The Longitudinal Graduation Rate

OAEP Spring ConferenceMay 8th, 2012

Craig Haney, EMIS Services Coordinator

!Please be aware that the following is a representation of the LGR and its procedure as it stands today.

!ODE has requested a waiver for the effect that the LGR can have on AYP.

All data in this presentation has been derived from:

Roger Holbrook ODE EMIS

Jeanine W. Molock, Ph.D. Director of Accountability Ohio Department of Education

The State Help Desk

Marianne Mottley

Formerly with the Office of Accountability, ODE

Note:

Ohio’s proposal for its longitudinal graduation rate has not been approved as of this date by the U.S. Department of Education. 

Until it is approved, we cannot say with absolute certainty when a student will and will not be removed from a cohort. Ref: The Office of Accountability

The FEDS require ODE to submit their proposal to the US Dept. of Ed. and they have to approve it.  In addition, there is a state law that says whenever ODE wants to change something that affects a school’s or district’s state rating, they need to get approval to make that change from the Ohio General Assembly. 

In other words – BOTH the state and federal governments must approve the change for it to take effect.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 11

Passed by the Ohio senate and house that granted their approval for ODE to change their graduation rate calculation.  The FEDS must now approve the proposal –

Which they will review sometime later this spring. 

Students count as graduates in whatever year they graduate

A student is accountable to the school/district that awards her/his diploma

The calculation cannot show whether students graduated “on time” (i.e., within four years)

Summer graduates are counted as graduates in the calculation

The calculation is adjusted to account for students who drop out of school but return by October of the following year, and for students previously reported as dropouts

Students do not have to be enrolled in the school/district for a Full Academic Year to count in the calculation

If a district uses the Code 41 to indicate that a student has transferred to another Ohio school, we will search for that SSID in all other public entities (community school and other public school districts). 

If the SSID is reported by some other school or district, we will remove the student from the withdrawing district and place him in the cohort of the receiving district or community school.

Our formula doesn’t take into account whether the student graduates in four years in order to remove him from the withdrawing district. 

We simply look to see if the student did indeed show up at another entity and if he did, the withdrawing district is relieved of its responsibility for that student and the responsibility is placed with the receiving district.

Will withdrawing to a private school exclude the student from the last reporting district's denominator? (42)

YESW

ill withdrawing to home schooling exclude the student from the last reporting district's denominator? (43)

YES

Will withdrawing pursuant to a court order exclude the student from the last reporting district's denominator? (45)

YES  W

ill withdrawing due to an expulsion exclude the student from the last reporting district's denominator? (48)

YES

Will withdrawing for verified medical reasons exclude the student from the last reporting district's denominator? (51)

YESF

ull documentation must be on file to prove the student did not drop out!

The requirement to move to this new rate came from the federal government and districts must follow the guidelines as a condition to receive federal Title I money. 

The federal Office of Management and Budget is responsible for auditing the Title I funds and the agency recently released an addendum to their audit guidelines to tell auditors to examine districts’ graduation rate data.

Because Ohio did not use the new rate for accountability purposes in 2011, we believe that this year’s audits will not include the graduation rate data.  However, the federal government may require our auditors to look at data in the future. 

Cohort: Students accountable to the school and/or district who were first-time 9th graders four years earlier

Accountable: Last school and/or district of accountability

Numerator: Number of students in the adjusted cohort who graduated in four years or less

Denominator: Total number of students in the adjusted cohort for that class

Each student is in at most one district cohort and one school cohort

IF…there are not multiple SSID numbers involved.

The 2011 LRC was supposedly to show both the old graduation rate percentage and the new longitudinal graduation rate. However, for purposes of meeting the graduation rate percentage for a criteria point, the old rate was to be used. This will be the rate listed on the SDC.

For the 2012 LRC, the percentage generated by the new longitudinal graduation rate will be used for meeting the graduation rate criteria. Both the old and the new rates will be seen on the LRC for a few more years and then the old rate will be phased out of LRC data.

