Newsrooom

Thursday, June 25, 2009

College-Level, AP Enrollment Detailed at Board Meeting on College-Readiness Initiatives and High School Course Requirements

Denver, CO - Denver Public Schools (DPS) has cut its dropout rate by one-third over the past two years, and at the same time the district has seen a dramatic increase in the number of high school students taking college-level and Advanced Placement courses. District leaders presented the data to the DPS Board of Education at a special meeting held to examine the district's college-readiness programs for high school students.

The district's dropout rate fell to 7.5 percent for the 2007-08 school year, down from 11.1 percent in 2005-06 and 10.4 in 2006-07. Also, DPS high schools saw a 65 percent increase from the fall 2008 to spring 2009 semesters in the number of juniors and seniors taking college-level courses; roughly 84 percent of those students earned college credits in those courses, and about 80 percent of those courses were taken by students of color. In addition, over the past six years, the number of AP exams taken by DPS high school students has jumped by 72 percent, and last year alone the number of exams taken increased by about 34 percent.

"Cutting the dropout rate is a huge step. That's literally hundreds more of our students staying in school and on the right path to college and careers," said DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg. "And at the same time, we're seeing more of our students taking the tough classes that best prepare them for the rigors of college. We're raising standards, and more and more of our students are rising to the challenge. We'll continue to work closely with the College Board on a strategy to get more students taking and passing AP exams and with our university partners on a plan to offer more opportunities for DPS students to get a head start on college. Research has shown that access to these programs has a strong impact on students' college-enrollment rates."

Giving Students More Choices in Preparing for College, Careers

DPS leadership also presented its plans for providing more credit-requirement flexibility for high school students in order to help them tailor their education to their specific college and career plans. The proposed changes require approval from the Board of Education.

The total number of credits required for high school graduation would remain the same, but students would be given more flexibility to choose their courses. For example, the current science requirement for high school students is earth science, biology, and a choice of chemistry or physics. The proposed requirement is still three years of science, with two of those being from among earth science, biology, chemistry and physics, and the student having more flexibility on the third science course.

"It's important for students to be challenged, while also having the opportunity to take the classes that best suit their college and career plans," DPS Chief Academic Officer Ana Tilton said. "By reducing the number of specific courses that kids have to take, while still maintaining rigor, we'd be allowing more flexibility in pursuing the areas that will help them most in college and their careers."

Extra Outreach to At-Risk Students

The Board also received an update on the district's strategies for offering alternative-education programs for students who have unique learning needs or are struggling to meet the graduation requirements. Those initiatives include:

• Creating specialized learning environments for students who have unique learning needs that aren't served well in traditional high schools
• Recognizing the strong link between attendance and graduation rates and building on an aggressive intervention program for students with frequent absences.
• Offering credit-recovery programs for students who have been out of school for an extended period of time
• Offering more evening courses for students
• Strengthening outreach programs for students who have disciplinary issues or are involved in the criminal-justice system

"We've seen some real progress, but there's still a long way to go," Boasberg added. "And in today's world, a child's education can't stop at high school. We need to drive them toward college and make sure they're prepared to succeed there. And the best way to do that is to make sure they're challenged in high school, empower them to take the courses that best fit their skills and interest, and provide a range of programs that help all of our students overcome whatever obstacles may be in their way."

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