For immediate release
July 16, 2008 |
Contact:
Larry Slonaker, SCCOE
(408) 453-6662 |
Dropout Data Reveal
Mixed Results for County Students
SAN JOSE, CA— The inaugural release of a new system for dropout data for
California public school students released on Wednesday showed mixed results for
Santa Clara County districts, according to an analysis of the information by the
Standards and Assessment Department of the Santa Clara County Office of
Education.
The Santa Clara County grade 9 – 12 four year dropout rate for the 2006-2007
school year was 20.2 percent--lower than the rate of 24.2 percent for California
as a whole, according to information released by the California Department of
Education.
However, the dropout rate for Hispanic students in the county was
considerably higher than for their statewide counterparts—37.1 percent compared
to 30.3 percent. Likewise, the results showed a much higher dropout rate among
Santa Clara County students who are categorized as socioeconomically
disadvantaged, as compared to the same subgroup statewide.
The four-year dropout rates for the county’s unified and high school
districts ranged from a low of just under 2 percent to a high of almost 28
percent.
The data show educators and administrators "have much work to do in the area
of dropout prevention, especially for Hispanic students and students of
poverty," said Charles Weis, county superintendent. "The SCCOE is prepared to
evaluate the alternative education programs operated by SCCOE in order to
determine their effects on students who are at high-risk of dropping out, and to
do whatever we can to assist our school districts in evaluating their dropout
prevention programs.
"Our goal is to bring best practices for preventing dropouts to all of our
schools in Santa Clara County."
The data released by the CDE are the first to use Statewide Student
Identifier (SSID) numbers. Each student in California public schools now is
assigned an identifier number, with the goal of achieving more accurate tracking
as the student progresses through the schools. Districts will have one more
opportunity to make data corrections before the report is finalized.
To view the entire SCCOE analysis, visit
www.sccoe.org.
Date last updated: July 16, 2008
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