State Introduces New Calculation for Graduation Rates

On Monday, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released high school graduation rates calculated using a new method.

With the change in the way the rate is calculated, most districts in the state have a much lower rate than in the past.

"The U.S. Department of Education is requiring (states) to report the new four-year rate so we can compare how Missouri is doing to our neighbors in Kansas and Illinois," said Leigh Ann Grant-Engle, assistant commissioner for the Office of Data System Management. "It’s another way to help us look at students and see if there's anything we need to do to provide them to help them graduate in four years."

States are required to report graduation rate data to the U.S. Department of Education under the No Child Left Behind legislation, but in the past, states calculated the rates using different methods.

Now, the U.S. Department of Education is requiring all states to report the "four-year graduation rate" which measures the percent of students who complete high school in four years.

Students who take longer to graduate or complete a GED aren't counted with their cohort group, and so the district doesn't "get credit" for them.

Currently, Missouri calculates the graduation rate by dividing the number of students who graduated in a given year by the number of graduates plus any dropouts from that class. So this rate would include students who took more than four years to graduate from high school.

, for example, had a 91.4 percent graduation rate in 2010-11 under the traditional calculation. Under the new formula, the four-year graduation rate for 2010-11was 89.8 percent.

's graduation rate was 89.4 percent; it is now 88.2 percent. The four-year graduation rate for Missouri was 79.8 percent in the 2010-11 school year under the new calculation method.

"The new high school graduation formula is mandated by the federal government and is another step toward national standards for school accountability," said Matt Deichmann, Wentzville's Director of School/Community Relations. "Previously the formula varied from state to state, and it made for a difficult 'apples to apples' comparison when looking at graduation rates. The new formula also puts an added emphasis on graduating students from high school in four years."

Deichmann said that although the state is calculating graduation rates differently, it will not change the fact that the graduation of students remains a top priority for the .

"We will continue to work hard to insure that all of our students get the best education possible while also working to increase the percentage that earn a diploma within four years. We also realize that not all of our students will be able to complete the required number of credits in four years, and we are committed to helping them get that diploma no matter how long it takes."

See a breakdown by school of the old and new graduation rates here.

Moving to a uniform calculation method allows states to be compared to one another more easily.

In a press release, the U.S. Department of Education calls the new calculation rate "more accurate" because it accounts for students who drop out or don't graduate in four years.

Grant-Engle, however, suggested that the new rate is not a "correction" of the old rate, adding that it's not appropriate to compare the two numbers. For now, the state intends to publish both rates.

"I believe they are just two different rates," she said. "There are many students that it's appropriate for them to take longer than four years to graduate. I do think (the new rate) is an important rate because it allows us to compare to other states accurately."

The new calculation may help state and district leaders understand characteristics of students who may take longer than four years to graduate.

"It's another way to look at students and see if there is anything we need to provide them to help them graduate in four years," Grant-Engle said.

New "Four Year Graduation Rate" Calculation:

(Graduates/total number of students in ninth grade cohort group including transfers in, excluding transfers out) x 100

Old Calculation:

(Graduates/(9-12 cohort dropouts + graduates)) x 100