GRADUATE REPORT: 2016 GARLAND INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT FEBRUARY 2017 The purpose of this report is to comply with Texas Education Code 39.306(a)(7) requiring annual reporting of information received under Texas Education Code 51.403(e) from the Texas High Education Coordinating Board concerning public education student enrollment and success in higher education. Due to timelines required for the capturing and reporting of the assembled data by the various educational agencies, including GISD, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), the most current information available is reported, but may not reflect the most recent high school graduating class. Readers are encouraged to pay particular attention to graduating class years explained in the text and provided in graphs/tables. Based on graduation trends over the last fifteen years, the has experienced a fairly steady percentage of students graduating under college ready high school programs that is, Recommended High School Program (RHSP), Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP), Foundation High School Program plus Distinguished Level Achievement (FHSP+DLA), and Foundation High School Program plus Endorsements (FHSP+E). Figure 1 highlights GISD graduate program fifteen year trends. FIGURE 1. HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES BY YEAR AND DIPLOMA PROGRAM What is not as evident when looking at the changes in percentages of students graduating under various high school programs shown on Figure 1 is the increase in the number of students graduating each school year. Between 2001 (N graduates = 2,553) and 2015 (N graduates = 3,938), there was an increase of 1,385 students that represents a student increase of 54% over the past fifteen years. However, as evident by bar height, the number of graduates in the most recent five years has experienced a less dramatic increase (4%). While not included in the graph, it is worth noting that the combined percentage of GISD college ready graduates for the past three years has exceeded state percentages. State RHSP/DAP graduate rates are 82% (Class of 2013), 83% (Class of 2014), and 82% (Class of 2015); GISD RHSP/DAP graduate rates are 84%, 84%, and 84% respectively. In addition, the GISD Class of 2015 saw a five year low in the number of students graduating on non-college ready high school diploma plan i.e., Minimum High School Plan, Foundation High School Plan, or IEP-recommended. While the percentages were the same for the Class of 2014 and the Class of 2015, the number of students graduating on a non-college ready high school diploma plan were 642 and 626, respectively. The goal of this report is to provide a glimpse into the college success of GISD graduates. This report is divided into sections to provide various elements related to college success of the most recent graduates for which data is available (most recent available varies by information reported). Tables are provided for the most recent graduates. Graphs provide a longitudinal perspective on trends over time. Data is reported for the district and individual high schools. GRADUATE REPORT PAGE 1
DATA & METHODOLOGY Data for this report was captured from the THECB. The agency not only collects college enrollment, completion and data from two- and four-year colleges within Texas, but provides the data (report and data export) on its website: www.txhighereddata.org. It is important to note that there are limitations to the available data. For example, because the data is provided by the THECB, college information is limited to public higher education institutions with the state of Texas; students who attend private colleges or out of state colleges are not captured in the data available from THECB. COLLEGE ENROLLMENT RESULTS Table 1 presents college enrollment for GISD students graduating in 2015 for the district, as well as each high school within the district. Lakeview Centennial High School had the largest percentage of graduates enroll in a twoor four-year institution immediately following high school graduation (59%), i.e., fall 2015. Other campuses with high percentages of graduates enrolling in higher education immediately following graduation include: Rowlett High School (58%), Naaman Forest High School (56%), Sachse High School (55%), North Garland High School (54%), and Garland High School (50%). TABLE 1. CLASS OF 2015 COLLEGE ENROLLMENT (FALL 2015) N Graduates 4-Year Institution 2-Year Institution Unknown GISD 3937 801 (20%) 1223 (31%) 1913 (49%) GHS 579 132 (23%) 158 (27%) 289 (50%) LCHS 502 148 (29%) 149 (30%) 205 (41%) MPA 167 2 (1%) 15 (9%) 150 (90%) NFHS 525 93 (18%) 199 (38%) 233 (44%) NGHS 501 98 (20%) 173 (35%) 230 (46%) RHS 611 139 (23%) 216 (35%) 256 (42%) SGHS 419 46 (11%) 107 (26%) 266 (63%) SHS 633 143 (23%) 206 (33%) 284 (45%) Interestingly, while not noted in the chart the state percentage of high school graduates enrolling in college immediately following high school graduation dropped to 50% for the Class of 2015, after remaining at 51% for graduating classes: Class of 2014, Class of 2013, and Class of 2012. In addition to college enrollment for the graduating class of 2015, THECB provides data access to explore trends over time as displayed in Figure 2 on the next page. GRADUATE REPORT PAGE 2
