AURORA | Aurora Public Schools had the second largest increase in four-year high school graduation rates in the state, rising six points from last year, according to the latest data on graduation and dropout rates released from the Colorado Department of Education. Mapleton Public Schools took the top spot in the state, rising about 7.5 percent from last year.
Still, the district’s rate of 65 percent is well below the state average of about 79 percent. The rate is based on what percentage of students from a certain cohort graduate within four years, or what is considered “on-time.”
Cherry Creek schools, the other predominant Aurora school district, posted slight overall gains in their graduation rate, but came in at 89 percent, well over state average.
In recent years, APS has implemented various programs to help struggling students graduate. Superintendent Rico Munn said the district has been embracing the “P-20 culture,” an educational system that has students select and follow an academic and career pathway from preschool until they reach college.
For example, APS students can choose to follow a Health Sciences Pathway if they’re interested in a career in medicine, or a STEM Pathway if they are interested in science, math and engineering. Each student in APS has a strategic plan they follow and it serves as a guide for how they will reach graduation.
By having these pathways and plans laid out, students have an easier time planning not only for their postsecondary future, but their near future (i.e. graduating on time), Munn said.
“It’s not about what we, adults in the system, want,” Munn said. “It’s about what (students) want and how they get the things they want. From a visioning standpoint, we think that work has been very important.”
However, some programs APS has implemented to help students graduate within four years don’t affect the results in CDE’s data. APS has the highest number of pupils in the Accelerating Students through Concurrent Enrollment program in the state, with 137 enrolled in the program in 2014-15. But they aren’t counted toward the district’s graduation rate.
ASCENT students concurrently enroll in college classes while still in high school, then spend two semesters taking college classes and the district foots the bill for tuition. CDE views this as a fifth year of high school because the district pays for the classes. So, though ASCENT students might meet all the requirements for high school graduation after four years, they aren’t considered high school grads by the state.
“The thing that frustrates us is we don’t think we get full credit for our work,” Munn said. “The way the state recognizes graduation rates, it does not count students who are in our ASCENT program. So, these are students who have completed high school but are now in college. We consider that a success, but they aren’t part of our graduation rate.”
Democratic Aurora Rep. Mike Weissman said he wanted to clarify how Colorado determines its high school graduation rates this legislative session after constituents brought the matter to his attention.
“I want to make sure the data tracking aligns with the reality of folks going through concurrent enrollment program, so as not to inaccurately record someone as not graduating on time just because they’re taking a fifth year to finish the associate’s degree,” Weissman said earlier this year. “I just don’t want there to be a disincentive of utilization of the program.”
Another thing to consider when it comes to graduation rates is that some students come into a district late in their high school career, said Judy Skupa, the assistant superintendent for performance improvement at Cherry Creek School District. CCSD’s four-year graduation rate was about 88 percent, outpacing the state average by nearly 10 points.
But while CCSD’s overall four-year graduation rate increased this year, the rate for students who are English-language learners declined at all of CCSD’s high schools. The largest decrease was at Smoky Hill High School, which went from a 90.9 percent four-year graduation rate for ELL students to 69.7.
“There are just some students who need more time, particularly with our second-language learners, those that come in as juniors and seniors who are not English-proficient,” Skupa said. “They stay in school and complete their high school education and it’s really critical because they’re also gaining access to English-language proficiency (programs) at the same time.”
APS had mixed results with graduation rates for ELL students. Some, such as Gateway High School, had declining graduation rates for ELL students while others, like Aurora West College Preparatory Academy and William Smith High School, made gains of more than 25 points.
“We are cautiously excited about that progress,” Munn said. “We know we are not where we need to be, but if you look at our trajectory we’re on an exciting path.”