Regents mull adding 5th year diploma
During the height of graduation season this week, the state Board of Regents announced it's looking into adding a fifth-year for high school students to graduate and nixing the phase-out of the local diploma.
"If a student takes five years to master the information, so what?" said Jack J. Boak, superintendent of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services. "They should be able to take five years and not be considered a dropout. They are going to graduate, but right now, they are not included."
Currently, any student who takes more than four years to graduate is not included in the district's graduation rate for that "cohort," which refers to the four-year high school period. In a press release this week, the Board of Regents said it is considering "implementing a five-year graduation rate."
"An extended graduation rate provides schools and districts with additional incentive to continue to work with students to ensure they graduate, even if they graduate in more than four years," the release states. "Use of an extended-year graduation rate is an important factor for students with disabilities, many of whom need additional time to earn the course credits and pass the challenging state assessments required to graduate."
In order to stay off state and federal in-need-of-improvement lists, which could lead to the government controlling a district if it is on the list for several years, districts must have a graduation rate of 55 percent or higher.
If the state were to extend graduation cohorts, the Board of Regents said, it will lead to higher graduation rates and fewer districts on in-need-of-improvement lists.
Every school in the north country, however, has a graduation rate at least 10 percent above the 55 percent state requirement. Superintendents here said extending the graduation cohort to five years would paint a truer picture of what they are accomplishing.
Carthage Central School District Superintendent Joseph M. Catanzaro said he thinks the move would make the playing field level for all students.
"You can't stick kids into a mold and decide every single one of them is going to get through," he said. "If a kid starts in a cohort but goes to summer school or needs to repeat some courses, they are considered a dropout. But it's not true — they are still with us and working toward getting a diploma."
In LaFargeville, Superintendent Susan L. Whitney said because the school is so small, each student equals 3 percent of the graduation cohort. In 2008, LaFargeville Central School District had a 69 percent graduation rate. She said if it was allowed to extend that cohort to five years, the rate would be up to almost 80 percent.
"It's definitely a more accurate read after five years instead of four," Ms. Whitney said. "It allows for some flexibility in us helping children succeed to the best of their abilities."
Another change the Board of Regents is considering is canceling the phasing-out of local diplomas, now scheduled for the 2012 graduating class.
Students in the class of 2009 who score a 65 percent or higher on two Regents exams and a 55 percent or more on three exams are eligible for a local diploma. Students need to earn a score of 65 percent or higher on five Regents exams for a Regents diploma, and 65 percent or above on eight exams for an advanced Regents diploma.
The type of diploma earned can play a role in potential employment and college opportunities. Having a local diploma option could also affect graduation rates.
As of right now, starting with the class of 2012, students no longer will have the option to earn a local diploma.
"A local diploma has always been a good thing for some students," Sackets Harbor Superintendent Frederick E. Hall said. "It gives us another avenue to have students be successful and productive members of society. You can't just have one avenue for all students to go down; there are too many variables at play."
According to the Board of Regents, the phasing-out of the local diploma would hurt students with disabilities the most. The board reported 16 percent of all graduating students were eligible to receive only a local diploma. Of them, 50 percent were students with disabilities.
"I think right now the local diploma is a safety valve for kids who are struggling — kids who have a disability or who can't manage to get that Regents diploma," Lowville Academy and Central School District Superintendent Kenneth J. McAuliffe said. "For a handful of kids, it's going to keep them in school and give them something to aim for."
