RCOE focuses on drop outs

Research shows that more than half of those who drop out of school will become unemployed or collect welfare and are more than three times as likely to commit crimes than those who remain in school and receive a high school diploma. Those who drop out of school also have a higher likelihood of having children who will in-turn drop out of school and become a burden on society. As educators, it is our responsibility to help ensure that students complete high school with the necessary skills and capabilities to become successful and productive adults. For this reason, we must work collaboratively to ensure that students stay in school and receive their high school diplomas.

The Riverside County Office of Education is teaming up with Key Data Systems to tackle the drop out problem in Riverside County. We are taking a multi-faceted approach to combat this problem. Beginning with the class of 2006, students were required to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in order to receive a high school diploma. When this legislation was enacted, we saw a decrease in the percent of students graduating from high school. To counteract this trend, we are working with schools across the county to increase students’ chances of passing the CAHSEE on their first attempt by providing diagnostic tests to target specific skills that students have not mastered.

In addition to focusing on increasing CAHSEE pass rates, we are undertaking a longitudinal research project to gain a better understanding of the causes and consequences of dropping out of high school. It is the goal of RCOE to create alternative programs, based on our findings, aimed at keeping students in school. At this point, we know from research that students from households with low socioeconomic status and minority ethnic backgrounds face an increased risk of dropping out. We also know that students who have been retained at some point in their K-12 school experience, and those with poor grades and excessive absences are more likely to drop out.

Students who are completing the expected number of credits at the end of their freshman year are almost four times more likely to graduate than their peers who are not on track. Armed with this information, it is our goal to identify students with “drop out risk factors” so they can be placed in intervention programs that will work to decrease the likelihood that they will drop out of school. Those who do end up dropping out and for a variety of reasons “fall through the cracks” will be offered the opportunity to attend alternative programs operated through RCOE.