Local educators react to declining graduation rates | Education

On Sept. 5, The Information Herald reported on information displaying four-year commencement charges throughout the state and in Burke County continued to drop in 2022. In accordance with the studies, Burke County’s price dropped greater than three factors to 88.1%, however nonetheless remained almost two factors above the state common. 

In accordance with Ross Rumbaugh, Burke County Public Faculties director of testing and accountability, the information was not a shock contemplating the affect made by pandemic-related shutdowns and studying interruptions in 2020 and 2021.

“Many college students who determined, throughout the worst elements of the shutdown, to dropout have been eleventh graders,” Rumbaugh mentioned. “These college students didn’t rely towards 2021 commencement charges as a result of they’d not have been seniors till 2022.”

BCPS, together with Western Piedmont Group Faculty, are working to handle these sliding numbers each by attempting to maintain college students in class and offering alternatives for many who select to depart. Rumbaugh mentioned district counselors, academics and principals are redoubling efforts to encourage college students to finish their highschool expertise.

“Now we have and can proceed to make scholar success and commencement a precedence,” he mentioned. “Now we have engagement coordinators that work with scholar attendance points, and we have now tutors that work in any respect our excessive faculties to remediate our neediest learners.”

WPCC President Joel Welch mentioned the school can be attacking the problem from each instructions. He pointed to partnerships with the district such because the Profession and Faculty Promise program and Burke Center Faculty, which permit college students to earn faculty credit score whereas incomes their highschool diploma, in addition to Profession and Technical Education schemes as necessary items of the school’s efforts to maintain college students in class.

On the opposite facet of the problem, the school can be dedicated to working with the district to offer as many choices as doable for many who have already chosen to depart.

“We all know that it might be higher if they really end highschool after which come to us,” he mentioned. “In the event that they don’t, we’re partnered, and so they work these referrals to return to us.”

Welch mentioned latest declines within the four-year price have been tempered by will increase within the variety of college students finishing the school’s highschool equivalency and Grownup Excessive College packages. He mentioned the spring 2022 semester noticed 129 college students take part in highschool completion packages on the faculty, up 37% from final yr. Whereas statistics for this fall usually are not but obtainable, Welch expects this upward development to proceed.

These encouraging statistics coincide with what BCPS directors are saying – the four-year price doesn’t inform the entire story.

“The four-year price is the usual most communities worth and that which is included within the college efficiency grade,” Rumbaugh mentioned. “We work with our pals at WPCC who tell us about college students who graduate from their grownup highschool program. Additionally they have college students who full GED’s that have been former BCPS college students. Nonetheless, the state doesn’t enable us to rely profitable GED completers towards our commencement price.”

Nonetheless, Rumbaugh mentioned the necessary factor is that many college students who don’t meet the requirement in 4 years are occurring to meet commencement or highschool equivalency necessities no matter whether or not the district will get to rely them on state studies.

“Although they might not rely towards our four-year cohort commencement price, we all the time need college students to graduate,” he mentioned. “Highschool graduates nonetheless carry a bonus within the office, and we wish all of our college students to appreciate that purpose in 4 years, 5 years or extra if wanted.”

Welch echoed Rumbaugh’s sentiments, saying WPCC’s purpose is to offer as many alternatives as doable for folks to advance. At present, Welch mentioned the school provides free preparation lessons for the GED and HISET highschool equivalency exams, so long as college students pay for the exams.

“We run in-person and on-line preparation,” he mentioned. “College students can take these to organize to take the GED or HISET exams.”

He additionally touted the college’s Grownup Excessive College program which permits college students who’ve been out of college for at the least six months or who’ve a referral from their highschool to meet their remaining commencement necessities at WPCC.

“College students will really earn a highschool diploma that’s issued collectively,” Welch mentioned. “We do an grownup highschool commencement every year and so they have to fulfill the state required 22 credit.”

He mentioned this system is totally free and obtainable on-line, self-paced or through daytime, night or weekend in-person choices.

Equally, BCPS is offering choices for college kids who’ve fallen wanting assembly the necessities in 4 years. Rumbaugh mentioned college students are allowed to attend BCPS excessive faculties till the age of 21 if needed and BCPS Public Relations Officer Cheryl Shuffler pointed to the district’s partnership with Western Piedmont, together with the inaugural OPT-IN internship program.

The 2 establishments piloted this system final summer season, together with Work in Burke, BDI and The Industrial Commons, focusing on graduating seniors with no post-secondary plan and connecting them with internships at native firms. Shuffler mentioned this system might be expanded to incorporate highschool juniors subsequent summer season.

“This program is one more method for a scholar to seek out his or her area of interest and a motive to remain in class, get that all-important highschool diploma and get a jumpstart on beginning their profession journey,” she mentioned.

Welch mentioned packages like OPT-IN, which goal alternative youth – these aged 16-24 who’re neither working nor attending college – is one other necessary piece of the puzzle.

“That’s in all probability one of many larger considerations is that they’re dropping out utterly,” he mentioned. “What the info tells us is that there’s a fairly good proportion which can be dropping out and never going to work, not doing something.”

In accordance with Welch, this accounts for about 22% of Burke County 16-24-year-olds. He sees reengaging this group as one of many key challenges WPCC and BCPS will face within the coming years.

Rumbaugh cautioned that there isn’t any simple resolution to the challenges going through faculties and college students, however mentioned the district will proceed to work to fulfill the wants of each scholar. 

“We might be combating the consequences of the lockdown for a number of years,” he mentioned. “We hope that we see a rebound in our price subsequent yr, however greater than specializing in a quantity, we’ll deal with particular person scholar wants.”