Diploma Difficulties

Pa. figures show graduation rates lower than previously reported

Most school districts in Pennsylvania have considerably lower graduation rates than previously reported, according to new state figures released Tuesday. The new numbers are based on a more accurate way the state Department of Education is calculating how many 12th graders actually graduated in four years. Using the new method "will help inform efforts to ensure that all Pennsylvania students are prepared for postsecondary education and the workforce," acting Secretary of Education Ronald Tomalis said. The state's new way of calculating the graduation rate comes from the use of a system in which each student is given an identification number. That in turn allows them to be tracked as they move from grade to grade and school to school, anywhere in Pennsylvania. Under the old calculation method, districts counted only students who graduated or dropped out while in that district, so anyone who moved out of a district and later left school was not included. Individual students were not tracked.