure that Education Gadfly readers (and Gadfly Show podcast listeners) understand that the new NCLB regulations that Secretary Spellings issued on October 28, 2008, recognize that some students need more than four years to graduate. The new regulations permit states to calculate an extended-year rate or rates (for example, a five-year or six-year rate) in addition to a four-year rate for reporting and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) determinations. If a state chooses to use an extended-year rate or rates in AYP determinations, it must be reported separately from the four-year rate. In this way, schools are given credit for graduating students with a regular high school diploma, even if it takes more than four years.
We believe that establishing a uniform and more accurate measure of calculating a graduation rate that is comparable across states is a critical and essential step forward in improving high school accountability. The final regulations reflect a consensus of governors from all 50 states, who in 2005 agreed to adopt a uniform, more accurate graduation rate. Educators, parents, and policy makers will be able to compare how students of every race, background, and income level are performing. While better and more data alone will not increase graduation rates, these data will provide states, districts, and schools with critical information that is necessary for understanding the reasons for low graduation rates and for designing better programs and services to help students graduate.
We appreciate the interest of your readers and listeners in the graduation rate regulation, and want to call their attention to a summary of the new graduation rate provisions, which can be found here.
Additional information on the entire regulation package, including fact sheets, summaries, and the final regulatory language, is available here.
Andy Smarick
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development
U.S. Department of Education