We didn’t think it was possible but apparently there’s still room for South Carolina’s worst-in-the-nation public school system to show diminished returns on the massive investment it is receiving from Palmetto taxpayers …
Despite record funding increases in each of the last two years, South Carolina’s on-time graduation rate – at least the figure reported by the S.C. Department of Education – was down in 2010.
According to the SDE, the state’s graduation rate fell from 73.7 percent to 72 percent – a 2.3 percent drop.
Of course these “official” numbers don’t tell the whole story. In fact, the state data released this week only tracks students beginning in the spring semester of their sophomore year. The SDE’s own consultants and out-of-state experts have consistently pointed out that the biggest problem with respect to dropout rates in the Palmetto state are kids who don’t make it out of ninth grade on time.
A far better indicator is the cumulative promotion index (CPI), which is the metric used in the “Diplomas Count” report – the national standard for graduation rate data.
According to the latest “Diplomas Count” report – released last June by Education Week – just 55 percent of South Carolina high school students graduate on time. That’s the third-lowest rate in the nation – and well below the national average of 69 percent. Also, only 45 percent of African-American students and 39 percent of Hispanic students in South Carolina graduate on time, according to the report.
South Carolina’s abysmal graduation rate is consistent with our declining SAT and stagnating ACT scores. Also, a recent report found that more than one-third of the nation’s 100 worst public schools are located in South Carolina.
That’s not surprising when you consider that at this very moment there are more than 109,000 South Carolina school children trapped in persistently failing schools.
The sad truth is that our monopolistic system has continued to produce nothing but incremental gains among white students while relegating yet another generation of black students to second-class status – even as black “leaders” continue embracing the failed status quo.
In an effort to hide these miserable outcomes from parents, House Speaker Bobby Harrell has been working hard to dumb down the state’s costly and inefficient academic assessments.
Meanwhile, well-heeled educrat lobbyists at the national and state level continue to block real reforms – including long-overdue universal parental choice legislation.
We had hoped this would be the year that state leaders finally opened their eyes to these pernicious realities … but once again they are appear perfectly content to let our future generations slip a bit further under the waves.
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By Claire March 17, 2011 at 11:52 am
Yes, we need MORE money, more and more and more money, that will fix it!
By Bradlley March 17, 2011 at 11:54 am
No need to graduate if there aren’t any available jobs.
I am so proud to live in this state sometimes.
By rwwllms March 17, 2011 at 12:06 pm
My girlfriend’s family is moving to Texas and I’m starting to seriously consider going with them.
I’ve already checked out the jobs there and they have ‘em and at better pay and benefits. So getting work would be no problem.
Houses are way cheaper as is the cost of living.
Weather is similar to SC.
I’ll miss the mountains but they do have beaches, and better ones than Myrtle Beach.
By bottomline March 17, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Stricter regulations on inbreeding in this state might increase graduation rates. Just saying…..
By Michael P. March 17, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Once football and basketball seasons are over, there’s no need for many of these students to stay in school.
By The Colonel March 17, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Bob Smith,
As part of my job, I visit high schools all over the state. Every district is building those “multi-million dollar” schools. Go visit Lake Marion High some time, the building is beautiful, the kids still underperform because Mom and Dad can’t read and don’t give a crap (not true of every, or even most, parent(s) but the percentage is high enough to affect EVERY student).
Does it surprise you that the worst performing schools are in the poorest counties? Obviously not, it only makes sense, the cycle perpetuates.
Throwing more money at our problems won’t fix it. Reprioritizing the money that we do spend will help but that’s only a part of the fix. We start the reprioritization by reducing the number of districts and eliminating most of the state level DOE. Appoint the Superintendent rather than electing him. He must be answerable to someone (the governor) and we should be able to fire him for making stupid decisions. The district (and district officers) must be answerable to the parents.
We must find a way to restore a sense of value to education. A couple of options might go a long way to restoring a sense of value:
1. Create an “opt out” for 16 year olds. They take a GED like test and if they pass, they receive a basic competency diploma and they’re done at 16. This gets rid of the “don’t care kids” at no real cost to the school system. Allow these kids a percentage of the money they’ve just saved the district to attend a tech school.
2. Raise the license age to 18 unless you’re making appropriate progress, graduated or opted out
3. Expel “career trouble makers”. Teachers are not equipped to handle these kids – they’ll eventually wind up in jail anyway.
4. Recycle kids who don’t meet basic standards in the 1st through 7th grades. This will give them a second chance to “get it right” and serve as a wakeup call to the parents.
By Clisby March 17, 2011 at 4:27 pm
“According to the SDE, the state’s graduation rate fell from 73.7 percent to 72 percent – a 1.7 percent drop.”
I think FITS News needs to go back to school. That is not a 1.7 percent drop. It is a 1.7 *percentage point* drop. The percentage is between 2 and 3. Granted, in this particular case, the mistake is not substantial, but I see this kind of thing all the time. What if unemployment rose from 5% to 10%? Would you call that a 5% increase?
By fitsnews March 17, 2011 at 4:37 pm
Clisby,
Good point. We’ve adjusted the figure to reflect it as a 2.3 percent drop as opposed to a 1.7 percentage point drop.
-FITS
By 803andy March 17, 2011 at 6:17 pm
“”"Raise the license age to 18 unless you’re making appropriate progress, graduated or opted out.”"”
Good idea.
By Not exactly March 17, 2011 at 7:34 pm
But. I’m so glad your candidate is now in charge. With a right wing head of the Department of Education, those figures should be turned around in no time. Let’s check at this time next year.
By Student of Accountability March 17, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Your information regarding the calculation of graduation rates by the department of education is incorrect. In fact, graduation rates do track students beginning with the ninth-grade year. The following is an excerpt from the state accountability manual describing the calculation of these rates:
“On-time Graduation rate: The percentage of all students (including students with disabilities)enrolled for the first time in grade nine four years prior to the year of the report card who earn a standard high school diploma (not GED), adjusted for transfers in and out of the school.”
You may access the entire accountability manual (which describes this methodology in greater detail) online at http://eoc.sc.gov/reportsandpublications/2009_2010AccountabilityManual.htm .
You also reference the cumulative promotion index (CPI), which notably does not account for transfers in and out of the school. This distinction is key when one considers that in many schools there is significant transience of the student population during the course of the year (due to family relocations and so forth). The CPI does nothing to account for students who leave one school to enroll at another, instead labeling all of these students as non-graduates (because they did not progress to the next grade level at the same school; instead, they transferred to another institution).
Although all of us are concerned about the success of all of our schools, you do owe it to your readers to present accurate information rather than use inaccurate information to further your political talking points.
By BIN News Editorial Staff March 19, 2011 at 10:56 am
sic(k) willie, “…YOU IGNORANT SLUT.”
Our Funding Editor loves that classic quote from SNL because it fits sic(k) willie perfectly when it comes to Howie the Voucher Clown’s infamous voucher scam.
sic(k) willie knows the real problems facing public education in SC. So does Howie the Voucher Clown.
So, what’s their solution?
The vouchers scam!
It’s a scam because they know vouchers would only leave those who need help the most even further behind.
Just remember. Voucher are dead in S.C. A Midlands’ elected official said so.
Particularly in this economy.
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By Mark Brian August 16, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Instead of using the Lottery money to pay for college, that money should be going to improving K-12 schools. The people that are going to school past the 12th grade are going to go no matter what in my opinion. It is the ones that are just scraping by, or dropping out, that are most likely to be helped by a robust K-12 educational system that prepares them for life.