(FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- Data from the 2002-03 school year show that Kentucky's dropout rate among 9th- to 12th-graders decreased by more than half a point -- from 3.94 percent to 3.31 percent -- from the 2001-02 school year.
The decrease in dropouts was consistent in both gender groups and nearly all racial and ethnic groups. This marks the third consecutive year of decline in overall dropout rates.
Kentucky began reporting graduation rate data with the 2000-01 school year to comply with requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Because NCLB requires that graduation rates not include students who received certificates of completion and those who took longer than four years to graduate, a more rigid formula to determine the rates was adopted by the Kentucky Board of Education in 2002.The 2001 and 2002 rates include students who received certificates of completion and those who took longer than four years to graduate. The 2003 rate includes only those students who finished high school within four years and those students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) that allowed more than four years to graduate.
GRADUATION RATE FORMULA
Number of grade 12 completers (standard diploma within four years, including students with disabilities whose Individual Education Plan (IEP) stipulate they will need more than four years to obtain a standard diploma)
---------------------------divided by---------------------------
Number of grade 12 completers (includes standard diplomas plus certificates of completion plus students with no IEP who will take longer than four years to graduate) plus number of 12th-, 11th-, 10th- and 9th-grade dropouts from the 12th-grade class
The school retention rate -- the percentage of students held back a grade -- decreased slightly, as did the school attendance rate. The percentage of students making a successful transition to adult life increased slightly.
Today's release of nonacademic data is one component of the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS). The other two components -- the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) and Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) results -- will be released in October.
"There is some good news in these data," said Kentucky Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit. "Fewer students are dropping out. In fact, of the 171 districts that report high school dropout data, the rates in 112 either declined or stayed the same from 2002 to 2003. Eight school districts and 14 schools have no dropouts at all. And, there are no double-digit dropout rates."
HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT RATES BY RACE AND GENDER
2000 2001 2002 2003
MALE 6.04% 5.71% 4.63% 3.87%
FEMALE 4.11% 3.76% 3.22% 2.72%
WHITE 4.84% 4.53% 3.78% 3.21%
AFRICAN AMERICAN 7.81% 6.95% 5.54% 4.35%
HISPANIC 6.65% 7.40% 6.16% 4.43%
ASIAN 2.29% 3.34% 2.09% 1.87%
AMERICAN INDIAN 3.23% 6.64% 1.64% 2.08%
OTHER 3.07% 3.07% 2.65% 2.29%
"Even though the 9th-grade retention rate decreased more than half a point from 2002 to 2003, it continues to exceed the rates at other grade levels," said Wilhoit. "That's a major area of concern. The department and the Kentucky Board of Education have a number of support programs to improve secondary education, and many schools are implementing innovative ideas (such as freshmen academies) to try to address the problem. We're continuing our combined efforts to eliminate dropouts from Kentucky schools."
FOUR-YEAR COMPARISONS OF RETENTION RATES BY GRADE LEVEL
1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03
4th 1.36% 1.15% 0.97% 0.77%
5th 0.85% 0.71% 0.52% 0.54%
6th 1.95% 2.02% 1.94% 1.80%
7th 2.54% 2.23% 1.97% 1.76%
8th 1.61% 1.48% 1.37% 1.36%
9th 11.84% 11.17% 10.81% 10.03%
10th 8.03% 7.51% 7.59% 7.49%
11th 4.38% 4.35% 4.32% 4.43%
12th 2.46% 2.10% 2.31% 2.47%
TOTAL 3.97% 3.67% 3.55% 3.39%
Non-academic data is comprised of dropout, graduation, retention, attendance and successful transition to adult life rates. With the exception of graduation rates, which are required under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, each rate contributes a specific percentage to a school's overall accountability index.
COMPARISONS OF NON-ACADEMIC DATA - STATEWIDE RATES
1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03
Attendance 94.19% 94.15% 94.43% 94.31%
Dropout
(grades 9-12) 5.10% 4.76% 3.94% 3.31%
Graduation n/a 79.72% 80.75% 78.99%
Retention 3.97% 3.67% 3.55% 3.39%
Successful
Transition 95.38% 95.11% 95.67% 96.02%
See complete details on district and school nonacademic data here.
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