2014 GRADUATION

COHORTS /

DROPOUT RATE

TRAINING

State of Alabama

Department of Education

Prevention & Support Services Section

Office: 334-242-8165

1

Objectives

• Recognize the terms associated with

the Graduation Rate

• Know how to access and manipulate

through the Graduation Portal

• Share required documentation to properly

code students in the portal

• Identify strategies to improve the

Graduation Rate

• Answer your questions

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Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rate

• The formula is the percentage of

students who entered ninth grade and

graduated within four years.

• The formula equates to the number of

on-time graduates in a given year

divided by the number of entering

first-time ninth graders four years

earlier, adjusting for transfers in and

out. Students are tracked individually

from the time they start ninth grade. 3

Five-Year Cohort Graduation Rate

To determine the Five-Year Graduation Rate

• Use the 2008-2009 to 2012-2013 data

• Review the current status of students

identified as -

• Still Enrolled

• No Show

• Withdrawn (Still in Cohort)

• Missing Records

• Dropouts

• Go through the four-year process to

determine if the status of these students

changed from last year.4

Cohort Portal Glossary of Terms:

• Non-Graduates:

Still Enrolled

Students who do not complete all

requirements for graduation within a

four-year cohort period but who remain

enrolled in school working toward

completion of requirements or who

remain enrolled as a special education

student served until the age of 21.

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Withdrawn (Still in your Cohort)

Student is withdrawn but records are not

requested or sent to transfer school.

School does not have documentation to

support that the student transferred.

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No Show

Student leaves over the summer and

never returns to complete an official

transfer or drop-out form.

Missing Records

No record exists for a student in the 9th

Month Attendance Extract from INOW as

reported by the LEA. This is a data issue

caused by failure by the LEA to include a

school in the extract, the improper

withdrawal of an individual student, the

setting of a student to inactive without

using the withdrawal process, or some

other data anomaly in the Student

Management System.

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Dropouts

According to the Common Core of Data

(CCD) definition, a dropout is an

individual who

• was enrolled in school at some time

during the previous school year;

• was not enrolled at the beginning of the

current school year;

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• has not graduated from high school or

completed a state- or system-approved

education program; and does not meet

any of the following exclusionary

conditions: transfer to another public

school district, private school, or state-

or district approved education program;

temporary absence due to suspension or

school-approved illness; or death.

Dropouts (continued)

9

Note: The state of Alabama utilizes the CCD

definition of a dropout. The CCD is the

program of the United States Department of

Education’s National Center for Education

Statistics that annually collects fiscal and

non-fiscal data about all public schools,

public school systems and state education

agencies in the United States. The count of

dropouts is used to produce an event dropout

rate each year as well as to project a four-

year dropout rate for a given cohort.

Dropouts (continued)

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Completers

Student who exited with a document

other than a diploma such as GED or

Special Education Graduation Certificate.

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• Graduate

A student who completes all requirements

for a state approved diploma.

• Switch Cohort Year

A student who was a first-time 9th grader

in a year other than 2010-2011.

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• Withdrawn (Out of Cohort)

Student is withdrawn, moved out of state

or country, to a private school, private

tutor, AdvancEd accredited Online

School and records are requested or

sent to the transfer school.

• Withdrawn (Transfer within State)

Student is withdrawn to another public

school in the state of Alabama.

• Data as verified by school districts as of January 9, 2014

• Cannot be compared to 2010 Graduation Rate nor Projected

Four-Year Dropout Rate

Where We Stand

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Accessing the Graduation

Rate Application Portal

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From a Web browser, type: https://ap.alsde.edu

15

16

Login using Email Address

and Password

or as a first time user,

Register

Registration: Personal Information

Complete all fields before

selecting the Next tab

to continue.

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First time user

Account Information

Complete all fields

before selecting

the Next tab to

continue.

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First time user

19

Select Finish

First time user

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Select Gain Access

First time user

21

Enter the Authorization Code (Your

Superintendent may request the

Authorization Code from Prevention

and Support Services.)

Select Gain Access

Entering the Authorization Code

First time user

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If you are having problems accessing or working

in the Portal contact the ALSDE Help Desk.

Once you have gained access, select the

Cohort tab.

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Logout

Select a school to view from the dropdown

box or your school will pre-populate.

Your system will pre-populate.

Select a subpopulation from the dropdown box. If you do not select a

subpopulation all of the school’s students will appear.

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Enter the graduation year from the dropdown

box (2010-2011/2013-2014 for 4-Year cohort or

2009-2010/2012-2013 for 5-Year cohort.)

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Subpopulations

You may sort student information in the

columns below.