FIGURE 2. LONGITUDINAL GRADUATE POSTSECONDARY ENROLLMENT (FALL SEMESTER) FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION: 2- OR 4-YEAR INSTITUTION Figure 2 provides a line graph showing district and campus college enrollment trends (2- or 4-year institution) beginning with the graduating class of 2006 that s a 10 year perspective. Based on this data, the average rate of students enrolling in college immediately following high school graduation is 53%. It appears that the district s Class of 2008 had the highest percentage of students enrolling in college immediately following high school graduation (57%), while the Class of 2013 had the lowest rate (50%) of college enrollment. At the campus level, Rowlett High School had the highest college enrollment rate during the last 10 years with the Class of 2009 (64%); the next campus cohort with the highest college enrollment was noted for Rowlett High School Class of 2008 (63%), Rowlett High School Class of 2006 (62%), Naaman Forest High School Classes of 2007 & 2008 (61%), North Garland High School Class of 2012 (61%), Rowlett High School Class of 2010 (61%), and Sachse High School Classes of 2009 & 2010 (61%). COLLEGE PERFORMANCE RESULTS Due to a lag in the capturing and reporting of this data, the most recent high school graduating cohort with grade point averages (s) available is the graduating class of 2014. Table 2 presents the success of GISD high school graduates after completing their first year of college at a two- or four-year public institution of higher education. It is encouraging to note that 66% of the GISD 2014 graduates earned a 2.0 or better in their first year college coursework at a two-or four-year public institution. TABLE 2. CLASS OF 2014 FIRST YEAR COLLEGE Enrolled > 3.5 3.0-3.49 2.5-2.99 2.0-2.49 < 1.99 Unknown GISD 2237 423 (19%) 397 (18%) 329 (15%) 319 (14%) 640 (29%) 129 (6%) GHS 330 89 (27%) 69 (21%) 51 (15%) 43 (13%) 65 (20%) 13 (4%) LCHS 365 53 (15%) 54 (15%) 70 (19%) 48 (13%) 118 (32%) 22 (6%) MPA 31 1 (3%) 0 (--%) 4 (13%) 4 (13%) 15 (48%) 7 (23%) NFHS 309 57 (18%) 51 (17%) 40 (13%) 43 (14%) 98 (32%) 20 (6%) NGHS 298 68 (23%) 51 (17%) 50 (17%) 38 (13%) 70 (23%) 21 (7%) RHS 363 74 (20%) 79 (22%) 51 (14%) 43 (12%) 102 (28%) 14 (4%) SGHS 191 21 (11%) 27 (14%) 22 (12%) 35 (18%) 65 (34%) 21 (11%) SHS 350 60 (17%) 66 (19%) 41 (12%) 65 (19%) 107 (31%) 11 (3%) GRADUATE REPORT PAGE 3
Campuses with the highest percent of students earning a 2.0 or better after their first year of college include Garland High School (76% of their 330 graduates), North Garland High School (70% of their 309 graduates), and Rowlett High School (68% of their 363 graduates). In addition, all seven traditional high school campuses have results indicating that more than 55% of their 2014 graduates earned a of C or higher (> 2.0). Figure 3 takes a longitudinal look at the percentage of GISD graduates enrolled in a two- or four-year public institution of higher education that had a of 2.0 or higher after their first year of college based on graduating classes of 2009 to 2013 that s a five year longitudinal perspective. FIGURE 3. LONGITUDINAL TRENDS IN FIRST YEAR COLLEGE S Over the past five years, Garland High School has demonstrated the highest average percentage of students earning a first year college of 2.0 or higher (72%), followed by Rowlett High school (67%) and Sachse High School (66%). Furthermore, the consistency of GISD graduate college performance is evidenced in Figure 3, with all seven traditional high school campuses annually exceeding 50% of their graduates earning a first-year college of at least 2.0, with the only exception being South Garland High School s Class of 2013 graduates who experienced a rate of 49%. COLLEGE COMPLETION RESULTS The following tables provide data on awarding of degrees or certificates within six years of high graduation after enrolling in a two- or four-year institution. Due to the nature of the higher education data collection, it is possible that students who earned a Bachelor s degree may have also earned a certificate or Associate s degree. TABLE 3. GRADUATING CLASS OF 2002, 2003, AND 2004 HIGHER EDUCATION OUTCOMES N Graduates Enrolled Immediately Earned Certification Associate Bachelor GISD 5273 117 (2%) 519 (10%) 1872 (36%) GHS 865 14 (2%) 82 (9%) 402 (46%) LCHS 599 12 (2%) 50 (8%) 137 (23%) MPA 42 1 (2%) 3 (7%) 3 (7%) NFHS 1142 24 (2%) 125 (11%) 442 (39%) NGHS 823 28 (3%) 