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HISD Graduation Rate Increases for Fourth Straight Year

Posted byHoumanitarian

(Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle)
Students in the Houston Independent School District are graduating at a higher rate for the fourth straight year, thanks in part to better tracking and online make-up courses, Superintendent Terry Grier said Monday.

The district reported a graduation rate of 78.5 percent for the Class of 2011, up 4 percentage points from the prior year and 14 points from 2007.

“This is big-time news,” said Grier, who joined HISD in 2009. “To see this type of improvement in our school district, I think it has major implications for our city.”

Grier attributed the improved graduation numbers partly to school committees that meet weekly to track students who drop out – visiting their homes in some cases – or are at risk of dropping out. He also said his “grad lab” program, which allows students to recover credits at a quicker pace through online courses, has helped.

HISD graduated more than 9,000 students last year, up from nearly 7,000 four years ago. The number of dropouts fell to 1,364, from nearly 2,400 in 2007.

The Texas Education Agency has not yet reported the state’s average graduation rate for 2011, and other local districts have not announced their latest data. HISD topped the Dallas school district’s rate by 1 percentage point.

Both districts, which have more disadvantaged students than other school systems in Texas, traditionally trail the state average. The statewide graduation rate last year was 84 percent.

But graduating from high school does not ensure students are prepared for college. State test data from last year showed that roughly six in 10 HISD students were ready for college-level math and reading.
(Read more of this story at the Houston Chronicle)

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