Creating multiple pathways to student success |
On Board Online • May 2, 2016
MaryEllen Elia
Commissioner of Education
In a few more weeks, another school year will start to wind down. At the same time, tens of thousands of New York's high school seniors will begin to gear up for graduation day.
Last year, more than 78 percent of our students graduated on time, in four years. Simply put, that's not good enough. For the nearly one-in-four students who don't earn a high school diploma, it's virtually a one-way ticket to a less successful future.
Encouragingly, the graduation rate is up almost two percentage points from 2014, and it's up substantially from 10 years ago, when fewer than 66 percent of students graduated on time. In real life terms, that means tens of thousands more students earned on-time diplomas in 2015 than in 2005. This accomplishment is even more remarkable considering our recent graduates had to meet significantly more rigorous requirements to earn a diploma.
In 2012, New York began demanding more from students in order to graduate. The local diploma - a less rigorous credential - was largely phased out. Students who previously opted for the local credential now had to pass five Regents exams to graduate with a Regents diploma, in addition to passing all of their required courses.
Since that time, the state's four-year graduation rate has gone up steadily. Even our biggest urban districts have made impressive gains, with graduation rates in New York City approaching all-time highs. This is a credit to the dedication and hard work of our teachers, administrators, parents, students and, of course, to our school board members.
But not all the news is good. In 2015, for example, the graduation rates for black and Hispanic students continued to lag behind those of their white peers. Only 57 percent of students with disabilities graduated on time, and more than 14,000 students dropped out along the way for various reasons.
We know that every child has the potential to graduate. We also know that every child learns differently and should be permitted to demonstrate what he or she knows in different ways. That's why the Board of Regents has embraced "multiple pathways" to graduation. The pathways allow students to concentrate on a subject area of interest to them, and to take an exam in that subject area - typically one viewed by the business community as a work credential. If the student passes, that credential can take the place of a fifth Regents exam as a requirement to graduate.
In no fashion is this a watering down of graduation requirements. It's an additional, equally rigorous avenue to a high school diploma. The Board of Regents has already approved nine different pathways in the arts and 30 in the sphere of career and technical education. There are also pathways available in biliteracy; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); the humanities; and a new pathway in occupational studies.
In my experience, if students are truly interested in a subject, they are more likely to go to school, do the work, stay engaged and graduate alongside their peers.
Our hope is that creating multiple opportunities for success will enable even more students to walk across the stage this spring and pick up their diplomas, ready for whatever comes next, whether it be college or the workplace.
We know that for many young people a high school diploma can unlock opportunities that once seemed far out of reach. Every child must be given the chance to earn a diploma and realize these opportunities - especially children from communities where opportunity too often remains a dream instead of becoming a reality.