Drop in graduation rate looming

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Local school officials are bracing for a drastic decline in their graduation rates with new federal rules that do not recognize those students who receive a general diploma.

Seymour High School Principal Greg Prange said the change could cause graduation rates to drop around 20 percent.

That means instead of graduating around 95 percent of students, the school will have to report a rate of 75 percent. It also will negatively impact the school’s accountability grade. Poor grades can lead to state intervention.

All Hoosier students must graduate with a Core 40 diploma unless their parents or guardians opt them out, which in case they would receive a general diploma. The highest diploma a student can earn is the Honors Diploma, which can include academic honors, technical honors and International Baccalaureate.

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Although the general diploma requires 40 credits, it’s not as strict as the Core 40 in what areas students must earn the credits. The biggest difference is that a general diploma does not require students to pass Algebra II and chemistry, which is required for Core 40.

This past year, SHS had 60 students who received a general diploma, Prange said. In Indiana that is good enough to graduate, but not enough to get into college. In 2016, that number was 71.

Students planning on post-secondary education need at least a Core 40 diploma to be accepted into Indiana’s public colleges and universities.

The changes are part of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced the No Child Left Behind Act.

Brownstown Central High School Principal Joe Sheffer said the new rules shouldn’t have been implemented so quickly.

“This news just came out, and it does not give schools much time to make curriculum changes for this school year,” he said.

A total of 29 students or 21 percent, graduated from Brownstown Central in 2016 with a general diploma. This past school year’s numbers have not been verified by the state yet.

Out of the 26 diplomas Medora High School awarded in 2016, six were general diplomas, according to data from the Indiana Department of Education. Crothersville High School gave no general diplomas, with 16 students earning Core 40 and 11 receiving honors diplomas.

Trinity Lutheran High School also gave out no general diplomas, awarding six Core 40 diplomas and 30 honors diplomas.  Because they had fewer than 10 graduates, Seymour Christian Academy’s numbers are not made public by the state.

To get more students to not opt out of Core 40, Sheffer said the school will have to change its math curriculum.

Prange agreed schools will have to develop curriculum and use interventions to prevent students from struggling and eventually opting out of Core 40.

The change is a burden that will be carried by most public schools across the nation, but not private or charter schools, Prange said.

He’s already met with Randy Fife, the school’s head of guidance and counseling and several teachers on how they plan to “combat” the new rules and get more students to graduate with Core 40.

“This information is one week old,” Prange said. “When teachers and counselors are back at school, we will work collectively to target students who may have eventually chosen to opt out.”

Prange said when he graduated from Seymour High School in 1979 he only had 36½ credits.

“So what kids are earning with the general diploma is greater than what any of us earned at Seymour High School,” he told school board members during their monthly meeting Tuesday night.

He also plans to testify before state legislators about why the general diploma is important to Seymour students.

“Those students should count,” he said. “As should those who earn a certificate of completion.”

Sheffer said Brownstown will look at all options to get students to graduate with CORE 40.

“We may or may not offer a general diploma in the future,” he said.

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