Anyone whow works with secondary schools knows that graduation rates do not reflect a ‘true’ rate, but are more of a numbers game. Any given school may have three or more valid and reported graduation rates if their state, district and funders employ different formulas. Variables that changes with different formulas include cohort models, do you follw students from 9th grade or start counting in 12th? How do you treat transfers? Drop-outs? Students who finish in 5 years rather than 4?
Margartet Spelling recently announced the the federal government is going to require states to use a uniform graduation rate (link). This is significant as NCLB does not generally require that states follow mandates in a uniform way.
Having a common graduation rate will also allow us to see more clearly the disparity between graduation rates of different student populations, as this report by America’s Promise Alliance powerfully demonstrates in their report on urban graduation rates (link).