High School Dropout, Graduation, and Completion Rates Better Data, Better Measures, Better Decisions (2011) / Chapter Skim
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6 Developing Longitudinal Data Systems
6 Developing Longitudinal Data Systems
Pages 73-94
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From page 73... ...
and more recently because of new rules for complying with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, states are now expected to be able to report individually based cohort graduation rates.
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From page 74... ...
. To assist states with their data systems, the Gates Foundation developed the Data Quality Campaign (DQC)
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From page 75... ...
SOURCE: Reprinted with permission from the Data Quality Campaign, copyright 2007. collaborative effort to encourage and support state policy makers to improve the availability and use of high-quality education data to improve student achievement.
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From page 76... ...
Another 27 states reported that they were on track to being able to produce the NGA rate, with 7 expected to have that capability by 2009, 10 more by 2010, 8 more by 2011, and 2 more by 2012 or later.6 According to Nancy Smith, with the Data Quality Campaign, all 50 states and the District of Columbia can identify dropouts, and 49 can identify transfers. The aspects of the NGA graduation rate that pose problems are identifying other kinds of school leaving and coding the final exit status.
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From page 77... ...
Second was a task force created by the National Forum on Education Statistics to standardize the exit codes that states use to classify students' enrollment status. The National Forum on Education Statistics is a cooperative of state, local, and federal education agencies working to improve the quality of education data gathered for use by policy makers.
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From page 78... ...
The system can track students from the time they first enter school until they leave it and into the labor force and higher education. Lavan Dukes, with the Florida Department of Education, provided some examples of the capabilities of this state system.
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From page 79... ...
; those who pass the GED, pass an alternate graduation test, and earn a standard diploma (WGA) ; and those who pass the GED, fail the state graduation test, and receive a State of Florida diploma (WGD)
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Reproduced by Lavan Dukes in Data Report ing Infrastructure Necessary for Accurately Tracking Dropout and Graduation Rates, presen tation for the Workshop on Improved Measurement of High School Dropout and Completion Rates, 2008. required GPA.
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From page 81... ...
Reproduced by Lavan Dukes in Data Report ing Infrastructure Necessary for Accurately Tracking Dropout and Graduation Rates, presen tation for the Workshop on Improved Measurement of High School Dropout and Completion Rates, 2008. Indiana8 In Indiana, the use of individual student identifiers was illegal until 2001, and thus its work on developing a longitudinal data system with student-level data did not begin until after this time.
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From page 82... ...
pdf. Reproduced by Lavan Dukes in Data Reporting Infrastructure Necessary for Accurately Tracking Dropout and Graduation Rates, presentation for the Workshop on Improved Measurement of High School Dropout and Completion Rates, 2008.
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From page 83... ...
with a standard diploma based on an 18-credit college preparatory graduation option and satisfied the graduation test requirement through an alternate W10 – Any student in a GED Exit Option Model assessment. who passed the GED Tests and the graduation test and was awarded a standard diploma.
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From page 84... ...
Dropout Codes: DNE, W05, W13, W15, W18, W21, W22, W23 Diploma Codes: Standard Diplomas: W06, W6A, W6B, W10, WFA, WFB,WFT, WFW, WGA Certificates of Completion W08, W8A, W09 Special Diplomas:W07, W27 State of Florida Diploma: WGD Revised: 7/07 Volume I Effective: 7/07 Page Number: A-3
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From page 85... ...
For a sample cohort of 648 of which 472 were graduates, the state formula yielded a graduation rate of 76.5 percent, whereas the NGA formula yielded a rate of 75.7 percent. To classify students' enrollment status, the state uses 30 exit codes (see Box 6-5)
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From page 86... ...
Prior to 2006, the state required schools to produce a graduation rate for NCLB, as mandated by state law. However, in Massachusetts, they actually produced a rate that was the percentage of enrolled twelfth graders who passed the state exit exam -- referred to as a "competency determination rate." Rob Curtin, with the Massachusetts Department of Education, pointed out that they were not able to produce the cohort rate before 2006 because the data were not available; that is, the system began in the 2001-02 school year, and it takes five years to accumulate the needed data.
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From page 87... ...
For instance, Jeanine Hildreth, with the Baltimore City Schools, indicated that summer graduates are attributed to the next class in Maryland, and Mel Riddile, with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, said that when he was a principal, students who fulfilled graduation requirements in the summer following completion of grade 12 were treated as dropouts/nongraduates in calculating the graduation rates. The Massachusetts policy also specifies how subgroup performance is reported.
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From page 88... ...
Reproduced by Robert Curtin in A Long Road to a Longitudinal Data System, presentation for the Workshop on Improved Measurement of High School Dropout and Completion Rates, 2008. CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIvE DATA SySTEM The representatives of state departments of education who participated in the workshop are in charge of some of the most comprehensive data systems in the country.
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From page 89... ...
The presenters made a number of suggestions regarding data elements. They emphasized that data quality begins at the local school district with the person who enters the data; accuracy depends on the quality of data that are entered.
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From page 90... ...
As one workshop participant commented, "accuracy always improves when someone is embarrassed by a public report." Another way is to conduct regular audits of the school systems to ensure that reporting of student enrollment status is accurate and that adequate documentation is obtained to verify the status of transfer students. In addition, extensive and ongoing staff training for the collection, storage, analysis, and use of the data at the state, district, and school levels will also help ensure data quality.
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From page 91... ...
and should define acceptable uses. Privacy and confidentiality rules are addressed in documents available from the Data Quality Campaign (i.e., see http://dataqualitycampaign.org/resources/980)
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From page 92... ...
We think that these components are critical for ensuring that data systems are able to track students accurately, calculate dropout and completion rates, monitor students' progress, identify students at risk of dropping out, and conduct research to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs. We encourage all states to incorporate these components into their systems and therefore recommend: RECOMMENDATIONS 6-1: All states should develop data systems that include the 10 essential elements identified by the Data Quality Campaign as critical for calculating the National Governors Association graduation rate.
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From page 93... ...
We therefore recommend RECOMMENDATION 6-4: All states and local education agencies should conduct regular audits of data systems to ensure that reporting of student enrollment status is accurate and that adequate documentation is obtained to verify the status of transfer students and students who drop out.
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