Graduation rates are slightly up, dropout rates are down, and High School Assessment scores remain stagnant according to data released by the state and individual school districts Wednesday.
In Baltimore City Public Schools, the graduation rate for the class of 2012 was 66.5 percent (but slightly higher for students who graduated in 5 years). The dropout rate fell from 17.4 percent to 14.1 percent. And it's almost a 10 percent decrease in the dropout rate over two years.
In Baltimore County, the proportion of students graduating in four years rose to 83.3 percent, reflecting a decrease in the number of dropouts.
Statewide, nearly 90 percent of 12th graders passed all of the High School Assessment (HSA) exams, a requirement for graduation. But barely two thirds of Baltimore City 12th graders passed (a 0.5 percent increase). County schools achieved a 90.3 percent pass rate.
Seniors who do not pass the HSA exams may fulfill the requirement through special projects. Some 32 percent of 12th graders in city schools took this route, the same percentage as last year. By contrast, 9.9 percent of the Maryland's 12th graders completed these projects.
City school officials say they will increase their focus on getting students ready for college and careers. They said in a statement guidance counselors would talk about college and career choices so they would not be left “until high school.”
They also said they plan to increase enrollment in and access to Career and Technology Education (CTE) pathways.
Baltimore County School officials said that the data confirmed what they already knew.
“We have the second best graduation rate in the nation among large school districts. More than half of our high schools are ranked among the best in the nation,” Superintendent Dallas Dance wrote in an email. “True success will come when we know that every student is graduating on time and prepared to be globally competitive. That is the challenge that motivates us to keep expanding academic opportunities for all students, raising the bar and closing achievement gaps.”
The HSA, created to comply with federal No Child Left Behind requirements, will soon be phased out in favor of a Common Core aligned exam that will compare students across state lines.