A Compact On State High School Graduation Data America/'s High ...
A Compact on State High School
Graduation Data
America’s high schools play an integral role in preparing students for college and work in the 21st century. High school success
is more important than ever for the health of our economy, for civic life and to ensure equal opportunity. Unfortunately, the quality of
state high school graduation and dropout data is such that most states cannot fully account for their students as they progress
through high school. Until recently, many states had not collected both graduation and dropout data, and those that have collected
these data have not generally obtained accurate information. Therefore, as education reform efforts increasingly focus on high
schools, the quality of graduation and dropout data becomes even more critical.
Earlier this year, the National Governors Association convened a Task Force on State High School Graduation Data—which
included representatives from the American Federation of Teachers, the Business Roundtable, the Council of Chief State School
Officers, the Education Commission of the States, the Educational Testing Service, the Education Trust, the National Association of
State Boards of Education, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Education Association, Standard and Poor’s
and the State Higher Education Executive Officers—to make recommendations about how states can develop a high-quality,
comparable high school graduation measure. The task force also proposed complementary indicators of student progress and
outcomes and data systems capable of collecting, analyzing and reporting the data states need. The task force members found
substantial consensus on which to build their findings and recommendations.
With this compact, the undersigned commit to:
Take steps to implement a standard, four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate. States agree to calculate the graduation rate
by dividing the number of on-time graduates in a given year by the number of first-time entering ninth graders four years
earlier. Graduates are those receiving a high school diploma. The denominator can be adjusted for transfers in and out of the
system and data systems will ideally track individual students with a longitudinal student unit record data system. Special
education students and recent immigrants with limited English proficiency can be assigned to different cohorts to allow them
more time to graduate.
Lead efforts to improve state data collection, reporting and analysis, and link data systems across the entire education
pipeline from preschool through postsecondary education.
Take steps to implement additional indicators that provide richer information and understanding about outcomes for students
and how well the system is serving them. Additional indicators include five- or six-year cohort graduation rates, completion
rates for those earning alternative credentials, in-grade retention rates, a college-readiness rate and a high school dropout
rate.
Report annual progress on the improvement of their state high school graduation, completion and dropout rate data.
