More kids graduating in S. Florida

Using a stricter measure for graduation rates, state education officials on Friday announced record-breaking numbers for the last batch of graduates.

South Florida school districts posted new highs for the 2008-09 school year: Miami-Dade's graduation rate was 68.5 percent; Broward's was 73.9 percent.

Statewide, the rate was 76.3 percent.

That's up 3 percentage points in Miami-Dade, 4 points in Broward and 3 in Florida.

``It's really, really an exciting mark because high school graduation rates are so difficult to bring up -- especially 2, 3, 4 percentage points,'' said Broward Schools Superintendent Jim Notter.

The state said the accomplishment is even more notable because the state is using for the first time a tighter calculation, called the National Governors Association Compact rate, which does not include GEDs, or high-school equivalency programs.

``This is both encouraging and promising,'' said Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, pointing out the high number of non-English speakers and poor students in the district.

He said the graduation rate has increased by almost 10 percentage points over the last five years -- a higher rate of increase than the state.

State education officials attributed the gains in large part to higher rates among Hispanic and African-American students, which posted increases of 4.5 and 4.1 percentage points statewide.

Florida tracks individual students from the time they enter ninth grade until they graduate four years later.

The new calculation is the first step in moving toward using an even more stringent federal formula, which it must use for school grades starting in the 2011-12 school year.

Starting then, the state can't count special diplomas for students with disabilities. Those special diplomas are included in the current calculation.

Also, for the first time, graduation rates will be included in school grades this school year. Previously, school grades were given based solely on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

`GREAT NEWS'

The Florida Department of Education called the numbers ``great news,'' but a spokesman said the real test for grades will be this year's rates.

Critics responded to the state's announcement by pointing out that Florida has significantly lower graduation rates under other measurements and often ranks near last in the nation.

``It's spin, it's not true,'' said Lawton ``Bud'' Chiles III, president of the Lawton Chiles Foundation, named for the late governor.

He said bragging about graduation rates misleads the public into complacency about the challenges that public education faces, including funding from the state.

In the report released Friday, the education department said national graduation rankings can be ``often misleading'' when their figures don't match those released by the state. The report says that national studies do not follow the same methodology as Florida and are ``merely estimates.''

Miami-Dade's Carvalho cautioned that the reforms that have led to increased graduation rates so far must continue to affect the economy and workforce in the long run.

``We cannot concern ourselves just with high school completion,'' he said.

NEW WAYS TO LEARN

Carvalho attributed the improvement to an investment in high-quality teaching and good leadership in schools, targeted teaching strategies and extending opportunities for students to learn. Specifically, he said some high school students gained by being able to attend school on Saturdays and holidays to give them 14 extra days of learning.

Carvalho said high school reform efforts that focus on rigor, relevance and relationships are paying off, including adding career academies to make learning more meaningful to students.

Notter said he believes that such strategies are proving effective.

``I really see it as that long-term sustainability of quality,'' he said. ``People have refocused and taken accountability very seriously.''