Wyoming 2009-2010 High School Graduation Rates

The following is a press release from the Wyoming Department of Education:

Using a new methodology established by the United States Department of Education, the Wyoming Department of Education’s Federal Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate, or “on-time” graduation rate, is 80.4% for the class of 2010.

Calculating graduation rates is a complex process. The cohort graduation rate is based on a group of students who begin as first-time 9th graders in a particular school year and then graduate with a regular high school diploma in four or fewer years. This process began by collecting student-level cohort data about first-time 9th grade students in the 2006-2007 school year. That data permitted the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to calculate the Federal Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the 2009-2010 school year.

The shift to the new methodology is required in order to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The formula and methodology are similar to the standards set by the National Governors Association in their “Graduation Counts Compact.” This new federal methodology requires all states to account for students using the same criteria and to use the same graduation rate calculation to ensure comparability across states.

The WDE understands many successful students take more than four years to graduate and applauds their commitment. Because of this, the WDE will calculate five-year and six-year graduation rates to provide a more complete picture of student outcomes. Based on availability of underlying source data, extended year rates will become available during the 2011-12 school year.

You are invited to view the graduation rates and explanatory materials at http://edu.wyoming.gov/DataInformationAndReporting/GraduateData.aspx
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Laurel Ballard, Chief Information and Data Officer at 307.777.7016.