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Task Force on Graduation, Completion and Dropout Indicators


File number :
IST-DSC-08e

Bibliographic reference :
National Institute of Statistical Sciences/Education Statistics Services Institute (2005). Task Force on Graduation, Completion and Dropout Indicators. U.S. Department of Education, NCES 2005-105. [En ligne] <http://nces.ed.gov/index.asp>

Abstract :

The way in which some indicators (i.e. school dropout indicators) are constructed can encourage institutions to engage in dishonest practices. For instance, they might pressure students experiencing a great deal of difficulty into changing schools before they actually drop out.

A U.S. Department of Education group of experts on educational measurements and policies was mandated by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to examine current indicators of graduation, alternative completion, student transfer and school dropout used in high schools in order to recommend methods for calculating indicators and ensuring uniform assessment and reporting practices.

In their report, the task force recommended using two different types of indicators: (1) school-based indicators, i.e. the percentage of students graduating within a given period of time; and (2) population-based indicators, i.e. the percentage of high school graduates within a given population.

The authors of the report then made specific recommendations:
(1) The NCES should reinforce its leadership in order to encourage institutions to use uniform means of calculating these indicators by taking into account their feasibility on a political and economic level, in other words, by finding the best method of calculation based on the information supplied by the educational system.
(2) The NCES should conduct or support studies on the validity of indicators recommended in this report.
(3) The NCES should develop a set of minimal standards.
(4) The NCES should investigate the feasibility, desirability, usefulness and cost of expanding longitudinal data collection programmes that could supply more information on the calculation of the indicators examined in the report.
(5) The NCES should undertake research to gain further knowledge of the treatment of the examined indicators as statistical estimates.



Links :
http://nces.ed.gov/index.asp

Key Words :
School Dropout Rate, Alternative Completion Means, Transfer Rate, Graduation Rate, Performance Indicators, Validation, Longitudinal Study, National Center for Education Statistics, Secondary/High School, Newsletter14

Monitored Countries :
United States