School figures fail to impress

Clark County School Board member Larry Mason lamented the lack of improvement in local graduation and dropout rates Wednesday.

"What I see is unconscionable," Mason said during a School Board meeting. "We need to step up to the plate and address our shortcomings."

Clark County School District officials released data Wednesday showing white and Asian students with graduation rates in the mid-70 percent range. Black and Hispanic students were in the low-50 percent range.

County graduation rates have not shown much variation since 2003, when the district average was 62.7 percent, according to figures released Wednesday. It was 63 percent for the class of 2007, the most recent data available.

The district had better news about the dropout rate, which declined from 7.8 percent in 2001-02 to 5.8 percent in 2007-08.

The dropout rate is a one-year snapshot of how many high school students leave during a school year without enrolling elsewhere.

The graduation rate is a four-year figure based on the number of graduates divided by the total number of students in that class who went to high school for four years. That includes dropouts, special education students, the credit deficient and those who didn't pass the state proficiency exams.

So, while the graduation rate was calculated at 63 percent for 2007, school officials said it was wrong to assume the remaining 37 percent flunked out. Some may have earned diplomas through adult education or passed the proficiency tests at a later date.

Sue Daellenbach, the district's director of testing, anticipates that about 90 percent of seniors will pass their state proficiency exams by the end of the current school year. Passing the exams is a requirement for earning a diploma in Nevada.

For the class of 2009, 418 students still need to pass the state's reading proficiency exam, and 2,046 students need to pass the state's math proficiency exam. Another round of proficiency testing will take place this month.

Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Lauren Kohut-Rost emphasized district success stories and strategies.

A pilot program called STARon, an acronym for Schools Targeting Alternative Reform Onsite, allows students with minor behavior problems to stay at their regular school instead of going to an alternative school.

Students are assigned to a portable classroom on campus. Because they are allowed to keep up with their studies, there is less disruption to the students' academic schedule.

Kohut-Rost also noted that the "schools of choice," such as magnet schools, vocational academies and high school campuses at the College of Southern Nevada, have graduation rates of 90 percent to 100 percent.

Those schools attract self-motivated students with their more expensive programs. Because of their success, School Board President Terri Janison said, the investment "may be worth it."

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@ reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.