What can cause LGR problems?

Differences in DOB Differences in names These can cause a new SSID to be generated leaving you with

a “hit” even if the student withdrew with code 41.

The “cohort” year (or graduation year) is determined by when ODE first saw the student and did they graduate within 4 years.

Dropouts are basically no longer an issue. Current year freshmen are automatically in the

2015 cohort and have 4 years to graduate. If they don’t graduate or if they withdraw for a

reason countable in the calculations and don’t show up as enrolled elsewhere, they will be in the denominator but not the numerator.

The longitudinal rate is basically not a dropout report but rather one that asks “did the student graduate within 4 years”.

If a student comes in from out of state as a junior and it is the first time they are “seen” by ODE, they must graduate within two years.

If they came in as an 11th grader from out of state for the 2011-2012 school year, they would go into the 2013 “cohort”.

If they came in as an 10th grader from out of state for the 2011-2012 school year, they would go into the 2014 “cohort”.

Dropouts should continue to be reported as such but in actuality they have little or no effect on the rate.

It is strictly a “when the student started and when they were reported as a graduate” calculation.

The plus side to this is that if a student drops out from your district during the year but then later enrolls in another state school and graduates from there, that student comes out of your denominator.

The student goes into the last district’s cohort and should be removed from the previous district.

The downside is that the last district the student attended takes the hit if the student is not reported as a graduate within 4 years from an Ohio school.

If the student withdraws from a district with a 41 code but never gets reported in any other state school, the student is not a dropout but will be included in that district’s graduation rate since that was the last district attended.

It is critical that districts make sure that if the student actually went out of state they do not code them with a 41 because unless that student returns to Ohio and is reported as a graduate within 4 years, they will be added to the denominator.

With respect to the longitudinal report:

If the “denominator flag” column has a “Y” and the “numerator flag” has a “Y”, the student is considered a graduate.

If the “denominator flag” column has a “Y” and the “numerator flag” has a “N”, the student is not considered a graduate and is included in the denominator.

If the “denominator flag” column has a “N” and the “numerator flag” has a “N”, the student is not considered a graduate but will not count against the district.

There are no overrides for the LGR.

Duplicate Graduates:

If an SSID appears more than once on the longitudinal report, then look at the “previous SSID” column. If both lines have identical data then that student is being counted in the denominator twice if there is a “Y/N” combination on the denominator/numerator columns.

The solution is:1. To check the SSID web site for duplicate numbers and then try

contact the other district. 2. Go to the SSID web site and “deactivate” the incorrect number.3. If you only find one number on the SSID web site you will need

to create a help desk ticket for ODE to make the adjustment.P

roblem: The duplicate SSID could be as old as 5 to 7 years.

You need to review both the GRAD_INFO and the STU_LONG_GR reports and compare them for any discrepancies to verify that you are getting credit for the correct number of graduates.

What about grade 23 handicapped students whose IEP permits them to continue education?

Will they be considered as “Not On-time Graduates” and count in the denominator?

YESW

hat about students who repeat a high school grade? Will they be considered as “Not On-time Graduates” and count in the

denominator?

YESW

hat about students at the MRDD? Will they be considered as “Not On-time Graduates” and count in the

denominator?

YESW

hat about “Home Schooled” Students? Remember, if ever seen as a 9th grader, they must graduate within 4

years. Credits could be an issue.

You need to log into the SDC:

1.Reports For Analysis2.Graduation3.Review both of the following: District Graduation Rate Data -

Customizable District Longitudinal Graduation

Rate

Find the latest longitudinal graduation rate reports.

Open up the 2011 rate.

Sort by “denominator”.

Then delete all of the “N/N” fields and all of the “Y/Y” fields.

This will leave you with only the “Y/N” students which count against you.

Next look at the withdrawal date and code to determine if they should count against you.

Also look at the conflicting SSID numbers on the DFR report to see if this might be causing the problem