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Hillsborough Graduate Rate Rises; Or Did It?

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 1, 2007

Hillsborough County schools' graduation rate increased nearly 2 percentage points in 2006-07 over the previous school year with a slight improvement in the dropout rate, the state reported Friday.

The numbers - showing improvement both statewide and in Hillsborough - were mixed for two other districts in the Tampa Bay area. Pasco and Pinellas counties' graduation rates were down, and the Pinellas dropout rate also increased slightly compared with the previous year.

Just how good is that news?

Both state officials and a Hillsborough news release lauded the improvements, but the vexing problem of nailing down graduation and dropout rates continues.

States figure their own graduation and dropout rates differently and national studies vary, depending on which government agency or outside group is compiling the figures.

According to the state, Florida's high school graduation rates improved this year while the number of dropouts decreased. That's by the state's count - one that doesn't line up with national figures.
State education officials and Gov. Charlie Crist announced Friday that Florida's rate bumped up by 1.4 percentage points in 2006-07 to 72.4 percent of students graduating within four years.

The report also claimed a dropout rate of 3.3 percent, which is vastly different than national figures showing that nearly half of Florida's high schools fail to graduate more than 60 percent of their students.

"Nothing I've heard before was anything like 3 percent or 4 percent," said Mark Pudlow, spokesman for the Florida Education Association, the statewide teachers union. "I don't know how they measure that."

In June, Education Week magazine reported that Florida's graduation rate was 60.5 percent in 2003-04, which ranked 45th among the 50 states and District of Columbia.

The state Department of Education is unique among the states in basing the graduation rate on data that follows every student from ninth grade to graduation. Florida also counts General Education Development and other special diplomas not included in the national statistics.

A recent analysis conducted by Johns Hopkins University for The Associated Press revealed that more than half of Florida's high schools sampled had a dropout rate of 40 percent. That assessment would have no more than 60 percent of students who start as freshmen make it to their senior year.

"Apparently the only group that thinks we are making excellent gains is our own Department of Education," said Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, the House minority leader. "We are not going to solve this true crisis by trying to simply redefine it."

In defense of their system, state officials cited a 2005 report by the National Governors Association that called Florida a national leader and model for calculating graduation rates.

"This year's graduation rate is a clear indication that Florida is on the right track in its education efforts," said Education Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg, who retired Friday.

FEA's Pudlow said neither the state nor national figures are anything to brag about.

"Whether you calculate them one way or another, it really doesn't make any difference," he said. "There just too many kids who aren't completing high school."

Hillsborough's highest graduation rate was in 2004-05 at 79.5, dropping in 2005-06 to 77.3. Its dropout rate was lower in 2003-04 than in the next two years.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Tribune reporter Marilyn Brown also contributed.

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