WI State Performance Plan--Drop-out Rates

Drop-Out Rates

Indicator 2: Percent of youth with IEPs dropping out of high school compared to the percent of all youth in the state dropping out of high school. For more detailed information regarding this indicator, please review Indicator #2 of the State Performance Plan.

Wisconsin has developed a Continuous Improvement and Focused Monitoring System (CIFMS) to achieve positive results for children with disabilities in Wisconsin while ensuring continued procedural compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. WDPI involves stakeholders in the ongoing development of CIFMS including the identification of priority areas for focused monitoring. This stakeholder group identified the gap in graduation rates between students with disabilities and students without disabilities as a priority for focused monitoring. As part of the CIFMS, WDPI created the Graduation Gap workgroup, whose primary responsibility is to develop and conduct focused monitoring activities around this priority area. Reducing the dropout rates for students with disabilities will positively impact the gap in graduation rates between students with disabilities and students without disabilities. A responsibility of the Graduation Gap Workgroup is to develop and conduct focused monitoring activities aimed at reducing the dropout rate for students with disabilities.

A dropout is defined as a student who was enrolled in school at some time during the previous school year, was not enrolled at the reporting time of the current school year (third Friday in September), has not graduated from high school or completed a state- or district-approved educational program, and does not meet any of the following exclusionary conditions:
transfer to another school district, private school, or state- or district-approved educational program;
temporary absence due to expulsion, suspension, or school-excused illness;
death.

Students who complete the spring semester of the previous school year but are not enrolled by the third Friday in September of the current school year are considered summer dropouts or "no shows." Summer dropouts are not counted as dropouts for the previous year. A dropout would be counted for the current school year if the student is not re-enrolled by the count date of the following school year.

The dropout rate is calculated as the number of dropouts in grades 9-12 divided by the enrollment in grades 9-12. The dropout gap between students with disabilities and all students has consistently been less than 1%. Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the department has set a target dropout rate for all students of 0% by the 2013-2014 school year. Improvement activities are targeted at continuing to decrease the dropout rate for students with disabilities.

Data - District Profiles

Major Goals

Decrease the dropout rate for students with disabilities.
Decrease the gap in graduation rates between students with disabilities and students without disabilities.

Primary Objectives

Promote development of positive school climates.
Promote development of district policies and procedures that eliminate barriers to graduation for students with disabilities.
Assist districts in understanding the relationship among qualified staff, adequate resources, and student achievement.
Identify multiple options for student learning and school success.

Workgroup Members

Judy O'Kane, Other Health Impaired, Co-chair
Eva Kubinski, CIFMS, Co-chair
Pat Bober, Occupational Therapy; WI Statewide Parent Educator Initiative (WSPEI)
Lynn Boreson, Emotional Behavioral Disabilities
Sandy Corbett, Physical Therapy
Steve Gilles, Transition, Comprehensive System of Personnel Development
Mary Peters, Early Childhood Special Education
Suzan Van Beaver, Cross Categorical; Leadership

Resources

For questions about this information, contact Judy K. O'Kane (608) 267-3748 or Eva Kubinski (608) 266-2899.

Last updated on 6/12/2008 7:53:59 AM