Graduation Rate Is Up Significantly
Jasper County Schools have increased their graduation rate 15 percent for 2015. The 81 percent graduation rate for the system is up from 66 percent in 2014.
This rate is slightly above the state average which came in at 78.8 percent which rose from 2014’s 72.5 percent graduation rate.
Denise Burrell, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning at Jasper County schools told board members how excited she was for the increase. She gave tons of praise to Kelly Anderson and Debbie McCLendon and every single teacher that had a student that they were responsible for.
Ms. Burrell stated that “We formed a plan and we stuck to it. We began a plan in November that looked at individual student needs and adjusted as the needs adjusted per data collected every six weeks.” She was ecstatic that by using Response To Intervention (RTI) strategies, which took an involved planned methodical process and made it work.
Ms. Burrell emphasized that the RTI was originally centered around a math curriculum and aided in mathematics but said that staff took the process further by allowing enrichment for those students that were above the bar as well.
“This process involved constant student contact, involved parents, intervention and follow-up. It was hard work, but it paid off this year. We hope to continue to increase our numbers as per part of our district Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP).”
“The 2015 graduation rate shows that our schools are working harder and smarter than ever to ensure our students receive their diploma, something that affords them the opportunity to move on to postsecondary education, the military, or directly into a meaningful career,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “I expect we will continue to see the graduation rate increase as we provide more personalized graduation plans with multiple paths to graduation.”
This is the first class not required to take the Georgia High School Graduation Test in order to receive a regular diploma, as Georgia moves away from a one-size-fits-all approach to graduation.
There is evidence that focusing less on testing, and more on career education and personalized paths to graduation, opens up opportunities for students. The graduation rate for students who complete a Career Pathway is much higher – at 89 percent – than the rate for students who do not.
Moving forward, the GaDOE will continue to focus on personalized learning rather than a standardized approach – including Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) and core credit flexibility, including the new flexibility that allows students to receive a math, science, or foreign language credit for a computer programming course.
