2013 GRADUATION COHORT / DROPOUT RATE TRAINING

1. 2013 GRADUATION COHORT / DROPOUT RATE TRAINING State of Alabama Department of Education Prevention & Support Services Section Office: 334-242-8165

2. Objectives • Recognize the terms associated with • the Graduation Rate • Know how to access and manipulate • through the Graduation Portal • Required documentation to properly code • students in the portal • Identify strategies to improve the • Graduation Rate • Answer your questions

3. Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rate • The formula is the percentage of students who entered ninth grade and graduated within four years. • The formula equates to the number of on-time graduates in a given year divided by the number of entering first-time ninth graders four years earlier, adjusting for transfers in and out. Students are tracked individually from the time they start ninth grade.

4. Five-Year Cohort Graduation Rate To determine the Five-Year Graduation Rate • Use the 2011-2012 data • Review the current status of students identified as - • Still Enrolled • No Show • Withdrawn (Still in Cohort) • Missing Records • Dropouts • Go through the four-year process to determine if the status of these students changed from last year.

5. Cohort Portal Glossary of Terms: • Non-Graduates: Still Enrolled Students who do not complete all requirements for graduation within a four-year cohort period but who remain enrolled in school working toward completion of requirements or who remain enrolled as a special education student served until the age of 21.

6. Withdrawn (Still in your Cohort) Student is withdrawn but records are not requested or sent to transfer school. School does not have documentation to support that the student transferred. Withdrawn (Transfer within State) Student is withdrawn to another public school in the state of Alabama. No Show Student leaves over the summer and never returns to complete an official transfer or drop-out form.

7. Missing Records No record exists for a student in the 9th Month Attendance Extract from INOW as reported by the LEA. This is a data issue caused by failure by the LEA to include a school in the extract, the improper withdrawal of an individual student, the setting of a student to inactive without using the withdrawal process, or some other data anomaly in the Student Management System.

8. Dropouts According to the Common Core of Data (CCD) definition, a dropout is an individual who • was enrolled in school at some time • during the previous school year; • was not enrolled at the beginning of the • current school year;

9. Dropouts (continued) • has not graduated from high school or • completed a state- or system-approved • education program; and does not meet • any of the following exclusionary • conditions: transfer to another public • school district, private school, or state- • or district approved education program; • temporary absence due to suspension or • school-approved illness; or death.

10. Dropouts(continued) Note: The state of Alabama utilizes the CCD definition of a dropout. The CCD is the program of the United States Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics that annually collects fiscal and non-fiscal data about all public schools, public school systems and state education agencies in the United States. The count of dropouts is used to produce an event dropout rate each year as well as to project a four-year dropout rate for a given cohort.

11. Completers Student that exited with a document other than a diploma such as GED or Special Education Graduation Certificate.

12. Graduate • A student who completes all requirements • for a state approved diploma. • Switch Cohort Year • A student who was a first-time 9th grader • in a year other than 2009-2010. • Withdrawn (Out of Cohort) • Student is withdrawn, moved out of state • or country, to a private school or private • tutor and records are requested or sent • to the transfer school.

13. Where We Stand • Data as verified by school districts as of April 25, 2012 • Cannot be compared to 2010 Graduation Rate nor Projected Four-Year Dropout Rate

14. Accessing the Graduation Rate Accountability Portal

15. From a Web browser, type: https://ap.alsde.edu

16. Four-Year Graduation Rate Cohort Portal for 2013 The name for the Accountability Portal has been changed to the Application Portal.

17. Current users type in your Username and Password, then select Login.

18. New users select Register from the menu below.

19. Registration Information Complete all fields before selecting the Next tab to continue.

20. Account Information Complete all fields before selecting the Next tab to continue.

21. Select Finish

22. Select Help

23. Select Gain Access

24. Entering the Authorization Code Enter the Authorization Code (Your Superintendent may request the Authorization Code from Prevention and Support Services.) Select Gain Access

25. Once you have gained access, select the Cohort tab. Login information Logout

26. Enter the graduation year from the dropdown box (2012-13 for 4-Year cohort or 2011-12 for 5-Year cohort.) Your system will pre-populate. Select a school to view from the dropdown box or your school will pre-populate. Select a subpopulation from the dropdown box. If you do not select a subpopulation all of the school’s students will appear.

27. P Subpopulations

28. You may sort student information in the columns below.

29. Select the “Action” column to make updates to the “Record Type” for each student.

30. Selecting the “Action” column, an update box will appear.

31. Select the “Change student to”dropdown box. Never Enrolled (2)

32. Select the “Still enrolled.”

33. Selecting the “Still enrolled”

34. Select the “Browse” link to upload supporting data from your computer.

35. Select the “Save changes” link once you have completed working with this student.

36. Selecting the “Merge/duplicate student”

37. Selecting the “Graduate/Completer”, then “Set exit type to.”

38. Selecting the “Dropout”, then “Set dropout code to.”

39. Selecting the “Switch Cohort Year”

40. Selecting the “Withdrawn-still in cohort”, then “Set withdrawal code to.”

41. Selecting the “Withdrawn-out of cohort”, then “Set withdrawal code to.”

42. Selecting the “Foreign Exchange”, then “Additional details to.”

43. Who will Count as a Graduate in the Cohort and who will not?

46. Making Cohort Changes Reference: U.S. Department of Education. 2008. High School Graduation Rate. No child left behind. Washington D.C.

47. Making Cohort Changes – Documentation Needed Reference: U.S. Department of Education. 2008. High School Graduation Rate. No child left behind. Washington D.C.

48. Dropout Portal To determine the dropout rate • Use the 2012-2013 school year • Review the current status of students identified as dropouts in any school with grades 7 through 12. • Go through the four-year process to determine if the status of these students changed from last year.

49. Prevention & Support Services System Contact

50. Prevention & Support Services System Contact