Academic Achievement

There is nearly universal agreement in the United States that we as a society want our youth to graduate from high school, become prepared for success in life and, continue to obtain degrees in higher education, technical or professional schools.

The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law January 2002, as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. This law was designed to ensure that all students complete school prepared for higher education or employment in today’s workplace. NCLB sets standards which states must meet in demonstrating student academic achievement.

Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL)

Washington State, as part of compliance with NCLB, set a standard that beginning with the class of 2008, all high school students must pass the 10th grade WASL in order to graduate. The 2007 legislature postponed this requirement for the math and science portions until 2013. However students must pass the reading and writing portions in order to graduate this year. Some alternatives are available; however, this requirement may affect on-time graduation rates in the coming years.

Statewide, the percentage of students passing each section of the WASL in 2007 was:

• Math 50.2
• Reading 80.6
• Writing 83.6
• Science 36.3

For King County’s 19 school districts, on average, the percentage of students meeting standards in each subject area was higher than the statewide percentages.

Four districts in South King County and Seattle Schools however, had fewer students meeting WASL standards than the state average in three or four subject areas.

Annual Yearly Progress

In Washington, the No Child Left Behind act is implemented primarily through a measure of year-to-year student achievement on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) in reading and mathematics. One of the requirements of NCLB is that states develop a standard for a basic level of proficiency and “raise the bar” in gradual increments each year so that by 2013-2014, all (100%) students will achieve proficiency in each subject area.

For high schools the on-time graduation rate must also be used to measure whether schools are in compliance. The additional indicator for middle and elementary schools in Washington is the unexcused absence rate.

Each school and district must meet Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) goals as a whole and by disaggregated student population groups. These groups are specified by the law to be race/ethnicity, students with disabilities, limited English proficient students, and students who are economically disadvantaged.

AYP applies to each school in the state that serves students in grades 4, 7, and 10. School totals for these grades are aggregated up to the district and state totals.

In the 2006-2007 school year, only 2 school districts in King County met the federal standard for annual yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act: Mercer Island and Vashon Island Districts. For most districts, this was the first year they had failed to meet goals.

If a school that receives federal Title I funds does not meet AYP for two consecutive years, consequences begin to apply. Various levels of consequences apply with each additional year the school is out of compliance. After 6 years of failure to meet AYP, mandatory restructuring potentially including state take over can apply.

High School Graduation

Why improving our graduation rates is important

Dropouts are much more likely than graduates to be poor, unemployed, in prison, unhealthy and to have children who drop out themselves.^[1]

The social costs of a high dropout rate: a dropout is more than 8 times as likely to be in jail or prison as a person with at least a high school diploma. Lifetime cost to the nation for each youth who drops out of school and later moves into a life of crime and drugs ranges from $1.7 to $2.3 million. A drop out is earning less, contributing to the economy at a lower rate, and paying fewer or no taxes, and more often dependent on government assistance.

 People have better, healthier, more fulfilling lives when they have a good education. In today’s economy, that means a high school diploma and at least one year of post high school education. Our community is better off as well if more people graduate from high school.

Graduation Rates

Graduation rates depend on the methodology used. In the past, a variety of methods have been used to calculate drop out and graduation rates, resulting in widely varied numbers reported.

The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) now uses the 9th grade cumulative cohort methodology where student enrollment is calculated beginning with 9th grade participation. Because many schools are unable to provide historic data on the students who would have been in the current 12th grade cohort but no longer are, the OSPI uses current year drop out data for each of the 4 grade levels to estimate the cohort graduation rate. This method meets federal reporting requirements.

Other methods include middle school drop outs or different methods of calculation, and yield a lower rate. The Education Projects in Editorial Research Center uses a method call the Cumulative Promotion Index.  This method calculates the likelihood that a student will graduate on time based on a formula that considers the percent of students promoted at each grade level. Current and consistent data are not available at the County level using these methods however, so OSPI data is used.

The on-time graduation rate for high school students in King County in 2005 was 76.5%. In other words, 23.5% of students who entered the 9th grade in September of 2001 failed to graduate as scheduled in June of 2005.

Of the total 9th grade cohort, 8.4% planned to continue in high school the subsequent year, and 15.1% had already dropped out in June of 2005.

Accurate county-level estimates for 2007 are not yet available, but statewide graduation rates dropped by 4 or 5 percentage points between 2005 and 2006.

Download Data Source: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Education Level of Adults over 25

The results of historic patterns related to graduation and dropouts among the adult population in King County are reflected in levels of educational attainment for persons age 25 and over. Migration of people into the county for high tech jobs may also have an influence on education levels of the adult population. The Census Bureau collects data on the level of educational attainment for this adult population. These rates are self-reported.

90% of adults age 25 or over in King County have at least a high school diploma or equivalent.

40% of adults 25 and over in King County have at least a Bachelor’s Degree. This makes King County one of the most highly educated regions in the Nation.

Source: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

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