Reports are coming out that the announcements of graduation rates should be standard across the nation.
Washington state has already implemented a standardized reporting method in an effort to reveal who is telling the truth about the rates of graduating students.
To get a clear picture of who is graduating in Washington state or the United States is difficult.
Currently there is not a uniform way to calculate graduation rates throughout the country.
Individual schools view the graduation rates differently. In some cases, for example, students who attend alternative schools or special programs are not counted. The bottom line is these various formulas have been so confusing they cannot be easily explained or understood.
As a result, the taxpayers often feel confused ― even duped.
The U.S. Department of Education is implementing new rules aimed at standardizing graduation rate reporting. This reform is long awaited and needed. Taxpayers need to know how well their schools are doing. Understanding whether students are graduating on time from high school is critical to assessing the success of educators.
U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings has proposed a plan ― which follows an agreement from the National Governors Association ― that requires states to assign ID numbers to students so they can be tracked when they enter the ninth grade until they graduate or drop out. This will allow students to be tracked when they move to another school district or even another state.
Source: http://www.unionbulletin.com/articles/2008/06/21/opinion/daily_editorial/080622editorial.txt
