MORGAN -- What started out as public humiliation regarding Morgan High School's low graduation rate has resulted in changes at the State Office of Education.After a Jan. 15 Standard- Examiner article listed Morgan High as having one of the lowest graduation rates in Northern Utah, Morgan County Superintendent Ron Wolff simply didn't believe it.
He took his questions to the State Office of Education.
"Those who caught the article were probably as shocked as we were," Wolff said. "Immediately we said, 'That can't be, there's no way.' It started us on a quest."
After a flurry of e-mails and in-person meetings, Morgan and USOE officials found some glitches.
Turns out, the USOE's computer database isn't programmed to deal with four-year high schools such as Morgan, even though the office's own rules say dropout rates are based on grades 10 through 12.
In addition, the state is initiating a new way of coding dually enrolled home-schooled students.
"We found out all the senior home-schooled students are counted as dropouts" for the class of 2009, Wolff said.
The state, he said, "hadn't dealt with how to code dual-enrolled students. The state is either going to clarify what to code home-schooled students as, or create a new code."
The district allows home-schooled students to enroll as Morgan High students so they can ride public transportation to seminary classes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"As we began to compare notes with the Utah State Office of Education, we discovered some issues that needed to be resolved at the district level, as well as the state level," Wolff said in a prepared statement.
"From the state's perspective, they recognized a glitch in their computer system that needs to be corrected."
Also, after meetings with the USOE, Morgan High staff members will change the way they categorize foreign exchange students. Databases will show foreign exchange students as officially transferring out of state instead of deeming them dropouts.
After removing one freshman, three foreign exchange students and three home-schooled students, Morgan's graduation rate rose from the reported 91 percent to 95 percent, "where we traditionally are at," Wolff said.
"When the seven students are removed, there are 10 students left that are legitimately considered dropouts of the class of 2009."
Only three students of the class of 2009 had no intent to graduate.
Seven other students finished their senior year without enough credits to graduate.
"Our hope is that the 10 students who were legitimately considered dropouts will return to our adult program and complete the requirements for a district diploma," Wolff said.
In the meantime, there's nothing the district or state can do to change the 91 percent graduation rate for Morgan High's class of 2009 now officially on the books.
Comments