PROVIDENCE – The statewide graduation rate from the Class of 2008 was 73.9 percent, an increase of 3.5 percentage points over the previous year’s figures, according to information released today by the R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE).
Improvement was seen in each of three major regions:
• Urban school districts – Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket – whose overall graduation rate rose 5 percentage points to 61 percent.
• Urban-ring districts – East Providence, Cranston, Johnston, Newport, North Providence, Warwick and West Warwick– whose graduation rate rose 5 percentage points to 78 percent.
• Suburban districts schools – the rest of the state – whose graduation rate rose 1 percentage point to 84 percent.
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But the report also shows that the graduation rates among low-income students, students with disabilities and members of most minority groups continue to lag significantly behind those of their counterparts.
RIDE said African-American students in Rhode Island had a 64 percent graduation rate last year, while Native Americans were at 63 percent and Hispanics were at 62 percent. Poor students had a 61 percent graduation rate and those with disabilities had a 56 percent rate. “English language learners,” with a graduation rate of 59 percent, also fell far short of the overall rate statewide.
Still, state education officials touted the overall improvement as a sign that Rhode Island’s education reforms are beginning to pay off.
“The Class of 2008 was the first graduating class that had to meet the requirements of the regents’ high-school regulations and the new diploma system,” said Robert G. Flanders Jr., chairman of the R.I. Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education. “The improvements in the graduation rate for the Class of 2008 show me that students will rise to the occasion to meet a challenge, such as the new performance-based graduation requirements. We have a long way to go to bring our graduation rate to an acceptable level, but these results show that we are on the right path.”
The results were announced today by Gov. Donald L. Carcieri at Times2 Academy in Providence, one of three public high schools that last year achieved graduation rates of 100 percent. The others were the Textron Chamber of Commerce Academy, also in Providence, and the Block Island School.
“Although the graduation rates in our urban districts are still too low,” Carcieri said, “I am pleased to see the overall improvement and significant accomplishments in the urban graduation rates – particularly at Times2 and Textron, two of our urban charter high schools.
“I note, however, that the graduation rates among male students and among students living in poverty are relatively low across the state. These are issues we must address.”
Last year, RIDE changed the way it calculates the public high school graduation rate, causing the 2007 statewide rate to drop to 70.1 percent from the previously reported 89.2 percent. (READ MORE)
Where the previous graduation rate calculation included all graduates – regardless of how many years they had spent in high school – the revised “cohort” calculation includes only those who graduate within four years. Also, under the previous formula, many students who had left school for unknown reasons were not counted as dropouts. Under the new formula, all “unknown” departures from a school system are listed as dropouts.
“The improvement in the four-year graduation rate is further evidence that our high-school reform efforts – including the emphasis on student advisories and personalized learning environments – are working,” said Peter McWalters, the state commissioner of elementary and secondary education. “More students are staying in school, meeting tough standards and graduating on time. Though the graduation rates are still too low – particularly among students in poverty, students with disabilities and English-language learners – we are beginning to close some of these gaps.”
Additional information from the R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and its Office of Assessment and Accountability is available at www.ride.ri.gov. News and information from the R.I. Governor’s Office are available at www.governor.ri.gov.
