Staff Writer

 Local educators say graduation rates released by the Maine Department of Education fail to tell the whole story of student success.

The department released graduation rates using a new federally required method that allows comparison among states and schools. Because the rates only include students who graduate in four years or less, the rates for most schools are lower than last year.

Maine Department of Education Spokesman David Connerty-Marin said the federal requirement is designed to provide more consistency in reporting and comparisons across states. The previous formula was based on all students who graduated in a particular year, regardless of when they started high school.

“We agree that the four-year graduation rate does not capture the full picture of a school’s success,” Connerty-Marin said. “It’s a valid number, but it’s not the only number.”

The new formula shows Biddeford High School’s graduation rate for 2008-2009 is 76.25 percent and its dropout rate is 5.13 percent. The graduation rate in Old Orchard Beach is 70.31 percent and the dropout rate is 4.79 percent. Thornton Academy, which educates students from Saco and Dayton, has a graduation rate of 86.83 percent and a dropout rate of 1.68 percent.

Old Orchard Beach High School Principal Rick DiFusco said the rates don’t show the success of students who take longer than four years to graduate or earn a diploma through alternative programs.

 “We are graduating kids and it’s not always on a timeline of four years,” he said. “We all want to be at 100 percent. Our goal is to graduate 100 percent of our kids.”

DiFusco said the new rate doesn’t accurately show the success of the school because it fails to include some students as graduates even though they stay in school. For example, a student who takes an extra semester to finish and receives a diploma in December is not counted as a graduate, he said.

DiFusco and Jen Bartlett, guidance director for Old Orchard Beach High School, said students face a variety of issues that can make it difficult to finish high school in four years. The town has a high number of students who move in and out of the district, bringing with them credits the school might not accept, DiFusco said.

 “Being the type of town we are we have people who come and go. The four-year plan doesn’t work for everybody,” DiFusco said. “It’s not just about disengaged kids.”

Bartlett said other students may need to go to work or care for a sick relative. The guidance department works with each student to develop an education plan and students sometimes find they need the flexibility of taking classes through adult education, she said.

“Most kids who leave and go to adult ed pursue a diploma and skills,” Bartlett said. “They’re moving forward.”

DiFusco said the school’s graduation rate was higher in past years, though those numbers cannot be compared directly with the new formula. Graduation rates in the early part of the decade were between 85 and 92 percent, he said, and dropout rates were close to 2 percent.

Lloyd Hunt, director of instruction at Thornton Academy, said the school has calculated its own graduate rate using the formula now used by the state since 1987. The school decided to use that method because educators wanted to understand the truth behind students who weren’t graduating, he said.

When Thornton Academy first began tracking its students using that method, guidance staff contacted parents and students to see why a student left school, he said.

“In large part over the years we found it had little to do with the school,” Hunt said, noting many students said home issues impacted their ability to stay in school.

Hunt said he is concerned some students who do graduate are not calculated in the state’s rate. Some special education students are on a five-year plan and the graduate rate “doesn’t recognize the commitment these kids make to finish,” he said.

Biddeford Assistant Superintendent Jeff Porter said 25 students last year took a fifth year to graduate. Those students were counted as dropouts even though they were still in school, he said.

Biddeford High School Principal Britton Wolfe said he expects to see a rebound in the school’s graduation rate starting next year, in large part because of dropout prevention strategies implemented during the past three years.

The schools have long looked at the issues of graduation rates and preventing dropouts, according to educators.

“The dropout rate has been an issue in Biddeford. We’re away it’s a major need and we’re committed to increasing our graduation rate,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe and Porter said the Biddeford School Department has taken a number of steps to increase the graduation rate and keep more students in school. Porter leads the Dropout Prevention Committee, which has included students, teachers, administrators, teachers and guidance counselors.

Two years ago, Biddeford High School started a credit recovery program that allows students to make up credits without retaking a class. That online program, called Plato, also is used by students in Old Orchard Beach to make up math and English work. At Thornton Academy, students work with teachers on credit recovery plans, Hunt said.

“The real issue for most of these kids is if they get through their sophomore year without very many credits, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel and their chances of graduating are slim,” Hunt said.

Area schools also are using Response to Intervention  programs that help students as soon as they begin to struggle. The federally mandated initiatives began at Old Orchard Beach last fall and include a freshman academy designed to help students transition to high school. The program allows students to work closely with core teachers, DiFusco said.

Bartlett said the school was able to offer summer school for the first time this year using RTI funds. Previously, students had to travel to other school districts as far away as Standish and Portland to take summer classes. That arrangement was expensive and provided transportation issues, she said. Old Orchard Beach students now can take summer math, English and science classes if they earned at least a 60 in the course and are recommended by a teacher.

Old Orchard Beach High School also now has Title I services through Regional School Unit 23. The services include tutorials and classroom assistance in math and English. This fall, the school will offer a Title I math elective course to supplement regular math progression and fill gaps in skills, DiFusco said.

Michael Lafortune, superintendent of RSU 23, said those types of programs are essential to ensure as many students have success in school as possible. He said it is likely the school board will want to hear more about the rates and look at the issue this year. 

In Biddeford, the dropout prevention committee continues to look at various ways to help students stay in school, Porter said. The committee looks at procedures and practices that contribute to dropout rates, including scheduling, truancy and credits required to graduate.

Porter said he expects the committee will recommend the school board reduce the number of credits required to graduate from 26 to around 22 to bring the school in line with others in the area. Earning 26 credits is difficult for many students, he said.

“As a committee we’re feeling we’re creating dropouts,” he said.

The committee also is looking at truancy, which Porter said contributes to students dropping out of school. A student is considered truant if he misses 15 days of school and truancy issues are seen as early as kindergarten, he said. At the high school level, truant students make an attendance contract with the guidance department and receive help to catch up.

“It’s a problem because when kids are missing a lot of school they’re not going to do as well,” Porter said.

Bartlett, the guidance director in Old Orchard Beach, said “attendance is a major factor in students who don’t graduate.” She and DiFusco agree it takes partnerships with parents to ensure students are coming to school and receiving the support they need to graduate.