1. How Are We Doing? 2010-11 Washington Graduation Statistics
Deb Came
GATE Advisory Meeting
June 5, 2012

2. Graduation Rates Estimated Cohort (traditional method) On-time
Extended
school year
75.0%
81.0%
school year
76.5%
82.6%
Adjusted cohort
(new calculation)
4-Year Actual
Adjusted
5-Year Actual
Class of 2011
76.6%
n/a
Class of 2010
75.4%
78.2%

3. Different Methodologies 9 10 11 12
Traditional Method
Cohort (new) Method

4. Comparison of Methods Estimated Cohort (old method) Adjusted Cohort
(new method) 
Is a composite cohort.
Uses dropout rates for all grades within one school year to determine an estimate of the number of students graduating.
Is an actual cohort.
Individuals are tracked over 4 years with adjustments made for transfers in/out.
Allows for alternate expected graduation year for students in special education or ELL programs.
Imposes concept of four-year timespan. There are no adjustments for Special Ed or Limited English students who are expected to take longer.
May adjust for deficient credits.
All students are expected to graduate four years after first entering 9th grade. Transfers from out of state or other districts who are credit deficient may not be reclassified into a lower grade.
The new method generally aligns with what most people think of as a graduation rate: among a group of students who started high school together, how many graduated in four (or five) years?
The old method may have benefited districts that assigned grade level by credit:
The rate applied dropouts from all grades to that year’s 12th grade enrollment.
9th – 11th grades would increase in size because students would remain in lower grades if they were credit deficient. Thus the dropout rates for those grades would be lower. Lower dropout rates across grades leads to a higher graduation rate.
12th grade would be smaller because students remained in lower grades. A smaller denominator with the same number of graduates leads to a higher graduation rate.
The old method is a composite cohort and thus would reflect the most recent year’s dropout improvements in lower grades.
The new method takes time to reflect improvements in a given cohort.

5. Grad Rates by Ethnicity / Race Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Method

6. Grad Rates by Subgroup Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Method

7. Districts with Lowest Grad Rate
(N>=30)
Graduation Rate
( Year Adjusted Cohort)
9th Grade Entering Cohort N
Aberdeen
55.3
303
Mount Adams
58.1 77
Monroe
60.6
533
Concrete
60.7 67
Tacoma
61.6
2322
Highline
62.3
1516
Cle Elum-Roslyn 88
Shelton
62.9
460
Tukwila
63.3
264
Centralia
63.7
284
Grand Coulee Dam
64.0 63
Raymond
64.3 43

8. Districts with Highest Grad Rate
(N>=30)
Graduation Rate
( Year Adjusted Cohort)
9th Grade Entering Cohort N
Hockinson
97.9
176
Asotin-Anatone 49
Zillah
96.8
109
Waitsburg
96.7 33
Pe Ell
96.4 36
Montesano
95.8
120
Kalama 84
Adna
94.6 50
Mercer Island
94.3
350
White Pass
93.9 41
Lake Washington
1819
North Franklin
93.6
131

10. Contact
Deb Came, Ph.D. Director, Student Information, OSPI (360) Lisa Ireland Research Analyst, Student Information, OSPI (360)