Too+Good+To+Be+True..Raising+the+Graduation+Rate

=Too Good To Be True....Raising the Graduation Rates =

Grade Inflation of Secondary Schools 

=Topic Overview =

Are grades being inflated to increase the graduation rates? Grade inflation are grade averages that are skewed high artificially. Grades may be inflated because a teacher is lenient, high schools want to be more competitive with other schools, or to solidify funding based on growth in graduation rates (edutopia, 2015). In 2015, the Department of Education boasted the United States’ highest graduation rate in U.S. history at 82.3% in 2013-2014. This is a significant gain in just 4 years since the uniform method for calculating the graduation rate was adopted by the states in 2010. The Department of Education attributed this significant increase to its investment of more than $1.5 billion into programs such as Race To the Top, Investing in Innovation, and School Improvement Grants (SIG). These programs are DOE strategies to improve student achievement and close the achievement gap (Center for Public Education, 2006). The goal by 2020 is to reach a 90% federal graduation rate. The DOE also reports a narrowing of the achievement gap from 17% in 2010-2011 to 14.8% in 2013-2014.

Too Good to Be True?
There are conflicting viewpoints as to the cause of the significant elevation in graduation rates. Some educational leaders believe that the new, common adjusted cohort graduation rate measurement, adopted by the states in 2010, promotes greater accountability among schools and encourages them to develop strategies to reduce the dropout rates which would inevitably increase graduation rates (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). Prior to the new measure being adopted, states would calculate a graduation rate based on aggregate, or total, data provided at the district level of the number of students graduating. The new cohort graduation rate calculates the rate by taking the number of graduating seniors divided by the number of first time 9th graders who entered the cohort four years prior (U.S. Department of Education, 2012).



"When schools are held accountable and students are given support to help them stay in school and on track, real progress is possible," said John Gomperts, president and CEO of America's Promise Alliance.

Additionally, experts point to the decline in teen pregnancy rates and reduction in violent crime among teens as reasons for the increase in graduation rates. Districts have developed systems to target students with significant absences in order to better support students’ needs and decrease the dropout rate. Further, schools are expanding credit recovery programs so that students do not have to repeat grades (Rich, 2015).

Opposing viewpoints hinge on the accusations that students’ grades are being inflated in order to boost the graduation rate. Inflating grades would allow more students to graduate and in turn, would help school meet their graduation requirements for federal grants. Data collected from 1990-2009 shows that the overall GPA of female high schools students increased by 0.33 points (from 2.71 to 3.1) and increased by 0.31 points (from 2.59 to 2.9) for high school males. Reports from the NHES in 2007 revealed that 81% of high school students received all A’s and B’s.



This data proposes the question of whether students are actually earning higher GPAs or if teachers, administrators, and school districts are inflating grades in order to meet the strenuous requirements of various federal and state grants that provide funding based on meeting graduation requirements.

“It is a pattern repeated in other school districts across the state and country — urban, suburban and rural — where the number of students earning high school diplomas has risen to historic peaks, yet measures of academic readiness for college or jobs are much lower. This has led educators to question the real value of a high school diploma and whether graduation requirements are too easy.” (Rich, 2015).

**Why do We Care Who Graduates anyway? **
Today's workforce requires students to be able to learn a variety of skills. Students must master higher-order thinking skills and be able to see the relationships between various concepts (edutopia, 2015). In today’s economy, it is imperative that students graduate from high school because of the decline of jobs that do not require a diploma. However, a high school diploma should not be the ultimate goal. Students should be prepared to navigate college coursework and work in high skilled jobs (Rich, 2015). Schools and districts care about graduation rates, because graduation rates are a dimension in which schools get evaluated upon when determining who receives grant money from the state and federal government. Schools and districts must meet target graduation rate requirements in order to receive the desired funding.



