If we expand options to meet graduation requirements, implement equitable grading practices, and decrease absenteeism, then graduation rates will increase and students will be better prepared for future opportunities.
Why focus on Graduate With Options?
Each student in PSD is an individual with their own unique interests. All students should have opportunities in school that let them explore their interests and pursue their passions. Students who have more choices in school will more likely graduate on time and be better prepared with more options for their future, whether they decide to enter the workforce immediately, pursue post-secondary education or follow another path.
To help ensure students graduate with options and to increase graduation rates, we’ll implement consistent grading practices at middle schools and update graduation requirements to support multiple post-secondary pathways and ensure students are supported in getting all credits necessary to graduate with options. The team working on these projects are a group of middle and high school principals, and staff from several departments including Career Technology Education, Information Technology, Curriculum, Integrated Services, and Language, Culture & Equity.
Year one: 2023-24 accomplishments
The on-time graduation rate for PSD students has remained above the state average for several years and was 86.9% for the Class of 2023 (most recent data available).
During the first year of the Strategic Plan, PSD supported students to Graduate With Options by:
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Updating graduation requirements to give students more academic options aligned to their future goals
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Updating the diploma processes for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and Multilingual Learners
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Adding an automotive pathway and a behavioral health pathway at the PSD Career Tech Center (formerly the Futures Lab)
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Increasing student and family awareness of student opportunities to earn free college credit, certifications, and degrees while still in high school
Year two: What we're excited about in 2024-25
Goals - Increase overall graduation rates toward 90% and close gaps for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and those with historically underserved identities.
Plans - Work includes:
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Looking at established career pathways and creating versions for each high school ahead of implementation of new graduation requirements
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Developing and implementing lesson plans and check-ins to ensure students with disabilities and multilingual learners are on track
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Monitoring grades and credits to help students be successful. The path to graduation begins long before high school, so there will also be several years of work put into equitable grading practices, starting with middle schools.
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Attendance has a huge impact on graduation rates, so PSD has the following attendance-related work planned as well:
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Implement automated letters to families when their student experiences chronic absenteeism or is chronically truant
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Research and develop student and family assessments for outreach engagement
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Have a menu or support for students struggling with attendance
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Review and revise the attendance guidebook
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Measuring success
Success of projects will be determined by metrics that show the impact on students like attendance data, graduation rates and student surveys about their personal experiences in PSD.