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27

Select the “Action” column to make updates

to the “Record Type” for each student.

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Selecting the “Action” column, an update box will

appear.

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Select the “Change student to” dropdown box.

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Select “Graduate/Completer.”

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Select the “Graduate/Completer” dropdown box

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After selecting “Graduate/Completer”,

select “Set exit type to” dropdown box.

Select the appropriate

exit type based on the

student’s transcript.

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Select the “Browse” link to upload supporting

documentation from your computer.

Supporting

Documentation

may include:

Official Transcript,

Diploma, GED,

Graduation Certificate

etc. (Official Signature

and date)

34

Select the “Save changes” link once you

have completed working with this student.

Supporting

Documentation

“Additional details”

for clarification if needed.

35

Select “Still Enrolled” from the

“Change student to” dropdown box.

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Select the “Still Enrolled” dropdown box.

“Additional details”

for clarification, if needed.Add Supporting

Documentation

(Registration or

Transcript, Current

Enrollment Schedule)

“Change grade to”

“Save changes”

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Select “Merge/duplicate student” from the

“Change student to” dropdown box.

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Once you have selected the

“Merge/duplicate student”

Add Supporting

Documentation

(Transcript, legal

name change, wrong

or multiple SSN or

SSID #, etc.)

Providing “Additional

details” gives guidance

as to which student you

would like to keep in the

portal.

“Save changes”

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Be sure to enter

the student’s

dropout date.

“Save changes”

Add Supporting

Documentation

(Exit interview, Letter

of withdrawal stating

reason for withdrawal)

Select “Dropout”, then select the appropriate code

from the “Set dropout code to” listing.

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Select the “Switch Cohort Year”, and then select

appropriate “Move Student to graduation cohort” year.

“Additional details”

for clarification, if needed.

Add Supporting

Documentation

(Transcript documenting

first year student enrolled

in the 9th grade)

“Save changes”

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Selecting the “Withdrawn-still in cohort”,

then “Set withdrawal code to.”

Add Supporting Documentation

(Proof of enrollment or Records

request from another Alabama Public

School)

“Additional details”

for clarification,

if needed.

Select the appropriate

withdrawal code base

on supporting

documentation.

“Save changes”

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Select the “Withdrawn-out of cohort”, then

“Set withdrawal code to.”

Select the appropriate

withdrawal code base

on supporting

documentation.

“Additional details”

for clarification,

if needed.

“Save changes”

Add Supporting

Documentation

(Request of records or

official proof of enrollment

from a school other than

an Alabama Public School)

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Select “Foreign Exchange”

Add Supporting

Documentation

“Save changes”

“Additional details”

for clarification,

if needed.

(Document of Status in U.S.)

Who will Count as a Graduate in

the Cohort and who will not?

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Code GRADUATE CATEGORIES IN COHORT GRADUATION RATE

01 Graduate – Alabama High School Diploma

02Graduate – Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced

Endorsement

05 Graduate – Alabama Occupational Diploma (Special Education)

06Graduate – Alabama High School Diploma with Career Tech

Endorsement

07Graduate – Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced Career

Tech Endorsement

14Graduate – Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced

Academic and Advanced Career Tech Endorsements

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CodeNON-GRADUATE CATEGORIES IN

COHORT GRADUATION RATE

04Non-Graduate – Exited with a document other than a diploma

– Special Education – Graduation Certificate

09Non Graduate – Exited with a document other than a diploma

– GED

11Non Graduate – Retained in 12th Grade (Special Education

ONLY)

12 Non Graduate – Failed to complete all credit requirements

Making Cohort Changes

47Reference: U.S. Department of Education. 2008. High School Graduation Rate. No child left behind. Washington D.C.

CategoryNeed

Documents Cohort Status

Move to Graduate or Completer Status YES Remain in Current School Cohort

Move to Withdrawn-Out of Cohort Status –

Moved Out of State or Country, to a Private

School, Private Tutor, or Advanced Ed

accredited Online School

YES Remove From State Cohort

Move to Withdrawn-Still in Cohort Status –

Went to Another Public School in Alabama YES Remove from School Cohort but Add to Another School Cohort

Move to Withdrawn Status – Location

UnknownYES Remain in Current School Cohort

Move to Dropout Status YES Remain in Current School Cohort

Move to Foreign Exchange Status YES Remove from State Cohort

Duplicate Student Record YES Merge Records in Cohort

Still Actively Enrolled in School YES Remain in Current School Cohort

Incarceration: Enrolled in Program that

Culminates in Diploma YES Removed from State Cohort

Incarceration: Enrolled in program that

Does NOT Culminate in a DiplomaYES Remains in School Cohort

Switch Cohort YearYES

Moved to Appropriate Cohort - * Note if in Alabama School in

8th & 9th Grade – Cohort Stands

Making Cohort Changes – Documentation Needed

Category Required Documentation

Move to Graduate or Completer Status Diploma, Transcript, or Certificate (Official, Signed, Dated,

