House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Michael N. Castle (R-DE), Ranking Republican on the U.S. House Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee, today introduced the Reliable and Accurate Graduation Rate Act, legislation to clarify the current definition of graduation rates under NCLB to provide for a reliable and accurate graduation rate that captures the greatest number of student populations.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NLCB), in addition to meeting academic achievement standards, public high schools and school districts must meet the targets set for its graduation rate in order to meet these state standards.  Currently, the graduation rate under NCLB is defined as “the percentage of students who graduate from secondary school with a regular diploma in the standard number of years.”  This definition has led to inaccurate reporting by states and confusion within schools and school districts.  In response, Castle’s bill would streamline data collection and create an indicator that is comparable throughout the nation.

“It is critical that every student is accounted for, and this legislation will allow for a graduation rate definition that takes into account the various student populations,” said Castle.  “In turn, it will ensure that graduation rates are reported accurately.  The reauthorization of No Child Left Behind presents the opportunity to improve current law, and I believe streamlining graduation rates is one of the steps we need to take to guarantee a comprehensive approach."

Currently under NCLB, some states define graduation rates as the number of 12th graders who graduate, while others measure the number of 9th graders who graduate from high school four years later.  Still other states include students who earned a General Educational Development (GED) certificate as “graduates.”  To respond to this disparity, Castle’s legislation builds on the work of all 50 states through the National Governors Association, which has signed the Graduation Counts Compact, an effort started in 2005 to find a common method for calculating each state’s high school graduation rate.

Specifically, the Reliable and Accurate Graduation Rate Act would:

• Set the definition of graduation rate as the number of students receiving a regular diploma in a school or school district divided by a number of first-time ninth-graders enrolled in the school or district four years earlier;
• Take into account the movement of students transferring in and out of the school or school district, documented through transcripts over the four-year period;
• Allow for the one time identification of recently arrived Limited English Proficient (LEP) students and early college high school students;
• Take into account the additional time required for special education students with an Individual Educational Program (IEP) to receive a regular high school diploma; and
• Allow for the publication and reporting of additional completion measures for students in alternative settings, such as those students who have dropped out of high school and received a GED or those special education students that complete an educational program, who take more than four years to earn a regular high school diploma.

“I commend Congressman Castle for his continued leadership on the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind,” concluded Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), Senior Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee.  “Republicans are dedicated to improving No Child Left Behind by strengthening parental choice, enhancing flexibility for states and local school districts, and maintaining the law’s strict standards for school accountability to parents and taxpayers.  Congressman Castle’s legislation is just another in a long list of measures introduced this year to underscore Republican priorities for the reauthorization of NCLB.”

For more information on House Republican priorities for the reauthorization of NCLB, please visit: http://republicans.edlabor.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=192&IID=4.

# # # # #