106 (13%) 257 (31%) RHS 1056 19 (2%) 85 (8%) 385 (36%) SGHS 746 19 (3%) 68 (9%) 246 (33%) It is not possible to determine the completion rates for individual graduating classes, thus Table 3 provides information related to the college completion within six years for the GISD graduating classes of 2002, 2003, and 2004. It is possible that students may have earned certificates or degrees after the six year time limit imposed on this data collection. Campuses with the highest percent of students earning a certification, Associate s, or Bachelor s include Garland High School (57% of the 865 students immediately enrolled in college following graduation across the cohorts) and Naaman Forest High School (52% of the GRADUATE REPORT PAGE 4
1,142 students immediately enrolled in college following graduation across the cohorts). In addition, it s important to note that Sachse High School does not have data available for the presented graduating classes because the school did not have graduates until the class of 2005. Table 4 provides similar information for the GISD graduating classes of 2005, 2006, and 2007. Forty-five percent of the GISD Graduating classes of 2005, 2006, and 2007 have earned a certification, Associate s, or Bachelor s within six years after high school graduation. Campuses with the highest percent of students earning a certification, Associate s, or Bachelor s include Garland High School (53% of the 771 students in the 3-year cohort) and North Garland High School (47% of the 840 students in the 3-year cohort). TABLE 4. GRADUATING CLASS OF 2005, 2006, AND 2007 HIGHER EDUCATION OUTCOMES N Graduates Enrolled Immediately Earned Certification Associate Bachelor GISD 4985 69 (1%) 376 (8%) 1799 (36%) GHS 771 12 (2%) 56 (7%) 337 (44%) LCHS 597 13 (2%) 41 (7%) 176 (29%) MPA 37 2 (5%) 4 (11%) 2 (5%) NFHS 880 7 (1%) 62 (7%) 321 (36%) NGHS 840 10 (1%) 68 (8%) 316 (38%) RHS 1148 16 (1%) 93 (8%) 428 (37%) SGHS 712 9 (1%) 52 (7%) 219 (31%) SHS 795 10 (1%) 72 (9%) 242 (30%) Unfortunately, the Texas Higher Education Data website has not been updated to reflect information for the next three cohorts (Class of 2008, 2009, and 2010) because those classes have not had a six-year opportunity to complete a degree program. It was anticipated that the information could become available as soon as fall 2016, but the information were not available at the time of this written report. SUMMARY This is the fourth annual report looking at GISD high school graduates and their post-secondary activities. The information presented above demonstrates that GISD graduates are enrolling, meeting with success, and completing college programs in the state of Texas. The GISD Board of Trustees and district leadership continue to make student preparation for college success a priority through several initiatives, including the financial support of the following: a) PSAT/NMSQT for all 10 th & 11 th grade students (beginning fall 2013); b) participation in the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) at GISD campuses (LCHS, NFHS, NGHS, and SGHS beginning fall of 2014; GHS, RHS, and SHS beginning fall of 2016); c) PSAT for all 8 th & 9 th grade students (beginning fall 2015); d) SAT School Day for all 11 th grade students (beginning spring 2016); and e) AP testing (beginning spring 2016). The following recommendations are carried over from previous years, as they are still relevant and will continue to assist the district in advancing the college-preparedness of our students: High school graduation plans were changed during the 83 rd Texas Legislature. The first graduating cohort under the new graduation plans will be the Class of 2018. Priority should be placed on ensuring that students continue to graduate on advanced degree programs, i.e., Foundation High School Program plus Endorsements (FHSP+E) and Foundation High School Program with Distinguished Level of Achievement (FHSP+DLA) which require a rigorous high school program aimed at preparation for college or career opportunities; Continue to prioritize career and college readiness through a variety of programs, including a) a comprehensive assessment program that assists with the identification of students that are capable of GRADUATE REPORT PAGE 5
successful completion of dual credit, pre-ap and Advanced Placement (AP) coursework, and pre-ib and International Baccalaureate (IB) coursework; and b) aligning course grade point weights to encourage students to take college-level coursework without advantaging one track over another; and Assist students with developing behaviors and habits (e.g., studying, regular attendance, etc.) that support academic tenacity so that students that begin a post-secondary institution following high school graduation possess the characteristics to meet with success thorough their first-year of college until degree completion. GRADUATE REPORT PAGE 6