The Graduation Cohort Α to Ω

1. The Graduation CohortΑ to Ω

2. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 required states to establish data systems to track the rate of students who graduate “on time” with a “regular diploma.”Link to cohort rules as currently required by US ED (4/28/2010)http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/dropout_prevention/hsgrguidance.pdf

3. Louisiana began tracking the 9th grade class of 2002-03 and used their graduation rates of 2005-06 in the subgroup component (NCLB) in the fall 2007 accountability release.

4. Louisiana uses the same definition of “cohort” to generate the graduation index that counts for 30% of a high school’s SPS.

5. The examples in this presentation are based on a 9th grade cohort beginning in the fall of 2010.

6. Cohort membership is established at the state level.All students enter a cohort when they are enrolled in SIS as first time 9th graders.Students are never moved from one cohort to another.

7. Take all students enrolled in the State Student Information System (SIS) as 9th graders in 2010-11. 9th Graders 2010-11

8. First Time 9th Graders 2010-11 Remove any student who appeared in SIS as a 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grader in the previous 3 years. 9-12 2007-08 9-12 2008-09 9-12 2009-10

9. First Time 9th Graders 2010-11 This is the “starting” freshman cohort. All of these students will appear on someone’s cohort roster.

10. Add any student who transfers into the state public school system from Oct. 1, 2010 until EOY 2014. All of these students will appear on someone’s cohort roster.

11. Adjusted 2014 Graduating Cohort Remove any student who “transfers” out of the Louisiana public school system from Oct. 1, 2010 until EOY 2014. The remaining students will be included in the calculations.

12. Adjusted 2014 Graduating Cohort Count the total number of students. Count the number of students who have earned a diploma by Oct. 1, 2014. G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G Divide the number of diplomas by the total number of students.

13. 2006 Louisiana Graduating Cohort 48,874 members 31,670 graduates (on time with at least a regular diploma) 64.8% 2007 Louisiana Graduating Cohort 49,102 members 32,555 graduates (on time with at least a regular diploma) 66.3% 2008 Louisiana Graduating Cohort 49,543 members 32,627 graduates (on time with at least a regular diploma) 66.0% 2009 Louisiana Graduating Cohort (preliminary) 66.6%

14. Moving from State Cohort to District We established all cohort members in the state, and we know which students earned a standard diploma in 4 years (or less). In fact, we know how every student exited the system (grad, GED, skills certificate, etc.).

15. Moving from State Cohort to District All students in the state files are placed in a district and school file, BUT all of the students do not count in the calculation

16. Moving from State Cohort to District • To calculate for a district, take all students who: • count in the state; and • have their last enrollment record in the specific district; and • were enrolled in the district before Oct. 1, 2012 (cohort year 3)

17. Moving from District Cohort to School • To calculate for a school, take all students who: • count in the district; and • have their last enrollment record in the specific school; and • were enrolled in the school before Oct. 1, 2013 (cohort year 4)

18. Index vs Rate As previously noted, a cohort is defined the same for Graduation Rate and for Graduation Index. Grad Rate simply asks what percentage of the cohort graduated on time – similar to a student being proficient or not on ELA and math.

19. Index vs Rate Grad Index breaks the two categories (grad and non-grad) into many. Note - the career diploma will be considered a regular diploma.

20. Standard Diploma = Graduate Non-Graduate Non-Graduate

21. Incentive Points Students who continue in school a 5th and/or 6th year can earn incentive points for the school. A student who is counted as an attendee in year 4 (30 pts), who continues and earns a diploma in year 5 (120 pts), earns 90 incentive points.

