“Pomp and Circumstance,” the processional march played at virtually all high school and college graduation ceremonies, has been in the air for several weeks – signaling that another cohort of students have met their school graduation requirements, enabling them to commence with the next chapter of their lives. The ceremonies are typically resplendent, attended by beaming parents and loved ones as children march across a stage as their names are called.
Amidst the festivities, a new report, “Diplomas Count 2015” (based on 2013 graduation statistics) has been released by the Education Week Research Center. While showing that the on-time graduation rates in American public high schools have hit new highs, alarming achievement gaps continue to permeate our public education system – particularly for students with disabilities – but also reflecting where students live, their socioeconomic status and racial background.
According to the report, the U.S. Department of Education finds that 81 percent of the class of 2013 graduated within four years, as tabulated by the Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate, up two points since 2011, when the Education Department first utilized this method of calculating and reporting graduation rates.
State-by-state analyses reflect huge gaps in graduation rates. Leading the nation is Iowa which boasts a rate of 90 percent – 28 percentage points higher than the lowest-achieving region, the District of Columbia. California, at 80 percent, falls just below the national average. Twenty-nine states had higher graduation rates than California’s.
Among other states with large populations, New York, a state often compared with California, had a graduation rate of 77 percent; Illinois excelled, at 83 percent; Florida had 76 percent.
But these rates are for the overall student populations. The report reveals stark disparities for some student subgroups.
Particularly troubling are the report’s findings for special education students; they have a 62 percent national graduation rate – 19 points lower than the overall rate.
Arkansas, at 80 percent, has the highest graduation rate for students with disabilities – five points below the state’s overall graduation average.
Every state reported lower graduation rates for students with disabilities compared with the general population. Mississippi has the largest gap – 53 percentage points – and a dismal graduation rate of 23 percent for special education students. Alabama has the smallest gap, three points.
California’s graduation rate for special education students mirrors the 62 percent national average, which means nearly 40 percent of kids with disabilities fail to graduate in California – 18 percentage points below the overall statewide average.
The lowered graduation rates reflect special-education students’ lower reading and basic math proficiency levels: Only 11.4 percent of special education fourth-graders ranked proficient in reading; only 11.3 percent in math. By eighth grade, the proficiency levels drop precipitously: 4.7 percent in reading, 4.8 percent in math.
School suspensions are extremely problematic for special education students, further hampering their academic progress. The report finds that 17.5 percent of California students with disabilities are suspended, compared with 8.2 percent of students overall. Legislation in Sacramento has been proffered to potentially help address the disparity.
When race is included, suspension rates for special education students become even starker: 30.4 percent of African American children are suspended, 18.1 percent of American Indian, 16.1 percent of Latinos and 15.6 percent of white students.
This timely report should motivate us to close California’s profound achievement gaps for all students, but particularly for those in special education.
Staff opinion columnist Gloria Romero is an education reformer and former Democratic state senator from Los Angeles.
Email: itsgjromero@gmail.com
