School clarifies dropout rate

However, immediately after the meeting Armstrong texted the high school principal and a district data specialist to prepare more accurate data to release to the public.

Armstrong said the dropout rate is 20.3 percent. She said the figure given by Rains was extrapolated from data provided by the state, which shows D21 with a 59.4 percent graduation rate in 2012-13.

It should logically follow then, that if about 60 percent graduated, then 40 percent did not, meaning a 40 percent dropout rate.

But it’s not that simple, school officials say. The state only reports as “graduated” the percentage of students who started high school as freshmen, and graduated four years later with a “regular” diploma.

Such groups of students are called four-year cohorts.

The four-year cohort does not include the seven percent of students that year who got other types of diplomas, or the 9.5 percent of students who took an extra year to graduate.

Further, the 59.4 percent graduation rate looks at the district as a whole, meaning it takes into account a regional jail-based program for incarcerated students. The high school itself has a slightly better 62.8 percent graduation rate.

Every school district has the same limitations on who can be called a graduate.

Adding all types of diplomas and those who took an extra year to graduate, the school’s real graduation rate is 79.8 percent, according to D21 officials. In raw numbers, the high school typically graduates 200 to 250 students per year. For 2012-13, the most recent year data is available, there were 242 students in the four-year cohort set to graduate. Of that, 152 students graduated with regular diplomas. Another 18 got modified/extended/GED diplomas and 23 were five-year “super seniors.” In that same four-year cohort, 49 students dropped out of the high school, or 20.3 percent.

“So there’s 49 students that truly did not graduate,” said Stan Felderman, a data specialist for the district. Additionally, special education students enrolled in the district who will never have the cognitive function to finish high school also count against the graduation rate.

One data sheet about the school district showed a 59.4 percent “regular diploma” graduation rate locally, compared to 68.7 statewide, and 73.6 among “like districts” with similar rates of poverty, English learners, minorities and students who move regularly.

With the more generous “completion rate,” which takes into account all diplomas received and graduation of fifth-year seniors, the district had a 75.7 graduation rate, compared to 81.5 percent for the state. It is only slightly behind demographically similar districts, which had a 79.4 percent graduation rate.

Yet another statistic showed 8 percent of students from all grades dropped out of high school in 2011-12. That was double the statewide rate and well above the 3.3 percent for demographically similar districts.

Armstrong said she couldn’t speak to what happens in other districts, but said, “There’s some very legitimate reasons for students being a dropout from our system that we have no control over.”

She said teachers here work hard on things within their control, such as finding teaching methods that work for individual students. “That’s on us,” she said.

The statement at the town hall caused a stir in the district, Armstrong said. The Dalles City Manager Nolan Young quickly circulated a release reporting the district’s analysis of a 20.3 percent dropout rate. Armstrong said the publicity was “very demoralizing” to teachers. “We’re not saying it’s perfect or ideal in any way… I’m not saying we can’t improve, I’m saying you really need to know the local story.”

She said the community should be pleased with achievements in local education. She hopes business recruiters and those in economic development familiarize themselves with the positive things the school is doing.

Attempts to get comment from Rains were unsuccessful.“Our staff have stepped up so much to make sure we keep going forward even when we had a really harsh reality” during the recession, Armstrong said.

School board member Carol Roderick said, “It’s terrible that we’re depending on all these figures when we really should be depending on what’s going on in the school.”

Another statistic mentioned at the town hall meeting by Rains was there was a poor reading rate in lower grades, where 43.2 percent of students failed state tests.

Armstrong said many elementary students had shown huge progress since kindergarten, but they weren’t able to improve enough in time for third grade tests. Indeed, by 11th grade, 86.4 percent of students met or exceeded state standards, slightly better than the state average. Plus, local elementary schools have poverty rates ranging from 88 percent at Chenowith to 62.7 percent at Dry Hollow.

“You have 88 percent poverty coming into your school, they don’t have that rich environment that so many just take for granted,” Armstrong said.

English teacher Kevin Kramer, who’s taught here 34 years, was blunt about the business recruiter’s comments, saying, “Our graduation rate was wholly misrepresented” compared to “the numbers we look at.”

“It’s easy to blame,” Kramer said. “That gets the spotlight off you so you don’t have to get businesses to relocate here.”

Kramer has seen a “huge spike” over his career in the number of students facing abusive situations. Divorce and family deaths have also left kids without fathers or mothers in the home.

Kramer said the school does a “pretty good job” of connecting to students. It offers after-school time to work with teachers, offers “Awesome” classes where students can match kids with interests that teacher share.

Teachers have stories of saving kids from dropping out. Kramer even had a mom tell him he saved her son’s life. The boy was bullied, and Kramer told other students to look out for him, and they did.

The Dalles High School Principal Nick Nelson said the school is doing everything it can to encourage students to not only finish high school, but look beyond it to trade school or college.

“We’re trying to do some things that put hope in kids’ hearts,” he said. “Were trying to open up as many opportunities with kids to see themselves at the next level.”

Nelson also wants to work on allowing students to more quickly retake classes they fail. “That creates positive momentum.”