Student success soars across state
Graduation rates jump in Lodi, Galt and across California
All Middle College High School students who started in 2012-13 graduated with their class in 2016, according to graduation rates released by the state Tuesday.
It was an increase from the number of socalled cohort of students who started in 2011-12 when only 98.3 percent graduated four years later. The improvement was in line with most of Lodi and Galt’s high schools, as well as the state rate.
California’s graduation rate increased for the seventh year in a row and is now at a record high for the class of 2016.
Among the cohort of students who started high school in 2012–13, 83.2 percent graduated with their class in 2016, up 0.9 percent statewide from the year before. This increase means that 4,917 more students across the state received their high school diploma last year than the year before.
The rates for counties, districts and schools across California were calculated based on fouryear cohort information using the state's California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System. Cohort means the same group of students entered ninth grade for the first time and were followed for four years.
Locally, only Independence High saw a drop in the number of graduates, from 69.74 percent in 2015 to 65.08 in 2016.
However, the state cautions against comparing graduation rates for alternative or dropout recovery high schools that serve only those students who are already at the greatest risk of dropping out, compared with the broader population at traditional high schools.
While Lodi Unified’s overall rate did not improve — from 85.4 percent to 84.8 percent — both Lodi and Tokay high schools saw an improvement, from 91.2 percent to 92.7 percent, and 88.3 percent to 92 percent, respectively.
Superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer, who said her staff is still reviewing the districtwide data, attributes the district’s successes to the addition of options for high school students that may be high-interest topics such as computer programming, diesel mechanics, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, robotics and JROTC, just to name a few, she said.
The district is also working on an Industrial Manufacturing Pathway at Tokay High School that will prepare students to go into the local workforce. This is a partnership project with the Lodi Industrial Group.
Galt Joint Union High School District saw a drastic improvement, from 91.7 percent in 2015 to 96.1 percent last year.
However, the individual schools had varying results, with Galt High increasing from 97.5 percent to 99 percent in 2016
and Liberty Ranch dropping from 99.3 percent to 98.6 percent. Estrellita Continuation saw a drastic jump, from just 50 percent to 72.92 percent.
While Superintendent Elizabeth Kaufman said she would need to look more closely at the individual school data as there are likely fluctuations, especially at Estrellita, due to small school size and a varying number of graduates each year, she is happy with the district’s rates as a whole.
“We are very pleased to see the trend of increased graduation rates working hand in hand with increased completion of (college entrance requirements), as well,” she said.
“Our goal is to have a rigorous academic program that prepares all of our students for success in education — be it a four-year university, a community college, or other vocational pathway program — and for careers when they graduate. Having strong graduation rates ... shows us that we are moving in the right direction with the supports we have put in place for our students, both academic and extracurricular.”
Like Lodi Unified, the school board’s commitment to providing personalized, responsive programs to students ensures that the district has a full array of academic options, from Advanced Placement and honors courses to reading and math interventions, Kaufman said.
“These are nimble and readily tailored to individual student needs,” she said. “Award winning CTE pathways ensure our students developed the balanced skills necessary for success in a 21st century workplace.”
Overall, the state’s graduation rate has increased 8.5 percentage points since the class of 2010 posted a 74.7 percent rate.
“This is great news for our students and families,” State Superintendent Tom Torlakson said in a press release. “Graduation rates have gone up seven years in a row, reflecting renewed optimism and increased investments in our schools that have helped reduce class sizes; bring back classes in music, theater, art, dance and science; and expand career technical education programs that engage our students with hands-on, minds-on learning.
“The increasing rates show that the positive changes in California schools are taking us in the right direction. These changes, which I call the “California Way,” include teaching more rigorous and relevant academic standards, which provides more local control over spending and more resources to those with the greatest needs.”
The state dropout rate does not have a precise correlation with the graduation rate because some students are still pursuing a high school degree or its equivalent after four years. These students have neither graduated nor dropped out. Last year, 6.1 percent of students in the cohort were in that category, a decline of 0.2 percent from the year before.
To view and download state, county, district, and school graduation and dropout rates, visit the California Department of Education's DataQuest. Downloadable data sheets are available on the California Department of Education Cohort Outcome Data web page.