October 1, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Redmond, Wash. – A recent report to the Board of Directors of the Lake Washington School District provided updated information on what is happening to students at the end of their career in the district. Graduation rates appear to be on an upward trend and college enrollment has increased. Data for students who go on to college within the state of Washington show lower rates of students taking remedial courses in both math and English when they reach college.

Graduation rate data is somewhat difficult to compare since which graduates are counted has changed since 2002. In 2002-2004, students who graduated on-time and who graduated late were counted. Graduation rates for the district ranged between 91.0 and 91.2 percent during those three years. For 2005, on-time graduates, early graduates and late graduates were all counted. The district counted 96.8 percent of students as graduates using that standard. In 2006 and 2007, only on-time graduates were counted. For 2006, 93 percent of students graduated on time. In 2007, 92.7 percent of students graduated on time.

“It’s hard to tell whether more students really did graduate in 2005 or if it is an anomaly because of the methodology for the count,” noted Chief Teaching and Learning Officer Dan Phelan. “What we do know is that for the last two years, we’ve had more students graduate on time than we had graduates on time plus those graduating late in 2002 to 2004.”

District graduation rates are considerably higher than state and national rates. State graduation rates ranged from 72.0 percent in 2002 to 75.0 percent in 2006. The national rate ranged from 72.6 to a high of 75.0 in the 2002 through 2005 years.

The district saw an 11 percent rise, from 53.91 percent in 2002 to 65.90 percent in 2005 of students who enroll in a two-year or four-year college after high school. The majority of these students go to a college or university in Washington state.

When Lake Washington students do go on to college, fewer need remedial help. In 1998, 71 percent of district students did not need any remedial coursework when they went on to a college or university in Washington state. There has been a steady decline in that number through 2005, the latest year for which the district has data. In 2005, 82 percent did not need any remedial coursework, an increase of 11 percent. More students have tended to need math help though the percent has declined. In 1998, 19 percent needed math remedial coursework. For a three-year stretch from 2000 to 2002, one quarter of students needed math remediation. In 2005, that amount had declined to 14 percent. That decline is even more significant because it has come at the same time the percent of district students going to college has increased.

The same in-state study that provides remedial course information also follows whether students go straight to work. The percent of students who go directly to work only, with no college enrollment, has fluctuated between 28 percent and 38 percent of students between 1998 and 2005, with the exception of the 2002 year, which seems to be an anomaly in the data. More students report a combination of attending a two-year college or four-year college and working. Somewhat more students report going to a four-year college and working than report going to a two-year college and working. There are no clear trends in this data. In 2005, 20 percent reported working and going to a two-year college. For those working and going to a four-year college it was 24 percent and 32 percent reported going straight into the work force. Six percent attended a four-year college only and three percent attended a two-year college only. For those who went directly to work, reported wages averaged $9.88, which has increased from the $8.00 average in 1998.

In 2006, the district began tracking students who did not graduate to determine whether its performance requirements such as required essays and the culminating project, were barriers to graduation. No students in 2006 or 2007 missed graduation solely because they did not complete the three required essays. One student in 2006 and three in 2007 were missing only the culminating project. Most of the students who did not graduate were missing both credits and performance requirements. That included 109 of 126 non-graduates in 2007 and 73 of 98 non-graduates in 2006.

“We’re finding that students who do not graduate are not doing well on several levels,” noted Phelan. “They are behind on the course requirements and they also fail to complete the performance requirements.”

The information was provided to the board as part of a report on E-1, the first of the six “ends” or goals of the district. This end holds that “As a result of our efforts: Each student will graduate prepared to lead a rewarding, responsible life as a contributing member of our community and greater society.”

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Report to the Board of Directors