Status of High School Dropouts in the State and Two Southwest Regions

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Status of High School Dropouts in the State and
Two Southwest Regions

• March 11, 2009
• Laura M. Holian, Ph.D., REL Appalachia

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Introduction

• Why is understanding dropout important to
  Virginia and the southwest region?
• Graduation rate requirements under NCLB and SOA
• Prevention

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Understanding Dropouts

• Look at the percentage of dropouts in 2007/08 in
  Virginia, Region VI, and Region VII
• By grade level
• Look at various factors identified in dropout
  literature
• Behavioral
• Academic
• Socio-demographic

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Low annual dropout rate, 2007-08
Data obtained from VDOE and represent the
proportion of students dropping out to students
enrolled at any time during SY 2007/08.
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Factors associated with dropouts statewide

• Risk factors available in state data
• Absenteeism
• Absent gt20 of the time enrolled
• Days absent
• Truancy conference
• Overage for grade
• Repeating a grade
• Changing schools
• Economically disadvantaged

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Determining criteria for risk factors

• Looking at those factors where at least 65 of
  dropouts had characteristic
• AND
• there was at least a 20 percentage point
  difference between the percent of dropouts and
  non-dropouts with the characteristic

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Factors meeting both criteria by grade
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Most dropouts had high absenteeism
Compared to 5-8 of non-dropouts with absentee
rates of over 20
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Dropouts are increasingly absent statewide
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Dropouts are increasingly absent in Region VI
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Dropouts are increasingly absent in Region VII
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Repeating Grade Level in 2007/08, Dropouts
Non-dropout repeaters 11 5
3 3
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Over-age by 2 or more years, Dropouts
9 of non-dropouts in 9th grade are over-age
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Disadvantaged 9th Graders were a larger
proportion of dropouts in 2007-08
Similar pattern across all grades
Disadvantaged at any time between 2004/05 and
2007/08
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Changing Schools

• Disruption could be due to student needs,
  expulsion, or other family circumstances
• Measured as ever changing schools during a school
  year between 2004/05 and 2007/08
• Fewer than 65 of dropouts had this
  characteristic
• More than a 20 percentage point difference
  between dropouts and non-dropouts statewide and
  for 9th graders in Regions VI and VII

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Changing schools could be a factor
10 of non-dropouts changed schools during the
school year
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Summary

• Statewide about 2 percent of students in each
  high school grade dropped out in 2007/08
• Factors associated with dropping out in state and
  2 southwest regions
• Absenteeism associated with dropping out across
  all grades progressive decline in attendance
  over 4 years
• Repeating grade or being over-age associated with
  dropping out in 9th grade
• Economically disadvantaged students
  disproportionately represented among dropouts
  across all grades

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Dropouts are absent more often
Non-dropouts average 7-10 days absent