22. Saintly Data for a Clean Calculation

23. We can’t calculate an accurate score if we aren’t using accurate data, and the only data we have is what you submitted. 23

24. There’s nothing easy about it. Also applies to CATE, SER, STS, LOSFA 24

25. But some things are easier than others, Data Certification SIS and the easiest is doing it right the first time. 25

26. SIS is the most important! 1. MFP $$ 2. Assessment 3. Attendance 4. In and Out -When Why How Student Information System (SIS) 26

27. The most important for Grad Data In and Out -When Why How Determines 1. If the student is in the cohort 2. Why the student counts 3. How the student may “count” Student Information System (SIS) 27

28. We use 8 years of SIS data to create the building blocks for the cohort. An error in any one of those years can mean an error in the final cohort results. It is essential that SIS be “clean” each and every year at least 3 times a year – Oct. 1, Feb. 1., EOY Student Information System (SIS) 28

29. Second Chance (and 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) SIS larger load, higher hill 29

30. Student Information System (SIS) You have multiple opportunities to check and correct the data – for at least 6 months after EOY. 30

31. Scenario 1 Your superintendent attends a “retreat” in fall 2010 and receives a handout showing declining district AND school grad rates. How do you find out where the problem is? 31

32. Scenario 1 If there is an error, it is in the 8 years of SIS data we used for our calculation. That information is summarized in the grad cohort rosters – available in the following spring. 32

33. Scenario 1 Districts have traditionally had around 6 months after the end of a school year to correct SIS data, but this may shorten this year. The data certification process is your last chance. 33

34. Scenario 1 And I hope we can move data certification to the last SIS cleanup window. 34

35. Last Chance Data Certification

36. Last Chance For the first time, you have a chance to correct the data BEFORE it is used in accountability. This doesn’t mean it wasn’t reported before and you may have taken heat over the numbers. 36

37. Last Chance Up until now, you have kept records related to the cohort scores in your district/schools – we haven’t asked for proof. Now, you have to contact each school, collect documentation, and send it to the LDE. 37

38. Scenario 2 At the preliminary accountability release in 2012 (AUS <75), your high school has an SPS of 74.9. You are required to implement sanctions, which requires the revision of your Title 1 budget and all of the delightful repercussions associated with it. 38

39. Scenario 2 Now you get to explain to your superintendent and board exactly how this happened. They ask if it’s possible the “state” made an error. Data Certification occurred before the release. 39

40. Cohort Ins and Outs Driven by: Federal Policy (and NCES) Louisiana Policy Data Collection Systems LEA Data Submission – LDE Timelines National Governor’s Association 40

41. So, why is this student a dropout?This refers to the dropout roster that deals with 1 year of data only – not the cohort. Who was enrolled in academic year XX-XX and who can’t be accounted for on Oct. 1 the following year?The documentation required for certain exit codes is changing in Bulletin 111. 41

42. Transfer within district/Transfer within state: If a student exits with code 08 or 09 that student must show up in the LA state system by the following October 1st. Failure to locate the student in SIS by October 1st results in a dropout. 42

43. Transfer to Adult Education: If a student exits with code 11 that student is required to obtain a GED by October 1st of the following school year. Upon GED completion, a school must re-enroll the student for 1 day, enter and exit date = same day, exit code = 05. Failure to do so results in a dropout. 43

44. Expulsion (no option to return/with return date): If a student exits with code 01 that student must re-enroll in school by October 1st of the following school year. Failure to do results in a dropout. 44

45. No Show: If a student exits with code 18, or fails to return to school by October 1st of the following school year, the student is a “No Show”. Failure to provide verifiable documentation that the student is enrolled elsewhere results in a dropout. 45

46. Grad Cohort in Data Cert Tips to Save Time “How to Say Please”

47. The Key Points for Data Certification How is the student counted? How “should” the student be counted? Why should the student be counted as you request? What documentation do you have to support the request? 47

48. The Key Points for Data Certification If the explanation is not clear, we will not explore the data to figure out what you may want. Timelines are tight and will get tighter. 48

49. The Key Points for Data Certification For the upcoming grad cohort data certification, we are dealing with the first time freshmen of 2005-06, the graduating class of Spring 2009. We don’t count anything that occurred after Oct. 1, 2009. Don’t request points for a student that “finished” during 2009-10. 49

50. The Key Points for Data Certification • GED – a student is required to obtain a GED by October 1st of the following school year to avoid being counted as a dropout in the cohort. Upon GED completion, a school must re-enroll the student for 1 day, enter and exit date = same day, exit code = 05 50