By Mark Scott
Albany, NY – The State Education Department released new data Monday on high school graduation rates in New York. The figures show 30 percent of all high school students who entered the ninth grade in 2000 had failed to graduate after five years. Officials say the report is disturbing and unacceptable.
While 71 percent of the ninth grade class who entered high school in 2000 had graduated by last June 30th, the data does show more high school graduates are reaching higher standards each year. And more are earning Regents diplomas. It's a good news, bad news scenario for Regents Chancellor Robert Bennett.
"We're upset by the data," Bennett said. "At the same time, we congratulate those districts and those students who have met the standards."
Let's paint a picture of how two local high schools did in the Regents report. At Riverside High School in Buffalo, 239 students were part of the freshman class in 2000. As of last June 30th, fewer than 45 percent of them had graduated. More than 40 percent had dropped out. But at Williamsville East High School, nearly 98 percent of the 240 students who entered the ninth grade in 2000 had graduated by last June. Fewer than one-half of one percent had dropped out.
During a state-wide teleconference Monday, Chancellor Bennett said this gap between urban and low need school districts must be addressed.
"All we're going to do over the next several months will have to do with closing the gap," Bennett said. "We absolutely believe we can do that. We need to zero in on that with laser-like strategies."
The Board of Regents is calling on local school districts to set graduation targets and then be held accountable for meeting them. The Regents would also require districts where graduation levels are the lowest to make sure their teachers are certified in the subjects they're teaching.