Start your engines for the Class of 2008

I just got back from an OSPI Media Workshop on the Class of 2008’s upcoming assessment results release and for once, my head wasn’t spinning (I know, shocking!). It’s pretty clear that since the Class of 2008 will be the first class required to meet a number of new state mandates that OSPI wants everyone to be adequately informed and able to digest information that’s, um, not always the most straightforward.

BUT! I thought they did a nice job presenting data on the to-date progress of the ’08 crew, and I wanted to share one slide I thought was the most useful.

“Wow, this looks complicated,” you say. Actually, it’s not: This chart (click here to see it in greater detail) shows a FULL accounting of individuals within the Class of 2008 (i.e. students who started 9^th grade in 2004) as they move through the Washington high school system. The brown boxes track the bulk of the class as they move up a grade level each year and the other boxes show the distribution of students who are ahead and who have stayed in a lower grade. Though the number of individuals enrolled appears pretty stable, what it represents is very fluid: Each year, it accounts for all students, including those who leave the WA system and transfer in.

Though OSPI won’t know the total grad rate for the Class of 2008 until Fall (the school year officially ends on Aug. 31) this chart represents a decent snapshot as to how things are shaping up.

There are some very good, clear handouts on the OSPI site that speak to the process of earning a diploma for the Class of 2008, so be sure to check them out. And stay tuned for more updates on the Class of 2008, right here on the Hall Monitor.