Do FUSD Graduation Rates Add Up?

As Fresno Unified and other districts celebrate increased graduation rates (83%), we need to consider a few factors that may cause us to take off the party hats and put the cap back in the champagne bottles.

Let's start with the absence of the CAHSEE, the exit exam students USED to take before they could graduate. You can say what you want about the evils of standardized testing, but that was a sophomore-level test. I knew many students who missed only a few questions on each section and at least one who only missed one question on the entire test! So right off the bat you get an increase in kids graduating because of the removal of that assessment.

Next let's talk about grading. Anybody thinking we know how to grade logically and consistently in our public education system is delusional. Some count homework, others do not. Some give an F to kids who get half the answers right on an exam. That makes little sense. But now let's add this to the mix: teachers are being told in Fresno Unified (and I'm sure in other districts) to cut down on the numbers of D's and F's. Yep. Pressure is being brought to bear on teachers and site administrators to decrease the number of failing grades.

I would bet that most teachers would tell you a student who completes an assignment seldom gets an F, unless they DO not turn in the assignment. And most bend over backwards to give kids chances to make up the work. Are we bending more now with this extra pressure? Are our grades valid?

Kids can also take "recovery courses" like they do in LA Unified. There is controversy down there about this, which you can read about here. I do not know if Fresno Unified is running into similar concerns or not.

One comparison we can make is the graduation rate vs. test scores. I know this will rankle some, but should we ignore scores on standardized tests? Do they tell us nothing? Well, how about this:

Between 80 and 90% of Fresno Unified's graduating class of 2016 did NOT meet mathematic standards on the state SBAC test. This is based on their 11th grade test scores. In other words, these students were juniors in 2015, and only 11th grade takes the SBAC in high school. That means the graduation rates we are celebrating are almost directly inverted vs. their scores in 2015.

Now, results are reported out in four categories: Exceeded Standards, Met Standards, Nearly Met Standards, Did Not Meet Standards. When I use the term "Did Not Meet" I am talking about the total of the bottom two bands. But still, 83% graduation rate, 80% did not meet state standards in math. 83% graduation rate, 60% did not meet state standards in Language arts.

Of course, you can argue this was the first year of the test, the use of computers was new, Common Core is new, etc. But ask yourself, what do these results say about our graduation rates?

Language Art Scores are better, if you want to use the term here. Only 60% did not meet.

As a further perspective, a little over 450 out of roughly 3600 seniors who made up the graduating class of 2016 met state math standards as juniors. I wonder what grades they were given in math

Maybe the party hats should come off.