=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Trend or Issue? = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The issue of graduation rates has been long standing, because it is one of the most significant indicators of high school performance. In 2010, the states adopted a uniform, metric to calculate graduation rates using the four-year regulatory adjusted cohort graduation rates. This nationwide system makes it easier to compare states and for the states to be held accountable for educational performance (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). Now that states, districts, and schools are so easily compared, competition for rank and grant money leaves schools susceptible cheating, gaming, and ultimately inflating student performance to increase their graduation rates.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Inflating graduation rates is an issue because students are ultimately paying the price if they are not being appropriately prepared to succeed after graduation. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">One way inflation of graduation rates occurs is when educators inflate grades in order to graduate seniors or state and local governments reduce the requirements of graduation. In 2014, 32 states did not require all graduates to take four years of English and Mathematics which is minimally required to be prepared for college. In some states, high school exit exams have been eliminated because it was claimed that they made it difficult for students to graduate. Further, a focus school, Berea High School in Greenville, South Carolina, where the graduation rate has jumped from 65% to 85% in just four years, ACT results revealed that not one student scored high enough on the ACT to be deemed college ready in reading and mathematics. Additionally, grades could be inflated due to the particular weights being given to selected assignments and low standards being set for assignments. For example, teachers may choose not to grade based on accuracy for fear that a failing grade may be damaging to a student's chances for graduation. By making "participation" a high weighted category in the grade calculations and/or grading students just based on completion, teachers are able to inflate grades and students may have not mastered the concepts. Therefore, we may be graduating more students each year than ever before, but these students may not be adequately prepared to enter post-secondary education or a skilled job after graduation (Rich, 2015).

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In My Opinion =

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Don’t Get it Twisted..
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Raising the graduation rates nationally is a phenomenal accomplishment. The money spent in grants and programs to support schools in order raise graduation rates seems to be working. It is projected that by 2020 the graduation rate will reach 90% (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). The question remains, but at what cost? The most recent evaluation of 12th graders on a national test of reading and mathematics revealed that 40% of graduating seniors were NOT ready for college level work. As further evidence, college dropout and remediation rates remain high despite the graduation rates increasing with seniors supposedly college ready. College graduation rates should be soaring with the number of graduating seniors that have been rigorously prepared by our public school system and taught to a college and career ready standard. Sadly, this is not the case (Rich, 2015).

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">I believe the key to ethically increasing graduation rates is to better prepare students for college and careers by training teachers to confidently and effectively address standards. Providing teachers with training, resources, and support is pivotal for school districts to prevent drops in test scores which will increase graduation rates (Marzano & Toth, 2014). If students are college and career ready there is no need to inflate test scores, grades, or weighted categories.

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 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Anotated Bibliography **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Edutopia (2015). SAT/ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips: Is Grade Inflation in High School Real? Retrieved from [] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The blog discusses various ways that grades can be inflated in high school and the reasons why grade inflation is an issue. The author compares graduation rates and explores the rise of graduation rates from 1990 to 2009.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">U.S. Department of Education (2012). States Report New High School Graduation Rates Using More Accurate, Common Measure. Retrieved from [| http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/states-report-new-high-school-graduation-rates-using-more-accurate-common-measure] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This article discusses the details of the new cohort graduation rate measurement that was adopted in 2010 by all of the states in order to have a more unified and accurate measurement of graduation rates. The new measure allows states to compare performances and assess suitability for funding dependent on graduation rates.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Edutopia (2015). How Should We Measure Student Learning? 5 Keys to Comprehensive Assessment. Retrieved from [|www.edutopia.org/comprehensive-assessment-introduction] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This article explores the various uses of comprehensive assessments. It explores the various assessment types and how they are used to determine if a student is college and career ready.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Center for Public Education (2006). Calculating High School Graduation Rates at a Glance. Retrieved from <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This article discusses the details of how the graduation rate was traditionally calculated prior to the implementation of the new cohort measurement in 2010. It also provides information about the expectations of a unified system and the benefits.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Rich, Motoko (2015). As Graduation Rates Rise, Experts Fears Diplomas Come Up Short. Retrieved from <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This article examine statistics from a high school in South Carolina that has exceptionally high graduation rates. The article suggests that students are not being completely prepared using statistical evidence.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Toth,Michael D. & Marzano, Robert J.(2014). Teaching for Rigor: A Call for a Critical Instructional Shift. Retrieve from [] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This articles examines various reasons that students are underachieving on standardized tests. It proposes rigor implementation as a way to increase scores on standardized assessments and ensure students are college and career ready when leaving high school.