Q: What is the difference between the “graduation rate” and the number of diplomas issued?
A: The graduation rate measures the percentage of students who complete high school in 4 years and one summer. In Hamilton County, tremendous efforts have been made to help students who have fallen behind (or dropped out) go back and finish the courses required to earn a diploma. These students are not counted in the graduation rate, since they take longer than 4 years to complete their coursework. However, the diploma they are earning is a standard diploma, not a GED (general educational development) or a special certificate.
Q: How can the dropout rate go up if the graduation rate is going up?
A: Graduation rate is figured as a cohort-- the number of ninth graders who graduate four years later.
Dropout is an "event" number – the total number of students in all four grades who did not return to school in a given year. So if a student dropped out during the 10th grade in 2006, he or she would not be counted against the graduation rate until 2008 – the year that student would have been expected to graduate “on time.”
Q: What is the ACT and why is it important?
A: ACT is a college entrance exam. Most colleges ask students to take either the ACT or another exam called the SAT to be considered for college admission. In Tennessee, state colleges and most other colleges use the ACT. Because of this, 92% of Tennessee students take the ACT, while in some states only 8% of students take the ACT. This makes it difficult to compare Tennessee with other states’ scores, since the 8% of students taking the ACT may be that state’s top students, while Tennessee’s much larger group includes many average students.
Q: Why is there such a strong focus on the 9th grade in your work?
A: Research shows that success in the 9th grade is a strong predictor of graduation. Students who do well in 9th grade are highly likely to graduate four years later, while students who do not pass 9th grade – even if they had been successful in 8th grade – tend to drop out before graduating. This is probably because some students have trouble making the transition from middle school to high school. High schools tend to be larger, and to expect more independence from students. We are finding that offering extra support to 9th graders will go a long way toward setting them on the path to success in high school.
Q: What is the “adult high school?”
A: Hamilton County High School, located in Harrison, is known as an “adult” high school because it enrolls students between the ages of 17 and 21. These are students who had dropped out of school or fallen behind in their coursework and were in danger of dropping out without graduating. Hamilton County High offers a standard high school curriculum in a flexible “fast track” schedule that meets the needs of students who often have jobs, families, or other responsibilities that hinder them from participating in a more typical high school environment.
Between August of 2004 and December of 2006, Hamilton County High School helped 348 students succeed in earning a standard high school diploma. Of the 2006 graduates, 31% have gone on to enroll in college.
A: Career academies provide students a focused, relevant approach to learning. Students who enroll in an academy join a smaller community within the school, allowing them to bond more easily with other students and with their teachers. This helps keep students from getting “lost” or overlooked in a large school environment. In addition, the academies provide a career focus that makes learning more relevant. For instance, a student who measures wood or mixes concrete in the construction academy learns how to add and subtract fractions, why it is important to be precise in measuring, and the chemical science of different substances.
Some schools have several academies, while other schools may only offer one.
Q: What is a single-path diploma?
A: In the “old days” students who chose a vocational training path would receive a completely different education than those who chose a college track. The vocational students would not have the training or credits necessary to enroll in college if they decided that they wanted to do that after graduation. With a single-path diploma, every student receives an education that allows him/her a real choice after graduation. Each student is prepared for college, or can pursue technical training in a vocation, or can go directly into the workforce. Those who choose the workforce are qualified for higher-skilled jobs than before, since they have received the more rigorous education provided by the single-path diploma.
Q: You list Gateway English test scores. What about other subjects besides English?
A: The focus of SNS has been on reading and literacy, but is now expanding to include math. The scores below show that is the area of greatest remaining weakness.
· 92% of Hamilton County high school students passed the Gateway biology exam in 2006, with 54% scoring advanced.
· 67% of students passed the Algebra I exam, with 30% scoring advanced.