Diploma/Certificate Type)

Death Letter from School Principal, Obituary Notice, or News Article

Move to Withdrawn-Out of Cohort Status

– Moved Out of State or Country, to a

Private School, Private Tutor, or

AdvancEd accredited Online School

Request for Records or Official Proof of Current Enrollment

**If Out of Country – Letter from Family/Relative or letter

from School Principal verifying move will be sufficient

Move to Withdrawn-Still in Cohort Status

– Went to Another Public School in

Alabama

Request for Records or Proof of Enrollment

Proof in State Locator- This should only happen if not properly

enrolled in another system or a technical glitch

Move to Dropout Status Letter of Withdrawal with a Dropout Reason as the Withdrawal

Reason (Exit Interview Documentation)

Move to Foreign Exchange Status Document of Status in U.S.

Still Enrolled in This School Registration or Transcript showing Current Enrollment

Incarceration Proof that student is in a facility/program that culminates in a

diploma (J.F. Ingram or DYS)

Switch Cohort Year Transcript

48Reference: U.S. Department of Education. 2008. High School Graduation Rate. No child left behind. Washington D.C.

49

Dropout Portal

To determine the dropout rate

• Use the 2013-2014 school year

• Review the current status of students

identified as dropouts in any school with

Grades 7 through 12.

• Go through the four-year process to

determine if the status of these students

changed.

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TBA(Region 1) TBA (Regions 2 & 3) Erica Butler (Region 4) Marilyn Lewis (Region 5) Ayanna Long (Region 6)

Colbert County Albertville City Choctaw County Bessemer City Anniston City

Florence City Arab City Demopolis City Birmingham City Attalla City

Franklin County Athens City Fayette County Fairfield City Calhoun County

Haleyville City Blount County Greene County Jefferson County Cherokee County

Jasper City Boaz City Hale County Leeds City Clay County

Lauderdale County Cullman City Lamar County Midfield City Cleburne County

Marion County Cullman County Linden City Tarrant City Etowah County

Muscle Shoals City Decatur City Marengo County Trussville City Gadsden City

Russellville City Dekalb County Pickens County Jacksonville City

Sheffield City Fort Payne City Sumter County Oxford City

Tuscumbia City Guntersville City Tuscaloosa City Pell City

Walker County Hartselle City Tuscaloosa County Piedmont City

Winfield City Huntsville City Randolph County

Winston County Jackson County Roanoke City

Lawrence County St. Clair County

Limestone County

Madison City

Madison County

Marshall County

Morgan County

Oneonta City

Scottsboro City

Prevention & Support Services System Contact

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Kristen Dial (Region 7) Kay Warfield (Region 8) Wanda Langley(Region 9) Tom Mock (Region 10) Greg DeJarnett (Region 11)

Alabaster City Autauga County Alexander City Baldwin County Andalusia City

Bibb County Dallas County Auburn City Chickasaw City Brewton City

Chilton County Lowndes County Barbour County Clarke County Butler County

Coosa County Montgomery County Bullock County Mobile County Coffee County

Homewood City Perry County Chambers County Monroe County Conecuh County

Hoover City Selma City Elmore County Saraland City Covington County

Mountain Brook City Wilcox County Eufaula City Satsuma City Crenshaw County

Pelham City DYS Lanett City Thomasville City Dale County

Shelby County Lee County Washington County Daleville City

Sylacauga City Macon County Dothan City

Talladega City Opelika City Elba City

Talladega County Phenix City Enterprise City

Vestavia Hills City Russell County Escambia County

Tallapoosa County Geneva City

Tallassee City Geneva County

Henry County

Houston County

Opp City

Ozark City

Pike County

Troy City

Prevention & Support Services System Contact

52

Questions?

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Marilyn Lewis

mlewis@alsde.edu

Kay Warfield

kaw@alsde.edu

Tom Mock

tmock@alsde.edu

PREVENTION AND SUPPORT SERVICES

334-242-8165

Erica Butler

ebutler@alsde.edu

Kristen Dial

kdial@alsde.edu

Ayanna Long

along@alsde.edu

Greg DeJarnett

gregd@alsde.edu

Wanda Langley

wlangley@alsde.edu