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RFH 2010, HCS News

State Says Some HCS Grads Not Ready for College

Wed, Jun 15, 2011

A new report from the state Education Department says that while most 2010 HCS high school seniors graduated, some are not "college ready".

State Says Some HCS Grads Not Ready for College

With commencement for the Class of 2011 just days away, the state Education Department says that while HCS did a good job of graduating students a year ago, it could have done better of preparing those grads to succeed in college.

The new report says 92 percent of students who were freshmen in 2006 graduated four years later. That is second best of the 52 schools of all sizes in the six counties of Central New York. Only Skaneateles was better, with 93 percent.

But, the report says only 57 percent of those HCS 2010 grads were what it called "college ready". That puts it 10th among those same schools and second in the county behind Cazenovia.

The state Education Department defines a school district's "college ready" rate as the percentage of students who graduate and score at least a 75 on the English Language Arts Regents exam and an 80 on the math.

HCS Superintendent Dr. Diana Bowers said she and others in the district are studying the report, but says the English and math scores used by the state as predictors of success provide only a "narrow lens".

Bowers said:

"We will focus on this goal, as an indicator, when we have a thorough understanding of the statistics involved. SED has used a 75% or better on the ELA Regents or 80% on the required math Regents. They have determined that students with an 80% or better are more likely to graduate from college and are considered college ready. This is such a narrow lens that I would need to look at other statistical indicators to determine if it tells the whole picture. It's a good place to start discussions."

She said HCS will be conducting a longitudinal study with its students to look at their success rate in college. 

These numbers put HCS way above the state graduation rate of 73.4 percent, and well above the state "college ready" rate of just 37 percent.

Rates for Madison County Schools

School District Graduation Rate College Ready Rate
Brookfield 91%  32%
Canastota 72%  33%
Cazenovia 90%  61%
Chittenango  82%  42%
DeRuyter  66%  27%
Hamilton  92%  57%
Madison  83%  49%
Morrisville-Eaton  80%  42%
Oneida  81%  46%
Stockbridge Valley  91%  36%
County Average  83%  43%

This news from the state Education Department comes on the heels of a similar jolt to educators a year ago. Elementary students, including those at HCS, had completed their standardized achievement tests and had their scores sent home to parents. Then, without warning, officials at the state Education Department decided the tests had not been demanding enough, so adjust all scores downward. They claimed this gave a truer picture of students possibility of success in college.

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