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How did our grads do?

Provincial graduation rate higher than it has been in years; stats released for ADSB and H-SCDSB
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High school graduation rates are looking good for the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board.

The H-SCDSB’s four year graduation rate from 2016 is at 78.2 per cent, its five year rate 85.3 per cent.

That’s pretty much on par with the provincial four and five year graduation rates of 79.6 per cent and 86.5 per cent respectively.

“The graduation rate for the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board is a reflection of the efforts and dedication of many people, including our students, parents, employees, parishes, and community partners. Collaborative relationships, diverse programming options, and purposeful time-tabling allow us to keep the focus on student achievement and well-being,” wrote Rose Burton Spohn, H-SCDSB superintendent, in an email to SooToday.

“Mathematics continues to be an area of focus for us, both at the elementary and secondary levels. We anticipate that our renewed focus on collecting, analyzing, and using data to track student achievement from Kindergarten to Grade 12 will help us continue to meet students’ needs appropriately,” Burton Spohn wrote.

The numbers don’t look quite as rosy for the Algoma District School Board.

At least, not on the surface.

The ADSB’s four year graduation rate from 2016 is 68.4 per cent, its five year rate 76.8 per cent.

However, those stats don’t show the number of students who take advantage of any one of a different number of special high school graduation plans available, wrote Marcy Bell, ADSB superintendent, in an email to SooToday.

“While our rates are below the provincial average, when we look at those students who stayed within our board, our four year rate is actually 71.3 per cent and our five year rate is 79.4 per cent,” Bell wrote.

“As well, we offer programs at the secondary level which address and recognize all student pathways, the success of which are not reflected in this data, as these students earn certificates, not diplomas.”

“In the Algoma District School Board, we celebrate and acknowledge the success of all pathways, and when we look at these students who successfully met their educational goals, our five year grad rate is 83.9 per cent, which is comparable to our rate last year and closer to the provincial average,” Bell wrote, adding the ADSB will strive to improve its graduation rates in 2017-2018.

This marks the third consecutive year the Ontario government has published school board graduation rates across the province, which are available for viewing online

“In 2016, the five year graduation rate increased to 86.5 per cent, up more than 18 percentage points compared to the 2004 rate of 68 per cent.  The number of students graduating in four years continues to grow and is now 79.6 per cent, an increase of more than 23 percentage points since 2004,” the province gushed on its website, crediting a number of programs designed to help young people graduate.

 


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Darren Taylor

About the Author: Darren Taylor

Darren Taylor is a news reporter and photographer in Sault Ste Marie. He regularly covers community events, political announcements and numerous board meetings. With a background in broadcast journalism, Darren has worked in the media since 1996.
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