Kentucky's Non Academic Measures Relatively Stable

Data from the 2009-10 school year show that nonacademic indicators for Kentucky's public school students remained at levels similar to those reported for the 2008-09 school year.

 The overall high school dropout rate increased less than one-half a percentage point, from 2.89 percent in 2009 to 3.19 percent in 2010. 

 The school retention rate -- the percentage of students held back a grade -- decreased slightly, from 2.75 percent to 2.36 percent. School attendance rates also decreased slightly, from 94.18 percent to 94.05 percent. 

The rate of successful transition to adult life decreased slightly from 2009 to 2010, but the percentage of public high school graduates who went on to college remained at about 56.4 percent in 2010. 

COMPARISONS OF NONACADEMIC DATA - STATEWIDE RATES

	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Attendance	94.60%	94.18%	94.17%	94.18%	94.05%
Dropout (grades 9-12)	3.34%	3.17%	3.29%	2.89%	3.19%
Retention	2.92%	3.00%	2.55%	2.75%	2.36%
Successful Transition	96.07%	95.80%	95.27%	94.37%	93.96%

HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT RATES BY RACE AND GENDER

	MALE	FEMALE	WHITE	AFRICAN AMERICAN
2006	3.91%	2.69%	3.03%	5.45%
2007	3.69%	2.64%	2.94%	4.77%
2008	3.77%	2.79%	2.87%	6.14%
2009	3.26%	2.50%	2.60%	4.91%
2010	3.62%	2.74%	2.87%	5.52%

HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT RATES BY RACE AND GENDER cont’d

	HISPANIC	ASIAN	AMERICAN INDIAN	OTHER
2006	6.11%	1.11%	2.64%	3.67%
2007	5.46%	1.22%	2.45%	3.96%
2008	6.07%	1.82%	4.28%	4.09%
2009	4.06%	2.27%	3.04%	3.49%
2010	5.58%	1.84%	4.23%	0.95%

            See complete details on district and school nonacademic data here.  

Background on the Transition to a New Graduation Rate Formula

        Kentucky is moving to a new formula to calculate graduation rates, and to ensure data quality and integrity, a thorough review of school and district graduation rates is being implemented. Graduation rate data will be released in August 2011. 

Kentucky has used a “leaver” graduation rate that divides the number of on-time graduates with a diploma plus the number of graduates with a diploma that have extended time written into their IEPs by the total number of students who do graduate or would have graduated with a particular year’s class. Beginning with the 2010-11 school year and through the 2012-13 school year, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will use the Averaged Freshmen Graduation Rate (AFGR) definition from the National Center for Education Statistics for the calculation of graduation rates. Then, beginning in the 2013-14 school year, Kentucky will use a cohort graduation rate formula.

 The AFGR will be included in federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) accountability beginning with the release of adequate yearly progress (AYP) data in late summer 2011 and continuing through the 2012-13 school year. 

 See details on the AFGR here.

 SOURCE: KDE Press release.

FCPS Invites 3 Finalists to Interview for Supt

Names to be released Wednesday Morning

This from Lisa Deffendall at FCPS:

Board of Education members voted unanimously May 31 to invite three applicants to interview to become the next superintendent of the Fayette County Public Schools.  Names of the finalists will be released Wednesday after they agree to interview for the position. 

Interviews will be next week, and the board could select a new schools chief as early as June 10.

The school board decision came after a roughly two-hour closed-door session, during which the six-member superintendent screening committee and a pair of professional search consultants presented their recommended candidates. 

The board reconvened in open session and directed Tom Jacobson, owner and CEO of search consulting firm McPherson & Jacobson, to call the three finalists and schedule interviews for June 7, 8 and 9.

“Once we confirm that the applicants have accepted the interview, their names will be made public,” Jacobson said. “We’re confident the community will be impressed with the quality of the candidates.” 

The board plans to meet at 7 a.m. June 10 to begin deliberations and possibly name a superintendent that day. 

The three finalists were selected from among 14 applicants representing 10 states, including Kentucky, and representing a diversity of gender, race and professional experience.  Based on input from the community and school board, applicants were evaluated in the areas of leadership and transparency, as well as their commitment to making students a top priority, focusing on student achievement, eliminating disparities, moving the district forward and maintaining fiscal stability. 

“We certainly appreciate all the input we’ve had from our stakeholders, the thorough review of the applications by the screening committee members, and the committee’s recommendations,” said Board of Education Chair John Price. “Based on that input, the board has selected to interview the candidates that we feel best meet the needs of our students.” 

Next week, each candidate will spend a full day in Lexington meeting with seven focus groups representing students, parents, community members and employees.  The day will also include a daily news conference and public forum where all local citizens are invited to meet the candidates and hear their answers to questions submitted by the community. After the forums, the board will conduct its formal interviews. 

The board hopes to have a new superintendent seated by July 1. Current Superintendent Stu Silberman is retiring after seven years with the district. He will become the next executive director of the Prichard Committee.